France Off The Beaten Path

  Abbaye de St Hilaire (France)
by Redang
 
  • Abbaye de St Hilaire (France)
      Abbaye de St Hilaire (France)
    by Redang
  • Pont d'Avignon (France)
      Pont d'Avignon (France)
    by Redang
  • Chateau de Rully near Beaune
      Chateau de Rully near Beaune
    by Beausoleil
  • Etaples Military Cemetery
      Etaples Military Cemetery
    by sue_stone
  • King & Queen Tomb
      King & Queen Tomb
    by balhannah
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in France

101.

Montmartre & Sacré Coeur   Paris

Montmartre & Sacré Coeur, Paris

 73 Reviews  After our ceremonies we were given a private tour of the Sacre Couer, Place du Tertre, and private places by Mayor Yatt. It was such a lovely and memorable morning. If anyone is interested in doing... 

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102.

Perouges   Lyon

Perouges, Lyon

 4 Reviews  Pérouges is a typical village of the Middle Age located on top of a hill at about 35km of Lyon. A lot of efforts have been made to preserve its medieval character and all the historic buildings have... 

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103.

Chamonix Valley   Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Chamonix Valley, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

 8 Reviews  Discover the oldest tramway of the valley! The little rack-train departs from the village of Le Fayet, a few kilometers West of Chamonix, for a journey of over an hour. The panorama is alternating:... 

 See All 16 Off The Beaten Path in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

104.

In town   Cannes

In town, Cannes

 14 Reviews  We hadn't planned our trip to Nice according to the schedule of the world famous Cannes Fílm Festival, we didn't even know what time of the year it is held! Again, like with Formula 1, we seemed to be... 

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105.

Hidden places in Lille   Lille

Hidden places in Lille, Lille

 4 Reviews  Maison Coilliot looks a little different to the average house in Lille. That is because it was designed by famous Art-Nouveau designer Hector Guimard, best known for the elaborate metro station... 

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106.

Outside Toulouse - Excursions   Toulouse

Outside Toulouse - Excursions, Toulouse

 24 Reviews  the official France walkers assoc site is here with contact info http://www.ffrandonnee.fr/_68/contact.aspx For Toulouse area contact bottom side http://cdrp31.free.fr/rando/ Hope it helps, its a... 

 See All 53 Off The Beaten Path in Toulouse

107.

Castles   Tours

Castles, Tours

 13 Reviews  I would have to admit that it's quite a while since I studied French at high school. One of our books was called 'La Belle France' and one of the few things I can recall from it was a photo of... 

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108.

Walking Around   Paris

Walking Around, Paris

 121 Reviews  Another of the Parisian fountains that brought water to the overcrowded courtyards and alleys of the Popincourt/Bastoche areas. Built by Molinos under King Louis-Philippe in 1846, people could draw... 

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109.

Palais du Facteur Cheval   Lyon

Palais du Facteur Cheval, Lyon

 2 Reviews  The Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval in Hauterives in the department of Drôme in central France is my kind of palace. It was built by and for a hard working man as opposed to royalty. This palace was... 

 See All 36 Off The Beaten Path in Lyon

110.

Outside Chamonix Valley   Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Outside Chamonix Valley, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

 5 Reviews  If you travel in the Alps in the Fall, keep a look-out for signs advertising "Bataille des Reines" (Battle of the Queens). These are cow fights, where naturally agressive and territorial cows (yes,... 

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111.

Islands   Cannes

Islands, Cannes

 5 Reviews  The "Iles de Lerins" are two islands just off the coast of Cannes and a regular boat connection goes to both Ile Sainte-Marguarite as Ile Saint-Honorat. Both island are very worth while to go to in... 

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112.

Wazemmes Market   Lille

Wazemmes Market, Lille

 2 Reviews  Another thing to do every Sunday morning is the fantastic Wazemme market which is located off rue Leon Gambetta a major road that cuts through the centre of Lille. Make sure you get to the market by... 

 See All 22 Off The Beaten Path in Lille

113.

Inside Toulouse   Toulouse

Inside Toulouse, Toulouse

 16 Reviews  The Maison de l’Occitanie is a sort of cultural and activist centre that strives to protect the Occitan language and culture and to encourage their adoption and reinvigoration by the people of... 

 See All 53 Off The Beaten Path in Toulouse

114.

Museum   Tours

Museum, Tours

 2 Reviews  Aquarium of Turen is the biggest in Europe aquarium of fresh-water fishes. I visited such a big aquarium for the first time. To tell the truth I chosed an excursion to this aquarium because castles... 

 See All 38 Off The Beaten Path in Tours

115.

Galleries & Passages   Paris

Galleries & Passages, Paris

 35 Reviews  Just a block and a half from the Hôtel Louvre Bons Enfants, between rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs and rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, there is an elegant nineteenth-century passage called Galerie Véro-Dodat... 

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116.

Lyon City   Lyon

Lyon City, Lyon

 7 Reviews  One of the few museums we could find, the Miniatures museum is in old lyon. For a nominal fee (we don't even remember what it was!), you can walk through various rooms that hold tiny exhibits --... 

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117.

Outside Cannes   Cannes

Outside Cannes, Cannes

 3 Reviews  It was years before I discovered this most beautiful hidden gem just two miles north of Cannes. It takes a little effort to get there - but its worth it ten times over. Take a bus from Cannes centre... 

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118.

Citadelle   Lille

Citadelle, Lille

 5 Reviews  Memorial tombstone for a Leon Trulin at the Citadelle park. The tombstone reads 'Here Leon Trumin, died a hero November 8, 1915 at the age of 18. (In the last letter to his mother he wrote) I forgive... 

 See All 22 Off The Beaten Path in Lille

119.

Festivals-Celebrations   Toulouse

Festivals-Celebrations, Toulouse

 4 Reviews  Every year the Garonne invites a stream of the world. After the Ebre, the Nile, the Mekong, the Ganges, the Arno, the Volga, Mississippi, the Rio of the Plata, in June 2003, the Garonne invites the... 

 See All 53 Off The Beaten Path in Toulouse

120.

Cemeteries & Other Resting Places   Paris

Cemeteries & Other Resting Places, Paris

 129 Reviews   Père Lachaise cemetery is well-known for a burial place of communars. We came there in memory of fighters for social justice. The cemetries of Paris absorbed all they could. The victims, placed side... 

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121.

La Dombe   Lyon

La Dombe, Lyon

 1 Review  Take the Dombes Lakes Route Tour (by car). Dombes is about 45 minutes drive north of Lyon. The area has thousands of little ponds used for crop, cattle and fish farming. The local government... 

 See All 36 Off The Beaten Path in Lyon

122.

Out of Lille   Lille

Out of Lille, Lille

 2 Reviews  Nord Pas de Calais & Lille do not have to claim to be the crossroads of Europe ! I personally met quite a few persons working in Lille and live in Belgium, or vice-versa. Why not take a nice drive to... 

 See All 22 Off The Beaten Path in Lille

123.

Views on Toulouse.   Toulouse

Views on Toulouse., Toulouse

 4 Reviews   Voici une particularité qui étonne toujours les visiteurs : Toulouse est constamment survolée par des avions qui atterrissent ou decollent de l'aéroport de Toulouse-Blagnac. Les avions passent au... 

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124.

Parks, Gardens, and Squares   Paris

Parks, Gardens, and Squares, Paris

 186 Reviews   The Luxembourg palace was constructed by Maria Medici after death of her husband Henry the Fourth. She could not get used to an atmosphere of the Louvre and replaced it with an atmosphere of native... 

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125.

Movies and Paris   Paris

Movies and Paris, Paris

 34 Reviews  On the corner of rue des Trois Freres and rue Androuet is the well known ( in Montmartre) grocers, familiarly called "La Maison Collignon", now the "Marché de la Butte". This is the site of the... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Annecy

by barryg23

Annecy is a beautiful small town in the East of France near the Swiss border. It's one of my favourite little towns in France as it was where I went with my family on one of the first foreign holidays I can remember. The old town of Annecy is extremely picturesque and it's a good base for exploring the Alps. Lake Annecy, on which the town is built is also one of the highlights of the town.

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Angouleme

by barryg23

Angouleme is not one of the most well known towns in France but I've very fond memories of the place having worked here during the summer of 1998. It’s an elegant, medium-sized town in the South-West of France and is the main town in the Charente region. I worked for three months in Le Kennedy, an Irish pub, which you can see just to the left of the town hall in the photo.

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Rennes-le-Chateau

by ant1606

A mistery surrounds this little place next to the Pyrenees mountain range. Here, a small church is said to hold secrets, with encrypted hints tossed here and there....The story is about priest Sauniere who is said to have discovered a treasure and important documents. Sauniere lived an opulent life and eventually abandoned the Church to retreat in the villa he had built nearby.Link herebelow for comprehensive information.

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Self-drive Houseboat

by ShipCritic

As a journalist who writes about ships, I'm normally stuck on the megaliners. But joining friends on a self-drive houseboat and meandering for a week on a languid canal in the Cognac region of France is still one of my favorite voyages. Crown Blue Line is an outstanding company which offers self-drive houseboats in France and Italy. They steered me to their eight passenger "Classique" boat, which we picked up at the company's base in Anjouleme, France. The boat had four miniscule bedrooms, two toilets, six bicycles and two showers plus a large galley with full kitchen. We spent most of our time on the top deck watching the countryside glide by at a snail's pace and stopping wherever we liked. The boats are simple to use ("ramming" speed is 5 miles per hour) and we left with enough fuel for a week, food for the first day and a very detailed chart which listed recommended restaurants,...

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La Bouteillerie du Palais des Papes

by jorgejuansanchez

This is a bar inside the Palais des Papes, in Avignon (if you go through the shop, in the back, then the entrance to that part of the Palace is free).For 5 euros (6 euros if you want some cheese and foie gras appetizers) you will get 4 tasting of good wine corresponding to the four Bourgogne wine denominations, and a gift consisting in a metallic wine pouring pocket cup. Try the favourite wine of the seven Avignon Popes, a Grand Cru Bourgogne red wine elaborated with Pinot Noir grapes.It is a great and didactic wine testing experience.

Medieval town of Villefranche de Conflent

by jorgejuansanchez

This is an amazing small fortified city with military architecture from the Middle Ages close to the border with Spain (it was Spanish territory until we lost it to the French).It is worth to spend a pleasant half day there in your way from Andorra to Llivia, a Spanish enclave within France. There is much to see, and you can find several restaurants to have lunch for about 12 euros, and shops selling souvenirs.The town was founded in the XI Century. It contains the Bastion of the King, of the Queen, the Gate of Spain, the Gate of France, ramparts, walls well preserved, another castle (private) on top, up the mountain where in order to get there you have to walk or hire a jeep, an enormous church for such a small village, and many other lovely places along its pedestrian streets.

Tour Jacquemart: Romans

by b1bob

What can I say? I'm a sucker for clock towers. The Tour Jacquemart owes its name to the bell that, since 1429, strikes the hours on a big bell hoisted to the top. Of all the bells that exist to this day in Europe, the one here in Romans is the biggest one, about 8.5 feet (2.6 m) high, and it is also one of the oldest. There were some renovations since then, like raising the door. The way it looks now dates back to the 1883 restoration, notably the small garden and the gate. This is today a square building of 20 square feet (6.2 sq. m). and 121 feet (37 m.) above the street.

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The Cathars and the Holy Grail in Montsegur

by jorgejuansanchez

The Cathar stronghold of Montsegur is identified with the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach epic poem. It is located at about 80 Km from Carcassonne, 40 from Andorra or 30 from Foix. In the times of the French Inquisition (XIII century) all the Cathars castles in the Languedoc and Midi Pyrenees were besieged and its members burned. But a few Cathars were able to escape and crossing the Pyrenees arrived to Spain, supposedly carrying with them the Holy Grail (although this is a matter of speculation; nobody knows for sure). They stopped in the Monastery San Juan de la Pe?a, Kingdom of Aragon, and some other Spanish places until this Holy Relic was definitely secluded in the Cathedral of Valencia, where you can admire it today.There is a walking route of about 180 kilometres uniting all the French Cathars fortresses.If you arrive to Montsegur early in the morning, as I did, completely...

French Riviera - Villefranche

by ant1606

Villefranche is a small village located a couple of miles east of Nice port. It has seafront restaurants and the beach here is sandy, narrow but very quiet. Free access to the beach and car parking possibility for a fee. There's also a public bus service from Nice that stops on the main road, about 5 minutes walk down to the village and beach.Definitely narrower than the stony beach in Nice, you can otherwise gently wade-in when going for a swim. Villefranche is then better for kids surveillance too.The Bay of Villefranche is often used as the mooring site for large cruiseships visiting Nice.From the port of Nice, follow the coastal road N98 eastwards for about 4 Km (2.5 mi), then turn right and go down to reach Villefranche at sea level.

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the cairn de Barnenez

by margaretvn

This cairn is 6,000 years old and is situated at the highest point of the Kernehelen peninsula. It is actually two cairns or rough stone structures. These house 5 or six cromlechs.It is beautifully situated overlooking the bay.closed:1 january, 1 May, 1 November, 11 Novemberand 25 December.Access:from Brest or Saint-Brieuc N12, exit Morlaix nord, then D76 direction Plouezoc'h, 3 kilometres towards the prequ'ile (the peninsula)de Barnenez.

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Top 3 Hotels in France

Four Seasons George V Paris  Paris

 5 Reviews and 556 Opinions  The Four Seasons George V is truly one of the world's great hotels. I really, really love to stay... 

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Palais de la Mediterranee  Nice

 3 Reviews and 674 Opinions  The hotel was amazing, right on the beach. It was very clean and the rooms were of excellent... 

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Hotel Gutenberg  Strasbourg

 1 Review and 183 Opinions  I toured Alsace by bicycle in mid-September, 2008. After the group ride was over, I stayed for 3... 

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Off The Beaten Path: Cities in France
  1. Paris Off The Beaten Path
  2. Nice Off The Beaten Path
  3. Lyon Off The Beaten Path
  4. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Off The Beaten Path
  5. Versailles Off The Beaten Path
  6. Marseille Off The Beaten Path
  7. Cannes Off The Beaten Path
  8. Strasbourg Off The Beaten Path
  9. Lille Off The Beaten Path
  10. Toulouse Off The Beaten Path
  11. Rouen Off The Beaten Path
  12. Aix-en-Provence Off The Beaten Path
  13. Avignon Off The Beaten Path
  14. Grenoble Off The Beaten Path
  15. Carcassonne Off The Beaten Path
  16. Bordeaux Off The Beaten Path
  17. Antibes Off The Beaten Path
  18. Lourdes Off The Beaten Path
  19. Reims Off The Beaten Path
  20. Marne-la-Vallée Off The Beaten Path
  21. Mont Saint Michel Off The Beaten Path
  22. Montpellier Off The Beaten Path
  23. Colmar Off The Beaten Path
  24. Arles Off The Beaten Path
  25. Dijon Off The Beaten Path
  26. Nantes Off The Beaten Path
  27. Bayeux Off The Beaten Path
  28. Annecy Off The Beaten Path
  29. Tours Off The Beaten Path
  30. Chartres Off The Beaten Path
  31. Menton Off The Beaten Path
  32. Villefranche-sur-Mer Off The Beaten Path
  33. Saint-Malo Off The Beaten Path
  34. Éze Off The Beaten Path
  35. Nîmes Off The Beaten Path
  36. Caen Off The Beaten Path
  37. Saint-Tropez Off The Beaten Path
  38. Honfleur Off The Beaten Path
  39. Amiens Off The Beaten Path
  40. Morzine Off The Beaten Path
  41. Biarritz Off The Beaten Path
  42. Boulogne-sur-Mer Off The Beaten Path
  43. Beaune Off The Beaten Path
  44. Perpignan Off The Beaten Path
  45. Pau Off The Beaten Path
  46. Nancy Off The Beaten Path
  47. Angers Off The Beaten Path
  48. Rennes Off The Beaten Path
  49. Amboise Off The Beaten Path
  50. Saint-Denis Off The Beaten Path

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Dear all, Does anyone knows whether it is possible to get a phone sim card in France for use during a short term/traveller stay... 

gwened profile photo

A: get it at any mobile phone provider Bouygues, SFR or Orange. I use Orange. very easy http://agence.orange.fr/search?query=paris&st_like%5BSERVICES%5D%5B%5D=%25 have... 

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