Latest Articles
Nine Places to Eat in Nice
My favorite places to eat in Nice: spots I return to again and again — delicious food, fast and friendly service, and reasonable prices.
What to Buy and What to Try: Pays Basque – Part 2
Pays Basque: As much as I love exploring a beautiful city, my heart simply soars when I am driving through the French countryside.
Looking for Hemingway
I’m re-reading Ernest Hemingway’s memoir of his time in Paris in the 1920s. I rent an apartment in Saint Germain in a Haussmann building, keen to feel the history in its musty foyer and solid, thickly painted creamy walls.
Features
How to experience France beyond the cliché.
Start here with this constantly refreshed selection of featured articles and series; all from our archives of more than 3,000 articles, and all written for Francophiles.
This is where you can immerse yourself in Guides to France, covering an enormous range from champagne, shoes, art, and literature, music, and philosophy, plus a focus on Paris and other amazing locations and so much more…
Dive in by making a selection – Amusez vous
Arts + Culture
Looking for Hemingway
I’m re-reading Ernest Hemingway’s memoir of his time in Paris in the 1920s. I rent an apartment in Saint Germain in a Haussmann building, keen to feel the history in its musty foyer and solid, thickly painted creamy walls.
Notre Dame: Artists & Artisans Tell their Stories through their Materials — Materially Speaking
Rebuilding of Notre Dame: The eyes of the world are watching, but Materially Speaking has a story for our ears - the story of its sound.
Non-focal
Non-focal What about the non-focal point? If that even exists in photos or art, But on the world canvas, surely. What is it like in all the places That are not [...]
Escapades
What to Buy and What to Try: Pays Basque – Part 2
Pays Basque: As much as I love exploring a beautiful city, my heart simply soars when I am driving through the French countryside.
An early Spring Day in the Haut Var, Provence: La Chute du Grand Baou — Part 1/3
Haut Var: La Chute du Grand Baou — The pool looked fairly calm which was such a contrast to the force of the water that was pouring into it.
What to Buy and What to Try: Pays Basque – Part 1
Pays Basque: Tucked away in the southwest corner of France, the Pays Basque feels a world apart. With nearly unpronounceable town names like Itxassou and seemingly exotic dishes like Axoa, I simply had to discover it for myself.
Gastronomie
Nine Places to Eat in Nice
My favorite places to eat in Nice: spots I return to again and again — delicious food, fast and friendly service, and reasonable prices.
Our daily pain: French life and the quotidian visit to the neighborhood boulangerie
Pain: After seven years of living in Paris, I can safely say that very little makes a day better than visiting your local boulangerie and coming away with a warm-from-the-oven baguette.
Toulouse: The 5 Best Affordable Restaurants
My favourite affordable restaurants in Toulouse. And the more I eat around the city, the more I will add to this list...
Mode + Beauté
The ultimate guide to the best pharmacies in Paris: become an expert!
Read our guide to the best pharmacies in Paris, and how to become an expert French pharmacy shopper
Yves Saint Laurent: 6 extraordinary exhibitions 60 years on
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of his 1st collection, a vast exhibition named 'Yves Saint Laurent aux musée' is being held in 6 Parisian museums
Where do French women buy shoes in Paris? – Insider Guide for shoe addicts – top 13 stores
Discover my top 13 shoe stores in Paris! Stop wondering where French women buy their shoes?
Reportage + Société
Striking: a way of life in France — what should we expect during the Paris Olympics?
In the US, we often hear about strikes in the news. By contrast, in France, strikes can impact day-to-day life.
A French Controversy: Who Will Sing at the Opening of the Paris Olympics
Aya Nakamura has been invited to sing an Édith Piaf song at the Paris Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony. A firestorm immediately erupted! What's your View?
Vide Grenier: Lost and Found
I love a good Vide Grenier. I collect vintage photos. Select a photo and 'Tell me a story' - Now it's your turn!
Vie Française
Female Agents Behind Enemy Lines: Christine Granville — Part 3
Female Agents Behind Enemy Lines: Our focus is on a woman who had a hatred of the Nazis and yet thrived on the adventure of war.
Becoming French: Fingerprints, Tears and Reflections
Becoming French: When I received notification to attend the Nice Prefecture in May 2023, I thought this would be one of the last steps before my Titre de Sejour (“residence permit”) was approved...
Sunday Lunch, in French
Sunday French lunch captures the essence of French life: Good food, good friends & family, good conversation and good cheer.
