Hallowe’en starts early in the town of Marchiennes in Northern France, where one of the last witch trials took place. Péronne Goguillon, her daughter and three other women were burnt at the stake in 1679. On the first Sunday of October since 1991, the tourist office organises the Cucurbitades Festival held on the site of […]
Airship Paris and Zeppelin France have formed a partnership to offer the first commercial sightseeing tours of Paris from a Zeppelin balloon. The unique experience offers a chance to ride in a 12 seater airship, in which you can move about freely taking in the sights of Paris from above through the panoramic windows for […]
In the city of Lille in Northern France a very special flea market is held each year – the largest in Europe and it is called the Lille Braderie. No one is absolutely sure how the Lille Braderie got its name. The earliest mention, in 1127, refers to it as the ‘Lille Fair’. Once a […]
The French have a love affair with chocolate – every Easter 13,000 tonnes of chocolate are sold in France and in surveys 82% of those questioned said they love chocolate and that it is “the food of happiness”. Over the Easter weekend thousands of Easter entertainments from grand Easter egg hunts to egg decorating sessions […]
Adventure, conviviality and French lifestyle are the keywords for a very special annual 2CV trip round France! The idea: Crews of two or four aboard a convertible 2 CV car follow a route which will take them through twenty of the most charming and pictureque villages of France from Paris to Cannes. The villages have […]
The Good Life France talks to Daisy de Plume, an American expat in Paris and founder of THATLou which stands for Treasure Hunt At The Louvre. A terrific idea which appeals to all ages – from kids to corporate types, eager 10 year olds and grumpy teens; from families on holiday – pitted against one another, […]
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In the centre of Paris you can visit a café that’s also a cosy refuge for abandoned cats. Highly recommended for cat and coffee lovers! Margaux Grandelon opened her first Cat Café in 2013 in the Marais district. I visited her second little establishment close to the Bastille monument at 9, Rue Sedaine and enjoyed […]
In August 2014, I gave up my job teaching English in Lyon to house-sit a farm in Vienne and write a novel. I wasn’t particularly looking for the literary good life. I just wanted a break from the city. Six months later I finished it. But the elation was short-lived. I didn’t like it at […]
We chat to Rosy Rabson, a British expat who retired to Burgundy and run a gite from which all proceeds go to charity. Based in the Morvan area, with its regional natural park, a land of ancient castles, picturesque villages, forests and lakes, it is a largely undiscovered by tourists part of France – and […]
Katharine Tasker from London upped sticks in the city and moved to the sticks in rural northern France. With her she brought a sprinkling of urban style to her new build home and thriving new business, a café and shop… Pas de Calais is a region of meadows and forests, the countryside is criss crossed […]
British stand-up comedian, mod, expat, goat whisperer (maybe) – and now Chambre d’hote host – Ian Moore’s unique insights into life in the Loire Valley will make you laugh out loud… Hosts, Goats and Chambres d’Hôtes There’s a point in my first or second book, probably both, where my wife, Natalie, and I sit down […]
Making friends in France isn’t difficult I’ve found. They don’t care if my French is not great or I get my grammar all wrong. They don’t even care that much that I am “Flop chef not Top Chef” and can barely grill a bit of French bread without spoiling it. But there are some things […]
Honfleur is a French fishing village in the department of Calvados, Normandy. It sits on the southern bank of the Seine estuary where the great river flows into the Atlantic Ocean. If you love authentic old French towns, then you will find Honfleur one of the most beautiful there is. What to see in Honfleur […]
The Lot-et-Garonne department is in the southwestern of the Nouvelle Aquitaine region (previously Midi-Pyrénées). It’s has been described as “the France that you always hoped existed but could never quite find”. It’s idyllic; a paradise… Discovering Fongrave I looked over at my friend as she was talking feverishly about the still, quiet beauty of the […]