How might a thousand-year-old religious institution be given a new lease of life within today’s very secular society? The solution for revitalising such historic monuments generally consists of transforming them into five-star hot..
[to know more]

The French city of Tours may be famed for the beauty of its old quarters, but it doesn’t rest on those timeworn laurels; there are always fine new establishments to be discovered in the Val de Loire’s number one city. Indeed, sinc..
[to know more]

Located in the Vallée de la Brenne, in France’s Indre-et-Loire département, the Château de Valmer’s vast kitchen garden is committed to biodiversity. Under the leadership of owner and gardener Alix de Saint-Venant, it gives pride ..
[to know more]

Poet and boatman Jean Ley is enamoured of the Loire. He accompanies passengers on discovery tours of the many mysteries of this great, untamed French river.
[to know more]

Located on Strasbourg’s Grande Île (Main Island), surrounded by the river Ill, the beautiful historic area of "La Petite France" – Little France is where you’ll find half-timbered houses, tanners and millers on both side..
[to know more]

The town of Ornans in the department of Doubs is famous for the paintings by the French artist Gustave Courbet (1819-1877.) The completely renovated and enlarged Courbet Museum, located on the banks of the River Loue has a perman..
[to know more]

Cooking classes are the latest trend to hit the mountain resorts. Patrick Laroche, artisan chocolatier at Grand-Bornand in the Haute-Savoie, has opened his laboratory to budding gastronomes.
[to know more]

Developed by an artisan of the Haute-Savoie region, ski-biking is gradually gaining in popularity on the slopes of the Alpine resort of Grand-Bornand. In this famous place of winter sports, there are even courses to learn the new ..
[to know more]

2013 marks the 850th anniversary of one of France's most enduring icons -- the Gothic cathedral of Notre-Dame, in the heart of Paris.
[to know more]

As bottles are uncorked for the Christmas season, spare a thought for one French scientist who takes his champagne extremely seriously. For the last 15 years, Professor Gérard Liger-Belair has been studying the fizzy stuff, determ..
[to know more]

Notre Dame has a colourful history that includes surviving the French Revolution and two World Wars. Now at 850 years-old, a dedicated team keep it in top condition - cleaning the building and keeping it safe for the millions of v..
[to know more]

Established in 1570, Strasbourg’s Christmas Market – Le Marché de Noël de Strasbourg – is celebrating its 443rd year. Featuring over 300 chalets in 12 squares, the market is held until 31 December. The perfect time to discover loc..
[to know more]

The wine cellars of Monaco’s Hotel de Paris hold a veritable treasure trove: over 550,000 bottles of the most prestigious wines. This is a sanctuary reserved for the elite and if you wish to visit it, it will cost a modest sum of ..
[to know more]

Constructed by the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux between 1775 and 1779, la SalineRoyale d’Arc-et-Senans – Royal Saltworks – in the heart of the Doubs département is the only remaining example of 18th century industrial architect..
[to know more]

France is the world's biggest consumer of Scotch whisky per capita, but there are still only a handful of whisky producers. The first, a distillery in Brittany, decided 20 years ago that it would take on the Celtic competition wit..
[to know more]

Le Vasterival garden in Sainte-Marguerite-sur-Mer, Normandy, was created by an exiled Romanian princess. Home to some 10,000 plant species and varieties, the grounds are subtly landscaped with new perspectives around every corner...
[to know more]

A few kilometres from Rouen, the Jardin Plume brings together the rationalism of French-style classical gardens and the chaos of perennials and grasslands. Contemporary yet timeless, this most original garden reaches a peak of per..
[to know more]

If you don't fancy any of the wines available at your local supermarket -- why not make your own? That's what one couple in a residential part of Bordeaux have been doing for 10 years -- and they've now produced a book to help oth..
[to know more]

A French inventor has developed Wall-Ye, a prototype robot that helps with mapping and pruning vines and even with harvesting grapes.
[to know more]

Situated in the hanging valley of Varengeville-sur-Mer, in Haute-Normandie, the Bois des Moutiers is simultaneously an English Garden, a park with exotic species and an Arts & Crafts house. Antoine Bouchayer-Mallet shows us ar..
[to know more]