€70-95; aW) This five-room B&B wins plaudits 4 Villa dei Papiri Agriturismo €
for its panoramic roof terrace overlooking the
Valley of the Temples, and its convenient location (%0931 72 13 21; www.villadeipapiri.it; Traversa
at the entrance to the old town, five minutes’ walk
from the train and bus stations. Best of all is the Cozzo Pantano Testa Pisima 2/c; d €48-108,
generous advice about Agrigento offered by hosts
Sandra and Filippo (witness Filippo’s amazing 2-person ste €68-128, 4-person ste €98-158;
Google Earth tour of nearby beaches!).
p aW) Immersed in an Eden of orange groves
and papyrus reeds 8km outside Syracuse, this
lovely agriturismo sits next to the Fonte Ciana
spring immortalised in Ovid’s Metamorphosis.
Modica a Eight suites are housed in a beautifully converted
19th-century farmhouse, with 16 double rooms
4 Villa Quartarella Agriturismo € dotted around the lush grounds. Breakfast is an ITALY 6 Wonders of Ancient Sicily
extra €7.50 and served in a baronial stone-walled
(%360 654829; www.quartarella.com; Contrada hall.
Quartarella Passo Cane 1; s €40, d €75-80, tr €85-
100, q €90-120; p aWs) Spacious rooms, Catania d
welcoming hosts and ample breakfasts make this
converted villa in the countryside south of Modica 5 Trattoria di De Fiore Trattoria €
an appealing choice for anyone travelling by car. (%095 31 62 83; Via Coppola 24/26; meals €15-
Owners Francesco and Francesca are generous 25; h7pm-12.30am Mon, 1pm-12.30am Tue-Sun)
in sharing their love and encyclopedic knowledge For over 50 years, septuagenarian chef Rosanna
of local history, flora and fauna and can suggest a has been recreating her great-grandmother’s
multitude of driving itineraries. recipes, including the best pasta alla Norma
Noto b you’ll taste anywhere in Sicily. Service can be
excruciatingly slow, but for patient souls this
5 Ristorante Il is a rare chance to experience classic Catanian
Modern Sicilian €€ cooking from a bygone era. Don’t miss Rosanna’s
Cantuccio trademark zeppoline (sugar-sprinkled ricotta-
(%0931 83 74 64; www.ristoranteilcantuccio. lemon fritters) at dessert time.
it; Via Cavour 12; meals €32-36; h12.30-2pm &
7.45-10.30pm Tue-Sun) Tucked into the courtyard Taormina e
of a former noble’s palace, this inviting restaurant 5 Osteria Nero D’Avola
combines familiar Sicilian ingredients in inspired Sicilian €€
ways. Perennial favourites such as the exquisite (%0942 62 88 74; www.osterianerodavola.
gnocchi al pesto del Cantuccio (ricotta-potato it; Piazza San Domenico 2b; meals €32-47;
dumplings with basil, parsley, mint, capers, h12.30-3pm & 7-11pm Tue-Sun Sep-Jun, 7pm-
toasted almonds and cherry tomatoes) are midnight Jul & Aug) Not only does affable owner
complemented by seasonally changing specials Turi Siligato fish, hunt andCfoapratiogneCfaoprthioinsCsamptaiorntCaption
such as lemon-stuffed bass with orange-fennel osteria, he’ll probably share anecdotes about the
salad or white-wine-stewed rabbit with caponata. day’s bounty and play a few tunes on the piano.
Here, seasonality, local producers and passion
Syracuse c underscore dishes like the signature cannolo
5 Bistrot Bella Vita Italian €€ di limone Interdonato (thinly sliced Interdonato
lemon with roe, tuna, tomato and chives).
(%0931 46 49 38; Via Gargallo 60; sweets €1.50, 4 Hotel Villa Belvedere Hotel €€€
meals €25; hcafe 7.30am-midnight, restaurant (%0942 2 37 91; www.villabelvedere.it; Via Bagnoli
noon-2.30pm & 7-10.45pm Tue-Sun) This casually Croce 79; s €70-280, d €80-380, ste €120-450;
elegant cafe-restaurant is one of Ortygia’s rising hMar–late-Nov; a iWs) Built in 1902,
stars. Stop by for good coffee (soy milk available) Villa Belvedere was one of Taormina’s original
and made-from-scratch cornetti, biscotti and grand hotels. Well-positioned with fabulous views
pastries (try the sour orange-and-almond tart). and luxuriant gardens, its highlights include a
Or book a table in the intimate back dining room, swimming pool complete with century-old palm.
where local, organic produce drives beautifully Rooms offer neutral hues and understated style.
textured, technically impressive dishes. Parking is an extra €16 per day.
99
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
1107
3107
4107
6107
7107
ANILAH/SHUTTERSTOCK © #
7Italian Riviera
Curving west in a broad arc, backed by the Maritime Alps, the
Italian Riviera sweeps down from Genoa through ancient hamlets
and terraced olive groves to the French border at Ventimiglia.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
107 km 0 km 4 DAYS
Alassio Genoa 214KM / 133 MILES
The preferred holiday For big-city grit
spot of presidents and glamour GREAT FOR…
and artists
HG
# Savona lL##1
BEST TIME TO GO
##3
April, May and June
Taggia ##4 for flowers and hiking;
October for harvest.
# # Cervo
I ESSENTIAL
Km ##6 PHOTO
#
Cascading terraces
Ventimiglia of exotic flowers at
Giardini Botanici
San Remo Finale Ligure Hanbury.
Italy’s wannabe Provides a sandy
Monte Carlo shore nestled K BEST FINE
165 km between two rivers DINING
74 km
Purple San Remo
prawns on the terrace
of San Giorgio.
SLoacnaRtieomnoCVapietwionovdeerttahilesttoowgno here 101
7 Italian Riviera TRIP HIGHLIGHT
The contrast between sun-washed, 1 Genoa
sophisticated coastal towns and a deeply
rural, mountainous hinterland, full of heritage Like Dr Jekyll and Mr
farms, olive oil producers and wineries, gave Hyde, Genoa (Genova) is
rise to the Riviera’s 19th-century fame, when a city with a split person-
European expatriates outnumbered locals. ality. At its centre, medi-
They amused themselves in lavish botanical eval caruggi (alleyways)
gardens, gambled in the casino of San Remo untangle outwards to the
and dined in style in fine art-nouveau villas, Porto Antico and teem
much as you will on this tour. with hawkers, merchants
and office workers. Along
Via Garibaldi and Via
XXV Aprile is another
Genoa, one of Unesco-
sponsored palaces, smart
shops and grand archi-
tectural gestures like
Piazza de Ferrari with its
#] Cuneo #\ Mondovi Tanaro Bormida
·/A6 Millesimo
\#
Altare Varazze
#\ #\
¸0SS20 PIEDMONT #]#2 Savona
*²E80 #\ Porto Vado
LIGURIA
Parco Naturale Monte *²A10
dell'Alta Valle (C13a8r9mmo)
Pésio e Tanaro Garessio \# #\ Spotorno
Limon\#e Monte R #\ Noli
PiemocnteColle di R Punta Marguareis Bello
(2651m) (1316m) /· #SS1 #\3 #\ Varigotti
Tende R Balestrino Finale Ligure
0¸(1871m) \#
#\ Loano
D6204
Nava \#
Tende #\ *² \# Ceriale
Gorges de Bergue
FRANCE R Monte Lavina E80
Saccarello \#
(2200m) *²A10 #\ Albenga
Riviera Di Ponente
Passo di
c Teglia
(1387m)
#Monte R Triora \#
SS548
0¸Pietravecchia
(2040m)
H#Pigna #\ p106 #\4 Alassio
\# Montalto
Ligure \# Laigueglia Ligurian Sea
Ceriana
\#Andora 20 km
SS1 \#Cervo 10 miles
#]5 Imperia
¸0 *² # ·/ApricaBleai\#ardSPo63#\
0¸SP64 BiMgnoonnteeR #\ Taggia E80
(1299m)
*²Dolceacqua \# #\ A10
E80
GF 0¸ *²12 SS20
*² ·/ #MortolaA10 SS1 #\ Bussana
##\ #\7 #]6 Vecchia
San Remo
Km eVentimiglia Bordighera#] 0
# 0
monumental fountain, ITALY 7 Italian Rivieracentury frescoes atCattedrale di Nostra
art nouveau Palazzo Cambi Cafe (www.cambi Signora Assunta (Piazza
Borsa (once the city’s‚ cafe.com; Via Falamonica 9; Cattedrale; h7.30am-7.30pm)
stock exchange) and h10am-11pm). survived.
the neoclassical Teatro
Carlo Felice (%010 538 12 5 p40, p107 But you’re not here
24; www.carlofelice.it; Passo The Drive » Exit Genoa for the architecture –
Eugenio Montale 4). you’re here for the food.
westward, through a tangle of The covered market (Via
Join the well-dressed flyovers and tunnels to access Pietro Giuria; h7am-1.30pm
haute bourgeoisie the A10 for the first 56km drive Mon-Sat) is crammed with
enjoying high-profile art to Savona. Once out of the fruit-and-veg stalls and
exhibits in the grand suburbs the forested slopes fish stands stacked with
Mannerist halls of the of the Maritime Alps rise to salt cod. Grigiomar (Via
Palazzo Ducale (www. your right and sea views peep Pietro Giuria 42r; h9am-6pm
palazzoducale.genova.it; out from the left as you duck Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat) salts
through tunnels. its own local anchovies.
Piazza Giacomo Matteotti Then there are the local
2 Savona amaretti biscuits, made
9; price varies by exhibition; with bitter and sweet
hhours vary), then retire Don’t be put off by almonds, available at
to sip spritz amid Ber- Savona’s horrifying Pasticceria Besio (www.
nardo Strozzi’s 17th- industrial sprawl; the amarettibesio.com; Via
Savonesi were a powerful
·/158km to A26 maritime people and the Sormano 16r; h2.30-7pm
GF /·/·LlLl#·/ /··/ #ze town centre is unexpect- Mon, 9am-7pm Tue-Sat), and
A\#rVe2onAltz#\rraeiAnn#\2o6zanP\#Voe\#oglAltPir1ei0#\gSAlSi110 SS1 edly graceful. Standing the farinata di grano
near the port are three (wheat-flour pancakes)
Ge^#Gn1eona#^o1 a of the many medieval at Vino e Farinata (Via Pia
towers that once stud- 15; meals €20; h11am-10pm
ze ded the cityscape. As Tue-Sat).
Genoa’s greatest rival
GGoenlfooGGvdoeanlifoovdai the town was savagely The Drive » Rejoin the A10 and
sacked in 1528, the castle
dismantled and most of leave the industrial chimneys
the population slaugh- of Savona behind you. For the
tered, but somehow the first 13km the A10 continues
Fortezza del Priamàr with views of the sea, then at
(Piazza Priamar) and the Spotorno it ducks inland for the
final 15km to the Finale Ligure
exit. Descend steeply for 3km to
the Finale hamlets on the coast.
LINK c Riviera Crossing
YOUR Roll right on into
TRIP France for more beaches,
glam cities and glitering
2 The Graceful seascapes
Italian Lakes
Heading north from Genoa
you’re soon in the land
of refreshing lakes and
mountains.
103
RGLINSKY/GETTY IMAGES ©TRIP HIGHLIGHThawk seasonal delicacies
and vintages.
ITALY 7 Italian Riviera3 Finale Ligure
On Thursday it’s worth
Finale Ligure comprises driving 9km up the coast in 1787 and Edward
several seaside districts. to picturesque Noli for Elgar composed In the
The marina is narrow the weekly outdoor mar- South inspired by his
and charming, spreading ket on Corso d’Italia. stay in 1904. Il Muretto,
along the sandy shore a ceramic-covered wall,
between two small rivers, 5 4 p107 records the names of 550
the Porra and the Sciusa. The Drive » Once again take celebrities who’ve passed
East of the Sciusa is through.
Finale Ligure Pia, where the high road away from the
you’ll find Alimentari coast and follow the A10 for a Follow the local lead
Magnone (Via Moletti 17), further 35km to Alassio. Near and promenade along
which stocks excellent Albenga you’ll cross the river Via XX Settembre or the
extra virgin olive oils Centa and the broad valley unspoilt waterfront. Take
from local growers. where dozens of hothouses dot coffee at Antico Caffè
Nearby the Benedic- the landscape. Pasticceria Balzola (www.
tine abbey houses the balzola1902.com; Piazza
Azienda Agricola Apiario TRIP HIGHLIGHT Matteotti 26; h9am-midnight
Benedettino (Via Santuario Tue-Sun) and enjoy gelato
59; h9am-12.30pm Mon-Sat), 4 Alassio on the beach beneath a
where you can buy honey, stripy umbrella.
grappa and organic Less than 100km from
beauty products. the French border, Alas- 4 p107
sio’s popularity among
At the other end of the 18th- and 19th-
town, Finalborgo is the century jet set has left it
old medieval centre. with an elegant colonial
Each year in March, character. Its pastel-hued
Finalborgo’s cloisters villas range around a
are home to the Salone broad, sandy beach,
dell’Agroalimentare Lig- which stretches all the
ure, where local farmers way to Laigueglia (4km
to the south). American
president Thomas Jef-
ferson holidayed here
SAN GIORGIO
Cult restaurant San Giorgio (%0183 40 01 75; www.
ristorantesangiorgio.net; Via A Volta 19, Cervo; meals €40-60;
h12.30-2pm & 7.30-10pm Wed-Mon, closed Jan) has been
quietly wowing gourmets with its authentic Ligurian
cooking since the 1950s when mother-and-son
team Caterina and Alessandro opened the doors of
their home in the borgo (medieval town) of Cervo
Alta. Dine out on the bougainvillea-draped terrace in
summer, or in intimate dining rooms cluttered with
family silverware and antiques in winter. Below the
restaurant, in an old oil mill, is the less formal wine
bar and deli San Giorgino.
104
Genoa Fountain in the Piazza de Ferrari
The Drive » If you have Dante, with its arcaded West of Oneglia is
walkways, is a pleasant pirate haven Porto Mau-
time take the scenic coast place to grab a coffee. rizio, perched on a rocky
road, SS1 (Via Roma), from This is also where the spur that overlooks a
Alassio through Laigueglia and great olive-oil dynasties yacht-filled harbour.
Marina di Andora to Imperia. made their name. Visit
It is a shorter and more scenic the Museo dell’Olio (www. The Drive » Rejoining the A10
jaunt when traffic is light. The museodellolivo.com; Via
alternative, when traffic is heavy, at Imperia, the landscape begins
is to head back to the A10. Garessio 13; adult/reduced to change. The olive terraces
are dense, spear-like cypresses
5 Imperia €5/2.50; h9am-12.30pm & and umbrella pines shade
3-6.30pm Mon-Sat), housed the hillsides, and the fragrant
Imperia consists of two in a lovely art-nouveau maquis (Mediterranean scrub)
small seaside towns, mansion belonging to is prolific. Loop inland around
Oneglia and Porto Maur- the heritage Fratelli Carli Taggia and then descend slowly
izio, on either side of the factory. The museum is into San Remo.
Impero river. surprisingly extensive
and details the history TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Oneglia, birthplace of the Ligurian industry
of Admiral Doria, the from the 2nd century BC. 6 San Remo
Genoese Republic’s Buy quality oil here or
greatest naval hero, is anywhere in town. San Remo, Italy’s wan-
the less attractive of the nabe Monte Carlo, is a
two, although Piazza sun-dappled Mediterra-
nean resort with a grand
105
ITALY 7 Italian Riviera DETOUR: 7 Ventimiglia
L’ENTROTERRA
Despite its enviable posi-
Start: 7 Ventimiglia tion between the glitter
of San Remo and the
The designation ‘Riviera’ omits the pleated, Côte d’Azur, Ventimiglia
mountainous interior – l’entroterra – that makes is a soulful but disorderly
up nine-tenths of Liguria. Harried by invasions, border town, its Roman
coast-dwellers took to these vertical landscapes past still evident in its
over a thousand years ago, hewing their perched bridges, amphitheatre
villages from the rock face of the Maritime Alps. You’ll and ruined baths. Now
want to set aside two extra days to drive the coiling it’s the huge Friday mar-
roads that rise up from Ventimiglia to Dolceacqua, ket (h8am-3pm Fri) that
Apricale and Pigna. If you do make the effort, book draws the crowds.
into gorgeous boutique hotel Apricus Locanda
(%339 6008622; www.apricuslocanda.com; Via IV Novembre If you can’t find a sou-
5, Apricale; s/d €95/105; ps); it’s worth it for the venir here then consider
breakfast and see-forever panoramas. one of the prized artisa-
nal honeys produced by
belle-époque casino (www. Beyond the waterfront, Marco Ballestra (%0184
casinosanremo.it; Corso de- San Remo hides a little- 35 16 72; www.ilmieledel
gli Inglesi) and lashings of visited old town, a laby- brichetto.it; Via Girolamo Rossi
Riviera-style grandeur. rinth of twisting lanes 5), which has hives in
that cascade down the the hills above the Valle
During the mid- Ligurian hillside. Curling Roya. There are over a
19th century the city around the base is the dozen different types.
became a magnet for Italian Cycling Riviera, a
European exiles such as path that tracks the coast To end the tour head
Czar Nicolas of Russia, as far as Imperia. For over to the pretty west-
who favoured the town’s bike hire, enquire at the ern suburb of Ponte San
balmy winters. They tourist office (www.visit Ludovico to the Giardini
built an onion-domed rivieradeifiori.it; Largo Nuvoloni Botanici Hanbury (www.
1; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am- giardinihanbury.com; Corso
Russian Orthodox 1pm Sun; c). Montecarlo 43; adult/reduced
church (Via Nuvoloni 2; €1; €9/7.50; h9.30am-6pm),
h9.30am-noon & 3-6pm) 5 4 p107 the 18-hectare estate of
reminiscent of Moscow’s English businessman
St Basil’s Cathedral, The Drive » For the final 17km Sir Thomas Hanbury;
which still turns heads he planted it with an
down by the seafront. stretch to Ventimiglia take the extravagant 5800 bo-
Swedish inventor Alfred SS1 coastal road, which hugs tanical species from five
Nobel also maintained the base of the mountains continents.
a villa here, the Villa and offers uninterrupted sea
Nobel (Corso Felice Cavallotti views. In summer and at Easter, 5 p107
112; adult/reduced €5.50/4; however, when traffic is heavy,
your best bet is the A10.
h10am-12.30pm Tue-Thu,
10am-12.30pm & 5-8pm
Fri-Sun Jun-Sep), which
now houses a museum
dedicated to him.
106
Eating & Sleeping
Genoa 1 Alassio 4
5 Il Marin Seafood €€€ 4 Villa della Boutique Hotel €€€
(Eataly Genova; %010 869 87 22; www.eataly. Pergola
net; Porto Antico; meals €50; hnoon-3pm & (%0182 64 61 30; www.villadellapergola.com;
7-10.30pm) Eating by the water often means a Via Privata Montagu 9/1; d from €315; p s)
compromise in quality, but Eataly’s 3rd-floor Sitting in a tropical garden that rivals the ITALY 7 Italian Riviera
fine-dining space delivers both panoramic port famous Villa Hanbury, Villa della Pergola was the
views and Genoa’s most innovative seafood home of eminent Victorian, General McMurdo.
menu. Rustic wooden tables, Renzo Piano– He bought the plot in 1875 and designed the
blessed furniture and an open kitchen make villa in Anglo-Indian style with large airy rooms,
for an easy, relaxed glamour, while dishes use broad verandahs and cascading terraces with
unusual Mediterranean-sourced produce and peerless sea views.
look gorgeous on the plate.
Finale Ligure 3 San Remo 6
5 Osteria ai Cuattru Canti Osteria € 5 Ristorante Urbicia Vivas Ligurian €€
(Via Torcelli 22; set menus €20; hnoon-2pm (%0184 57 55 66; Piazza Dolori 5; meals €30;
& 8-10pm Tue-Sun) Simple and good Ligurian h10.30am-midnight) Basking in a quiet
specialities are cooked up at this rustic place in medieval square in San Remo’s remarkable old
Finalborgo’s historic centre. town, Urbicia is slavishly faithful to old Ligurian
recipes with a strong bias towards seafood.
4 Val Ponce Agriturismo € There’s a €12 lunch deal and Friday night is
risotto night.
(%329 3154169; www.valleponci.it; Val Ponci
4 Hotel Liberty Hotel €
22, Localita Verzi; d/apt €85/165) Only 4km
from the beach, Val Ponce feels deliciously wild, (%0184 50 99 52; www.hotellibertysanremo.
tucked away in a rugged Ligurian valley. Horses com; Rondò Garibaldi 2; s €55, d €85-100;
graze, grapevines bud and the restaurant turns p a) A 10-room hotel is set in a Liberty-style
out fresh Ligurian dishes, with vegetables villa off a small traffic circle about 100m from
and herbs from a kitchen garden. On weekend the train station. It’s quiet, clean and run by
evenings and Sunday lunch, there’s live music helpful young owners.
or classic vinyl. Rooms are simple but show the
keen eye of the Milanese escapee owners.
4 Hotel Florenz Hotel €€ Ventimiglia 7
(%019 69 56 67; www.hotelflorenz.it; Via Celesia 5 Pasta & Basta Ligurian €
1; s/d €86/132; hclosed Nov & Feb; p i s) (%0184 23 08 78; www.pastaebastaventimiglia.
This rambling 18th-century former convent just com; Via Marconi 20; meals €20; hnoon-3pm
outside Finalborgo’s village walls (800m from & 7-10pm Tue-Sun, lunch only Mon) Duck into
the sea) is simple and homey but one of the the underpass near the seafront on the border
area’s most atmospheric spots to sleep. side of town to the perpetually redeveloping
port area. Various house-made fresh pasta can
be mixed and matched with a large menu of
sauces, including a good pesto or salsa di noci
(walnut purée), and washed down with a carafe
of pale and refreshing Pigato, a local white.
107
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
NEED TO Climate
KNOW
Dry climate
CURRENCY
Warm to hot summer, mild winter
Euro (€)
Warm to hot summer, cold winter
LANGUAGE
Mild summer, cold winter
Italian
# Cold climate
VISAS
GO Dec–MMilaarn(skiing), #
Generally not required for Jan & Sep
stays of up to 90 days (or SVGeeOpnF–iceNebo–vMar &
at all for EU nationals);
some nationalities need a JGuOl &RANporom–veM–Daey,c
Schengen visa.
#
FUEL
Naples
You’ll find filling stations GO May–Jun #
on autostradas and major
roads. Reckon on €1.49 for a & Sep
litre of unleaded petrol and
€1.33 for diesel. Palermo
GO Sep–Oct
HIRE CARS
#
Avis (www.avis.com)
Europcar (www.europcar. When to Go
com) High Season (Jul–Aug)
»»Queues at big sights and on the road, especially in August.
Hertz (www.hertz.it) »»Prices also rocket for Christmas, New Year and Easter.
Maggiore (www.maggiore.it) »»Late December to March is high season in the Alps and
IMPORTANT NUMBERS Dolomites.
Ambulance (%118) Shoulder (Apr–Jun & Sep–Oct)
Emergency (%112) »»Good deals on accommodation, especially in the south.
Police (%113) »»Spring is best for festivals, flowers and local produce.
Roadside Assistance »»Autumn provides warm weather and the grape harvest.
(%803 116; %800 116 Low Season (Nov–Mar)
800 from a foreign mobile »»Prices up to 30% less than in high season.
phone) »»Many sights and hotels closed in coastal areas.
»»A good period for cultural events in large cities.
108
Daily Costs B&Bs Rooms in restored Capodichino Airport
Budget: Less than €100 farmhouses, city townhouses or (Naples)
»»Dorm bed: €15–30 seaside bungalows.
»»Double room in a budget hotel: Rental cars Contact agencies
Agriturismi Farmstays range via an intercom in the Arrivals
€50–110 from working farms to luxury hall.
rural retreats. Buses Run every 20 minutes
»»Pizza or pasta: €6–12 from 6am to 11.40pm.
Room Tax A nightly occupancy Taxis Set fare €16 to €23; 30
Midrange: €100–250 tax is charged on top of room minutes.
»»Double room in a hotel: rates.
Mobile Phones (Cell
€110–200 Price indicators for a double Phones)
room with private bathroom
»»Local restaurant dinner: (breakfast included) in high Local SIM cards can be used in
season: European, Australian and some
€25–50 unlocked US phones. Other
€ less than €110 phones must be set to roaming.
»»Admission to museum: €4–15
€€ €110–200 Internet Access
Top End: More than
€250 €€€ more than €200 Free wi-fi is available in most
»»Double room in a four- or five- hotels, B&Bs, pensioni etc and in
Arriving in Italy many bars and cafes.
star hotel: €200–450 Leonardo da Vinci
(Fiumicino) Airport Money
»»Top restaurant dinner: (Rome)
ATMs at every airport, most train
€50–150 Rental cars Agencies are stations and widely available in
located near the multilevel car towns and cities. Credit cards
»»Opera ticket: €40–200 park. accepted in most hotels and
restaurants.
Eating Trains & buses Run every
30 minutes from 6.23am to Tipping
Restaurants (Ristoranti) 11.23pm.
Formal service and refined Not obligatory but round up the
dishes, with prices to match. Night buses Departures at bill in pizzerias and trattorias;
Trattorias Informal, often 1.15am, 2.15am, 3.30am and 10% is normal in upmarket
family-run, places with classic 5am. restaurants.
regional cooking.
Vegetarians Most places offer Taxis Set fare to centre €48; 45 Useful Websites
good vegetable starters and side minutes.
dishes. Italia (www.italia.it)
Price indicators for a two-course Malpensa Airport Comprehensive tourism site.
meal with a glass of house wine (Milan) Michelin (www.viamichelin.it)
and coperto (cover charge). A useful route planner.
Rental cars Agencies in the Agriturismi (www.agriturismi.
€ less than €25 Arrivals sections of Terminals it) Guide to farmstays.
€€ €25–45 1 and 2. Lonely Planet (www.
€€€ more than €45 lonelyplanet.com/italy)
Trains & buses Run every Destination lowdown.
Sleeping 30 minutes from 5.45am to
11.30pm. 109
Hotels From luxury boutique
palaces to modest family-run Night buses Limited services
pensioni (small hotels). from 12.15am to 5am.
Taxis Set fare €90; 50 minutes.
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Language
Italian sounds can all be found in English. If you read our coloured pronunciation guides as if
they were English, you’ll be understood. Note that ai is pronounced as in ‘aisle’, ay as in ‘say’,
ow as in ‘how’, dz as the ‘ds’ in ‘lids’, and that r is strong and rolled. If the consonant is written
as a double letter, it’s pronounced a little stronger, eg sonno son·no (sleep) versus sono so·no
(I am). The stressed syllables are indicated with italics.
BASICS How much is it per night/person?
Quanto costa per kwan·to kos·ta per
Hello. una notte/persona? oo·na no·te/per·so·na
Goodbye. Buongiorno. bwon·jor·no
Yes./No. Arrivederci. a·ree·ve·der·chee DIRECTIONS
Excuse me. Sì./No. see/no
Sorry. Mi scusi. mee skoo·zee Where’s …? do·ve …
Please. Mi dispiace. mee dees·pya·che Dov’è …?
Thank you. Per favore. per fa·vo·re
Grazie. gra·tsye Can you show me (on the map)?
Può mostrarmi pwo mos·trar·mee
(sulla pianta)? (soo·la pyan·ta)
You’re welcome. pre·go EATING & DRINKING
Prego.
Do you speak English? What would you recommend?
Parli inglese? par·lee een·gle·ze
Cosa mi consiglia? ko·za mee kon·see·lya
I don’t understand.
Non capisco. non ka·pee·sko I’d like …, please.
Vorrei …, per favore. vo·ray … per fa·vo·re
How much is this?
Quanto costa questo? kwan·to kos·ta kwe·sto I don’t eat (meat).
Non mangio (carne). non man·jo (kar·ne)
Please bring the bill. mee por·ta eel kon·to
Mi porta il conto,
ACCOMMODATION per favore? per fa·vo·re
Do you have a room? a·ve·te oo·na ka·me·ra
Avete una camera?
EMERGENCIES
Want More? Help! a·yoo·to
Aiuto! mee so·no per·so/a
For in-depth language information I’m lost. mee sen·to ma·le
and handy phrases, check out Lonely Mi sono perso/a. (m/f) kya·mee la po·lee·tsee·a
Planet’s Italian Phrasebook. You’ll I’m ill. kya·mee oon me·dee·ko
find it at shop.lonelyplanet.com, or Mi sento male.
you can buy Lonely Planet’s iPhone Call the police!
phrasebooks at the Apple App Store. Chiami la polizia!
Call a doctor!
Chiami un medico!
110
windscreen petrol
parabrezza benzina
pa·ra·bre·dza ben·dzee·na
battery
batteria tyre
ba·te·ree·a gomma
engine
motore go·ma
mo·to·re
headlight
fanale
fa·na·le
ON THE ROAD Does that include mileage?
E’ compreso il e kom·pre·so eel
chilometraggio? kee·lo·me·tra·jo
I’d like to Vorrei vo·ray
hire a/an ... noleggiare ... no·le·ja·re ...
What’s the city/country speed limit?
Qual’è il limite di kwa·le eel lee·mee·te dee
4WD un fuoristrada oon fwo·ree·stra·da velocità in ve·lo·chee·ta een
automatic/ una macchina oo·na ma·kee·na città/campagna? chee·ta/kam·pa·nya
manual automatica/ ow·to·ma·tee·ka/
manuale ma·noo·a·le Is this the road to (Venice)?
Questa strada porta kwe·sta stra·da por·ta
motorbike una moto oo·na mo·to a (Venezia)? a (ve·ne·tsya)
How much Quanto kwan·to (How long) Can I park here?
is it …? costa ...? kos·ta ... (Per quanto tempo) (per kwan·to tem·po)
Posso parcheggiare qui? po·so par·ke·ja·re kwee
daily al giorno al jor·no
Where’s a service station?
weekly alla settimana a·la se·tee·ma·na Dov’è una stazione do·ve oo·na sta·tsyo·ne
di servizio? dee ser·vee·tsyo
Does that include insurance?
E’ compresa e kom·pre·sa Please fill it up.
l’assicurazione? la·see·koo·ra·tsyo·ne Il pieno, per favore. eel pye·no per fa·vo·re
I’d like (30) litres. vo·ray (tren·ta) lee·tree
Vorrei (trenta) litri.
Signs Please check the oil/water.
Può controllare l’olio/ pwo kon·tro·la·re lo·lyo/
Alt Stop l’acqua, per favore? la·kwa per fa·vo·re
Dare la Precedenza Give Way I need a mechanic.
Ho bisogno di un o bee·zo·nyo dee oon
Deviazione Detour meccanico. me·ka·nee·ko
Divieto di Accesso No Entry The car/motorbike has broken down.
Entrata Entrance La macchina/moto si la ma·kee·na/mo·to see
è guastata. e gwas·ta·ta
Pedaggio Toll
Senso Unico One Way I had an accident. o a·voo·to oon
Ho avuto un een·chee·den·te
Uscita Exit incidente.
111
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
STRETCH Largo di Torre Argentina
YOUR LEGS
ROME Start in Largo di Torre Argentina, a
busy square easily reached by bus. In its
Start/Finish: Largo di Torre sunken central area, the Republican-era
Argentina templesdate to between the 2nd and 4th
Distance: 1.7km centuries BC. On the piazza’s western
Duration: Three hours flank, Teatro Argentina, Rome’s premier
theatre, stands near the spot where
The best way to explore Rome’s Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.
historic centre, much of which is
closed to unauthorised traffic, is The Walk » From the square, head east along
on foot. Park near Stazione Termini,
then head into the centre by bus. As Corso Vittorio Emanuele II to Piazza del Gesù.
you walk you’ll discover picturesque
cobbled lanes, showboating piazzas, Chiesa del Gesù
basilicas and ancient ruins.
The landmark Chiesa del Gesù (www.
Take this walk on Trips chiesadelgesu.org; Piazza del Gesù; h7am-
12.30pm & 4-7.45pm, St Ignatius rooms 4-6pm
12 Mon-Sat, 10am-noon Sun) is Rome’s most im-
portant Jesuit church. Behind its impos-
ing facade is an awe-inspiring baroque
interior. Headline works include the
swirling vault fresco by Il Baciccia and
Andrea del Pozzo’s opulent tomb for
Ignatius Loyola, the Jesuits’ founder.
The Walk » Cross Corso Vittorio Emanuele II
and follow Via del Gesù north. Then turn left onto
Via Santa Caterina da Siena.
Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra
Minerva
Trumpeted by Bernini’s much-loved
Elefantino statue, this basilica (www.
santamariasopraminerva.it; Piazza della Minerva
42; h7.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7.30am-12.30pm &
3.30-7pm Sat, 8am-12.30pm & 3.30-7pm Sun) is
Rome’s only Gothic church. However, lit-
tle remains of the original 13th-century
structure and these days the main draw-
card is a minor Michelangelo sculpture
and its colourful, art-rich interior.
The Walk » From the basilica, it’s an easy stroll
up Via della Minerva to Piazza della Rotonda.
Pantheon
A remarkable 2000-year-old temple, now
church, the Pantheon (www.pantheon
roma.com; Piazza della Rotonda; h8.30am-
7.30pm Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm Sun) is the best
preserved of Rome’s ancient monuments.
Built by Hadrian over Marcus Agrippa’s
earlier 27 BC temple, it has stood since
around AD 125. t’s an exhilarating
112
J%CVVioaiaVrdisdaeFoePldalGe0000000000i00VrPaioneCiz00000v000000000tel#alzteespoa000000000g00000repPFrrneiai0000n0000000000aololVoraliVcn0000000000a00000E00000rGidezmeai00000000000000000000000lczlsoacoe00000000000000000000000hnPSCiuio000000000000000000000000aaaennzC000000000000000000000000czlit#enae'hdAC0000000000000000000000l000AdIilegeeIaegn'rs0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000limolaeFaan000000000000000000000000000000000000000sidpoeei000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000oriN000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000Pai0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000av#PSz0000000000000000000000000000o0000000000000000000000000000000aizanCn000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000azaVazPnia000000000000000000000000000aaendsd000000000000000titeaCrial000000000000000eoroir0000000000000000000sVoi000000000000000aVd0000000000000i0000000tetio000000000000000Srie000000odiE000000amrSi aaVnnituaP'EeiGaulCSezisruaztIeaalsIistctcaihne00000000000000Pidnoiaeeaz000000000000000000#niini000000000000000000000000000thR0000000000000000000000ePo›#d000000000000000000000oi#taeo#nz000000000000000000000lALnlzaVadra000000000000000000000000000igraag0000000000000000000000000eSVodanCV0000000000000000niaEiatoPMdatmiVSra000000000000000000000idnidisaiinCaeeaeToa#z00000000000000000neanllzdolVtaSruaa0000000000eBSSevireertPairdiatoalm00000niePeogensaparinIl0000000000000000nitiIlrsaolaaaait0000000000000000cirdniMMa0Poei00000000000000000000000000.ila1adiGn000000000000000000000000000000000zrmiezVeisa000000000000000000000000000000000idairùl0aPeiv.V00000000000000000000000000000000000sMd2Cdlae#ieaeak00000000000000h0000000000blmrlidiPms00000000000000000000000000e000Geicsèol000000000000000e00000000000000iatso00000000000000000000000000000ù¤#00000000000000000000000000000Corso del RinascimentoDogVaianadeVlelacchiaVia della Minerva
SaVniaPadni taleo Via Monterone Via dei Cestari
Via dei Baullari Via del Gesù
Via del B iscione
VAiragdeinTtionrareVia del'Arco Via d'Aracoeli
Via Celsade Ginnasi
experience to pass through its vast markets, while at night it morphs into
bronze doors and gaze up at the largest a raucous open-air pub. Amidst the
unreinforced concrete dome ever built. chaos look out for a sinister statue of
a hooded monk. This is the heretic
The Walk » Follow the signs to Piazza Navona, philosopher Giordano Bruno who was
burned at the stake here in 1600.
stopping en route for a quick coffee at Caffè
Sant’Eustachio (Piazza Sant’Eustachio 82; The Walk » Head up to Piazza Farnese, a matter
h8.30am-1am Sun-Thu, to 1.30am Fri, to 2am Sat).
of metres away.
Piazza Navona
With its ornate fountains, baroque Palazzo Farnese
palazzi (mansions) and colourful cast
of street artists, hawkers and tour- The formidable Palazzo Farnese
ists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s (www.inventerrome.com; Piazza Farnese; €9;
elegant showpiece square. Its grand
centrepiece is Bernini’s Fontana dei hguided tours 3pm, 4pm & 5pm Mon, Wed &
Quattro Fiumi, an ornate, showy foun- Fri) is one of Rome’s finest Renaissance
tain featuring personifications of the buildings. Now home to the French
rivers Nile, Ganges, Danube and Plate. Embassy, it can only be visited on a
guided tour (for which you need to
The Walk » Exit the piazza to the south, cross pre-book; see the website for details),
but it’s worth it to marvel at a series of
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and continue up Via frescoes by Annibale Carracci that are
dei Baullari. said by some to rival Michelangelo’s in
the Sistine Chapel.
Campo de’ Fiori
The Walk » To get back to Largo di Torre
Noisy, colourful Campo de’ Fiori is
a major focus of Roman life: by day Argentina, double back to Corso Vittorio Emanuele
it hosts one of Rome’s best-known II and head right.
113
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
STRETCH Galleria dell’Accademia
YOUR LEGS
FLORENCE Before heading into the heart of the
historic centre, take time to salute Flor-
Start/Finish: Galleria ence’s fabled poster boy. Michelangelo’s
dell’Accademia David (1504), arguably the most famous
Distance: 2.5km sculpture in the Western world, stands
Duration: One day in all his naked glory in the Galleria
dell’Accademia (www.firenzemusei.it; Via
To get the best out of Florence Ricasoli 60; adult/reduced €8/4, incl temporary
(Firenze), park your car at Piazza exhibition €12.50/6.25; h8.15am-6.50pm
della Libertà, and head into the Tue-Sun). He originally guarded Palazzo
city’s historic centre on foot. This Vecchio but was moved here in 1873.
tour provides a great introduction
to the city, passing through its The Walk » From the gallery, head south along
headlining piazzas, basilicas and
galleries. Via Ricasoli, past the Carabé gelateria, down to Via
de’ Pucci. Turn right, skirting past Palazzo Pucci,
Take this walk on Trips as you continue on to Piazza San Lorenzo.
123 Basilica di San Lorenzo
A fine example of Renaissance archi-
tecture, the Basilica di San Lorenzo
(Piazza San Lorenzo; €5, incl Biblioteca Medicea
Laurenziana €7.50; h10am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,
plus 1.30-5pm Sun winter) is best known for
its Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy).
Around the corner, at the rear of the
basilica, the Museo delle Cappelle
Medicee (Medici Chapels; www.firenzemusei.
it; Piazza Madonna degli Aldobrandini 6; adult/
reduced €6/3; h8.15am-1.50pm, closed 2nd &
4th Sun & 1st, 3rd & 5th Mon of month) has some
exquisite Michelangelo sculptures.
The Walk » From Piazza Madonna degli
Aldobrandini, head down Via de’ Conti and its
continuation Via F Zanetti to Via de’ Cerretani. Hang
a left and soon you’ll see Piazza del Duomo ahead.
Duomo
Florence’s 14th-century Duomo (www.
operaduomo.firenze.it; Piazza del Duomo;
h10am-5pm Mon-Wed & Fri, to 4pm Thu, to
4.45pm Sat, 1.30-4.45pm Sun) is the city’s
most iconic landmark with its pink,
white and green marble facade and
red-tiled dome (adult/reduced incl cupola,
baptistry, campanile, crypt & museum €15/3;
h8.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 5.40pm Sat).
Nearby, you can climb the campanile
(h8.30am-7.30pm) and admire the bas-
reliefs on the 11th-century Battistero
(Baptistry; h11.15am-7pm Mon-Sat, 8.30am-
2pm Sun & 1st Sat of month).
114
The Walk » It’s a straightforward 400m or so e# 0 200 m
0 0.1 miles
down Via dei Calzaiuoli to Piazza della Signoria.
Piazza della
Piazza della Signoria Indipendenza
This lovely cafe-lined piazza is over- Via San Gallo
looked by the Torre d’Arnolfo, the high J%Piazza
point of Palazzo Vecchio (www.musefirenze Via dell'Arient Piazza Via de' Ginori 0000000
.it; museum adult/reduced €10/8, tower €10/8, Madonna Via Ricasoli San Marco ›#
museum & tower €14/12, guided tour €4; Galleria
hmuseum 9am-11pm Fri-Wed, to 2pm Thu, tower degli
9am-9pm Fri-Wed, to 2pm Thu, shorter hours dell'Accademia #
winter), Florence’s medieval City Hall. It 0000000Via0000000dedl000000000000eC'aN000000000000netloli000000000000o000000000000AdB#000000000000lida000000000000Sosbia000000000000lrinac000000000000nad000000000000SPinai000000000000ainzza
still houses the mayor’s office but you Palazzo
can visit its lavish apartments. Lorenzo Lorenzo Pucci
FVZiaanetti
The Walk » To get to the Galleria degli Uffizi Via de'Conti Via de' Pucci
takes a matter of seconds, although we can’t Via de' Cerreta000000000ni000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000D0000000000000u0000000000000om0000000000000#o000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000DPui000000000000000daoezm0000000000000lzao
vouch for how long it’ll take to get inside. The Via dei Calzaiuoli SANTA
gallery is just off the piazza’s southeastern corner, 00000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000 CROCE
in a grey porticoed palazzo (mansion). 000000000000
Galleria degli Uffizi 00000000
The Uffizi (www.uffizi.beniculturali.it; Piazzale 00000000V0000000ia L000am0000000be0000rt00000000000es00000000000ca00000000000##0000000000000000(GSPU0000000000000000aiifaglf0000000000000000lzniezz0000000000000000roiairaGidaDaelelllegarlyi )Uffizi
degli Uffizi 6; adult/reduced €8/4, incl temporary Via Por Santa Maria
exhibition €12.50/6.25; h8.15am-6.50pm Tue- dePgiliazUzffailzei
Sun) boasts one of Italy’s greatest art col- # Ponte Lungarno
lections, bequeathed to Florence in 1743 Vecchio Arno
by the Medici family on condition that
it never leave the city. The highlight is Gener›#ale Diaz
the stash of Renaissance art, including
Botticelli’s La nascita di Venere (Birth ViLaudneg' arno TorriPgoiannGtieraazlilee
of Venus), Leonardo da Vinci’s Annun- Bardi
ciazione (Annunciation) and Michelan-
gelo’s Tondo doni (Holy Family).
The Walk » Pick up Via Lambertesca, over the
way from the gallery entrance, and follow it to Via
Por Santa Maria. Go left and it’s a short hop to
the river.
Ponte Vecchio
Florence’s celebrated bridge has twin-
kled with the wares of jewellers since
the 16th century when Ferdinando I de’
Medici ordered them to replace the the
town butchers, who were wont to toss
malodorous unwanted leftovers into the
river. The bridge as it stands was built
in 1345 and was the only one in Florence
saved from destruction by the retreating
Germans in 1944.
The Walk » To get back to the Galleria
dell’Accademia, pick up bus C1 from Lungarno
Generale Diaz and head up to Piazza San Marco.
Giardino di Boboli (GBiaarrddiinnioGBaardrdeinnsi)
(Boboli Gardens)
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
116
France
ICONIC MONUMENTS, FABULOUS FOOD,
WORLD-CLASS WINES – there are so many
reasons to plan your very own French voyage.
Whether you’re planning on cruising the
corniches of the French Riviera, getting lost
among the snowcapped mountains or tasting
your way around Champagne’s hallowed
vineyards, this is a nation that’s made for road
trips and full of unforgettable routes that will
plunge you straight into France’s heart and
soul.
There’s a trip for everyone here: family
travellers, history buffs, culinary connoisseurs
and outdoors adventurers.
Buckle up, and bon voyage – you’re in for quite
a ride.
Champagne region Phare de Verzenay
SYLVAIN SONNET/GETTY IMAGES ©
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PHILIPPE COHAT/GETTY IMAGES © DON'T
MISS
Longues-sur-Mer
See where parts of the
famous D-Day film, The
Longest Day (1962),
9was filmed on Trip
Lac de Gaube
One of the Pyrenees’
finest trails leads to the
glittering Lac de Gaube.
Catch the cable car to
bthe trail on Trip
The Pyrenees Lac de Gaube Fenocchio
8 Essential France 21 Days Enjoy some original
This grand tour visits some of France’s most flavours at this iconic
unmissable sights. (p121) ice-cream parlour on
9 D-Day’s Beaches 3 Days Trip c
Follow the course of the WWII invasion on
Normandy’s beaches. (p133) Château de
Chambord
a Atlantic to Med 10 Days
The ultimate south-of-France trip, linking two The Loire’s star
very different seas. (p143) expression of
Renaissance
b The Pyrenees 7 Days architecture, capped
Explore the majestic mountain landscape, easily by its world-famous
the equal of the Alps. (p153) double-helix staircase.
c Riviera Crossing 4 Days eDiscover it on Trip
The best beaches, cities, villages and nature along
the Med coast. (p163)
d Champage Taster 3 Days
Taste your way around the cellars of Champagne
on this fizz-fuelled trip. (p175)
e Châteaux of the Loire 5 Days
France’s greatest châteaux, from medieval towers
to royal palaces. (p185)
119
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
a
b
c
d
1130
3130
5130
7130
9131
c131
DAVIDEVISON / GETTY IMAGES ©
8Essential France
City to city, coast to coast, this grand tour visits some of France’s
most unmissable sights. There’s some epic driving involved, but
this is one trip you won’t forget in a hurry.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
335 km 21 DAYS
3060KM /
#4# # Caen Ll Bayeux 1902 MILES
Check out the world's
GREAT FOR…
longest comic strip
JGB
#_ PARIS
# Poitiers 2100 km BEST TIME TO GO
Chamonix
##8 Savour sky-high views April to June
of Mont Blanc
1445 km I ESSENTIAL
Sarlat-la-Canéda #1#0 PHOTO
Explore the medieval
heart of this gorgeous # Overlooking the
Dordogne town Parisian panorama
‚ from the Basilique du
Sacré-Coeur.
Clermont- Km
Ferrand #13# K BEST FOR
# Cannes FAMILIES
Gorges du Verdon Brave the space-age
Experience France's rides and roller-coaster
answer to the thrills of Futuroscope.
Grand Canyon
3060 km
GLoocragteisonduCaVpetridoonndRetaaviilnsetothgroouhgehreHaute-Provence 121
GF #9 Bayeux
4
St-Lô #^
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#\ \# Rennes#^ /·A81
8 \# /·A11 #]
Essential France#\#]\##\#\
Angers
This is the big one – an epic trek that travels all the #\
way from the chilly waters of the English Channel
to the gleaming blue Mediterranean. Along the way, : ^# Nantes
you’ll stop off at some of France’s most iconic sights: ::
the château of Versailles, the abbey of Mont St- /·A83
Michel, the summit of Mont Blanc and the beaches of
the French Riviera. Allez-y! Parc Naturel
Interrégional du
Marais Poitevin
\# ·/A10
La Rochelle
ATLANTIC \# Saintes
OCEAN
·/A89
#Bordeaux 7
·/Parc A62
Naturel
Bay of Régional des
Biscay Landes de
Cascogne
athveiltlhargoenygcshoafrmto,u#]drei\#s#^stpsi.te\#\# \# /·A70
The centre of Mont-
1 Paris #^ /·A65
martre is place du Tertre,
For that essentially San \#
Parisian experience, it’s Sebastián
hard to beat Montmartre Pau
– the neighbourhood of
cobbled lanes and cafe- once the village’s main
lined squares beloved by square, now packed with
writers and painters since buskers and portrai#^t art-
the 19th century. This ists. You can get a sense of :
was once a notoriously how the area would once
ramshackle part of Paris, have looked at the Musée #\
full of bordellos, brothels, de Montmartre (%01 49 25
dance halls and bars, 89 39; www.museede :
as well as the city’s first
can-can clubs. Though montmartre.fr; 12 rue Cortot, once occupied by Renoir
its hedonistic heyday and Utrillo.
has long since passed, 18e; adult/child €9.50/5.50;
Montmartre still retains Nearby, Montmartre’s
h10am-6pm; mLamarck- finest view unfolds from
Caulaincourt), which details the dome of the Basilique
the area’s bohemian past. du Sacré-Coeur (%01 53
It’s inside Montmartre’s 41 89 00; www.sacre-coeur-
oldest building, a 17th- montmartre.com; place du
century manor house Parvis du Sacré-Cœur; dome
adult/child €6/4, cash only;
h6am-10.30pm, dome
8.30am-8pm May-Sep, to 5pm
122
#] Honfleur /·A16 ·/A1 eForêt # 0 200 km
0 100 miles
lL## ·/]# d'Argonne
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#] Reims ]#
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Verneuil- Régional de
sur-Avre Versailles
#\ 2 1 Paris Lorraine ]# Nancy
¸0 #ID939 ^# Strasbourg
#^#Alençon 3 p198 Troyes
Chartres #] #\Vittel
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/·]#
·/ ]# ]# Auxerre Forêt de #\ Mulhouse \#
Châtillon
A28 Orléans Belfort #\ #_
/·A10 #6 Chambord #\ Vézelay FRANCE 8 Essential France
Parc Naturel
Tours ]# ·/A77 ]# Dijon #] Besançon w
Régional
/·A10 #\ Bourges du Morvan _# BERN
Châteauroux \# #\ Chalon-sur-Saône
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/·A89 444/·St-ÉtienneA47
#\
#\ Tulle w Tunnel #^Turin
·/ 4#]
#\ Grenoble
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#\#8
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#\#\
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0¸ FGParc Naturel
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\# MONTE
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# /·Km # I#Montpellier #]
# /·Nîmes #]
13 N85 #]#_ CARLO
]#Toulouse Aix-en- 12 ]# Nice
Provence 11 Cannes p200
/·A9 Golfe de : ^# A8 #\ French
Carcassonne #\ Beauduc Marseille St- Riviera Ligurian
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]#]#]##]]# #\
_# LINK
YOUR
Oct-Apr; mAnvers). On a TRIP
clear day, you can see
for up to 30km. Then 9 D-Day’s Beaches c Riviera Crossing
head to the riverbank for Take a side trip Combine this
a stroll through Paris’ from Caen to follow journey with our jaunt
history (p198). the course of the WWII down the French Riviera,
invasion on Normandy’s which begins in Cannes.
5 4 p130 beaches.
The Drive » Drive From the
centre of Paris, follow the A13
west from Porte d’Auteuil and
take the exit marked ‘Versailles
Château’. Versailles is 28km
southwest of the city.
123
FRANCE 8 Essential France 2 Versailles Appartements du Roi et join the D906 to Chartres. All
de la Reine (State Apart- told, it’s a journey of 76km.
Louis XIV transformed ments) and the famous
his father’s hunting 3 Chartres
lodge into the Château Galerie des Glaces
de Versailles (%01 30 83 (Hall of Mirrors), a You’ll know you’re near-
78 00; www.chateauversailles. 75m-long ballroom filled ing Chartres long before
fr; place d’Armes; adult/child with chandeliers and you reach it thanks to
passport ticket incl estate-wide floor-to-ceiling mirrors. the twin spires of the
access €18/free, with musical Outside, the vast park Cathédrale Notre Dame
events €25/free, palace €15/ incorporates terraces, (www.cathedrale-chartres.
free; h9am-6.30pm Tue-Sun flower beds, paths and org; place de la Cathédrale;
Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Tue-Sun fountains, as well as the h8.30am-7.30pm daily year-
Nov-Mar; mRER Versailles- Grand and Petit Canals. round, also to 10pm Tue, Fri &
Château–Rive Gauche) in the Sun Jun-Aug), considered
mid-17th century, and it Northwest of the main to be one of the most
remains France’s most palace is the Domaine important structures in
majestic palace. The Christendom.
royal court was based de Marie-Antoinette
here from 1682 until (Marie Antoinette’s Estate; www. The present cathedral
1789, when revolutionar- chateauversailles.fr; Château was built during the late
ies massacred the palace de Versailles; adult/child €10/ 12th century after the
guard and dragged free, with passport ticket free; original was destroyed
Louis XVI and Marie hnoon-6.30pm Tue-Sun by fire. It’s survived
Antoinette back to Paris, Apr-Oct, to 5.30pm Tue-Sat wars and revolutions
where they were inglori- Nov-Mar), where the royal remarkably intact, and
ously guillotined. family would have taken the brilliant-blue stained-
refuge from the intrigue glass windows have
The architecture is and etiquette of court life. even inspired their own
truly eye-popping. High- shade of paint (Chartres
lights include the Grands The Drive » The N10 runs blue). The cathedral also
houses the Sainte Voile
southwest from Versailles (Holy Veil), supposedly
through pleasant countryside worn by the Virgin Mary
and forest to Rambouillet. You’ll while giving birth to
Jesus.
VISITING VERSAILLES
The best views are
Versailles is one of the country’s most popular from the 112m-high
destinations, so planning ahead will make your visit Clocher Neuf (New Bell
more enjoyable. Avoid the busiest days of Tuesday Tower; Cathédrale Notre
and Sunday, and remember that the château is Dame; adult/child €7.50/free;
closed on Monday. Save time by pre-purchasing h9.30am-12.30pm & 2-6pm
tickets on the château’s website, or arrive early if Mon-Sat, 2-6pm Sun May-Aug,
you’re buying at the door – by noon queues spiral 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-5pm Mon-
out of control. Sat, 2-5pm Sun Sep-Apr).
You can also access off-limits areas (such as 5 4 p130
the Private Apartments of Louis XV and Louis XVI,
the Opera House and the Royal Chapel) by taking The Drive » Follow the D939
a 90-minute guided tour (%01 30 83 77 88; www.
chateauversailles.fr; tours €7, plus palace entry; hEnglish- northwest for 58km to Verneuil-
language tours 9.30pm Tue-Sun). sur-Avre, then take the D926
west for 78km to Argentan –
124
both great roads through typical 5 Mont St-Michel based in Genêts. Don’t be FRANCE 8 Essential France
Norman countryside. Just west tempted to do it on your
of Argentan, the D158/N158 You’ve already seen it on own – the bay’s tides are
heads north to Caen, then turns a million postcards, but notoriously treacherous.
northwest on the N13 to Bayeux, nothing prepares you for
94km further. the real Mont St-Michel 4 p130
(%02 33 89 80 00; www. The Drive » Take the A84, N12
TRIP HIGHLIGHT monuments-nationaux.fr;
adult/child incl guided tour €9/ and A81 for 190km to Le Mans
4 Bayeux free; h9am-7pm, last entry and the A28 for 102km to Tours,
1hr before closing). It’s one where you can follow a tour
The Tapisserie de Bayeux of France’s architectural through the Loire Valley if you
(%02 31 51 25 50; www.bayeux marvels, an 11th-century wish. Chambord is about 75km
museum.com; rue de Nesmond; island abbey marooned from Tours via the D952.
adult/child incl audioguide in the middle of a vast
€9/4; h9am-6.30pm Mar-Oct, golden bay. 6 Chambord
to 7pm May-Aug, 9.30am-
12.30pm & 2-6pm Nov–Feb) When you arrive, you’ll If you only have time to
is without doubt the be steered into one of the visit one château in the
world’s most celebrated Mont’s huge car parks. Loire, you might as well
(and ambitious) piece of You then walk along make it the grandest –
embroidery. Over 58 pan- the causeway (or catch and Chambord (%info 02
els, the tapestry recounts a free shuttle bus) to 54 50 40 00, tour & show reser-
the invasion of England the island itself. Guided vations 02 54 50 50 40; www.
in 1066 by William I, or tours are included, or you chambord.org; adult/child
William the Conqueror, can explore solo with an €11/9, parking near/distant
as he’s now known. audioguide. €6/4; h9am-5pm or 6pm;
c) is the most lavish of
Commissioned in 1077 The Église Abba- them all. It’s a showpiece
by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, tiale (Abbey Church) of Renaissance architec-
William’s half-brother, the is reached via a steep ture, from the double-
tapestry retells the battle climb along the Grande helix staircase up to the
in fascinating detail: look Rue. Around the church, turret-covered rooftop.
for Norman horses getting the cluster of buildings With over 440 rooms, the
stuck in the quicksands known as La Merveille sheer scale of the place
around Mont St-Michel, (The Marvel) includes the is mindboggling – and
and the famous appear- cloister, refectory, guest in the Loire, that’s really
ance of Halley’s Comet hall, ambulatory and saying something.
in scene 32. The final various chapels.
showdown at the Battle of The Drive » It’s 425km to
Hastings is particularly For a different perspec-
graphic, complete with tive, take a guided walk Bordeaux via Blois and the A10
severed limbs, decapitated across the sands with motorway. You could consider
heads, and the English breaking the journey with stop-
King Harold getting an Découverte de la Baie du offs at Futuroscope and Poitiers,
arrow in the eye. Mont-Saint-Michel (%02 roughly halfway between the two.
33 70 83 49; www.decou
The Drive » Mont St-Michel is vertebaie.com; 1 rue Montoise, 7 Bordeaux
Genêts; adult/child from €8/5)
125km southwest of Bayeux; the and Chemins de la Baie When Unesco decided
fastest route is along the D6 and (%02 33 89 80 88; www. to protect Bordeaux’s
then the A84 motorway. cheminsdelabaie.com; 34 rue medieval architecture in
de l’Ortillon, Genêts; adult/ 2007, it simply listed half
child from €7.30/5), both the city in one fell swoop.
125
PETER RICHARDSON / ROBERTHARDING / GETTY IMAGES ©
DOUG PEARSON / GETTY IMAGES © WHY THIS IS A
GREAT TRIP
OLIVER BERRY,
WRITER
It’s an epic in every sense: in scale,
views, time and geography. This
once-in-a-lifetime journey covers
France from every possible angle:
top to bottom, east to west, city and
village, old-fashioned and modern,
coast and countryside. It links
together many of the country’s truly
unmissable highlights, and by the
end you’ll genuinely be able to say
you’ve seen the heart and soul of
France.
Top: Produce market, Aix-en-Provence
Left: Sausages for sale, Sarlat-la-Canéda
Right: Cathédrale St-André, Bordeaux
FRANCE 8 Essential FranceCovering 18 sq km, this is
the world’s largest urban
MARCOCIANNAREL / SHUTTERSTOCK © World Heritage Site, with
grand buildings and
architectural treasures
galore.
Top of the heap is the
Cathédrale St-André,
known for its stone
carvings and generously
gargoyled belfry, the Tour
Pey-Berland (place Jean
Moulin; adult/child €5.50/
free; h10am-1.15pm & 2-6pm
Jun-Sep, 10am-12.30pm &
2-5.30pm Oct-May). But the
whole old city rewards
wandering, especially
around the Jardin Public
(cours de Verdun), the pretty
squares of esplanade
des Quinconces and
place Gambetta, and the
city’s 4km-long river-
front esplanade, with its
playgrounds, paths and
paddling pools.
5 4 p130
The Drive » Sarlat-la-Canéda
is a drive of 194km via the A89
motorway, or you can take a
longer but more enjoyable route
via the D936.
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
8 Sarlat-la-Canéda
If you’re looking for
France’s heart and soul,
you’ll find it among the
forests and fields of the
Dordogne. It’s the stuff of
French fantasies: river-
bank châteaux, medieval
villages, wooden-hulled
gabarres (flat-bottomed
barges) and market stalls
groaning with foie gras,
truffles, walnuts and
127
FRANCE 8 Essential France wines. The medieval town then turn off onto the N89/D89 Usines Lumières, on 19
of Sarlat-la-Canéda makes to Lyon. This route should cover March 1895.
the perfect base, with a between 420km and 430km.
beautiful medieval centre 5 4 p131
and lots of lively markets. 9 Lyon
The Drive » Take the A42
It’s also ideally placed Fired up by French food?
for exploring the Vézère Then you’ll love Lyon, towards Lake Geneva, then the
Valley, about 20km to with its bouchons (small A40 towards St-Gervais-les-
the northwest, home bistros), bustling markets Bains. The motorway becomes
to France’s finest cave and fascinating food the N205 as it nears Chamonix.
paintings. Most famous culture. Start in Vieux It’s a drive of at least 225km.
of all are the ones at the Lyon and the picturesque
Grotte de Lascaux (%05 quarter of Presqu’île, TRIP HIGHLIGHT
53 51 95 03; www.semitour. then catch the funicular
com; Montignac; adult/child to the top of Fourvière to a Chamonix
€9.90/6.40, combined ticket explore the city’s Roman
with Le Thot €13.50/9.40; ruins and enjoy cross- Snuggling among snow-
hguided tours 9am-7pm Jul town views. clad mountains – includ-
& Aug, 9.30am-6pm Apr-Jun, ing Europe’s highest
Sep & Oct, 10am-12.30pm & Film buffs will also summit, Mont Blanc –
2-5pm Nov-Mar, closed Jan), want to make time for the adrenaline-fuelled
although to prevent dam- Musée Lumière (%04 78 Chamonix is an ideal
age to the paintings, you 78 18 95; www.institut-lumiere. springboard for the
now visit a replica of the org; 25 rue du Premier Film, French Alps. In winter,
cave’s main sections in a 8e; adult/child €6.50/5.50; it’s a mecca for skiers
nearby grotto. h10am-6.30pm Tue-Sun; and snowboarders, and
mMonplaisir-Lumière), where in summer, once the
The Drive » The drive east the Lumière Brothers snows thaw, the high-level
(Auguste and Louis) trails become a trekkers’
to Lyon is a long one, covering shot the first reels of paradise.
well over 400km and travelling the world’s first motion
across the spine of the Massif picture, La Sortie des There are two really
Central. A good route is to follow essential Chamonix expe-
the A89 all the way to exit 6, riences. First, catch the
dizzying cable car to the
FUTUROSCOPE top of the Aiguille du Midi
to snap a shot of Mont
Halfway between Chambord and Bordeaux on the Blanc.
A10, 10km north of Poitiers, Futuroscope (%05 49 49
11 12; www.futuroscope.com; av René Monory, Chasseneuil-du- Then take the combi-
Poitou; adult/child €43/35; h10am-11.15pm Jul, 9am-11.15pm nation mountain train
Aug, shorter hours rest of year, closed Jan–mid-Feb) is one of and cable car from the
France’s top theme parks. It’s a futuristic experience Gare du Montenvers
that takes you whizzing through space, diving into (%04 50 53 22 75; www.
the ocean depths, racing around city streets and on compagniedumontblanc.fr;
a close encounter with creatures of the future. Note 35 place de la Mer de Glace;
that many rides have a minimum height of 120cm. adult/child return €31/26.40;
h10am-4.30pm) to the
You’ll need at least five hours to check out the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice),
major attractions, or two days to see everything. The France’s largest glacier.
park is in the suburb of Jaunay-Clan; take exit 28 off Wrap up warmly if you
the A10. want to visit the glacier’s
sculptures and ice caves.
The Drive » The drive to the
Riviera is full of scenic thrills.
128
An attractive route is via the PETER BURNETT / GETTY IMAGES ©
D1212 to Albertville, and then
via the A43, which travels over
the Italian border and through
the Tunnel de Fréjus. From here,
the N94 runs through Briançon,
and a combination of the A51,
N85 and D6085 carries you
south to Nice. You’ll cover at
least 430km.
b French Riviera c Aix-en-Provence French Riviera The winding coastline
If there’s one coast road Sleepy Provence sums TRIP HIGHLIGHT
in France you simply up the essence of la
have to drive, it’s the douce vie (the gentle d Gorges du Verdon
French Riviera, with life). Cloaked in lavender
its rocky cliffs, maquis- and spotted with hilltop Complete your cross-
scented air and dazzling villages, it’s a region France adventure with
Med views. Sun-seekers that sums up everything an unforgettable expedi-
have been flocking here that’s good about France. tion to the Gorges du
since the 19th century, Verdon – sometimes
and its scenery still never Cruising the back known as the Grand
fails to seduce. roads and browsing the Canyon of Europe. This
markets are the best deep ravine slashes 25km
Lively Nice and ways to get acquainted. through the plateaus
cinematic Cannes make Carpentras and Vaison- of Haute-Provence; in
natural starts, but for the la-Romaine are particu- places, its walls rise to a
Riviera’s loveliest scenery, larly detour-worthy, while dizzying 700m, twice the
you’ll want to drive down artistic Aix-en-Provence height of the Eiffel Tower
the gorgeous Corniche encapsulates the classic (321m).
de l’Estérel to St-Tropez, Provençal vibe, with
still a watchword for its pastel buildings and The two main
seaside glamour. Summer Cézanne connections. jumping-off points are
can be hellish, but come the villages of Moustiers
in spring or autumn and 5 4 p131 Ste-Marie, in the west,
you’ll have its winding and Castellane, in the
lanes and fragrant hills The Drive » The gorges are east. Drivers and bikers
practically to yourself. can take in the canyon
For maximum views, 230km northeast of Aix-en- panorama from two
stick to the coast roads: Provence, via the A51 and D952. vertigo-inducing cliffside
the D6098 to Antibes and roads, but the base of the
Cannes, the D559 around gorge is only accessible
the Corniche de l’Estérel, on foot or by raft.
and the D98A to St-
Tropez. It’s about 120km
via this route.
The Drive » From St-Tropez,
take the fast A8 for about
230km west to Aix-en-Provence.
129
/ GETTY IMAGES ©
FRANCE 8 Essential France
Eating & Sleeping
Paris 1 4 Le Grand Monarque Hotel €€€
(%02 37 18 15 15; www.bw-grand-monarque.
5 Holybelly International € com; 22 place des Épars; d €145-215, f €275;
(www.holybel.ly; 19 rue Lucien Sampaix, 10e; a iW) With its teal-blue shutters gracing
breakfast €5-11.50, lunch mains €13.50-16.50; its 1779 façade, lovely stained-glass ceiling,
h9am-6pm Thu, Fri, Mon, from 10am Sat & and treasure trove of period furnishings, old
Sun; mJacques Bonsergent) This outstanding B&W photos and knick-knacks, the refurbished
barista-run coffee shop and kitchen is always Grand Monarque (with air-con in some rooms)
rammed with a buoyant crowd, who never tire of is a historical gem and very central. A host of
Holybelly’s exceptional service, Belleville-roasted hydrotherapy treatments are available at its
coffee and cuisine. Sarah’s breakfast pancakes spa. Its elegant restaurant, Georges (%02 37
18 15 15; www.bw-grand-monarque.com; 22 place
served with egg, bacon, homemade bourbon
des Épars; 4-course menu from €75, 8-course
butter and maple syrup are legendary, while her
tasting menu €95, mains €38-41; hnoon-2pm
lunch menu features everything from traditional
& 7.30-10pm Tue-Sat), has a Michelin star. Staff
braised veal shank to squid à la plancha.
are charming.
4 Hôtel Amour Boutique Hotel €€ Mont St-Michel 5
(%01 48 78 31 80; www.hotelamourparis.fr; 8 4 Vent des Grèves B&B €
rue Navarin, 9e; d €170-230; W; mSt-Georges,
Pigalle) Craving romance in Paris? The inimitable (%Estelle 02 33 48 28 89; www.ventdesgreves.
black-clad Amour (‘Love’) features original
design and nude artwork in each of the rooms, com; 7-9 chemin des Dits, Ardevon; s/d/tr/q incl
some more explicit than others. The icing on the
cake is the hip ground-floor bistro with summer breakfast €42/52/62/72) This friendly, family-
patio garden, a tasty spot for breakfast, lunch or
dinner and everything in between. Rooms don’t run B&B has five modern rooms, furnished
have a TV, but who cares when you’re in love?
simply, with magical views of the Mont.
Outstanding value. Situated an easily walkable
1km east of the shuttle stop in La Caserne.
Chartres 3 Bordeaux 7
5 Le Tripot Bistro €€ 5 Le Petit Commerce Seafood €€
(%02 37 36 60 11; www.letripot.wixsite.com/ (05 56 79 76 58; 22 rue Parlement St-Pierre;
chartres; 11 place Jean Moulin; 2-/3-course 2-course lunch menu €14, mains €15-25;
lunch menus €15/18, 3-course dinner menus hnoon-midnight) This iconic bistro, with dining
€29.50-45, mains €13.50-22; hnoon-1.45pm rooms both sides of a narrow pedestrian street
& 7.30-9.15pm Tue & Thu-Sat, noon-1.45pm Sun) and former Michelin-starred chef Stéphane
Tucked off the tourist trail and easy to miss, even Carrade in the kitchen, is the star turn of the
if you do chance down its narrow street, this trendy St-Pierre quarter. It’s best known for
atmospheric space with low beamed ceilings is its excellent seafood menu that embraces
a treat for authentic and adventurous French everything from Arcachon sole and oysters to
fare like saddle of rabbit stuffed with snails, eels, lobsters and chipirons (baby squid) fresh
and grilled turbot in truffled hollandaise sauce. from St-Jean de Luz.
Locals are onto it, so booking ahead is advised.
130
4 Mama Shelter Design Hotel €€ 17th-century houses wrapped around a traboule
(secret passage) with preserved features such
(%05 57 30 45 45; www.mamashelter.com/ as Italianate loggias make this an exquisite
place to stay. Individually decorated rooms woo
en/bordeaux; 19 rue Poquelin Molière; d/tr with designer bathroom fittings and bountiful
antiques, while decadent facilities include a spa,
from €79/129) With personalised iMacs, video a Michelin-starred restaurant (menus €95 to
€115), a swish cafe and a cross-vaulted bar.
booths and free movies in every room, Mama
Shelter leads the way in cutting-edge sleep.
Crisp white rooms come in small, medium or
large, with family-friendly XL doubles touting a
sofa bed. The ground-floor restaurant (mains
€13 to €29) sports the same signature rubber Aix-en-Provence c
rings strung above the bar as other Philippe FRANCE 8 Essential France
Starck–designed hotels, and weekends usher 5 Le Petit Verdot French €€
concerts, gigs and other cultural happenings (%04 42 27 30 12; www.lepetitverdot.fr; 7 rue
onto the small stage. d’Entrecasteaux; mains €19-25; h7pm-midnight
Mon-Sat) Great Provençal food and great
Lyon 9 Provençal wines – really, what more do you want
from a meal in this part of France? It’s all about
5 Le Poêlon d’Or Bouchon €€ hearty, honest dining here, with table tops made
(%04 78 37 65 60; www.lepoelondor-restaurant. out of old wine crates, and a lively chef-patron
fr; 29 rue des Remparts d’Ainay, 2e; lunch who runs the place with huge enthusiasm.
menus €17-20, menus €27-32; hnoon-2pm & Expect slow-braised meats, seasonal veg, sinful
7.30-10pm Mon-Fri; mAmpère-Victor Hugo) This desserts and some super wines to go with.
upmarket bouchon, around the corner from the 4 Villa Gallici Historic Hotel €€€
Musée des Tissus, is well known among local (%04 42 23 29 23; www.villagallici.com; 18 av de
foodies who recommend its superb andouillette la Violette; r from €350; p aWs) Baroque
(chitterlings) and pike dumplings. Save room for and beautiful, this fabulous villa was built as
the delicious chocolate mousse or the vanilla a private residence in the 18th century, and
crème brûlée. Yummy. Well worth the detour. it still feels marvellously opulent. Rooms are
4 Cour des Loges Hotel €€€ more like museum pieces, stuffed with gilded
(%04 72 77 44 44; www.courdesloges.com; 2-8 mirrors, toile-de-jouy wallpaper and filigreed
rue du Bœuf, 5e; d €200-350, ste €250-600; furniture. There’s a lovely lavender-filled garden
a iWs; mVieux Lyon) Four 14th- to for breakfast, plus a super pool for lazy evening
swims. It even has its own wine cellar.
CaptionCaptionCaptionCaption
131
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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2
3
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7
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BERTL123 / SHUTTERSTOCK © #
9D-Day’s Beaches
Explore the events of D-Day, when Allied troops stormed ashore
to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation. From war museums to
landing beaches, it’s a fascinating and sobering experience.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
88 km 3 DAYS
Omaha Beach 142KM / 88 MILES
Pay your respects at
GREAT FOR…
the American
Cemetery & Memorial B
mKUtah BEST TIME TO GO
Beach April to July, to avoid
# summer-holiday
Carentan # #7# traffic around the
##8 beaches.
Sully #
# I ESSENTIAL
PHOTO
Isigny-
sur-Mer Standing next to
the German guns at
Ll##1 Longues-sur-Mer.
Pointe du Hoc Caen K BEST FOR
Wander amongst shell Visit an award-winning HISTORY
craters that haven't multimedia D-Day
changed since D-Day museum The Caen Mémorial
98 km 0 km provides you with a
comprehensive D-Day
OLomcahtiaonNoCramptainodnydAemtaeilrsictoangoCehmereetery & Memorial overview.
133
9 D-Day’s Beaches
The beaches and bluffs are quiet today, but on 6 June 1944 the Normandy
shoreline witnessed the arrival of the largest armada the world has ever
seen. This patch of the French coast will forever be synonymous with D-Day
(known to the French as Jour-J), and the coastline is strewn with memorials,
museums and cemeteries – reminders that though victory was won on the
Longest Day, it came at a t#\errible price.
#\
#\ Valognes En(LglaisMh aCnhcahnen) el
#\ Montebourg
·/D14
/·N13
# Km\#
St-Sauveur- \# Ste-Mère- Utah Beach Pointe Vierville-
le-Vicomte Église \#9 du Hoc sur-Mer
Grandcamp-
¸0 ¸0 # 0¸D900 Maisy \#
D913 Baie 8 D514
des Veys #\ Omaha Port-en-
Bessin-
St-Laurent- \# Beach
·/ #\# #\7 #\ Huppain
Parc Naturel Douve Isigny- \# sur-Mer Russy \# #\
Régional des sur-Mer #\ N13
La Haye- Marais du Cotentin La Cambe \#
du-Puits et du Bessin Le Grand
#\ Hameau Maisons#\
Carentan
MANCHE Sully#\
BASSE- ]#
H# NORMANDIE Le Moray-
Littry
\# Lessay p140 \#
Periers \# Le Hommet- Forêt de
d'Arthenay Cerisy
#\
¸0·/D2 D971 0¸D900 \# Balleroy
St-Lô 0¸D572
#^
\# Caumont-
l'Éventé
0¸D999 Vire
\# Coutances
\#
TRIP HIGHLIGHT in a purpose-designed Normandy. A second sec- FRANCE 9 D-Day’s Beaches
building covering 14,000 tion focuses on the Cold
1 Caen sq metres, the memo- War. There’s also the
rial offers an immersive well-preserved original
Situated 3km northwest experience, using sound, bunker used by German
of Caen, the award- lighting, film, animation command in 1944.
winning Mémorial – Un and audio testimony to
evoke the grim reali- On your way around,
Musée pour la Paix ties of war, the trials of look out for an original
(Memorial – A Museum for occupation and the joy of Typhoon fighter plane
Peace; %02 31 06 06 44; www. liberation. and a full-size Sherman
memorial-caen.fr; esplanade tank.
Général Eisenhower; adult/child The visit begins with
€20/17; h9am-7pm daily early a whistle-stop overview 5 4 p141
Feb-early Nov, 9.30am-6.30pm of Europe’s descent into The Drive » From the
Tue-Sun early Nov-e arly Feb, total war, tracing events
closed 3 weeks in Jan) is a from the end of WWI museum, head northeast
brilliant place to begin through to the rise of along Esplanade Brillaud de
with some background fascism in Europe, the Laujardière, and follow signs
on the historic events German occupation of to Ouistreham. You’ll join the
of D-Day, and the wider France and the Battle of E46 ring road; follow it to exit
context of WWII. Housed 3a (Porte d’Angleterre), and
merge onto the D515 and D84
to Ouistreham. Park on the
seafront on bd Aristide Briand.
In all it’s a trip of 18km.
e# 0 20 km 2 Ouistreham
0 10 miles
On D-Day, the sandy sea-
Baie de front around Ouistreham
la Seine was code named Sword
Beach and was the focus
Longues- Juno & Gold LINK
sur-Mer YOUR
0¸ #Beaches Courseulles- TRIP
# ##\5 \#4
D514 3 sur-Mer 8 Essential France
Arromanches #\ Join this grand tour at
#\ Crepon the island abbey of Mont St-
#\ Douvres Rade de Mic#\hel, about 140km from
Caen the Normandy coastline via
·/ \# the A84 motorway.
##]6 Bayeux \# Beny-
sur-Mer D79 d Champagne Taster
For a change in focus
#Ouistreham ]#2 head east, about four hours
from Caen, to the cellars of
GF8 Ll ¸0D514 Épernay for a fizz-fuelled
#^#1 tour.
·/D6 /·N13 \# Ranville
Caen 135
#\ Fortenay- /·A13
le-Pesnel
·/A84
CALVADOS Orne 0¸N158
#\ Villers- Bocage \# Amayé-
sur-Ome
FRANCE 9 D-Day’s Beaches of attack for the British following signs for ‘Overlord – King George VI on 16
3rd Infantry Division. L’Assaut’ onto the D514 towards June. A Cross of Lorraine
Courseulles-sur-Mer, 18km west. marks the historic spot.
There are precious few Drive through town onto rue de
reminders of the battle Ver, and follow signs to ‘Centre The area’s only Cana-
today, but on D-Day the Juno Beach’. dian museum, the Juno
scene was very different: Beach Centre (%02 31
most of the surrounding 3 Juno & Gold 37 32 17; www.junobeach.
buildings had been level Beaches org; voie des Français Libres,
led by artillery fire, and Courseulles-sur-Mer; adult/
German bunkers and On D-Day, Courseulles- child €7/5.50, incl guided
artillery positions were sur-Mer was known as tour of Juno Beach €11/9;
strung out along the Juno Beach, and was h9.30am-7pm Apr-Sep,
seafront. Sword Beach stormed mainly by Cana- 10am-5pm Oct-Mar, closed Jan)
was the site of some of dian troops. It was here has exhibits on Canada’s
the most famous images that the exiled French role in the war effort and
of D-Day – including the General Charles de the landings, and offers
infamous ones of British Gaulle came ashore after guided tours of Juno
troops landing with the landings – the first Beach (€5.50) from April
bicycles, and bagpiper ‘official’ French soldier to October.
Bill Millin piping troops to set foot in mainland
ashore while under Europe since 1940. He A short way west is
heavy fire. was followed by Winston Gold Beach, attacked by
Churchill on 12 June and the British 50th Infantry
The Drive » Follow the on D-Day.
seafront west onto rue de Lion, The Drive » Drive west
D-DAY IN FIGURES along the D514 for 14km to
Arromanches. You’ll pass a
Code named ‘Operation Overlord’, the D-Day landings carpark and viewpoint marked
were the largest military operation in history. On with a statue of the Virgin Mary,
the morning of 6 June 1944, swarms of landing which overlooks Port Winston
craft – part of an armada of more than 6000 ships and Gold Beach. Follow the road
and 13,000 aeroplanes – hit the northern Normandy into town and signs to Musée du
beaches, and tens of thousands of soldiers from the Débarquement.
USA, the UK, Canada and elsewhere began pouring
onto French soil. The initial landing force involved 4 Arromanches
some 45,000 troops; 15 more divisions were to follow
once successful beachheads had been established. This seaside town was
the site of one of the
The majority of the 135,000 Allied troops stormed great logistical achieve-
ashore along 80km of beaches north of Bayeux that ments of D-Day. In order
were codenamed (from west to east) Utah, Omaha, to unload the vast quan-
Gold, Juno and Sword. The landings were followed tities of cargo needed
by the 76-day Battle of Normandy, during which the by the invasion forces
Allies suffered 210,000 casualties, including 37,000 without capturing one
troops killed. German casualties are believed to have of the heavily defended
been around 200,000; another 200,000 German Channel ports, the Allies
soldiers were taken prisoner. About 14,000 French set up prefabricated
civilians also died. marinas off two landing
beaches, code named
For more background and statistics, see www. Mulberry Harbour. These
normandiememoire.com and www.6juin1944.com. consisted of 146 massive
cement caissons towed
136
over from England and D-DAY DRIVING ROUTES FRANCE 9 D-Day’s Beaches
sunk to form a semi-
circular breakwater in There are several signposted driving routes around
which floating bridge the main battle sites – look for signs for ‘D-Day-Le
spans were moored. In Choc’ in the American sectors and ‘Overlord –
the three months after L’Assaut’ in the British and Canadian sectors. A free
D-Day, the Mulberries booklet called The D-Day Landings and the Battle of
facilitated the unloading Normandy, available from tourist offices, has details
of a mind-boggling 2.5 on the eight main routes.
million men, four million
tonnes of equipment and Maps of the D-Day beaches are available at tabacs
500,000 vehicles. (tobacconists), newsagents and bookshops in
Bayeux and elsewhere.
At low tide, the stan-
chions of one of these east) and Omaha Beach soldiers whose remains
artificial quays, Port (to the west). were never found. The
Winston (named after Latin inscription reads:
Winston Churchill), can Parts of the classic ‘We, whom William once
still be seen on the sands D-Day film, The Longest conquered, have now
at Arromanches. Day (1962), were filmed set free the conqueror’s
here. native land’.
Beside the beach, the
Musée du Débarquement The Drive » Backtrack to the Nearby, the Musée
(Landing Museum; %02 31 22
34 31; www.musee-arroman crossroads and head straight Mémorial de la Bataille
ches.fr; place du 6 Juin; adult/ over onto the D104, signed to de Normandie (Battle of
child €7.90/5.80; h9am- Vaux-sur-Aure/Bayeux for 8km. Normandy Memorial Museum;
12.30pm & 1.30-6pm Apr-Sep, When you reach town, turn right %02 31 51 46 90; www.bayeux
10am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Oct- onto the D613, and follow signs museum.com; bd Fabien Ware;
Mar, closed Jan) explains the to the ‘Musée de la Bataille de adult/child €7/4; h9.30am-
logistics and importance Normandie’. 6.30pm May-Sep, 10am-
of Port Winston. 12.30pm & 2-6pm Oct-Apr,
6 Bayeux closed Jan-mid-Feb) explores
The Drive » Continue west the battle through photos,
Though best known for personal accounts, diora-
along the D514 for 6km to the its medieval tapestry, mas and film.
village of Longues-sur-Mer. You’ll Bayeux has another claim
see the sign for the Batterie de to fame: it was the first 5 4 p141
Longues on your right. town to be liberated after
D-Day (on the morning of The Drive » After
5 Longues-sur-Mer 7 June 1944).
overnighting in Bayeux, head
At Longues-sur-Mer It’s also home to the northwest of town on the
you can get a glimpse of largest of Normandy’s 18 D6 towards Port-en-Bessin-
the awesome firepower Commonwealth military Huppain. You’ll reach a Super-U
available to the German cemeteries – the Bayeux supermarket after about 10km.
defenders in the shape War Cemetery, situated Go round the roundabout and
of two 150mm artillery on bd Fabien Ware. It turn onto the D514 for another
guns, still housed in their contains 4848 graves of 8km. You’ll see signs to the
concrete casements. On soldiers from the UK and ‘Cimetière Americain’ near the
D-Day they were capable 10 other countries – in- hamlet of Le Bray. Omaha Beach
of hitting targets more cluding Germany. Across is another 4km further on, near
than 20km away – includ- the road is a memorial Vierville-sur-Mer.
ing Gold Beach (to the for 1807 Commonwealth
137
PAUL THOMPSON / GETTY IMAGES ©
MOIRENC CAMILLE / HEMIS.FR / GETTY IMAGES © WHY THIS IS A
GREAT TRIP
OLIVER BERRY,
WRITER
You’ll have heard the D-Day story
many times before, but there’s
nothing quite like standing on the
beaches where this epic struggle
played out. D-Day marked the
turning point of WWII and heralded
the end for Nazism in Europe. Paying
your respects to the soldiers who
laid down their lives in the name of
freedom is an experience that will
stay with you forever.
Top: Arromanches and Gold Beach
Left & Right: Normandy American Cemetery &
Memorial
FRANCE 9 D-Day’s Beaches TRIP HIGHLIGHT
GUILLAUME LOUYOT / GETTY IMAGES © 7 Omaha Beach
If anywhere symbolises
the courage and sacrifice
of D-Day, it’s Omaha –
still known as ‘Bloody
Omaha’ to US veterans.
It was here, on the 7km
stretch of coastline be-
tween Vierville-sur-Mer,
St-Laurent-sur-Mer and
Colleville-sur-Mer, that
the most brutal fighting
on D-Day took place. US
troops had to fight their
way across the beach
towards the heavily
defended cliffs, exposed
to underwater obstacles,
hidden minefields and
withering crossfire. The
toll was heavy: of the
2500 casualties at Omaha
on D-Day, more than
1000 were killed, most
within the first hour of
the landings.
High on the bluffs
above Omaha, the
Normandy American
Cemetery & Memorial
(%02 31 51 62 00; www.abmc.
gov; Colleville-sur-Mer; h9am-
6pm mid-Apr–mid-Sep, to 5pm
mid-Sep–mid-Apr) provides a
sobering reminder of the
human cost of the battle.
Featured in the opening
scenes of Saving Private
Ryan, this is the largest
American cemetery in
Europe, containing the
graves of 9387 American
soldiers, and a memorial
to 1557 comrades ‘known
only unto God’.
Start off in the very
thoughtfully designed
visitor centre, which
139
FRANCE 9 D-Day’s Beaches has moving portrayals DETOUR:
of some of the soldiers COUTANCES
buried here. Afterwards,
take in the expanse of Start: 9 Utah Beach
white marble crosses
and Stars of David that The lovely old Norman town of Coutances makes
stretch off in seemingly a good detour when travelling between the D-Day
endless rows, surrounded beaches and Mont St-Michel. At the town’s heart
by an immaculately is its Gothic Cathédrale de Coutances (http://
tended expanse of lawn. cathedralecoutances.free.fr; parvis Notre-Dame; h8.30am-
noon & 2-5.30pm). Interior highlights include several
The Drive » From the Vierville- 13th-century windows, a 14th-century fresco of St
Michael skewering the dragon, and an organ and high
sur-Mer seafront, follow the rural altar from the mid-1700s. You can climb the lantern
D514 through quiet countryside tower on a tour (adult/child €7/4).
towards Grandcamp-Maisy. After
about 10km you’ll see signs to Coutances is about 50km south of Utah Beach by
‘Pointe du Hoc’. the most direct route.
TRIP HIGHLIGHT h9am-6pm mid-Apr–mid-Sep, lightly defended, and by
to 5pm rest of year), which midday the landing force
8 Pointe du Hoc France turned over to the had linked with para-
US government in 1979, troopers from the 101st
West of Omaha, this looks much as it did on Airborne. By nightfall,
craggy promontory D-Day, complete with some 20,000 men and
was the site of D-Day’s shell craters and crum- 1700 vehicles had arrived
most audacious military bling gun emplacements. on French soil, and the
exploit. At 7.10am, 225 US road to European libera-
Army Rangers command- The Drive » Stay on the D514 tion had begun.
ed by Lt Col James Earl
Rudder scaled the sheer to Grandcamp-Maisy, then Today the Utah Beach
30m cliffs, where the continue south onto the D13 dual site is marked by military
Germans had stationed a carriageway. Keep going till you memorials and the
battery of artillery guns reach the turn-off for the D913,
trained onto the beaches signed to St-Marie-du-Mont/ Musée du Débarquement
of Utah and Omaha. Un- Utah Beach. It’s a 44km drive. (Utah Beach Landing Museum;
fortunately, the guns had %02 33 71 53 35; www.utah-
already been moved in- 9 Utah Beach beach.com; Ste-Marie du Mont;
land, and Rudder and his adult/child €8/4; h9.30am-
men spent the next two The D-Day tour ends at 7pm Jun-Sep, 10am-6pm
days repelling counter St-Marie-du-Mont, also Oct-May, closed Jan) inside
attacks. By the time they known as Utah Beach, the former German com-
were finally relieved on which was assaulted by mand post.
8 June, 81 of the rangers soldiers of the US 4th and
had been killed and 58 8th Infantry Divisions.
more had been wounded. The beach was relatively
Today the site (%02
31 51 90 70; www.abmc.gov;
140
Eating & Sleeping
Caen 1 presented dishes. Choose from the day’s
specials listed on a chalkboard menu, which
5 À Contre Modern French €€ might include hits like brandade de morue
(baked codfish pie). It’s a local favourite, so call
Sens ahead.
(%02 31 97 44 48; www.acontresenscaen.fr; 8 rue 5 Au Ptit
Croisiers; mains €30-35, menus €25-54; hnoon- Bistrot Modern French €€ FRANCE 9 D-Day’s Beaches
1.15pm Wed-Sat & 7.30-9.15pm Tue-Sat) A Contre (%02 31 92 30 08; 31 rue Larcher; lunch menu
Sens’s stylish interior and serene atmosphere €17-20, dinner menu €27-33, mains €16-19;
belie the hotbed of seething creativity happening hnoon-2pm & 7-9pm Tue-Sat) Near the
in the kitchen. Under the helm of chef Anthony cathedral, this friendly, welcoming eatery whips
Caillot, meals are thoughtfully crafted and up creative, beautifully prepared dishes that
superbly presented. Recent selections included highlight the Norman bounty without a lick of
pollack cooked in seawater with risotto of pretension. Recent hits include chestnut soup,
oysters, cabbage and coconut, and a juicy thick- duck breast and bulgur with seasonal fruits
cut pork chop with carmelised onions. and roasted pineapple, and black cod with
5 Café Mancel Norman €€ spinach and spicy guacamole. Reservations are
(%02 31 86 63 64; www.cafemancel.com; essential.
Château de Caen; menus €18-36; hnoon-10pm 4 Les Logis
Tue-Sat, to 2pm Sun) In the same building as du Rempart B&B €
the Musée des Beaux-Arts, stylish Café Mancel (%02 31 92 50 40; www.lecornu.fr; 4 rue
serves up delicious, traditional French cuisine – Bourbesneur; d €60-105, tr €110-130; W) The
everything from pan-fried Norman-style three rooms of this delightful maison de famille
beefsteak to hearty Caen-style tripes. Has a ooze old-fashioned cosiness. Our favourite,
lovely sun terrace, which also makes a fine spot the Bajocasse, has parquet flooring, a canopy
for a drink outside of busy meal times. bed and Toile de Jouy wallpaper. The shop
4 Hôtel des Quatrans Hotel €€ downstairs is the perfect place to stock up on
(%02 31 86 25 57; www.hotel-des-quatrans.com; top-quality, homemade cider and calvados
17 rue Gémare; d from €100; W) This typically (apple brandy). Two-night minimum stay.
modern hotel has 47 comfy, unfussy rooms 4 Villa Lara Boutique Hotel €€€
in white and chocolate. Promotional deals are (%02 31 92 00 55; www.hotel-villalara.com; 6
often available online. place de Québec; d €190-360, ste €390-520;
p aW) Newly constructed in the past
Bayeux 6 decade, this 28-room hotel, Bayeux’s most
luxurious, sports minimalist colour schemes,
5 Alchimie Modern French €€ top-quality fabrics and decor that juxtaposes
(lunch menu €12) On a street lined with 18th- and 21st-century tastes. Amenities
restaurants, Alchimie has a simple but elegant include a bar and a gym. Most rooms have
design that takes nothing from the beautifully cathedral views.
141
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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1151
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5151
7151
a151
VALERY ROKHIN / SHUTTERSTOCK / GETTY IMAGES © 10Atlantic to Med
Salty Atlantic ports, pristine mountain vistas, the heady bouquet
of fine wine, reminders of Rome and Hollywood glam: this classic
sea-to-sea trip takes you through the best of southern France.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
0 km 175 km 10 DAYS
La Rochelle St-Émilion 1498KM /
Made for waterfront Wine tasting and 931 MILES
mooching, lunching and shopping for some
sunset drinks of the world's GREAT FOR…
finest drops
Ll##1 HB
##2 St-Émilion mK BEST TIME TO GO
Nice
Montpellier # Spring or autumn, for
warm weather sans
# # #8# the crowds.
Bayonne #6 # I ESSENTIAL
PHOTO
Narbonne
Pose like a film star on
the steps of Cannes’s
Palais des Festivals et
des Congrès.
Carcassonne Marseille K BEST FOR
Walk the ramparts of Visit MuCEM, icon of FAMILIES
France's most modern Marseille, with
magnificent fortress city stunning views to boot La Rochelle, with
863 km 1158 km its child-friendly
attractions and boats.
LoacRaotciohnelCleapSteioanfadrientgaiclsentotrgeobhueilrtefrom limestone 143
10 Atlantic to Med
In May the film starlets of the world pour into Cannes to celebrate a year of
movie-making. Let them have their moment of glam – by the time you’ve
finished scaling Pyrenean highs, chewing Basque tapas, acting like a
medieval knight in a turreted castle and riding to the moon in a spaceship,
you too will have the makings of a prize-winning film.
\#
Parc Naturel Interrégional Vienne ·/ ¸0 /·A20 Cre
du Marais Poitevin \# Montluçon
#Île de Ré lL CHARENTE- Allier
#\1 La Rochelle use
N145 A71
H# MARITIME Roanne
p146
ATLANTIC Saintes \# Limoges Clermont-Ferrand
OCEAN
#\ ]#
#\ Cognac Parc Naturel
/·A10 Régional Périgord- /·A2V0éTzuèrllee #\
Limousin La Bourboule
/·N21
Gironde /·DORDOGNE A89 \#Brive-la-
Estuary
/·A89 Gaillarde Truyère ·/A75
#2 St-Émilio\#n Sarlat-la-\# Dordog
Canéda
Bordeaux ^# Save
T ne
BBiasycaoyf arn
·/ ¸0 ·/ 0¸RéPgAdai2ore0cnQaNluaCeCtréaucluéryes#\lseFsigAeVacEYRODN92Pd1aerscCNéavAte7in5onMneae\#slnde N106
GIRONDE Lot
·/Parc Naturel ArrosLOT-ET-
Régional desu A65 GARONNE
Landes de
Cascogne ·/A62
LANDES TARN-ET- arn T
GARONNE
·/Bayonne A70 /·A75
Adour GERS TARN Montpellier
·/Biarritz Parc Naturel #]
# ·/ #3#\#\ A65 #]5 Toulouse Régional du
A64Pa
Haut-Languedoc
/·^#
#\ HAUTE- Beziers\# A9
Hondarribia
·/San
Pau #\ Tarbes GARONNE A61 Narbonne
#\
\#
·/ #Sebastián 6\#
A64
11
GF ¸0 FG /· ·/^#
11 Lourdes \# Cirque de Carcassonne
D18 AUDE A9 Golfe de Beauduc
D921
# ¸0Pamplona S P A I N
Gavarnie D117
4
#] Perpignan
#\ Jaca ANDORRA
: LA :VELLA #_ A N D O R R A
:::
: \#
:::
the Vieux Port (Old Port), rays and fearsome
including the lacy Tour sharks, teeth-gnashing
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
1 La Rochelle de la Lanterne (rue sur les piranhas, timid turtles
and the bizarre half-
Known as La Ville Murs; adult/child €6/free, 3 newt. Equally fun for
Blanche (the White City), families is the Musée
La Rochelle is home to towers €8.50/free; h10am- Maritime (Maritime Museum;
luminous limestone fa- %05 46 28 03 00; www.
cades, arcaded walkways, 1pm & 2.15-6.30pm Apr-Sep, to
half-timbered houses and museemaritimelarochelle.
ghoulish gargoyles glow- 5.30pm Oct-Mar), that once
ing in the bright coastal served to protect the fr; place Bernard Moitessier;
sunlight. One of France’s town at night in times of
foremost seaports from war. Scale their sturdy adult/child €8/5; h10am-7pm
the 14th to the 17th cen- stone heights for fabulous
turies, it remains a great city and coastal views. Jul & Aug, to 6.30pm Apr-Jun & FRANCE 10 Atlantic to Med
seafaring centre and one La Rochelle’s number- Sep, shorter hours rest of year),
of France’s most attrac- one tourist attraction with its fleet of boats to
tive cities. is its state-of-the-art explore; and a trip out
to sea with Croisières
There are several aquarium (www.aquarium- Inter-Îles (%08 25 13 55 00;
defensive towers around www.inter-iles.com; cours des
larochelle.com; quai Louis Dames) to admire the un
usual iceberg of an island
Prunier; adult/child €16/12; fortress, Fort Boyard.
h9am-11pm Jul & Aug, 9am-
8pm Apr-Jun & Sep, 10am-8pm
Oct-M\#ar) with UFO-like
#\
\# #\
44 4 p151
The Drive » Using the main
44e#0 A10 toll road it’s 187km (about
0 200 km 2½ hours) to St-Émilion. Turn off
100 miles
SW ITZ E R LA N D the A10 at exit 39a, signed for
/·N83 4444Annecy #]#]\#Libourne. Skirt this industrial
Ain #\ \# town and follow the D243 into
Lyon Isè \# Chamonix-
Rhône #^ St-Émilion.
#^ Mont-Blanc
Aosta
/·St- A47
444Étienne
#\
·/N82
·/Chambéry #\ re Tarentaise ]#
N6
#]
Alpe
Rhône 44/·DrGaAc4r9enoble ]# Turin #\
d'Huez
Valence #] Parc Naturel \# ^# #]
Régional du Sestri\#ere ]#
44/·Privas #\ A7 ]# Pinerolo LINK
#\ YOUR
Vercors ·/N94 I T A L Y
TRIP
Rhône Mondovi
¸0 ·/D104 Cuneo ]# #\ #\
A51 b#] The Pyrenees
0¸ GFGARD
]# ALPES DE D2205 \# Take a side trip east
PROVENCE or west from the A64 to
HAUTE-PROVENCE further explore this majestic
KmNîmes #] Avignon mountain landscape.
\#Les ALPES-MARITIMES 12
c Riviera Crossing
Mees Starting from Nice,
¸0]# this drive takes you further
D6185 Nice 1#]0#\ _# along the coast through the
#Arles
# H##]7
Aix-en
Provence
#Parc Naturel 9]#]# MONACO
·/Régional Cannes
p150 \# St-Maximin-la-
Ste-Baume Antibes
de Camargue#Marseille 8^#: \# A8
\#
Cassis ]# glitzy, glam French Riviera.
Toulon
MEDITERRANEAN 145
SEA
FRANCE 10 Atlantic to Med TRIP HIGHLIGHT Guided tours of the 3 Biarritz
town (adult/child from
2 St-Émilion €8/free) and surrounding Biarritz is as ritzy as
chateaux are run by the its name suggests. This
Built of soft honey- tourist office (%05 57 55 28 coastal town boomed as
coloured rock, medieval 28; www.saint-emilion-tourisme. a resort in the mid-19th
St-Émilion produces com; place des Créneaux; century, when regularly
some of the world’s finest h9.30am-7.30pm Jul & Aug, visited by Napoléon III
red wines. Visiting this shorter hours rest of year); and his Spanish-born
pretty town, and partak- reserve ahead in season. wife, Eugénie. Along
ing in some of the tours Several tours include tast- its rocky coastline are
and activities on offer, ings and vineyard visits. architectural hallmarks
is the easiest way to get of this golden age, and the
under the (grape) skin of 5 4 p151 belle-époque and art-deco
Bordeaux wine produc- eras that followed.
tion. The Maison du The Drive » Leave St-Émilion
Vin de St-Émilion (www. Biarritz is all about
maisonduvinsaintemilion.com; on the D243 to Libourne, cross its fashionable beaches,
place Pierre Meyrat; h9.30am- the town, then pick up the D1089 especially the central
12.30pm & 2-6.30pm) runs signposted ‘Agen, Bergerac, Grande Plage and Plage
wine-tasting classes and Bordeaux’. Continue on the N89 Miramar. In the heat of
has a superb exhibition towards Bordeaux until you see summer you’ll find them
covering wine essentials. signs for the A630 toll road – at packed end to end with
which point sit back and hit sun-loving bathers.
cruise control for the remaining
226km to Biarritz. Count 240km
and about 2½ hours in all.
DETOUR:
ÎLE DE RÉ
Start: 1 La Rochelle (p145)
Bathed in the southern sun, drenched in a languid atmosphere and scattered with
villages of green-shuttered, whitewashed buildings with red Spanish-tile roofs, Île
de Ré is one of the most delightful places on the west coast of France. The island
spans just 30km from its most easterly and westerly points, and just 5km at its
widest section. But take note: the secret’s out and in high season it can be almost
impossible to move around and even harder to find a place to stay.
On the northern coast about 12km from the toll bridge that links the island
to La Rochelle is the quaint fishing port of St-Martin-de-Ré, the island’s main
town. Surrounded by 17th-century fortifications (you can stroll along most of the
ramparts) constructed by Vauban, the port town is a mesh of streets filled with craft
shops, art galleries and sea-spray ocean views.
The island’s best beaches are along the southern edge – including unofficial
naturist beaches at Rivedoux Plage and La Couarde-sur-Mer – and around the
western tip (northeast and southeast of Phare-des-Baleines). Many beaches are
bordered by dunes that have been fenced off to protect the vegetation.
From La Rochelle it’s 24km and a half-hour drive to St-Martin-de-Ré via the toll
bridge, Pont de l’Île de Ré (www.pont-ile-de-re.com; return ticket €16 mid-June to
mid-September, €8 rest of the year).
146
The Drive » It’s 208km (2¾ tive pink stone used in TRIP HIGHLIGHT FRANCE 10 Atlantic to Med
many of its buildings.
hours) to the village of Gavarnie. 6 Carcassonne
Take the A63 and A64 toll Toulouse’s magnificent
roads to exit 11, then the D940 main square, place du Perched on a rocky
to Lourdes (worth a look for Capitole, is the city’s hilltop and bristling with
its religious Disneyland feel). literal and metaphorical zigzagging battlements,
Continue south along D913 and heart. To its south is the stout walls and spiky tur-
D921. city’s Vieux Quartier (Old rets, from afar the forti-
Quarter), a tangle of lanes fied city of Carcassonne is
4 Cirque de and leafy squares that beg most people’s perfect idea
Gavarnie exploration on foot. Then, of a medieval castle. Four
of course, there are the million tourists a year
The Pyrenees doesn’t soothing twists and turns stream through its city
lack impressive scenery, of the Garonne River and gates to explore La Cité
but your first sight of mighty Canal du Midi – (enter via Porte Narbonnaise or
the Cirque de Gavarnie laced with footpaths and Porte d’Aude; h24hr), visit
is guaranteed to raise a likewise clearly created Château Comtal (place du
gasp. This breathtaking with stretching your legs Château, La Cité; adult/child
mountain amphitheatre in mind. €8.50/free; h10am-6.30pm
is one of the region’s most Apr-Sep, 9.30am-5pm Oct-Mar)
famous sights, sliced by The sky’s the limit and ogle at stunning
thunderous waterfalls at the fantastic Cité de views along the city’s
and ringed by sawtooth l’Espace (www.cite-espace. ancient ramparts.
peaks, many of which top com/en; av Jean Gonord; adult
out at above 3000m. €21-25.50, child €15.50-19; The Drive » Continue down
h10am-7pm daily Jul & Aug, to
There are a couple of 5pm or 6pm Sep-Dec & Feb-Jun, the A61 to the Catalan-flavoured
large car parks in the closed Mon Feb, Mar & Sep-Dec, town of Narbonne, where you join
village of Gavarnie, from closed Jan). Since WWII, the A9 (very busy in summer)
where it’s a two-hour walk Toulouse has been the and head east to Nîmes. From
to the amphitheatre. Wear centre of France’s aero- there the A54 will take you into
proper shoes, as snow space industry, developing Arles. Allow just over two hours to
lingers along the trail into many important aircraft cover the 223km and expect lots
early summer. Between (including Concorde of toll booths.
Easter and October you and the Airbus A380) as
can go by horse or donkey well as components for 7 Arles
(around €25 return). many international space
programs. The museum Arles’ poster boy is the
The Drive » Retrace your brings this interstellar celebrated impressionist
industry vividly to life painter Vincent van Gogh.
steps to Lourdes, then take the through hands-on exhibits If you’re familiar with his
N21 toward Tarbes and veer including a shuttle simula- work, you’ll be familiar
onto the A64 to reach Toulouse. tor, a planetarium, a 3D with Arles: the light, the
It takes nearly three hours to cinema and a simulated colours, the landmarks
cover the 228km. observatory. and the atmosphere, all
faithfully captured. But
5 Toulouse 5 4 p151 long before Van Gogh ren-
dered this grand Rhône
Elegantly sited at the con- The Drive » It’s an easy 95km River locale on canvas, the
fluence of the Canal du Romans valued its worth.
Midi and Garonne River, (one hour) down the fast A61 to Today it’s the reminders
the vibrant southern Carcassonne. Notice how the of Rome that are probably
city of Toulouse is often vegetation becomes suddenly the town’s most memora-
known as La Ville Rose, much more Mediterranean about ble attractions.
a reference to the distinc- 15 minutes out of Toulouse.
147
NADIIA GERBISH / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
DELPIXEL / SHUTTERSTOCK © WHY THIS IS A
GREAT TRIP
NICOLA WILLIAMS,
WRITER
I’m a sucker for the big blue and
fine wine, so this seafaring trip is
right up my alley. Feasting on fresh
oysters on the seashore aside, I
strongly advise lingering over lunch
at La Terrasse Rouge (p151)
near St-Émilion. This spectacular
vineyard restaurant was borne out
of Jean Nouvel’s designer revamp
of Château La Dominique’s wine
cellars: dining on its uber-chic
terrace overlooking a field of dark-
red glass pebbles is the ultimate
French road-trip reward.
Top & Left: St-Emilion
Right: Cathedral & MuCEM, Marseilles
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The Places You Must See In This World (DK Eyewitness Travel Guides)
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