Provence
GOLF
What do say we go play a few holes down by the beach in Dinard and Wimereux, or in Basque country at Chantaco golf course in Saint-Jean-de-Luz?
Work on your swing by day before indulging in some fine dining in Bordeaux or enjoy the dolce vita on the Côte d’Azur after a day on the green, and if you’re feeling up to it, take a hike in the Alps.
Women will be the main focus with their own tournament: The Evian Championship, in 2018. Grab your clubs! We’ll see you on the green for the Ryder Cup at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines national golf course.
CUISINE
There’s no rumbling stomach France can’t satisfy, whether in a gourmet bistro or Michelin-starred restaurant, a cosy rustic inn or café, a street food truck or a market. Tables everywhere groan with the French basics: crunchy baguette, decadent cheeses and pastries and fine wine.
Meal time is sacred and to be treasured, in good company with plenty of lively conversation – it’s a way of life in France.
CULTURE
Dive into a melting pot of culture! If the museums are too busy, don’t fear – there are plenty of other ways to get your culture fix in France. Hunt down Parisian street signs and look up their history on Paristique, then head down into the catacombs to glimpse the city’s remarkable underbelly.
On the Croix-Rousse hillside in Lyon you can consider whether graffiti really is art – and in Bordeaux you’re spoilt for choice of theatres, cinemas and concerts.
MOUNTAIN
The mountain is where it’s at!
Ski and snowball fight during the picturesque winter on Mont Blanc or try snowshoes and dogsledding on the Vosges Mountains.
When things warm up go trekking in the Jura Mountains or splash around in the Pyrenean lakes during the summer, or throw your rucksacks on your back and set off on long hikes via ferrata routes. When you make it to the top, take a flight on a paragliders or dare to give skydiving a try.
FESTIVALS
Festival season runs all year in France. There are festivals by the sea and on the ski slopes, festivals in castles and festivals in churches. Blues in Binic, jazz in Sète, cello in Beauvais, rock in Saint-Malo, the Transmusicales in Rennes, musicals in Aix-en-Provence, dance in Lyon, photography in Arles… enjoy!
SEASIDE
Did everyone bring their swimmers? Creek or beach, sand or pebble, seaside or ocean, rough or waveless, there will be something for everyone.
Next, head to the beaches of Normandy with a bucket and spade in hand, get everyone involved in a diving competition in Etretat or try your luck at kiting in Saint-Brieuc.
The amazing calanques on the Cassis’ coastline is an absolute must! Or give scuba diving a try in Ajaccio or try to hang ten surfing in Guéthary, and if water sports aren’t for you, work on your tan at the Côte d’Azur.
FAISHON
It’s time for a lesson in French fashion! Hit the streets and chase the latest trends, where the elegant, the daring, the hipsters, the suits, the urbans and chics, prance side by side.
Sit front row at fashion shows inspired both high fashion house designers and the lesser-known. If you live for fashion, wear your sailor’s stripes or N°5 and pay tribute to Jean-Paul Gaultier and Coco Chanel.
WINE
We’re off to the vineyards! From Alsace to Médoc, Bourgogne and Champagne, and from winemaking estates to wine cellar cooperatives, we’re off on the route des Vins (wine route). We’ll stop to admire the châteaux of the Loire Valley and the côtes du Rhône. We’ll call in at the Cité du Vin and get on top of our food and wine pairings over some bottles of Romanée-Conti. We’ll even try vinotherapy at Caudalie. To top it all off, we’ll have lunch with the winemakers and help them bring in the harvest in September.
ART & CRAFT
Make sure you pay a visit to France’s numerous artisans and craftspeople. At the market or in their workshops, they pass down traditions to ensure that ancient skills survive today.
You can watch them weaving wicker, sculpting wood, tanning hides, making soap or stitching by hand with golden thread.
Take home a hamper from the Alps, ‘santons’ (charms) from Provence, wooden toys from the Vosges and espadrilles from the Basque Country – all products made exclusively in France.
NATURE
Sea breeze or mountain air, it’s all just as fresh!
Rediscover the joys of camping in the Ardèche, catching fish and foraging for the evening meal by the fire. Go for long walks and bike rides in the forest and build your own log cabin or relax and picnic alongside Normandy’s infamous cows.
In the Lot, be adventurous and look out for caves to explore, canyons to descend, and rocky heights to climb.
