France: a country of diversity and emotion
France is not one destination — it’s many.
Each region has its soul: Alsace with its half-timbered houses, Brittany with its wild coast, Burgundy with its wines, and Paris with its light.
Our guides take you from famous landmarks to hidden gems, from villages to vineyards, to experience the real France.
What You’ll Find Here
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Weekend trips and itineraries across France
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Regional guides: Brittany, Alsace, Provence, Corsica, Vendée...
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Cultural walks through castles, villages, and UNESCO sites
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French gastronomy: recipes, local markets, wines, and traditions
July 14th ,the Bastille-day, has been France's national holiday since a law passed in 1880. It doesn't specify why it's July 14th. In fact, the date was decided to celebrate the memory of July 14, 1790. On that day, delegates from all over France gathered on the Champs de Mars in Paris, one year after the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. A moment of concord, then, that the Third Republic celebrated by declaring July 14 France's national holiday. Rediscover this history and our traditions with Monsieur de France.
France is also the land of flowers. Numerous species have been created in the country, and can be found in private homes or in France's famous gardens, from the châteaux of the Loire to Versailles and public parks. But what are France's favorite flowers? Here are 10 of the 15 best-selling flowers in France
It's never better than at the beginning of the season, in spring, but it's just as delicious at the start of summer: rhubarb tart. Here's the secret of my Grandma Simone's rhubarb tart. Enjoy!
It's one of France's favorite desserts: strawberry tart. With good southern or Brittany strawberries, it's a real delicacy, easy to make and delicious with a little whipped cream. Here's the recipe for a good strawberry tart.
Made by fermenting apple juice, cider has long been the 2nd most popular drink in France, and is still very popular in Normandy and Brittany. This is to be expected, given that, along with the Basque region, these are the French regions that produce the most apples. So: corked? brut? off-dry? How do you choose your cider? What to drink it with? Here are Monsieur de France's ideas.
The trou normand. A very old custom which consists of drinking a glass of calvados in the middle of a festive meal. And it's also found in other regions of France. It's less and less common, and has been modified over time, but the tradition of the trou normand is still very much alive. There are also other regional 'holes' to discover with Monsieur de France.
It seems that the cocktail was invented in the United States, where the word appeared in 1803. If we consider that a cocktail is a mixture with an alcohol base, France has invented many cocktails. From the simplest, which can be found in a café, such as the "mauresque" or the "perroquet", to the most elaborate, such as the "marquisette", the "soupe angevine" or the Punch Lorrain.
The Phrygian cap is one of the great symbols of the French Revolution and, more broadly, of the French Republic. It caps Marianne (the Republic) and is also the origin of the "phryges", the mascots of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Originally, the cap was worn by freedmen of the Roman Empire, in other words, those who had been freed from slavery. It was this history that led the Parisian "sans culottes" to make it their symbol at the time of the Revolution, because it symbolized the accession to Liberty.
It was the Greeks who invented the Olympic Games over 3,000 years ago, but it was a Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, who resurrected them after they had disappeared. The initiator of the modern Olympic Games, and thus of PARIS 2024, he knew what he was talking about, as he was a great sportsman himself. Meet a man who left his mark on the history of mankind.
Quinces are a little-known fruit today, but our grandmothers loved them. They used to make delicious quince jelly in autumn. Here's the recipe from Monsieur de France.
