Glittering cities, masterpiece-packed " Innovation & Creation: Inventions, museums, epicurean pleasures and Designs and New Opportunities multifaceted landscapes – from the " Je Ne Sais Quoi: What Makes France towering snow-covered Alps in the east So Very ‘French’ to the surf-pounded Atlantic coast in the west, and the chalky cliffs of La Manche " Joie de Vivre: The Key to Enjoying Life (the English Channel) in the north to the " Light & Shade: Art & Revolution, palm-fringed Mediterranean beaches in Love & War the south – exert a magnetic pull on trav- ellers, with France consistently ranking as " Out of the Blue: Unexpected & the most visited country in the world. Surprising Experiences Appreciation of the finer things in life extends into all corners of day-to-day Within these themes, this book’s individu- existence in France: an artistic sensibility al features examine how French life plays is overlaid on everything from food and out for locals and visitors. As you take a wine to fashion, architecture, philosophy, treasure hunt through its pages, you’ll cinematography – and even the very act find that whether you’re tasting full- of living itself, known as art de vivre. bodied reds in the vine-laced countryside This is a country that places as much surrounding Bordeaux, tackling Corsica’s importance on bread, cheese and a vertiginous GR20 hiking trail, lazing on a leisurely predinner apéro (aperitif) as it sunlounger on the Côte d’Azur (French 3 does on exquisite pâtisseries (pastries), Riviera), driving past Provence’s fragrant Michelin-starred gastronomy and deep-purple lavender fields, sipping a Champagne. In every aspect of life, coffee on the terrace of a Parisian cafe, the emphasis is on quality rather than roaming the corridors of stately Loire quantity, with simple rituals forming a Valley châteaux, catching a cutting-edge cherished part of the day. design exhibition in Lille, or jostling to This book covers a smorgasbord of buy truffles and charcuterie at a village France’s most emblematic experienc- market deep in the Dordogne, France will es, both traditional and contemporary, enchant, enlighten and whet your appetite luxurious and rustic, high adrenalin and for more. slow paced, celebrated and sobering, iconic and little known. It aims to inspire you to discover the country through what makes its inhabitants tick, helping you tap into the essence of French culture. To that end, this book isn’t broken up by regions or major sights but instead by five chapters aligned with the country’s ...and with that, quintessential traits, each profiling a different flavour and texture of France: welcome to France Left Gargoyles atop Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris Contents Introduction .................................................3 Paris ..............................................26 Je Ne Sais Quoi ...........................92 Joie de Vivre ..............................136 Light & Shade ............................ 192 Out of the Blue ......................... 236 Landscapes & Journeys ..............................6 Through the Eyes of Hemingway ................. 28 Blessed Are the Cheesemakers .................. 94 Hyères: The Original French Riviera ...........138 An Impression of Boating the Canal du Nivernais ................. 238 Monet’s Normandy ......................................194 Arts & Design ...............................................8 The Vinyl Frontier: Bread, Bread, Glorious Bread ...................... 98 Eating Out: The Best of the Best ................142 Megalithic Brittany ..................................... 244 A Crate-Digger’s Guide ................................. 34 A Warrior, A Hero: Jeanne d’Arc ................200 Food & Drink ...............................................10 Design Icon: Citroën 2CV ........................... 100 Carnaval de Nice ..........................................144 Volcanic Auvergne ...................................... 246 Little Africa .................................................... 36 Cave Art of the Vézère Valley .....................204 People, Culture & History ......................... 12 All Hail the Haute Couture ...........................102 Champagne: Bubbles Galore ......................146 Bouldering at Fountainebleau ...................250 State-of-the-Art Structures ......................... 38 120 Years of Cinema ....................................210 A Day in France ..........................................14 A Day in the Life of a School Child ..............108 Lavender Fields of Provence .......................152 Fantastical Funfair ...................................... 252 Required Viewing .......................................... 42 Silver Screen: Versailles ..............................212 Experiences by Region .............................. 16 Bœuf Bourguignon ...................................... 110 Île de Ré on Two Wheels ..............................154 Trekking with Donkeys: What Lies Beneath ........................................ 44 Ooh La La ......................................................214 The Stevenson Trail..................................... 254 Northern France......................................... 18 Summit Special: A Guide All Things AOP & AOC ..................................160 5 4 The Louvre: Beyond the Mona Lisa ............. 48 to the Tour de France ................................... 112 In Napoléon’s Footsteps ..............................216 Wildlife Spotter’s Guide .............................. 258 Central France........................................... 20 La Ville Rose on Foot ....................................162 Falling for Parisian Pâtisserie ...................... 50 Take It Easy or Step It Up: Spotlight on French Football ...................... 222 Oldest, Longest, Largest, Greatest... ........ 262 Southwest France ......................................22 Admiring the Architecture Cycling the Alps ............................................ 116 Paris For a Song ............................................ 56 of Southwest France ....................................168 Bastille Day: Reminders Celebrating a Summer-Pasture Stroll ....... 266 Southeast France ..................................... 24 Sniff Out a Scent of Revolution ................................................ 224 A Musical Medley ......................................... 174 Harnessing the Sun ..................................... 268 Innovation & Creation ............... 60 at a Perfume School ....................................122 Lyon’s Hidden Labyrinth ............................. 226 Trek Corsica .................................................. 176 Route AD 66: Road-Tripping the Bourdeaux: Sleeping Beauty Awakes ......... 62 Loire Valley Châteaux ..................................124 Flanders & Beyond ...................................... 228 Roman Ruins of Southern France.............. 270 Rural Riches of the Dordogne .................... 180 Super-Sized Millau ........................................ 68 Architectural Odes to the Heavens ............126 D-Day Beaches ............................................ 234 The Shifting Sands of Pilat ......................... 276 Marseille: A Drink with a View .....................186 Bière Artisanale: Discover Your Perfect Drop ........................128 A Kite-Flying Spectacle .............................. 278 A Traveller’s Guide to Beer ........................... 70 Bouchons & Beaujolais in Lyon ...................188 Winter Wonderland ......................................134 Greening the Nation .......................................74 Index .......................................... 280 Art That Startles ............................................78 The French Kitchen ....................................... 80 Lille: Design Capital....................................... 84 Famous French Inventions ........................... 86 Land of Learning & Literature ...................... 88 Landscapes & Journeys From rugged peaks to rolling breakers Known as L’Hexagone for its shape, Experiences mainland France is Europe’s third-largest " Required Viewing (p42) country (after Russia and Ukraine) at " Summit Special: A Guide to 551,000 sq km. Its scale, its geographical the Tour de France (p112) position at the crossroads of northern, " Take It Easy or Step It Up: central and southern Europe, and its Cycling the Alps (p116) varied terrain, result in a rare environmen- " Loire Valley Châteaux (p124) tal diversity for a single country: in France " Winter Wonderland (p134) it’s possible to surf barrelling breakers, " Hyères: The Original ski powdery, near-vertical slopes, explore French Riviera (p138) volcanic springs and perfume-producing " Lavender Fields of Provence (p152) flower fields, hike through canyons and 7 " Île de Ré on Two Wheels (p154) forests, and boat along tranquil interior Above Skiing in the French Alps " La Ville Rose on Foot (p162) waterways. " Admiring the Architecture France is fringed by water or mountains of Southwest France (p168) along every side except the northeast. the Atlantic; the Rhône links Lake Geneva " Trek Corsica (p176) The country’s 3427km-long coastline and the Alps with the Mediterranean; " An Impression of ranges from white-chalk cliffs and Paris is bisected by the Seine, which flows Monet’s Normandy (p194) treacherous promontories in the north through the city en route from Burgundy " In Napoléon’s Footsteps (p216) to fine-sand Atlantic beaches in the west to the English Channel; and tributaries of