Off the Beaten Path Vacation Destinations in France
People arrive in Porto-Vecchio already pointed at white sand. Palombaggia, Santa Giulia, pine shade, the turquoise shelf that looks invented for a magazine cover. Fair. Those beaches earn their reputation. The version of town I keep starts lower and stranger: old salt pans under the granite haute ville, pink birds on still water when the … Read more
Nîmes puts its Roman stone out front — the arena, the Maison Carrée, the Tour Magne on the hill — and those pieces earn the ticket. What keeps me longer is smaller: a covered market where the fish counter remembers a second visit, a canal-edged garden that cools the afternoon better than any museum café, … Read more
Along the Nonette: Local Paths in Chantilly’s Forest The train from Paris pulls into Chantilly station with the usual mix of day-trippers and a few quieter travelers. Most head straight for the château shuttle or the main square, but the real draw for me has always been the other way — toward the edge of … Read more
Low Tide Causeway to Île Tristan in Douarnenez The first time the tide pulled back far enough to reveal the path, I was standing on the quay at Port-Rhu with a cup of coffee that had gone cold. The water had retreated overnight, leaving a wet ribbon of sand and rock stretching toward the low … Read more
The Croix-Rousse hill climbs sharply above the Saône, its streets still marked by the tall windows and high ceilings built for the silk looms. Most visitors head straight for Vieux Lyon or the Presqu’île, but the real character of Lyon lingers in this northern quarter. The morning I arrived, the Boulevard de la Croix-Rousse was … Read more
Skip the Champagne house gates for your first look at Châlons-en-Champagne. Walk the long green of the Grand Jard until the path hits water, then step onto the footbridge that links the Grand Jard to the Jard Anglais. Behind you: plane trees and a bandstand. Ahead, the canal cuts a clean line and the towers … Read more