Travel Topics
A historic abbey setting hosts a three-day beer festival in northern France. Festival des Bières d’Abbaye is confirmed for 12–14 June 2026 at the Abbaye de Vaucelles in Les Rues-des-Vignes…
Strasbourg’s craft beer crowd gets a two-day summer festival at the Phare Citadelle venue. Expo de la Bière Strasbourg is announced for 5–6 June 2026, with the organiser’s official account…
One of the Côte d’Azur’s prettiest hilltop villages adds a beer-themed community weekend to the early-summer calendar. La Fête de la bière in Gassin is listed for 5–6 June 2026…
A Valenciennes-area beer and music weekend returns for its second edition at the Cité des Congrès in Anzin. Bière FestiVAL is confirmed for 29–30 May 2026, organised by the Cité…
Aix-en-Provence hosts a late-May beer festival in one of the city’s best-known parks. Aix Bière Festival is confirmed for 28–30 May 2026 at Parc Jourdan in Aix-en-Provence giving travellers a…
Paris Beer Festival turns the capital into a week-long celebration of independent brewing. The 2026 edition is from 25–31 May 2026, with events spread across multiple venues in Île-de-France. Rather…
Lyon’s flagship craft beer festival returns for two packed days at Double Mixte in Villeurbanne. Lyon Bière Festival is from 24–25 April 2026, hosted at Double Mixte (Villeurbanne). Friday evening…
I am not usually too interested in museums, and especially not when the sun is shining outside, but at the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne in Beaune, I…
Toulouse dedicates a full week to craft beer with bar takeovers and a headline finale in the Cartoucherie district. Occi Beer Fest is from 31 March–5 April 2026, with the…
Douvrin’s beer-and-flavours fair comes back for a spring weekend in Hauts-de-France. Bier Fest Douvrin, France (Salon de la Bière & des Saveurs) is held on 28–29 March 2026, and hosted…
Mark Bibby Jackson visits Blanzy, Montceau-Les-Mines and Le Creusot, as he follows the trail of industrial heritage in Creusot Montceau, Burgundy. I think it’s fair to say that attitudes towards…
On his travels through the Dordogne Valley, Mark Bibby Jackson takes part in the Février Gourmand programme. Overtourism is a term that is firmly back on the travel agenda. Many…
Mark Bibby Jackson drives to the Dordogne Valley in February bypassing the floods to discover a very sustainable approach to tourism and tries to understand what joie de vivre is…
Whether you call it the carnival, Mardi Gras or simply a fête, the approach of Lent brings with it a wonderful explosion of colour and exuberance. Travel Begins at 40…
Calais runs two festive hubs rather than one long linear market. The Village de Noël takes over the covered hall on Place d’Armes with a seasonal ice‑rink (30‑minute sessions), a…
For classic chalet browsing, head to the Marché de Noël on Place du Grand Théâtre Roughly forty wooden stalls fill the square beside Calais’s historic theatre, selling regional delicacies, decorations…
France is home to some of Europe’s most magical Christmas markets, where twinkling lights, festive decorations, and the scent of mulled wine fill the air. From the charming streets of…
Colmar’s old town becomes a glowing maze of six themed markets, from gourmet treats near Saint‑Martin to children’s delights in Petite Venise for Colmar Christmas Markets. Illuminated churches and canals…
Reims Christmas Market is one of France’s biggest markets along the Promenades, a short stroll from the Gothic cathedral. Expect rows of chalets with regional crafts and gourmet treats, plus light…
Noël à Metz delivers one of France’s most inviting Christmas experiences, with chalets and attractions spread across five handsome squares. Shop for hand‑crafted gifts beneath the cathedral’s golden stone, ride…
Paris La Défense hosts the region’s biggest Christmas market, stretching along the esplanade beneath the Grande Arche. Expect hundreds of stalls with artisan gifts, regional produce and global street food…
Mark Bibby Jackson stays at Hotel l’escale in Escalles and goes on a coastal walk along the Opal Coast France and returns to his youth for his mother’s birthday. Northern…
Some cities are so intertwined with literature that to walk their streets is like stepping into a story. Paris is one of them. Writer Maria Boyle and her book-loving daughter…
New EU travel rules for UK citizens will commence from 12 October 2025 under the Entry/Exit System (EES), which acts as a digital replacement for passport stamping, in one of…
France is always at or near the top of any travel survey as the most popular destination for UK holidaymakers to visit.
The French cuisine is renowned worldwide for good reason. Each region has its own specialities from the creamy sauces and cheeses of Normandy, the Germanic influences of Alsace with sausages and sauerkraut, the haute cuisine of Lyon and the bouillabaisse of the Mediterranean. French wines are universally renowned from the muscadet sur lit of Normandy, to the central Burgundy region and the rose and red wines of the Languedoc, not to mention Bordeaux. A must is to tour the champagne region, starting in Reims and follow your nose on the champagne trail.
French culture historically came out of Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures. Paris has been a centre of the Arts from the mid-17th Century, producing many philosophers, composers and artists, such as Sartre, Debussy and Cezanne that have contributed much to Europe’s rich cultural heritage. Touring the country there are many architectural gems from the amphitheatres in Arles and Nimes to the magnificent cathedrals of Chartres and Notre Dame.
Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Marseilles are just a few of the many French cities of note. All offer different cuisines, scenery and architecture.
