The Charente-Maritime is a diverse and historic part of France, with coastal areas popular with the French, some of the best seafood on the Atlantic coast, and a long royal history wrapping back hundreds of years. Île de Ré Île de Ré
Historically, the Poitou region is the cradle of French Romanesque architecture. With some planning, in July and August it’s possible to explore one of the densest collections of frescos and intact architecture in France - many of which require guided
In August 2023 we took a long road trip from Revonnas to the Spanish Pyrenees, to the Costa Brava, to the southwestern beaches of France. Here's what went right – and wrong – and how we'd adapt for an even
Pau is so lovely - a surprise of a town, with Pyrenees peaks in the distance and beautiful buildings. The historical capital of Bearn, a state annexed to France in 1620, it’s famously the birthplace of King Henry IV (and
Eugénie-les-Bains is best known for housing a spa resort and three restaurants, all belonging to chef Michel Guérard, inventor of cuisine minceur. It’s all fairly in the middle of nowhere, though a pretty nowhere, with sunflowers and rolling hills. The
Pretty little town. I preferred San Sebastian, Galen thought Saint-Jean was cuter. It's smaller and French. We did this by accident - *Le Petit Train de la Rhune. There's also a Petit Train de St. Jean, which we originally set out
We had two nights and a day on the Medoc peninsula. ***Chateau Meyre Avensan was a great hotel choice - it’s elegant, old fashioned, pretty quiet, has a nice pool. Central location. On the food front: **Le Saint Julien: very posh indoor
We had two hours on our most recent trip to Bordeaux, so not much of a tour, but I’d definitely go back. It’s a huge and slightly gritty city, with sprawling suburbs and industrial areas in every direction. The area
North of Lectoure, there’s another stop on the Camino de Santiago, **Auvillar, on the banks of the Garonne, bears traces of its religious and trading history. The circular covered market, built in 1824, is the only one of its kind