French Travel Blog

Edith Piaf died 50 years ago (on October 10th, 1963) and she remains in people's heart as one of the most romantic singers in the world. Known as “The Little Sparrow,” this singer became an icon of France during World War II. Piaf was born in Paris on December 19, 1915, and rose to international stardom in the 1940s as a symbol of French passion and tenacity. Of Piaf’s many ballads, “La Vie en Rose” is remembered as her signature song. When traveling to Paris, you should definitly have her song called "Sous le Ciel de Paris" in mind. This is the music, with English subtitles to refresh your...

Even if the Canal du Midi (near Toulouse) is the most famous river cruise in France, there are many more options to relax on a barge (called péniche) in one of the French rivers. There are 113 nautical bases for river cruising, covering about 5,000 miles of waterway. Most of them are located in the Eastern part of France. The South West is also very nice with the Lot or the Canal du Midi. We have tested for you the navigation on the Mayenne river, located near Angers in the Loire Valley. This type of tourism is for travelers who want to go slow and enjoy life ; maybe around a glass of rosé...

Each year, the Spring Music Festival in Bourges (Center of France) has become a major event not only in France but throughout the rest of Europe, too. The festivities explode from midday to dawn in ten concert halls. The 60 or so concerts present over 200 artists. They are all in the vicinity of the town centre, with its stalls, bars, restaurants, attractions and three free outdoor stages where groups perform all day long. During the Festival, the whole town of Bourges gets crazy days and nights. The ever-growing public is composed essentially of young people (91% are under 35), and over 200...

Last week, there were 2 pages dedicated to France Just For You in the N°1 professional magazine in France. They chose our company to show a new way to discover France away from the beaten tracks, with the advantage of really meeting with French people. Just to tell you about each part of this article: Th e project: We are a family tour operating company that organized itineraries for individuals (no groups). We have adapted the selection of our B&Bs to the expectations of Anglo-Saxon travelers (bed size, etc) Our "Credo" belief: Show the real France to foreign travelers, in a warm...

We all have our go-to comfort food dishes when the winter season arrives and this delicious mustard soup is one of ours. There's nothing like it for keeping warm on a cold day! Here's our favorite mustard soup recipe, and it's super easy to prepare. We hope you enjoy it! Serves: 4 people Ingredients: a pound of fresh mushrooms 1 leek 1 onion 1 liter of vegetable stock 100 ml (just under half a cup or 3.4 oz) of dry white wine 3 soup spoons of mustard 1 soup spoon of flour 1 soup spoon of butter Tarragon (fresh or dried) Cooking instructions Cut the leek, onion, and mushroom...

This is a delicious and very easy recipe for two people to share. Ingredients: - a small red kuri squash - 5 to 7 table spoons of sour cream - bacon strips (200 gramms) - some grated cheese 1. Cut the bottom of the squash so it remains stable in the serving dish. Then cut the top of the squash and take out the seeds 2. Fill it with the bacon strips and the sour cream up to the top. Add some pepper and put back the top of the squash. 3. Cook it in the oven for an hour at 200°C (about 400°F) 4. Take out the top of the squash and add the grated cheese. Put under the grill until it is melted. 5...

A hot air balloon ride is an amazing experience ! It is very peaceful and relaxing. From the balloon, you will discover many properties, gardens and landscapes you can't see from the ground. These are few tips we'd like to share with you : 1. Nobody can tell you in advance where you’ll land. It means that you can't be guaranteed to see this castle or this town. Depending on the winds, in 1 hour ride, you can travel over 5 miles or 12 miles. A car from the balloon company will follow the flight and pick you up at the arrival point to take you back to your car at the departure point. 2...

The weather was perfect last week-end in the Loire Valley. Guillaume and I took the opportunity to go back along the Loire and explore it 2 different ways. We first took a gabarre tour at sunset. The gabarre used to be the big barge that were transporting all goods until the train was built. In the Loire river it used to be 300 gabarres a week, up and down the river. These boats would be pushed by the currents on their way to Nantes...and to come back, they would use a square sail navigating downwind. While touring, you can taste some local products such as Ste Maure goat cheese, Rillettes de...

April is a great month to enjoy Provence and the Riviera without the summer crowds. For Easter Monday we have been looking for the traditional chocolate eggs on the Ochre footpath of Roussillon. This charming hilltop village has been built over the biggest ochre deposit in the world ! Even if you cannot help thinking about Bryce Canyon, the ochre footpath meanders through a colorful canyon and "typically French" very old oaks. The longest loop is about a 35 to 40 minute walk...and you can treat yourself with a delicious ice cream watching at the very nice panorama on the Luberon. No matter...