French Travel Blog

Part of the bigger Languedoc-Roussillon region, the Roussillon area spans from the Spanish border to the city of Narbonne and includes the eastern fringe of the Pyrenees mountains. This area is also known as the French Catalonia , and the history and traditions of the Catalans are still very present today. The height of Catalan power was reached in the 13th and 14th centuries when the Franco-Catalan frontier was fixed along the base of the Corbières hills north of Perpignan. But Jaime I made the mistake of dividing his kingdom between his two sons at his death. Thus, the...

Reims is the capital of the Champagne wine region, and is a nice place to spend a day. There is more to see and do than just sip some bubbly (although that is a must, too). The center of Reims is small enough that you can enjoy walking to the major sites (the following loop is about 4 miles in total). The town of Reims has played a major part in French history, intimately linked to the kings of France. Clovis was baptized there, Louis the Pious was crowned there in 816, and beginning in the 11th century, 26 kings of France were crowned within the walls of the Cathedral. The Cathedral of Notre...

“Biscuits roses de Reims” are a specialty of the Champagne area. They are light, crunchy finger-shaped cookies and are amongst the oldest cookies in France. The Maison Fossier has been making them since 1691. You may dip them into a glass of Champagne to enjoy, but I like turning them into beautiful pink truffles, making them a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day. Photo : Pink biscuits from Reims Ingredients: 1 cup crushed Pink Biscuits ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons softened butter 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon rum Powdered sugar Instructions: Mix the butter and the crumbs, then add the egg yolk...

The Galette des Rois is made to celebrate the Epiphany, the arrival of the Magi to visit the baby Jesus, on January 6th. The Brioche des Rois is more traditional in southern France, while the Galette is the king in northern France. INGREDIENTS: [Serves 8 people] For the pastry cream: 2 eggs ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup flour 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla For the almond cream: 3 egg yolks 1-1/4 cup ground almonds 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup softened butter A splash of rum (optional) 2 store-brought crusts, or you can make your own "pâte feuilletée" 1 yolk for brushing the crust before baking...

Art comes alive, exploding in color and movement at the immersive Carrières de Lumières in les Baux-de-Provence and at the Atelier des Lumières in Paris. And in 2021, the experience will be very rich, as the two themes are: Gaudi, the Architect of the Imaginary Dali, the Endless Enigma Music accompanies you as you dive into the universe of these artists. Projections on the walls and floors make you feel as you are swimming in the different works by Dali and Gaudi. Atelier des Lumieres © Culturespaces / Nuit de Chine Both venues are great,...

At home, France Just For You Founder, Emilie Thyebaut, her husband Guillaume and their girls Jeanne and Pauline love to cook and bake. Pauline invented this recipe herself! The girls love to watch a TV show called "The Best Amateur Pastry-Maker" and they get lots of ideas from there. They had their grandmother take them to a pastry-making shop called Zodio, and bought some special molds and other things they would need for this recipe. Instructions For about 10 small molds (the size of a small (French-sized) muffin mold). Make a chocolate mousse You will need: - 3...

In this post, we explore one of France’s pride gourmet foods - cheese! We have listed some of our favorites, along with the regions they come from and some delicious pairings. But first, here is an amusing anecdote from our Senior Trip Planner Laura’s mother, Judy, about a cheesy faux-pas in a French restaurant while she was visiting France: My husband and I were on a driving tour of France on one of our first trips to Europe. One evening we had dinner at a nice restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. The meal was wonderful and went perfectly until the end. The waiter arrived...

In October, to mark the grape harvest season, our recipe of the month is 'Grape-Picker's Stew' - wholesome enough to keep the grape-pickers' energy levels up through the harvest! Ingredients 8 slices of streaky smoked bacon 8 large sausages (we recommend Toulouse, beef or venison) 4 onions cut up into large chunks 200g of dry green lentils (Puy) 2-4 garlic cloves 300 ml of beef stock 150 ml of red wine Fresh thyme Instructions Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and fry the bacon until it's crispy over a medium heat. Remove the bacon, then add the sausages, browning them all over. Then...

At the time of writing, we’re in the midst of the grape harvest! Farmers markets all over France are bustling all year round as locals continue to prefer fresh produce over the grocery store chains. And this is even more true during the fall harvest season, with its abondance of new winter vegetables. In this post, we spend a week exploring markets in Provence in southern France. As well as farmers’ markets, we’re including antiques, handicrafts, textiles and other markets that are wonderful for buying authentic French souvenirs . So make sure you keep this list handy the...