Explore French History

Where to stay in the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley region spans 175 miles, so naturally the first question on many travelers' minds will be where to stay in the Loire Valley. This post looks at some of the most central and popular locations in the Loire Valley, as well as locations which are a bit more remote or farther afield. We explain the pros and the cons of each location and their position in relation to some of the Loire Valley's main attractions. We hope this will help you to decide which area would suit you best during your stay in the Loire. To travel to the Loire Valley is to experience 'the good life' in France...

WWI Sites in France

War Memorials in France, WW1 sites in France

World War 1 was characterised by death and misery along the Western Front , a stretch of land that covered around 400 miles of France and Belgium . Soldiers fought one another in mud-filled trenches, greatly suffering from the poor conditions. Nowadays, this part of Europe has been transformed into a number of thriving towns and villages that live at peace with one another, no doubt thanks to the efforts of our valiant fighters. However, what took place here during the First World War has not and will not be forgotten. The former Western...

Normandy’s WWII Sites

Interested in European history? Normandy is rich with fascinating memorials and museums commemorating some of Europe's darkest days The beaches in Normandy are of great historical importance . It was here that, on the fateful day of the 6th June 1944, also known as D-Day , the Allies invaded Normandy and began the liberation of Nazi-controlled north-western Europe. On the first day, around 160,000 troops landed on the beach and by the end of June, one million soldiers had crossed the English Channel and marched on to the...

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in France

Inside Bourges Cathedral - UNESCO world heritage sites France

In this post, we're listing the UNESCO World Heritage sites in France that are located in the regions that we cover in our tours. The whole of France is famous for its many architectural and historical monuments, and we are happy to include some of these in our self-drive itineraries . Of the 1073 sites on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) list of World Heritage Sites , 43 are in France. It has the fourth largest number of historical sites in the world after Italy (53), China...

Visit Lascaux, ‘the Sistine Chapel of Prehistory’

On September 8th 1940, the world was at war and 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat was out walking his dog in a clearing in the region of Lascaux, Dordogne . Suddenly, his dog disappeared. Marcel starting calling out to him, and he eventually found him emerging from a hole in the ground that had been revealed by a tree that had fallen down the year before. Marcel tossed some stones down the hole and listened as they bounced and descended deeper and deeper into an apparent underground abyss. Curiouser and curiouser . Marcel had a feeling he had just stumbled upon something extraordinary...

The Legends of Mont Saint Michel

In this post we explore some of the myths and legends of the islet of Mont Saint Michel ! Are you just looking for general information about Mont Saint Michel? Then please visit our general page about Mont Saint Michel . Are you looking for tours of Mont Saint Michel ? Then please visit our Mont Saint Michel day tour page or our Normandy tours page . We can arrange guided tours of Mont Saint Michel which avoid the tourist crowds. Mont Saint Michel...

Were King Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany really in love?

Being in love to get married is a quite "new" consideration...in the past, in France, love was not really a matter when it came to get married... On December 6th 1491, the château of Langeais (our home-town…we actually live in the street called Anne de Bretagne) was the scene of the dawn wedding between Charles VIII and Duchess Anne of Brittany . The 14-year-old Duchess Anne, not happy with the arranged marriage, arrived for her wedding with her entourage carrying two beds! This union put an end to the war between France and Anne’s Brittany independent duchy and started to incorporate...

We found Moulinsart!

While looking for new Bed & Breakfasts and activities in the Loire Valley around Chambord castle, we came upon the beautiful castle that you can see above on the picture. Since last year everybody heard about Tintin, the comics hero created by Hergé that Steven Spielberg made a movie about. The movie ends up in Captain Haddock’s castle, which Hergé is supposed to have created from Cheverny castle. Cheverny is another Loire Valley beautiful castle - close to Chambord castle - that you can visit, and even attend to the impressive feeding of the hounds pack. After discovering this castle -...