France
Opinion
Paris
I tried to be a ‘cool’ traveller in Paris. It didn’t work
Like most who visit, I had my Parisian fantasy. I’d do as the locals do and have an “authentic” experience. It was a mistake.
- by Natasha Bazika
Opinion
Tripologist
Five things every visitor needs to know about France
The French say “good day” a lot, they are quiet in restaurants and they don’t wear athleisure gear.
- by Michael Gebicki
This French town is so pretty it doesn’t seem real
Annecy is the prettiest place, set amid one of the prettiest landscapes you can imagine. It has also been rated the country’s best place to live.
- by Brian Johnston
Opinion
Olympics
Traffic jams, sirens and delays: Here’s what Paris is like right now
Much of the city centre will shortly be off limits to tourists who don’t have tickets for the Games. But, even now, getting around is a struggle.
- by Anthony Dennis
Little-known French region where villages look like a Disney set
The French region where the Danish royals holiday also happens to have bargain-priced holiday homes.
- by Chrissie McClatchie
This French rail journey makes our own XPT trains seem luxe
It’s a free-for-all. Passengers rush on to the train, cramming their larger luggage onto seats and in the aisles.
- by Kristie Kellahan
Opinion
Paris
It stinks, it’s polluted and I wouldn’t swim in it, but I love the Seine
French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hildegard promised earlier this year that they would swim in the Seine before the Olympics. It’s possible Macron called an election to avoid the task.
- by Lee Tulloch
Major tourist attraction set to close in Paris
Centre Pompidou, Paris’s famous contemporary art gallery, will start to close for renovations in the northern autumn before a complete shutdown next year.
- by Julietta Jameson
You’ll never look at a van Gogh the same way again after visiting here
Every time you see a van Gogh painting, you’ll think of this place, hot in the sun and exploding with colour and passion.
- by Brian Johnston
To win over the locals, this is the one thing travellers must do
French people are the rudest, most arrogant people in the world. Is it really true, or simply a cliche perpetrated by a bitter Brit?
- by Belinda Jackson