Thursday, July 28, 2011

FRANCE-General

(includes: Alsace, Auvergne; Burgundy (Bourgogne); Bretagne; Centre (includes Val de Loire); Champagne-Ardenne; Charente-Maritime; Dordogne; Grand Est; Haute-Normandie; Ile-de-France; Islands (does not include Corsica); Languedoc-Rousillon (includes Carcassonne); Limousin; Lorraine; Meurthe-et-Moselle; Nord-Pas-de-Calais; Occitanie; Pays de la Loire & Picardy. Does not include Aquitaine, Basse-Normandie, Lyon, Midi-Pyrenees, Montpellier, Paris, Provence, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Rhone-Alps, or Riviera)

GENERAL
BellaTerra Travel – 4104 24th Street (Noe Valley); 510-384-4678; bellaterratravel.com; barge trips; try Canal du Midi in October or November.



ALSACE
Colmar
Sights & Sites
Musee d’Unterlinden – 1 Rue des Unterlinden; 011-33-03-8920-1550; musee-unterlinden.com; housed in 13th Century Dominican religious sisters’ convent; home to Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald; features large collection international and local artworks and manufactured artifacts from prehistorical to contemporary times.

Strasbourg
Sights & Sites
Aubette – 31 Place Kléber; 011-33-03-8810-1900; shopping mall in historical building; built by Jacques-François Blondel in 1765-72; between 1926-28 redecorated by Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Jean Arp & De Stijl artist Theo van Doesburg.



AUVERGNE
Cantal
Hotels
Instants d’Absolu-Ecolodge du Lac du Pecher – Lac du Pecher (Chavagnac); 011-33-04-7120-8309; ecolodge-france.com; affordable; 2 simple rooms furnished with pinewood tables and rough-luxe fabrics (alpaca, leather, virgin wool, etc.); surrounded by forested parkland.

Clermont-Ferrand
Bars & Nightclubs
Garden Ice Café – 48 Place Jaude; 011-33-09-6641-8750; gardenicecafe.com; original Le Suffren location, bar in Eric Rohmer’s My Night at Maud’s.
Restaurants
Brasserie Daniele Bath – 6 Place du Marche St. Pierre; 011-33-04-7331-2322; brasserie-danielbath.com; French and Spanish.

Le Puy-en-Velay (St.-Arcons-d’Allier, St.-Bonnet-le-Froid & Espaly St.-Marcel)
Hotels
Les Deux Abbesses – Le Chateau (St.-Arcons-d’Allier); 011-33-04-7174-0308; relaischateaux.com; dozen restored cottages; little 12th Century chateau sits above village perched on basalt spur, between 2 rivers; dreamlike ambience created in each cottage, e.g., La Grange and its canopy made from birch trunks, straight out of imaginary forest, or La Cabane with bathroom hewn from lava.
L’Ermitage – 75 Avenue de l’Ermitage (Espaly St.-Marcel); 011-33-04-7107-0505; hotelermitage.free.fr.
Restaurants
L’Ermitage – 75 Avenue de l’Ermitage (Espaly St.-Marcel); 011-33-04-7107-0505; hotelermitage.free.fr; excellent food beloved by locals.
La Parenthese – 8 Avenue de la Cathedrale; 011-33-04-7102-8300; laparenthese43.free.fr; modest but excellent restaurant.
Le Poivrier – 69 Rue Pannessac; 011-33-04-7102-4130; lepoivrier.fr; excellent local beef; try grilled pave with morels.
Restaurant Regis et Jacques Marcon – Larsiallas (St.-Bonnet-le-Froid); 011-33-04-7159-9372; regismarcon.fr; try lobster cassoulet, poulet au verveine en cocotte, and/or lentil ragout.
Tournayre – 12 Rue Chenebouterie; 011-33-04-7109-5894; restaurant-tournayre.com; good traditional fare, like lamb and lentils.

St.-Victor-Montvianeix
Hotels
Domaine de Montvianeix – a Montvianeix; 011-33-04-7394-0295; montvianeix.com; 5 guest rooms on estate; quiet, natural; ideal for couples; horse-back riding; mountain range.



BRETAGNE (Brittany)
Cancale
Hotels
Le Château Richeux – Le Buot (Saint Méloir des Ondes); 011-33-02-9989-6476; maisons-de-bricourt.com; 2 residences, Château Richeux & cottage Les Rimains, as well as Les Gîtes Marins for families; chateaux built for Madame Chaki, mistress to Leon Blum, in 1920s.
Restaurants
La Coquillage – Le Buot (Saint Méloir des Ondes, at Le Château Richeux); 011-33-02-9989-6476; maisons-de-bricourt.com; Michelin-starred.
Grain de Vanille – 12 Place de la Victoire; 011-33-02-2315-1270; maisons-de-bricourt.com/les-Maisons-de-Bricourt/grain-de-vanille.php; patisserie-tea room.
Services
Cuisine Corsair – Place Saint-Meen; 011-33-02-9989-6386; cuisine-corsair.fr; cooking classes by Michelin-starred chef; breathtaking views of Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel; Cuisine Corsaire cookery school.
Shopping
Épices-Roellinger – 1 Rue Duguesclin; 011-33-02-9989-6476; epices-roellinger.com; spices.

Dinard
Hotels
Grand Hotel Barriere de Dinard – 46 Avenue George V; 011-33-02-9988-2626; lhw.com.
Sights & Sites
St.-Briac sur Mer – toursime-saint-briac.fr; small coastal town reminiscent of Middle Ages; stay in nearby Dinard.

Rennes
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
A La Fournee St.-Michel – 23 Rue St.-Michel; 011-33-02-9979-2088; rennescafe.com/fr/lieux/496-a-la-fourn%C3%A9e-saint-michel; try kouignamann (Breizh specialty more buttery than croissant).
Bars & Nightclubs
La Barantic – 4 Rue St.-Michel; 011-33-02-9979-2924; dive pub with new wave music.
Hotels
LeCoq-Gadby – 156 Rue d’Antrain; 011-33-02-9938-0555; lecoq-gadby.com; 17th Century estate turned urban “resort.”
Hotel de Nemours – 5 Rue de Nemours; 011-33-02-9978-2626; hotelnemours.com; boutique property with 29 clean, simple rooms.
Restaurants
Cafe Breton – 14 Rue Nantaise; 011-33-02-9930-7495; cafe-breton.fr; between nouveau Brooklyn and classic Breton cuisine.
LeCoq-Gadby – 156 Rue d’Antrain; 011-33-02-9938-0555; lecoq-gadby.com; 17th Century estate; 1 Michelin star.
Shopping
La Criee – Place Honore Commeurec; 011-33-02-2362-2510; criee.org; art gallery.
40mcube – 48 Avenue du Sergent Maginot; 011-33-02-9009-6411; 40mCube.org; art gallery.
Sights & Sites
Marche des Lices – 21 Place des Lices; 011-33-02-9967-1111; every Saturday, farmers’ market; 2 covered areas (if rains).
Place de la Mairie – spacious plaza; includes opulent 19th Century opera house.
Place du Champ – square with intact, medieval timbered houses.
Rue des Portes Mordelaises – in city’s intact, medieval quarter.
Rue St.-Michel – where bars and nightclubs are for large (60K) student population.

St. Marine
Hotels
Villa Tri Men – 16 Rue du Phare; 011-33-02-9851-9494; trimen.fr; near lighthouse.



BURGUNDY (Bourgogne)
Aloxe-Corton
Hotels
Hotel Villa Louise – 9 Rue Franche; 011-33-03-8026-4670; hotel-villa-louise.fr; originall private house in 17th Century on vineyard edge; rooms are charming and cozy; breakfast included.

Beaune
Hotels
Hotel de la Poste – 1-5 Boulevard Clemenceau; 011-33-03-8022-0811; hoteldelapostebeaune.com; 17th Century post house; luxurious rooms with eclectic furniture.

La Bussiere-Sur-Ouche
Hotels
Abbaye de la Bussiere – 33 Route; 011-33-03-8049-0229; abbaye-dela-bussiere.com; stunningly beautiful; idyllic village in Burgundy with canals and poplars; estate dates back to 12th Century; 12 rooms in main house, of which even smallest have giant Jacuzzi tubs, feather beds, DVD players, and polished antiques; Michelin-star restaurant and casual bistro; ask for table on terrace overlooking immaculate garden; late autumn has best scenery and most room; best grounds views from Citeaux and Fontenay rooms.

Saulieu
Hotels
Relais Bernard Loiseau – 2 Rue d’Argentine (off N6); 011-33-03-8090-5353; relaischateaux.com/loiseau.
Restaurants
Bernard Loiseau – 2 Rue d’Argentine (off N6, at Relais Bernard Loiseau); 011-33-03-8090-5353; relaischateaux.com/loiseau; 3 Michelin stars.

Vezelay
Sights & Sites
Basilique Ste.-Madeleine – Place de la Basilique; 011-39-03-8633-3950; basiliquedevezelay.org; former Benedictine and Cluniac monastery; with complicated imagery in sculpted capitals and portals, among outstanding masterpieces of Burgundian Romanesque art and architecture; UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Vougeot
Hotels
Chateau de Gilly – Gilly-Les-Citeaux; 011-33-03-8062-8998; chateau-gilly.com; built by Cistercian monks; moated property; very impressive.
Restaurants
Clos Prieur – Gilly-Les-Citeaux (at Chateau de Gilly); 011-33-03-8062-8998; chateau-gilly.com; accessible by tunnel.
Sights & Sites
Chateau du Clos de Vougeot – Clos de Vougeot; 011-33-03-80-628-609; tastevin-bourgogne.com; 12th Century Cistercian vineyard; completed during Renaissance; best known as Burgundy’s elite wine lovers’ (Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin) seat; gather here in November at annual 3-day festival start (Les Trois Glorieuses); Josephine Baker slurped here once.



CENTRE (includes Val de Loire)
Amboise
Sights & Sites
Château d’Amboise (including Chapelel Saint-Hubert) – Rue de la Concorde; 011-33-02-4757-0928; chateau-amboise.com; perched on rocky escarpment above town, castle was favored retreat for all Bourbon & Valois kings; only few of château’s original structures survive, but can still visit furnished Logis (“Lodge”) – Gothic except for top half of 1 wing, which is Renaissance; see also flamboyant Gothic Chapelle Saintt-Hubert (1493), where Leonardo da Vinci’s presumed remains have been buried since 1863; ramparts afford views over river & town.

Orleans
Bakeries, Coffee, Ice Cream, Juice & Tea
Biscuits Tradition – Place du Martroi; 011-32-02-3843-1988; fresh-baked financiers.
Bars & Nightclubs
Infrared – Place du Châtelet; 011-32-02-3647-5536; infrared-orleans.fr; concert locale; also, cafe.
Ver di Vin – 2 Rue Trois Maries; 011-32-02-3854-4742; verdivin.com; wine bar in medieval dungeon-like, underground space; space is high-tech to keep wine.
Vinomania – 193 Rue de Bourgogne; 011-32-02-3853-8318; orleans.vinomania.fr; wine bar with very red interior; wine stored in boxes but don’t be put off.
Le W – Place du Châtelet; 011-32-02-3853-0879; discothequelew.com; white, subterranean space.
Hotels
Hotel de l’Abeille – 64 Rue Alsace-Lorraine; 011-32-02-3853-5487; hoteldelabeille.com; 30 antique-filled rooms inside early 20th Century; top-floor garden offers rooftop views.
Hotel Archange – 1 Boulevard du Verdun; 011-32-02-3854-4242; hotelarchange.com; 22 rooms; kitsch and Pop Art touches.
Restaurants
Chez Jules – 136 Rue de Bourgogne; 011-33-02-3854-3080; old-fashioned interior; excellent, traditional food; 3-course lunch is bargain.
Le Lievre Gourmand – 28 Quai Chatelet; 011-33-02-3853-6614; lelievregourmand.com; Michelin-starred restaurant.
Le Lift – 20 Place de la Loire; 011-33-02-3853-6348; restaurant-le-lift.com; ultra-modern decor and cuisine; very fun.
Shopping
Antiquite de la Prefecture – 186 Rue Bourgogne; 011-33-02-3862-9511; high-end antiques.
Bric-a-Brac – 230 Rue de Bourgogne; 011-32-02-3854-2737; antique dealer; tchotchkes.
Au Coeur du Monde – Place du Martroi; 011-32-02-3854-3759; rare books.
Aux Vergers de Fleury – Place du Martroi; 011-32-02-3876-3661; fruit juices.
Patrick Lidon – 192 Rue Bourgogne; 011-32-02-3853-8292; antiques.
Sights & Sites
Cathedrale Ste-Croix d’Orleans – Place Sainte-Croix; 011-32-02-3877-8750; orleans.catholique.fr/cathedrale.
Maison de Jeanne d’Arc – 3 Place du General de Gaulle; 011-32-02-3868-3263; jeannedarc.com.fr.
Musee des Beaux-Arts d’Orleans – Place Sainte-Croix; 011-32-02-3879-2155; founded in 1797; among France’s oldest provincial museums; collections cover 15th-20th Centuries; 2K paintings (François Boucher, Annibale Carracci, Correggio, Gustave Courbet, Eugène Delacroix, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Guido Reni, Sebastiano Ricci, Hubert Robert, Anthony Van Dyck, Diego Velázquez, Antoine Watteau), 700 sculptures (Baccio Bandinelli, Auguste Rodin), more than 1.2K decorative art pieces, 10K drawings, 50K prints and 2nd largest pastel collection in France (after Louvre’s).
Parc Floral de la Source – Avenue du Parc-Floral F; 011-32-02-3849-3000; parcfloraldelasource.com; 30 hectare park; large variety plants and several animal species (deer and emu); mirror gives beautiful castle view and delicate Louis XIII “embroidery” decorates lawn; Loiret’s foaming source can be seen here.
Place du Martroi – town center; Joan of Arc statue; open-air market.
Les Turbulences-FRAC Centre – 88 Rue du Colombier; 011-33-02-3862-5200; frac-centre.fr; splashy architecture by Jakob + MacFarlane (bold, aluminum-clad structure’s skin perforated features 14K LED units that at night bring to life digital light installations); collection dedicated to experimental architecture.



CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE
Reims
Hotels
Chateau Les Crayeres – 64 Boulevard Henry Vasnier; 011-33-03-2682-8080; lescrayeres.com; castle and adjacent cottage; balconies overlook Reims cathedral.
Restaurants
Restaurant Boyer – 64 Boulevard Henry Vasnier (at Chateau Les Crayeres); 011-33-03-2682-8080; lescrayeres.com.



CHARENTE-MARITIME
Lessac (Poitou-Charente region)
Sights & Sites
Domaine de Boisbuchet – at Lessac (from North entrance), take street on left side of church & at end of road go left & after hundred meters you will see sign indicating Boisbuchet); 011-33-05-4589-6700; boisbuchet.org; idyllic country estate in southwest France; international cultural center.

La Rochefoucauld
Sights & Sites
Château de La Rochefoucauld – off Faubourg Basse Ville & Rue des Gaillaudes intersection; 011-33-05-4562-0742; chateau-la-rochefoucauld.com; original 11th Century, square keep flanked by Renaissance towers; still La Rochefoucauld family (among oldest noble families in France) residence, having been in almost continuous ownership since 1st built; parts of La Rochefoucauld chateau open to public – there is no garden; highlights include beautiful 16th Century staircase (attributed to designs by Leonardo da Vinci, added in 1520), highly ornate Renaissance detailing in ceiling & windows & courtyard with Italianate archways.

La Rochelle (Poitou-Charente region)
Restaurants
Café de la Paix – 54 Rue Chaudrier; 011-33-05-4641-3979; facebook.com/pages/Café-de-la-Paix-La-Rochelle/107989335931348; meal-sized salads, hand-cut tartares, steaks, foie gras, duck & other classic French brasserie fare in historic belle époque cafe (dates to 1793); soaring frescoed ceilings & splendid gold-edged arched mirrors.
Sights & Sites
La Rochelle Natural History Museum – 28 Rue Albert I; 011-33-05-4641-1825; museum-larochelle.fr/en/museum.html; Zarafa, Europe’s 1st modern giraffe, gifted by Ottoman Viceroy to France King, here.

St.-Trojan-Les-Bains (Poitou-Charente region)
Restaurants
Hotel Restaurant L’Albatros – 11 Boulevard du Docteur Pineau (Plage du Soleil); 011-33-05-4676-0008; albatross-hotel-oleron.com; not worth staying at but great food.



DORDOGNE
Rouffignac Saint Cernin
Sights & Sites
Rouffignac Caves – ; 011-33-05-5305-4171; grottederouffignac.fr; contains over 250 engravings and cave paintings dating back to Upper Paleolithic.



GRAND EST
Aube (includes Marnay sur Seine)
Sights & Sites
Jardin Botanique de Marnay sur Seine – Chemin des Gougins (Marnay-sur-Seine); 011-33-03-2521-9418; jardin-botanique.org; about 2.5K plants organized in rose garden, vegetable garden, herb & medicinal plant collections, trail illustrating evolution, shade & ornamental gardens, and collections of local & Russian plants.



HAUTE-NORMANDIE
Etretat
Hotels
Dormy House Hotel – Route du Havre; 011-33-02-3527-0788; dormy-house.com.

Louviers
Services
On Rue Tatin Cookery School – 1 Rue Tatin; onruetatin.com; French cooking school by noted author, Susan Herrman Loomis.

Le Neubourg
Sights & Sites
Chateau du Champ de Bataille – 011-33-01-4297-1322 or 011-33-02-3234-8434; duchampdebataille.com; must-see gardens.

Rouen
Sights & Sites
Musée des Beaux-Arts – Esplanade Marcel Duchamp; 011-33-02-3571-2840; rouen-musees.com; Caravaggio’s Christ at Column (1607).



HAUTE-SAONE
Ronchamp
Sights & Sites
Notre Dame du Haut – Chapel Ronchamp; 011-33-03-8420-6513; chapellederonchamp.fr; original structure by Le Corbusier with addition by Renzo Piano; informally known as Ronchamp; among finest most important 20th Century religious architecture examples.



HAUTE-SAVOIE
Talloires
Hotels
L’Auberge du Pere Bise – 303 Route du Port; 011-33-04-5060-7201; perebise.com; member Relais & Chateaux chain; 100 year-old inn between Alps and Lake Annecy.
Restaurants
Omble Chevalier – 303 Route du Port (at L’Auberge du Pere Bise); 011-33-04-5060-7201; perebise.com; notable for native arctic char cooked a la meuniere.

Val Thorens
Hotels
Altapura – Rue du Soleil; 011-33-04-8036-8036; altapura.fr.
Restaurants
Les Enfants Terribles – Rue du Soleil; 011-33-04-8036-8036; altapura.fr.



ILE-DE-FRANCE
(does not include Paris)
Essonne
Sights & Sites
Ste.-Genevieve-des-Bois Russian Cemetery – Rue Leo-Lagrange; 011-33-01-6015-1140; russie.net/france/gen-cimetiere.htm; Rudolf Nureyev’s tomb worth special trip.

Fontainebleau-Avon (1 hour from Paris by train)
Hotels
Hotellerie du Bas Breau – 11 Grand Rue (Barbizon); 011-33-01-6066-4005; bas-breau.com.
Restaurants
Hotellerie du Bas Breau – 22 Grande Rue (Barbizon); 011-33-01-6066-4005; bas-breau.com; elegant restaurant popular with Parisians; well-prepared, local, seasonal game (wild boar, deer, duck).
Sights & Sites
Chateau de Fontainebleau – Rue Royale; 011-33-01-6071-5070; musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr; French gardens (with canal and pond) especially impressive; make sure to see Salle de Bal.
Jean Cocteau’s Chapel – Rue Jean Moulin (La Chapelle St. Blaise des Simples, Milly-la-Foret); 011-33-01-6498-8494; milly-la-foret.fr/La-Chapelle-Saint-Blaise-des.



ISLANDS
Porquerolles & Port Cros
Bars & Nightclubs
L’Escale – Place Armes (Porquerolles); 011-33-04-9458-3018; barely qualifies as “scene.”
Hotels
Le Mas du Langoustier – Porquerolles; 011-33-04-9458-3009; langoustier.com; gracious, sprawling, terra cotta Provencal manor; 50 rooms; ask for room in back wing with private terrace; private beach.
Restaurants
Le Mas du Langoustier – Porquerolles; 011-33-04-9458-3009; langoustier.com; gracious, sprawling, terra cotta Provencal manor; 1 Michelin star chef; try lobster tails with ginger and coriander and stuffed tomatoes.
Services
Le Pelican Bateau Taxi – port; 011-33-06-0952-3119; locamarine75.com; for intra-island travel.
Sights & Sites
Domaine de L’Ile – Sebastien Le Ber (Porquerolles); 011-33-04-9404-6230; domainedelile.com; excellent wine cellar that produces rose.
Domaine de la Courtade – Hyeres (Porquerolles); 011-33-04-9458-3144; lacourtade.com; excellent wine cellar with France’s only underwater wine cellar, 66' below surface.
Plage de Notre-Dame – best Porquerolles beach for diving, hiking, and snorkeling.



LANGUEDOC-ROUSILLON
Brissac
Hotels
Chateau Brissac – near Angers; 011-33-02-4191-2221; chateau-brissac.fr; castle that rents 4 rooms.

Carcassonne
Hotels
Hotel de la Cite – Place Auguste-Pierre Pont; 011-33-04-6871-9871 or 800-237-1236; hoteldelacite.com; built in 1909; former bishop’s palace; great views and restaurant; mosaic floors and beamed ceilings.
Restaurants
La Barbacane – Place Auguste-Pierre Pont (at Hotel de la Cite); 011-33-04-6871-9871 or 800-237-1236; hoteldelacite.com; try spit-roasted lobster if in season.
Restaurant Chateau St-Martin – Hameau de Montredon; 011-33-4-6871-0953; chateausaintmartin.net; 3-day cassoulet with red partridge during hunting season; regional ingredients.

Castelnaudary
Shopping
L’Atelier de la Poterie – 57 Allee du Cassieu; 011-33-04-6823-5821; poteriecassouletcasteinaudary.com; owned by Henri Moreno, this store carries red earthenware cassoulet pots recommended by culinary academies.

Labastide-D’Anjou
Restaurants
Hostellerie Etienne – 1 Rue St.-Jammes; 011-33-04-6860-1008; hostellerieetienne.com; cassoulet with homemade duck confit.

Nimes (and Millau)
Hotels
New Hotel La Baume – 21 Rue Nationale (Nimes); 011-33-04-6676-2842; new-hotel-baume-nimes.federal.hotel.com; former private mansion with enchanting open-sky courtyard, 17th Century staircase, and vaulted breakfast room; 34 rooms are modern and well-equipped.
Restaurants
Aux Plaisirs des Halles – 4 Rue Littre (Nimes); 011-33-04-6636-0102; auxplaisirsdeshalles.com; elegant bistro with lavish menu; try for table on patio.
Espace Gourmand de L’Aire du Viaduc de Millau – off A75 (Millau); 011-33-05-6561-6528; tourisme-aveyron.com; made-to-order buckwheat-flour cones filled with potatoes aligot and fois gras, etc.
Le Petit Bofinger – 2 Boulevard des Arenes (Nimes); 011-33-04-6667-6869; la-grande-bourse.com/fr/petit_bofinger.html; popular brasserie in prime location opposite arena.
Sights & Sites
Millau Viaduct – off A75 (Millau); tourisme-aveyron.com; enormous, cable-stayed road-bridge spanning Tarn River valley near Millau in southern France. Tallest vehicular bridge in world, with 1 mast’s summit at 1.125', slightly taller than Eiffel Tower and only 125' shorter than Empire State Building.

Uzes
Sights & Sites
Chateau de Castille – outside Uzes; not open to public; historic château dates back to 13th Century; former property of Baron de Castille, acquired in 1950 by legendary British art-historian & collector, Douglas Cooper; has 5 Picasso engraved frescoes on exterior walls.



LIMOUSIN
Beyssac
Restaurants
La Metairie – Route de Sarlat; 011-33-05-5329-6532; restaurant-la-metairie.com; worth visit; try snail and wild mushroom ragout or ground pork and lobster roasted in pork caul.

St.-Pierre-de-Fursac
Hotels
Les Folies d’Amedee – off D-74; 011-33-05-5563-6218; loufagotin.com; cabanas.



LORRAINE (includes Meurthe-et-Moselle)
Baerenthal
Hotels
Hotel K – 18 Untermuhlthal; 011-33-03-8706-5085; relaischateaux.com; deep in storybook-perfect forest in Moselle’s eastern region, sleek Hotel K is Chef Jean-Georges Klein and wife (Nicole) who own Michelin 3-star restaurant across street; gorgeous, contemporary Italian furniture; 12 rooms, large and light; country breakfast included; great in summer and winter; “Risotto” has fine views and balcony; for more space, Gazpacho is junior suite with soaking tub for 2.
Restaurants
L’Arnsbourg – 18 Untermuhlthal (at Hotel K); 011-33-03-8706-5085; relaischateaux.com; 3 Michelin stars.

Nancy
Sights & Sites
Maison de Jean Prouvé – 4-6 Rue Augustin Hacquard; 011-33-03-8317-8677; mban.nancy.fr/fr/collections/site-jean-prouve.html; now rented to private sculptor on condition that he and family make open to public.
Musée des Beaux-Arts – 3 Place Stanislas; 011-33-03-8385-3072; ac-nancy-metz.fr/daac/se/Musees/beaux_arts.htm‎; note, see, Caravaggio’s Annunciation (1608).



NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS
Lille
Hotels
Grand Hotel Bellevue – ; ornate belle epoque building overlooking Grand Place (main square); 1-minute walk from Rihour metro station & 1 km from Le Palais Des Beaux Arts de Lille (fine arts museum); traditional rooms with marble en suite bathrooms, flat-screen TVs & minibars, as well as free WiFi; some have city-view balconies; stately lobby lounge.



Roubaix
Sights & Sites
La Piscine Museum – 23 Rue de l’Espérance; 011-33-03-2069-2360; roubaix-lapiscine.com; art and industry museum, more formally known as La Piscine-Musée d’Art et d’Industrie André Diligent or Le Musée d’Art et d’Industrie de la ville de Roubaix, but common name derives from fact that building formerly housed indoor swimming pool; notable art deco interior; permanent collection has origins in 1835, when fabric sample collection (gathered from numerous local textile factories) started; by 1898, collection housed in National High School of Arts & Textile Industry (ENSAIT), seen as cultivating town’s foremen, manufacturers, and workers’ tastes; to this end, collection combined fine-arts, industrial products, literature, and science; closed with WWII’s onset and never reopens; from 1990, collections displayed in Roubaix’ town hall, in preparation for La Piscine reopening in 2000.

Le Touquet
Hotels
Hotel Westminster le Touquet – 5 Avenue du Verger; 011-33-03-2105-4848; hotel-le-touquet.fr/hotels-golf/westminster-hotel-spa; old grand dame; Parisians like to keep this summer retreat secret.
Sights & Sites
Market – Rue du Metz; Art Moderne structure; on Tuesday and Saturday mornings; also Thursday mornings from mid-May to September.



OCCITANIE
Argilliers
Restaurants
Le Tracteur – Route d’Uzès (Quartier Bornegre); 011-33-04-6662-1733; lucietestud.com/letracteur; converted warehouse is setting for brilliant & offbeat dining destination; part wine shop, part art gallery, part deli, part bistro with tree-shaded courtyard; filled with abstract art & battered furniture; inspired Mediterranean creations; pork belly with pumpkin, tuna with pickled lemon & fig, raspberry & rosemary ice cream.



PAYS DE LA LOIRE
Bray et Lu
Hotels
Les Jardins d’Epicure – 16 Grande Rue (in Vexin region, 10 minutes from Monet gardens); 011-33-01-3467-7587; lesjardinsdepicure.com; terrace that serves as Michelin-starred dining room; large indoor swimming pool.
Restaurants
Les Jardins d’Epicure – 16 Grande Rue (in Vexin region, 10 minutes from Monet gardens); 011-33-01-3467-7587; lesjardinsdepicure.com; Michelin-starred.

Brière
Hotels
La Mare aux Oiseaux – 223 Rue Du Chef de l’Île; 011-33-02-4088-5301; mareauxoiseaux.fr;1912 manor house built by architect Armand Picard (worked for Gustave Eiffel); charming inn with 4 rooms and 4 suites, cozy bar, and Michelin-starred dining room; extraordinary garden filled with cranes, hens, peacocks & pigeons; try to get duplex suite with sleeping loft; 10 minutes from Monet gardens in Giverny.
Restaurants
La Mare aux Oiseaux – 223 Rue Du Chef de l’Île; 011-33-02-4088-5301; mareauxoiseaux.fr; 1 Michelin star; dishes change daily and are novel.
Sights & Sites
Brière Regional National Park – 214 Rue Du Chef de l’Île (Saint-Joachim, on Île de Fédrun); 011-33-02-4091-6868; parc-naturel-briere.fr; marshes (marais), through which near-silent trips in flat-bottomed boats are organized; excellent for bird watchers, with more than 200 species recorded annually, including bluethroat, egret, nightingale, purple heron, spoonbill, and numerous warblers; also interesting are large, fossilized trees (more than 5K years-old), known as mortas; marsh reeds supply local roofing material, as evidenced by thatched cottages found in area.

Gasny
Restaurants
L’Auberge du Prieuré – 1 Place de la République; 011-33-02-3252-1001; aubergeduprieurenormand.com; friendly service, pleasant setting, well-prepared traditional French comfort food.

Giverny
Sights & Sites
Fondation Claude Monet – 84 Rue Claude Monet; 011-33-02-3251-2821; giverny.org/gardens; beautiful home and garden that inspired Claude Monet; garden, restored home & workshop (where lived from 1883-1926); highlight is water-lily pond with Japanese bridge.
Musée des Impressionismes – 99 Rue Claude Monet; 011-33-02-3251-9465; museedesimpressionnismesgiverny.com.

Maine-et-Loire
Hotels
Chateau de Challain – Main Town Square (Challain la Potherie); 011-32-02-4192-7426; chateauchallain.com.

La Roche-Guyon
Sights & Sites
Chateau de la Roche Guyon – Domaine De La Corniche (Val d’Oise); 011-33-01-3479-7442 or 011-33-08-1109-1696 (local); chateaudelarocheguyon.fr; from 1st troglodytic hideaway to Rommel’s blockhouses, 1K years of history; stands against chalk cliff, dominating Seine River; castle has medieval keep, 18th Century stables, 1st cave dwellings, Lumieres’ vegetable garden; occupied since 911 CE, when Saint Clair treaty signed.

Vernon
Restaurants
Le Bistro des Fleurs – 73 Rue Carnot; 011-33-02-3221-2919; bistrodesfleurs-vernon.jimdo.com; popular spot offering regularly changing, chalkboard menu; traditional French regional fare.



PAYS DE LA LOIRE
Nantes
Bars & Nightclubs
Les Bouteilles – 11 Rue de Bel Air; 011-33-02-4008-2765; easily best wine bar around.
Hotels
Le Lieu Unique – 2 Quai Ferdinand Favre; 011-33-02-4012-1434; lelieuunique.com; magnificent Belle Epoque structure that once was biscuit factory; best choice.
Sozo – 16 Rue Frédéric Cailliaud; 011-33-02-5182-4000; sozohotel.fr; in 19th Century chapel with barrel-vaulted ceilings & stained glass windows.
Restaurants
L’Uni – 36 Rue Foure; 011-33-02-4075-5305; facebook.com/pages/LUni/178878222171435; adventurous modern bistro.



PICARDY
Belleau
Sights & Sites
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery & Memorial – D82 (near Lucy-le-Bocage, take A-4 to Montreuil-aux-Lions exit (#19), then N-3 (also D1003), following cemetery signs to Lucy-le-Bocage & proceed via D82 through Belleau Wood to cemetery); 011-33-03-2370-7090; abmc.gov; with headstones lying in sweeping curve, 42.5 acres at foot of Belleau Wood; graves of 2,289 war dead, most of whom fought in vicinity & Marne River Valley in summer of 1918; memorial chapel sits on hillside, decorated with sculptured & stained-glass details of wartime personnel, equipment & insignia; inscribed on interior wall are 1.1K names of missing; rosettes mark names of those since recovered & identified; during WWII chapel damaged slightly by enemy shell.
Belleau Wood US Marines Monument – high ground to rear of Aisne-Marne American Cemetery; 011-33-03-2370-7090; abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/belleau-wood; Marine Memorial sculpted by Felix Weihs de Weldon, artist who later designed giant Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, D.C.; erected in heart of forest to honor 5th-6th Marine Regiments of 4th Marine Brigade, which fought there for 20 days in June 1918; battle was bloodiest in Marine history at that point.

Chantilly
Sights & Sites
Chateau de Chantilly – 17 Rue du Connétable; 011-32-03-4462-6262; chateaudechantilly.com; site comprises 2 attached buildings: Petit Château (built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency); and Grand Château (destroyed during French Revolution and rebuilt in 1870s); owned by Institut de France.
Musee Conde – 17 Rue du Connétable; 011-32-03-4462-6262; chateaudechantilly.com; among France’s finest art collections, as well as book illuminations from 15th-16th Centuries; art works include Sassetta’s Mystic Marriage of St. Francis, Botticelli’s Autumn, Piero di Cosimo’s Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci, Raphael’s Three Graces and Madonna of Loreto, Guercino’s Pietà, Pierre Mignard’s Portrait of Molière, as well as 4 of Antoine Watteau’s paintings and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot’s Le Concert Champêtre; other paintings in collection include works by Fra Angelico, Filippino Lippi, Hans Memling, 260 paintings and drawings by François and Jean Clouet, Veronese, Barocci, Annibale Carracci, Domenichino, Salvator Rosa, Nicolas Poussin, Philippe de Champaigne, Van Dyck, Guido Reni, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Joshua Reynolds, Eugène Delacroix, Ingres, and Géricault; Petit Château library contains over 1.3K manuscripts and 12.5K printed volumes, including Gutenberg Bible that is among over 700 incunabula, and some 200 medieval manuscripts, including 1 page of Registrum Gregorii (983 CE), Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, Ingeborg Psalter, and 40 miniatures from Jean Fouquet’s Book of Hours of Etienne Chevalier.

Château-Thierry
Sights & Sites
Château-Thierry American Monument – 9 Rue Vallée (4.5 miles southeast of Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial & 17 miles southwest of Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial; Belleau Wood US Marines Monument nearby, too); 011-33-03-2383-5114; abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/chateau-thierry-monument; American poet Joyce Kilmer fought here during WWI; commands wide Marne River valley view; commemorates US forces’ achievements during WWI; in 1918, 2nd-3rd US Infantry Divisions took part in heavy fighting around area during 2nd Battle of Marne, which took place during wider German Spring Offensive; 4th Marine Brigade, which made name for themselves in Battle of Belleau Wood, fought as part of 2nd Infantry Division; 2 stone pylons mark memorial entrance from Highway N-3, which runs from Paris to Château-Thierry; monument consists of double colonnade rising above long terrace, as designed by Paul Philippe Cret; on west facade are sculptured figures representing US & France; sculptor was French-American artist Alfred Bottiau.

Seringes-et-Nesles
Sights & Sites
Oise-Aisne American Cemetery & Memorial – 2 Chemin Départemental; 011-33-03-2382-2181; abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/oise-aisne-american-cemetery; American military cemetery; Plots A-D contains 6K American soldier graves; died while fighting in vicinity during WWI; included among graves is that of poet Joyce Kilmer; Private Eddie Slovik, only American soldier executed for desertion during WWII, buried in Plot E in 1987.

Thiepval
Sights & Sites
Thiepval Memorial to Missing of Somme – 8 Rue de l’Ancre (on D73 from Poziéres, off main Bapaume-to-Albert Road or D929); 011-033-03-2274-6047; thiepval.org.uk/#_=_ or cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/80800/THIEPVAL%20MEMORIAL; war memorial to 72,195 missing British & South African men, who died in WWI Battles of Somme between 1915-18, with no known grave; designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, built between 1928-32; largest British battle memorial in world; inaugurated by Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) in presence of Albert Lebrun, President of France, on 1 August 1932; unveiling ceremony attended by Lutyens; cemetery behind Memorial built right across front lines of 1 July 1916.



PYRENEES-ATLANTIQUES
Estérençuby
Sights & Sites
Harpea’s Cave.

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