Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

DON
DON'T 'T 'T
DON
MISS MISS MISS
# _ GERMANY
Liège Naturpark Centre Pompidou-
# ] Hohes
# ] Venn-Eifel Metz
Verviers
# ] Namur # ] Koblenz It’s hard to know here
# ] which is more avant-
garde – the architecture
/ · or the art. Take in this
A1
Bastogne groundbreaking gallery
# ] on Trip 2
LUXEMBOURG
CITY Vimy Ridge
# _
LUXEMBOURG Walk through one of the
only surviving trench
systems from WWI on
#Saarbrücken Trip 4
^
Forêt
d'Argonne # ] Metz
/ ·
A4
Parc Naturel
Régional de Musée Bartholdi
# \ Lorraine
Parc Naturel
Régional de Visit the Colmar home
Nancy # ] Lorraine Strasbourg of the man who made
#
Lac du Der- ^ Lady Liberty – and see
Chantecoq F G Baccarat # \ Obernai a life-sized model of the
2
# \
6
Parc Naturel Dambach-la- # \F G statue’s ear – on Trip 6
Régional de Ville
la Forêt d'Orient Ribeauvillé # \
/ · Kaysersberg # \ # ] Amiens
A31
/ · Parc Naturel Colmar
A5
Régional des
Ballons des Vosges Marvel at one of France’s
most spectacular
cathedrals in this
charming (and largely
underrated) city on
Trip 4
Dunes de la Slack
Wander amid
undulating, wind-
ANDREA PISTOLESI / GETTY IMAGES ©
sculpted sand dunes on
Trip 3

Alsace Pathway on the Route des Vins
49

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Location Caption details to go here

HUANG ZHENG / SHUTTERSTOCK ©


A Toast to Art 2





One for culture-vultures: an artistic tour across northeastern
France, taking in art nouveau in Nancy, glorious glass in Baccarat
and avant-garde experimentation in Metz and Strasbourg.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
7 DAYS
35 km 405 km 650KM /
404 MILES
Lens Metz
Investigate northern Visit the sister
France's exciting institution of Paris' GREAT FOR…
offshoot of Paris' Centre Pompidou
Louvre Museum B
l L
# Lille
# # #
# BEST TIME TO GO
2
# April to July (avoid
Arras
the school-holiday
# St-Quentin crowds).
I ESSENTIAL
# PHOTO
# # #
4
Pont-à-
Mousson # m K Snap yourself sipping
# # #
5
# # 7 # # # a coffee on Nancy’s
grand central square,
place Stanislas.
Strasbourg BEST FOR
Nancy Get lost among the K
Explore the home of canals and winstubs of SHOPPING
art nouveau Strasbourg's Petite France Strasbourg’s old
460 km 650 km quarters for chocolate,
glassware and other
souvenirs.
Location Caption details to go herey Art nouveau architectural detail
Nanc 51

1 Lille
2 A Toast to Art Lille (Rijsel in Flemish)
may be France’s most
underrated major city.
In recent decades this
once-grimy industrial
France’s northeast is one of the country’s metropolis has morphed
into a glittering and
most artistic corners, thanks to the arrival self-confident cultural
of high-profile addresses like the Louvre- and commercial hub –
Lens and Metz’s Centre Pompidou. But these and a key shopping, art
and culture stop with an
glitzy contemporary museums are simply the attractive old town and
continuation of a long artistic legacy. This a trio of renowned art
museums.
high-culture tour takes in Gothic cathedrals, Classic works find a
neoclassical squares, chic crystalware and home at the Palais des
Beaux Arts (Fine Arts
art-nouveau mansions – not to mention some Museum; %03 20 06 78
# Ù # ]
of Europe’s most experimental art. # ] # ]
# ] #J
Lille BRABANT-
/ · / · # 1 % HAINAUT WALLON Liège # ] # ] Verviers Naturpark
A26
N41
Hohes
/ · Charleroi # ] Namur LIÈGE Venn-Eifel
N47
#
Lens# Douai # ] Mons # ]
2
# ] # ] NAMUR
Arras # \ Valenciennes Dinant # \
# \
/ · # \ Cambrai Marche-en-
A1
F G Famenne
4
# ] Bastogne
Péronne Hirson
Amiens # ] # \ Neufchâteau
# \ Charleville-
# \ # \ St- Quentin # \
Bayonvillers Mezières Trier # \
# \ LUXEMBOURG
# \
/ · NORD - PAS- Sedan # _
A16
DE-CALAIS Laon # \ LUXEMBOURG
A26
Compiègne / · # \ Rethel / · CITY
N18
# \
# \ Soissons
Forêt # ^
d'Halatte # Forêt Verdun / ·
3
#
# ] Reims
A4
#
# ] Metz
4
Forêt de / · d'Argonne # \ #
# ] Chantilly A4
Parc Naturel Pont-a-
Châlons- Régional de # \ Mousson
sur-Marne # \ Lorraine
# _ PARIS
#
# ] CHAMPAGNE- #
# ] Nancy
5
ÎLE DE Toul # \
FRANCE ARDENNE
D570
Milly- # \ Nogent-sur-Seine LORRAINE / ·
la-Forêt
# \ Forêt de Parc Naturel
Fontainebleau / · Troyes # ] Régional de la Vittel Épinal
A5
Forêt d'Orient
# e 0 0 50 miles 100 km # \ # \

00; www.pba-lille.fr; place Big names including might not seem like the
de la République; adult/child Braque, Calder, Léger, most obvious place to
€7/4; h2-5.50pm Mon, Miró, Modigliani and continue investigation of
10am-5.50pm Wed-Sun; c; Picasso are the main French art, but au con-
mRépublique Beaux-Arts), draws. It’s in Villeneuve- traire. The jewel in the
an illustrious fine-arts d’Ascq, 9km east of Gare crown of industrial Lens
museum with a first-rate Lille-Europe. is the Louvre-Lens (%03
collection of 15th- to 20th- A few miles north at 21 18 62 62; www.louvrelens.
century paintings, includ- La Piscine Musée d’Art fr; 99 rue Paul Bert; multimedia
ing works by Rubens, Van et d’Industrie (%03 20 69 guide €3; h10am-6pm Wed-
Dyck and Manet. 23 60; www.roubaix-lapiscine. Mon). An offshoot of the
Contrast these with com; 23 rue de l’Espérance, Paris original, this inno-
the playful – and some- Roubaix; adult/child €5.50/ vative gallery showcases
times just plain weird free; h11am-6pm Tue-Thu, hundreds of treasures
– works on show at the 11am-8pm Fri, 1-6pm Sat & from Paris’ venerable
Musée d’Art Moderne Sun; mGare Jean Lebas), Musée du Louvre in
(%03 20 19 68 88; www. the building is almost as state-of-the-art exhibi-
musee-lam.fr; 1 allée du Musée, intriguing as the art: a tion spaces. The centre-
Villeneuve-d’Ascq; adult/child glori ous art-deco swim- piece, the 120m-long PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 2 A TOAST TO ART
€7/5; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun). ming pool has been beau- Galerie du Temps, dis-
tifully converted into plays a semi-permanent
]
#
# a cutting-edge gallery, collection of judiciously
]
showing contemporary chosen objects – some of
paintings and sculptures. them true masterpieces –
from the dawn of civilisa-
54 p73 tion to the mid-1800s.
Koblenz The Drive »The quickest The Drive »Follow the N17
#
] route to Lens is via the A1, but a south of town and join the A26
/ · less hectic route takes the N41 toll road for 178km to Reims,
A1
^
Wiesbaden # and N47. It’s a 37km drive from about a two- to 2½-hour drive
#
]
# the outskirts of Lille.
]
Mainz # away.
^
RHINELAND ]
#
- PALATINATE TRIP HIGHLIGHT
2 Lens 3 Reims
# \ Along with its towering
A coal-mining town
37km south of Lille Gothic cathedral and
Kaiserslautern Champagne connections,
]
SAARLAND # \ #
LINK
# Saarbrücken YOUR
^
Wissembourg TRIP
Wingen- # \
sur-Moder # In Flanders Fields Alsace Accents
]
# \ 4 6
H
Parc Naturel # WWI French To extend your
Régional de battlefields are covered in journey, pick up the
Lorraine p56
J back at the end to Lille, and after ending this trip in
Strasbourg # # this emotional tour; loop Route des Vins d’Alsace
^ # 7
%
# ALSACE it makes an ideal combo Strasbourg.
#
6
with this trip.
Baccarat / ·
Parc Naturel FG
A5
6
Régional
des Ballons Freiburg im
des Vosges # Breisgau 53
]
Colmar ]
#

Reims is also worth
visiting for its splendid TRIP HIGHLIGHT
Musée des Beaux-Arts 4 Metz
(8 rue Chanzy; adult/child €4/ Opened in 2010 to much BRUCE YUANYUE BI / GETTY IMAGES ©
free; h10am-noon & 2-6pm
Wed-Mon), located inside fanfare, the swoopy,
an 18th-century abbey. spaceship facade of the
Centre Pompidou-Metz
Highlights include 27
works by Camille Corot (www.centrepompidou-metz.
(only the Louvre has fr; 1 parvis des Droits de
more), 13 portraits by l’Homme; adult/child €7/free;
German Renaissance h10am-6pm Mon & Wed-Thu,
to 7pm Fri-Sun) fronts one of
painters Cranach the
Elder and the Younger, France’s boldest galleries.
Drawing on the Pompi-
lots of Barbizon School
landscapes, and two dou’s fantastic modern
works each by Monet, art collection, it’s gained
a reputation for ambi-
Gauguin and Pissarro.
But its most celebrated tious exhibitions, such as
the recent one spotlight-
possession is probably
Jacques-Louis David’s ing the graphic works
world-famous The Death of American conceptual
artist Sol LeWitt.
of Marat, depicting the
While you’re in town,
Revolutionary leader’s don’t miss Metz’s amaz-
bloody, just-murdered
corpse in the bathtub. It’s ing Cathédrale St-Éti-
one of only four known enne (www.cathedrale-metz.
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 2 A TOAST TO ART
fr; place St-Étienne; audioguide
versions of the paint-
ing in the world, and is €7, combined ticket treasury
& crypt adult/child €4/2;
worth the admission fee ‘God’s lantern’ for good
on its own. h8am-6pm, treasury & crypt reason – look out for the
9am-12.30pm & 1.30-6pm technicolour windows
54 p57, p83 Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun), a lacy created by the visionary
wonder lit by kaleido- artist Marc Chagall.
The Drive »Metz is 192km scopic curtains of stained
east of Reims via the A4 toll 5 p57
road, another two-hour drive. glass. It’s known as
The Drive »The most
scenic option to Nancy is the
D657, which tracks the banks
TOP TIP: of the Moselle River. Head
STRASBOURG CENT southwest on the A31 toll road,
SAVERS then take exit 30a (signed to
Jouy les Arches). Follow the
The Strasbourg Pass Musées (www.musees. road through rolling Alsatian
strasbourg.eu; one/three-day pass €12/18) covers countryside as far as Pont-
admission to all of Strasbourg’s museums; buy it at à-Mousson, then continue
through town on the D657 all
museums. Alternatively, the three-day Strasbourg the way to Nancy. It’s a point-to-
Pass (adult/child €18.90/9.45) includes one point drive of about 65km.
museum, a trip up to the 66m-high viewing platform
at the city’s cathedral platform, half-day bicycle
rental and a boat tour.
54

Baccarat Crystal display
Next, head into the Monet hang alongside
city’s heart, magnificent works by Lorraine-born
TRIP HIGHLIGHT
place Stanislas, a vast artists, including the
5 Nancy neoclassical square that’s dreamlike landscapes
Home of the art-nouveau now a Unesco World of Claude Lorrain and
movement, Nancy has an Heritage site. Designed the pared-down designs
air of grace and refine- by Emmanuel Héré in of Nancy-born architect
ment that’s all its own. the 1750s, it’s encircled Jean Prouvé (1901–84).
Start your art appre- by glorious buildings, in- On nearby Grand Rue,
ciation at the Musée de cluding the hôtel de ville the regal Renaissance
l’École de Nancy (School and the Opéra National Palais Ducal was once
of Nancy Museum; www. de Lorraine, and contains home to the Dukes of Lor-
ecole-de-nancy.com; 36-38 a treasure trove of stat- raine. It’s now the Musée
rue du Sergent Blandan; adult/ ues, rococo fountains and Lorrain (www.musee-lorrain.
child €6/4; h10am-6pm wrought-iron gateways. nancy.fr; 64 & 66 Grande Rue;
Wed-Sun), an art-nouveau On one side of the adult/child €6/4; h10am-
showpiece of dreamy square is the city’s 12.30pm & 2-6pm Tue-Sun),
interiors and curvy glass, Musée des Beaux-Arts with a rich fine-art and
housed in a 19th-century (http://mban.nancy.fr; 3 place history collection, includ-
villa 2km southwest of Stanislas; adult/child €6/4, ing medieval statuary and
the centre. audioguide €3; h10am-6pm faience (glazed pottery).
Wed-Mon), where Caravag-
gio, Rubens, Picasso and 5 p57
55

The Drive »Take the D590
southeast to Raon-l’Étape,
DETOUR: then turn northeast on the
MUSÉE LALIQUE D392A, a lovely back road that
winds up through woodland
Start: 7 Strasbourg and mountains, offering great
René Lalique was one of the great figures of the art- views of the Vosges en route.
Eventually you’ll link up with the
nouveau movement, and the Musée Lalique (www. D1420, which will take you on to
musee-lalique.com; rue du Hochberg, Wingen-sur-Moder; Strasbourg. It’s a good two-hour
adult/child €6/3; h10am-7pm daily, closed Mon Oct-Mar) drive of about 100km.
provides a fitting tribute to his talents.
At home on the site of the old Hochberg
glassworks, this museum investigates Lalique’s TRIP HIGHLIGHT
fascination with naturalistic forms (especially 7 Strasbourg
flowers, insects and foliage) and the curves of the Finish with a couple of
female body. The collection illustrates his astonishing days exploring the ar-
breadth of work, from gem-encrusted jewellery to chitectural splendour of
perfume bottles and sculpture. Strasbourg and visiting
The museum is 60km north of Strasbourg in the Musée d’Art Moderne
Wingen-sur-Moder. et Contemporain (MAMCS;
www.musees.strasbourg.eu;
1 place Hans Jean Arp; adult/
The Drive »Head south The Musée Baccarat child €7/free; h10am-6pm
from Nancy on the main A330 (www.baccarat.fr; 2 rue des Tue-Sun; jMusée d’Art
toll road. Take exit 7, signed to Cristalleries; adult/child €5/ Moderne), a striking glass-
Flavigny-sur-Moselle, which will free; h9am-noon & 2-6pm
take you onto the rural riverside Tue-Sun) displays 1100 and-steel cube showcas-
D570. Stay on this road all the pieces, and the boutique ing fine art, graphics and
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 2 A TOAST TO ART
way to Bayon, then cross the photography. The art’s
river through town, following out front is almost as defiantly modern: Kan-
the D22 east through quiet dazzling as the museum. dinsky, Picasso, Magritte
countryside to Baccarat. It’s a Nearby crystal shops sell and Monet canvases can
drive of 78km. lesser, and less expensive, all be found here, along-
brands. side curvaceous works by
Glass aficionados will Strasbourg-born abstract
6 Baccarat also want to stroll across artist Jean Arp.
The glitzy glassware of the River Meurthe to Afterwards, have a
Baccarat was considered the 1950s-built Église good wander around
the height of sophisti- St-Rémy (1 av de Lachapelle; Grande Île, Strasbourg’s
cation in 18th-century h8am-5pm), whose historic and Unesco-
France, and its exquisite austere facade conceals a listed old quarter, as well
crystal could be found blindingly bright interior as Petite France, the
gracing mansions and containing 20,000 Bac- canal district.
châteaux all over Europe. carat panels.
5 p57










56

Eating & Sleeping


hotel, occupying a 17th-century town house in a
Reims 3 prime spot right opposite the cathedral. Climb
the wrought-iron staircase to your classically
5 Brasserie elegant room, with high ceilings, hardwood
Le Boulingrin Brasserie €€ floors and antique trappings. Book well ahead
(%03 26 40 96 22; www.boulingrin.fr; 29-31 for a cathedral view.
rue de Mars; menus €20-29; hnoon-2.30pm
& 7-10.30pm Mon-Sat) A genuine, old-time
brasserie – the decor and zinc bar date back to Nancy 5
1925 – whose ambience and cuisine make it an 5 À la Table du
enduring favourite. From September to June, Bon Roi Stanislas French €€
the culinary focus is on fruits de mer (seafood)
such as Breton oysters. There’s always a €9.50 (At the Table of Good King Stanislas; %03 83
lunch special. 35 36 52; http://tablestan.free.fr; 7 rue Gustave
Simon; menus €19-43; h7.15-9.30pm Mon &
4 Les Telliers B&B €€ Wed, 12.15-1.30pm & 7.15-9.30pm Tue & Thu- PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 2 A TOAST TO ART
(%09 53 79 80 74; http://telliers.fr; 18 rue Sat, 12.15-1.30pm Sun) À la Table du Bon Roi
des Telliers; s €67-84, d €79-120, tr €116-141, q Stanislas dishes up good old-fashioned French
€132-162; pW) Enticingly positioned down a food with lashings of bonhomie. Menu classics
quiet alley near the cathedral, this bijou B&B feature escargots with dill and duck cooked in
extends one of Reims’ warmest bienvenues. red wine with fig confit. There’s terrace seating
The high-ceilinged rooms are big on art-deco in summer.
character, and handsomely decorated with
ornamental fireplaces, polished oak floors
and the odd antique. Breakfast costs an extra Strasbourg 7
€9 and is a generous spread of pastries, fruit,
fresh-pressed juice and coffee. 5 Winstub S’Kaechele French €€
(%03 88 22 62 36; www.skaechele.fr; 8 rue
de l’Argile; mains €12-18.50; jGrand’Rue)
Metz 4 Traditional French and Alsatian grub doesn’t
come more authentic than at this snug, amiable
5 L’Imaginarium French €€ winstub (wine tavern), run with love by couple
(%03 87 30 14 40; http://imaginarium- Karine and Daniel. Cue wonderfully cosy
restaurant.com; 2 rue de Paris; mains €20-23; evenings spent in stone-walled, lamplit, wood-
hnoon-2pm & 7-10pm Wed-Sat, noon-2pm Sun beamed surrounds, huddled over dishes such as
& Tue) Decorated with one-of-a-kind artworks, escargots oozing Roquefort, fat pork knuckles
this sleek, monochrome bistro by the river is braised in pinot noir, and choucroute garnie
one of Metz’s top foodie addresses. The season- (sauerkraut garnished with meats).
driven menu emphasises clean, bright flavours
in dishes such as house-smoked salmon with 4 Cour du Corbeau Boutique Hotel €€
beetroot-and-raspberry gazpacho, and duck (%03 90 00 26 26; www.cour-corbeau.com;
breast in a peanut crust with artichoke. 6-8 rue des Couples; r €145-175, ste €220-260;
aW; jPorte de l’Hôpital) A 16th-century inn
4 Hôtel de lovingly converted into a boutique hotel, Cour
la Cathédrale Historic Hotel €€ du Corbeau wins you over with its half-timbered
(%03 87 75 00 02; www.hotelcathedrale-metz. charm and its location, just steps from the river.
fr; 25 place de Chambre; d €75-120; W) You can Gathered around a courtyard, rooms blend
expect a friendly welcome at this classy little original touches like oak parquet and Louis XV
furnishings with mod cons like flat-screen TVs.


57

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Location Caption details to go here

DANITA DELIMONT / GETTY IMAGES ©


Northern Coast 3





Stretching for 140km along the English Channel, the sublime Côte
d’Opale enchants with its lofty chalk cliffs, rolling hills, sandy
beaches, scrub-dotted sand dunes and charming seaside villages.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS



11 km 2–4 DAYS
Cap Blanc-Nez 148KM / 92 MILES
Breathtaking views
across the English
l
# Calais
Channel L GREAT FOR…
# 2 # #
# 4 # # J
BEST TIME TO GO
Boulogne-
sur-Mer # May to August for
Cap Griz-Nez long days and warm
Just 28km from the weather.
White Cliffs of Dover
Le Touquet-
Paris-Plage 29km ESSENTIAL
# I PHOTO
148 km
The Channel
St-Valery-sur-Somme 122 km panorama from atop
A charming old port
with a pint-sized Parc du Cap Blanc-Nez.
walled city Marquenterre Bird
Sanctuary
# Home to an BEST FOR
#
10
astonishing 300 K HISTORY
St-Valery- # Le Crotoy species of bird
sur-Somme A colossal German
m K bunker, part of Nazi
#
12
#
#
Germany’s Atlantic
Wall, houses Musée du
Mur de l’Atlantique.
Location Caption details to go here 59
Côte d’Opale Cliffs at Cap Blanc-Nez

3 Northern Coast Channel (La Sangatte
Channel Tunnel
English
Manche)
Cap
Blanc-Nez# # \
Z #
2
Cap
# Wissant
Named for the ever-changing interplay of greys and Gris- # #
\ #
3
Nez 0¸
4
# D940
blues in the sea and sky, the Côte d’Opale (Opal 0 ¸ # / ·
A16
D191
\ 5
# # Audinghen
Coast) is on spectacular display between Calais and #Audresselles
\
Boulogne-sur-Mer. Further south, the relatively flat Dunes de \ #
# #Ambleteuse
6
# 7
coastline is broken by the estuaries, wetlands and la Slack #
tidal marshes created by the Rivers Canche, Authie # Wimereux
\
Boulogne-sur-Mer
and Somme. The area has several attractive beach #
#
8
#
\
resorts and excellent spots for bird-watching and 0 ¸
D940
seal spotting.
/ ·
A16
0 ¸
D901
broad and gently sloping.
1 Calais It’s named for the pioneer Le Touquet-
Paris-Plage
France’s premier trans- aviator Louis Blériot, # # Les Étaples
\ #
9
Channel port is a short who began the first ever 0 ¸
#
\
hop from England by car trans-Channel flight from D939
ferry, Eurotunnel rail here – it lasted 27 minutes Montreuil
#
\
shuttle or super-fast Euro- – in 1909.
star train. Begin the itin- 54 p65
erary at Rodin’s famous
sculpture The Burghers The Drive » Take the D940 \ # Berck-
sur-Mer
west, past Blériot Plage in the
of Calais (place du Soldat commune of Sangatte, and a
Inconnu) (Les Bourgeois further 5km southwest to reach / ·
de Calais; 1895), in front Cap Blanc-Nez. A16
of Calais’ Flemish- and St-Quentin- 0 ¸
D940
Renaissance-style Hôtel en-Tourmont
de Ville (city hall). Then TRIP HIGHLIGHT Parc du # \
Marquenterre
head to the city’s sandy, 2 Cap Blanc-Nez Bird Sanctuary # Rue
\
#
10
cabin-lined beach, whose Just past Sangatte, the #
singularly riveting attrac- coastal dunes give way / ·
D4
tion is watching huge to cliffs that culminate Pointe du # Le Crotoy
Hourdel
\ #
11
car ferries as they sail in windswept, 134m-high # \ Baie de #
majestically to and from Cap Blanc-Nez, which Cayeux- Somme Noyelles-
sur-Mer
\ #
Dover. The sand continues affords breathtaking \ # 12 # # # \ sur-Mer
westward along 8km-long, views of the Bay of Wis- St-Valery-
dune-lined Blériot Plage, sant, the port of Calais, sur-Somme Somme
F G
7
60 ‚ 154km

Dunkirk # \
# the Flemish countryside
f
# Loon Plage
\
(pock-marked by Allied
# Gravelines / · bomb craters, eg on the
\
A25
\ # 1 Calais / · 110km ‚ slopes of Mont d’Hubert)
A16
# #
and the distant chalk
F G NORD cliffs of Kent. A grey
# \
4
stone obelisk honours
the WWI Dover Patrol.
/ · F L A N D E R S Paths lead to a number of
A26
massive WWII German
bunkers.
The Drive » It’s an 8km
descent on the D940 from Cap
Blanc-Nez to Wissant.
Clairmarais
Parc Naturel
#
\
Régional des Caps et St-Omer
Marais d'Opale
/ · # ÷ # \ Arques # \ 3 Wissant
N42
# \
Wizernes The attractive seaside
village of Wissant (www. PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 3 NORTHERN COAST
terredes2capstourisme.fr) –
/ · population 1030 – long
A26
home to both fishers
0 ¸ and farmers, is centered
D928
around a 15th-century
church. It’s a good base
for exploring the area
between Cap Blanc-Nez
and Cap Gris-Nez, includ-
PAS-DE- ing a wide-at-low-tide
CALAIS beach that’s long, flat and
# Agincourt clean – perfect for young
# \ \
(Azincourt) children and kitesurfers.
/ · LINK
N39
St-Pol-sur- # \
Ternoise YOUR
# Hesdin
TRIP
\
A R T O I S
4 In Flanders Fields
Crécy-en- From Calais, drive
Ponthieu 110km to the southeast, on
# \ 0 ¸ the A16 and A25, to start
D928
this trip in Lille.
Authie
SOMME 7 Monet’s Normandy
From St-Valery-sur-
Somme, it’s a 164km drive
south to Giverny.
Doullens \ #
/ · / · # e 0 20 km
A16
A28
# Abbeville 0 10 miles 61
\

The Drive » From Wissant, The Drive » From Cap The Drive » From Audinghen
take the D940 southwestward Gris-Nez, take the D191 3.5km it’s just under 5km south along
for 6km. About 700m past the southeast back to the D940 the D940 to Ambleteuse. On
centre of Audinghen, turn right and turn right. After about the way you’ll pass the colourful
onto the D191 and continue 100m, at the Maison du Site des village of Audresselles, still
northwest for 3.5km. Deux Caps tourist office, turn active as a fishing port. It’s a
right again and continue for great place to dine on super-
400m for the Musée du Mur de fresh seafood.
TRIP HIGHLIGHT l’Atlantique.
4 Cap Gris-Nez
Topped by a lighthouse 6 Ambleteuse
and a radar station that 5 Musée du Mur de The seaside village of
keeps track of the more l’Atlantique Ambleteuse (population
than 500 ships that pass Oodles of WWII hard- 1880) is home to Fort Ma-
by here each day, the ware, including a mas- hon (Fort d’Ambleteuse),
45m-high cliffs of Cap sive, rail-borne 283mm a small fortress built by
Gris-Nez are only 28km German artillery piece Louis XIV in the 1680s,
from the white cliffs of with a range of 86km and a pebbly beach. At
the English coast. The (more than enough to hit the Musée 39-45 (%03
name, which means the English coast), are 21 87 33 01; www.musee3945.
‘grey nose’ in French, on display at the well- com; 2 rue des Garennes;
is a corruption of the organised Musée du Mur adult/child €8.50/5.50;
archaic English ‘craig de l’Atlantique (Atlantic h10am-6pm, weekends only
ness’, meaning ‘rocky Wall Museum; %03 21 32 97 Mar & Nov, closed Dec-Feb),
promontory’. The area 33; www.batterietodt.com; rte popular period songs ac-
is a stopping-off point du Musée, Hameau de Haring- company visitors as they
for millions of migrating zelle, Audinghen; adult/child stroll past dozens of life-
birds. The parking lot is €8.50/5; h10am-5.30pm size tableaux of WWII
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 3 NORTHERN COAST
a good starting point for daily, to 7pm Jul & Aug, closed military and civilian life.
hikes, such as along the mid-Nov–early Feb). It is The museum also screens
GR120 du Littoral coastal housed in Batterie Todt, archival films. The dash-
trail (marked with red a colossal, round German ing but wildly impracti-
and white blazes). pillbox. cal French officers’ dress
uniforms of 1931 hint
at possible reasons why
France fared so poorly on
BRASSERIE ARTISANALE DES the battlefields of 1940.
2 CAPS The Drive » From Ambleteuse
drive 1.5km southeast along
Historic farm buildings deep in the countryside the D940 to reach the Dunes de
house the Brasserie Artisanale des 2 Caps (%03 la Slack.
21 10 56 53; www.2caps.fr; ferme de Belle Dalle, Tardinghen;
tours €4.50; h10am-7pm Tue-Sat & 3-7pm Sun Jul & Aug,
10am-noon & 2-5pm Tue-Sat Sep-Jun), one of northern 7 Dunes de la
France’s best microbreweries. Sample and buy here, Slack
or look for 2 Caps, Blanche de Wissant and Noire de
Slack in area pubs. Brewmaster Christophe Noyon Just south of Ambleteuse
offers occasional 90-minute tours. Situated 1.5km along the estuary of the
along the D249 from the church in the village of tiny River Slack, wind-
Tardinghen, which is midway between Wissant and sculpted sand dunes
Audinghen. are covered with – and
stabilised by – clumps of

62

LECLERCQ OLIVIER / HEMIS.FR / GETTY IMAGES ©









Ambleteuse Village and Fort Mahon
marram grass and bram- the attractive Haute-Ville The Drive » From Boulogne-
bles such as privet and (Upper City), perched sur-Mer, take the D940 south
wild rose. The best way to high above the rest of for 28km. At Les Étaples, take
appreciate the undulating town and girded by a a right onto the D939 and
landscape of Dunes de 13th-century wall, is an continue for 4km.
la Slack is to follow the island of centuries-old
marked walking paths buildings and cobblestone
that criss-cross the area. streets. You can walk 9 Le Touquet-Paris-
all the way around this Plage
The Drive » From the Dunes ‘Fortified City’ atop the
de la Slack head south on This leafy beach resort
the D940 for 10km to reach ancient stone walls – look was hugely fashionable
Boulogne-sur-Mer. for signs for the Prom- in the interwar period,
enade des Remparts. when the British upper
crust found it positively
54 p65
8 Boulogne-sur-Mer smashing. The town
France’s most im-
portant fishing port,
Boulogne-sur-Mer TOP TIP:
(population 42,780) is
home to Nausicaā (%03 TWO CAPES TOURIST
21 30 99 99; www.nausicaa. INFORMATION
co.uk; bd Ste-Beuve; adult/ The Maison du Site des Deux Caps (%03 21 21
child €19/12.50; h9.30am- 62 22; www.lesdeuxcaps.fr; cnr D940 & D191, Hameau de
6.30pm Sep-Jun, to 7.30pm Haringzelle, Audinghen; h10am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm
Jul & Aug, closed 3 weeks Jan), Apr-Sep, closed Mon Oct-Dec, Feb & Mar, closed Jan) serves
one of Europe’s premier as a visitors information centre for the ‘two capes’,
aquariums. Boulogne-sur- ie the area around and between Cap Blanc-Nez and
Mer’s Basse-Ville (Lower Cap Gris-Nez. Staff have English brochures, rent out
City) is a bustling but bicycles – both regular (per half-/whole day €7/10)
uninspiring assemblage and electric (€10/15) – and sell hiking maps.
of postwar structures, but

63

12.30pm & 2-5pm, closed
afternoons Dec & Jan) of the
TOP TIP: Somme estuary – vast
NATURE WALKS expanses are exposed at
low tide – and the only
Nonprofit Eden 62 (%03 21 32 13 74; www.eden62. sandy beach in northern
fr; hmid-Feb–Oct) organises two-hour nature walks France that faces south;
several times a week. They’re in French but tourists, restaurants and cafes
including families, are welcome. No need to reserve – can be found nearby.
just show up at the meeting point.
Jules Verne wrote Twenty
Thousand Leagues
Under the Sea (1870)
was a favourite of Noël Scandinavia and Siberia
Coward, and in 1940 a and the warmer climes while living here.
politically oblivious PG of West Africa. Three The Drive » St-Valery-sur-
Wodehouse was taken marked walking circuits Somme is 16km around the
prisoner here by the (2km to 6km) take you to Somme estuary from Le Crotoy.
Germans. These days it marshes, dunes, mead- Take the D104 to the D940,
remains no less posh and ows, freshwater ponds, a follow it for 11km and then turn
right onto the D3.
no less British, though brackish lagoon and 13
it also attracts plenty of observation posts. Year
chic Parisians. round, the park’s friendly TRIP HIGHLIGHT
guides – they’re the ones c St-Valery-sur-
4 p65 carrying around tele-
The Drive » From Les Étaples, scopes on tripods – are Somme
take the D940 south for 34km. happy to help visitors, This old port town
Just past the village of Rue, turn especially kids, spot and (population 2700) has
right onto the D4, continuing identify birds. a charming maritime
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 3 NORTHERN COAST
westward on the D204, for a quarter, a pocket-sized
total of 6km. The Drive » From the Parc walled city and an
du Marquenterre, take the D204 attractive seaside prom-
east for 4km to the D4 and turn
TRIP HIGHLIGHT right. After 4.5km continue enade. The colours of
a Parc du onto the D104 for the 2km to St-Valery-sur-Somme are
the colours of maritime
Marquenterre Bird Le Crotoy. Picardy: the deep brick
Sanctuary reds of the houses and
An astonishing 300 b Le Crotoy the sea hues that range
species of bird have been Occupying a wonderfully from a sparkling blue
sighted at the 2-sq-km picturesque spot on the to overcast grey are
Parc du Marquenterre northern bank of the accented by dashes of
(%03 22 25 68 99; www. Baie de Somme (Somme red, white and blue from
parcdumarquenterre.fr; 25bis estuary), laid-back Le flapping French flags,
chemin des Garennes, St- Crotoy is a lovely place to just like in an Impres-
Quentin-en-Tourmont; adult/ relax. Attractions include sionist seascape. Grey
child €10.50/7.90, binoculars guided walks (%03 22 27 and harbour seals can
€4/2; h10am-5pm mid-Feb– 47 36, 06 28 05 13 02; www. often be spotted off
mid-Nov, Sat & Sun only mid- promenade-en-baie.com; 5 Pointe du Hourdel, 8km
Nov–mid-Feb), an impor- allée des Soupirs; adult/child northwest of town.
tant migratory stopover 2hr walk €12/6, 3hr walk €15/7, 54 p65
between the UK, Iceland, 5hr walk €18/7; h9am-



64

Eating & Sleeping


4 Les Terrasses de l’Enclos B&B €€
Calais 1 (%03 91 90 05 90; www.enclosdeleveche.
com; L’enclos de l’Évêché, 6 rue de Pressy;
5 Histoire Ancienne Bistro €€ d incl breakfast €75-120; W) An imposing
(%03 21 34 11 20; www.histoire-ancienne.com; 19th-century mansion next to the basilica has
20 rue Royale; menus €17.90-32; hnoon-2pm been turned into Boulogne’s most elegant
Mon, noon-2pm & 6-9.30pm Tue-Sat; Wv) accommodation. The five rooms are spacious,
Bistro-style French dishes, made with fresh comfortable and full of old-time character.
ingredients, are served in a classic dining
room that feels like 1930s Paris. Our favourites
include mushroom cream soup and pepper- Le Touquet-Paris-Plage 9
steak flambé with brandy. Service is prompt
and friendly. 4 Hôtel Bristol Hotel €€
4 Le Cercle de Malines B&B €€ (%03 21 05 49 95; www.hotelbristol.fr; 17 rue Jean
Monnet; d €95-190; iW) Opened in 1927, this
(%03 21 96 80 65; www.lecercledemalines.fr; 12 47-room hotel is just 200m from the beachfront PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 3 NORTHERN COAST
rue de Malines; d incl breakfast €85-125, q €150; promenade. Public areas retain something of a
W) Built in 1884, this stately town house has prewar vibe, but the bar is pure 1970s.
been elegantly furnished in a modern spirit, with
generous public areas and a lovely back garden.
Our choice among the five spacious rooms is ‘La St-Valery-sur-Somme c
Leavers’, with its claw-footed Victorian bathtub.
Situated 1.2km south of the tourist office on a 5 Le Bistrot des Pilotes Neobistro €€
quiet street behind the main post office.
(%03 22 60 80 39; www.lespilotes.fr; 37 quai
Blavet; lunch/dinner menus from €19/25;
hnoon-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm Wed-Sat, noon-
Boulogne-sur-Mer 8 2.30pm Sun Feb-Jun & Sep-Dec, daily Jul & Aug)
5 Le Châtillon Seafood € Market-fresh cuisine with a twist, outdoor tables
on the waterfront, a good selection of seafood
(%03 21 31 43 95; www.le-chatillon.com; 6 rue dishes and Picard classics, and great mousse au
Charles Tellier; breakfast €6.80-12, lunch mains chocolat make this place a perennial favourite.
€12-24, menus €22; h5am-4.30pm Mon-Fri,
4am-1.30pm Sat; W) With its red banquettes 4 Au Vélocipède B&B €€
and brass maritime lanterns, not to mention its (%03 22 60 57 42; www.auvelocipede.fr; 1 rue
early breakfasts, this restaurant has long been du Puits Salé; d/tr incl breakfast €99/140; W)
a favourite of fishers hungry after spending the Two town houses facing the church are now a
night at sea. Lunch specialities include fish, swish B&B. The eight supremely comfortable
oysters and squid; sandwiches are available rooms are huge, with naked wooden floors,
all day. Book ahead for lunch. Situated past hip furnishings and modern slate-and-cream
the old car-ferry terminal in an industrial area bathrooms. Those up in the attic (Vélo 3 and
dominated by fish warehouses. Vélo 4) are especially romantic. Cash only.












65

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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4
5
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b
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Location Caption details to go here

In Flanders
BERNARD JAUBERT / GETTY IMAGES ©

Fields 4





WWI history comes to life on this tour of Western Front battle-
fields where Allied and German troops endured four years of trench
warfare. Lille, Arras and Amiens offer urban counterpoints.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
3 DAYS
l L 235KM / 146 MILES

# #
17 km # # Lille GREAT FOR…
2
Fromelles
A new museum tells B
the story of 250
Australian war dead not #
# #
3
found until 2008 # 66 km BEST TIME TO GO
# #
4
Vimy Ridge
# Arras Trenches and artillery March to November;
##
craters untouched a few sites close
since 1918 in December and
January.
#m K ESSENTIAL
# Thiepval
#
# # # Somme I PHOTO
10
Amiens # ## American The staggering list
# Cemetery
Villers- of missing soldiers’
Bretonneux names at Thiepval.
Ring of Remembrance Péronne BEST FOR
A sobering memorial to the The region's best K HISTORY
WWI dead of both sides museum of WWI
54 km history Historial de la Grande
Guerre, Péronne’s first-
209 km rate WWI museum.
Flander 67
Location Caption details to go heres Fields of red poppies

4 In Flanders Aire-sur- \ #
la-Lys
Fields
/ ·
A26
Shortly after WWI broke out in 1914, Allied troops PAS-DE-
established a line of resistance against further CALAIS
German advances in the northern French countryside
near Arras, initiating one of the longest and bloodiest St-Pol-sur-
Ternoise
standoffs in military history. This tour of Flanders and # \
Picardy takes in some of France’s most important
WWI battle sites and memorials, along with the Avesness- \ #
charming cities of Lille, Arras and Amiens. le-Comte

La Herlière # \
/ ·
N25
Authie
# Doullens
\
Beauval \ # # Marieux
\
The Drive » Take the # Puchevillers
\
1 Lille westbound A25, the southbound / ·
N41, the D207 and finally the
N25
A convenient gateway to D141B to Fromelles, a distance Contay # \
northern France’s WWI of 17km. 0 ¸
battlefields, cosmopolitan Somme D929
Lille offers an engaging Corbie
mix of grand architec- TRIP HIGHLIGHT Amiens# SOMME \ #
# #
\ 8
ture and Flemish culture. 2 Fromelles Longueau 0¸ #
#
# 9
#
\
D1029
\
Stop in for dinner at an The death toll was hor- Villers-
estaminet (traditional rific – 1917 Australians Bretonneux
Flemish restaurant) and and 519 Britons killed in
stroll around the bustling just one day of fighting
pedestrianised centre, – yet the 1916 Battle of
whose highlights include Fromelles was largely for-
the Vieille Bourse, a gotten until 2008, when / ·
17th-century Flemish Re- the remains of 250 of the A16 Montdidier
naissance extravaganza fallen were discovered. Breteuil # \
decorated with caryatids They are now buried in # \
and cornucopia, and the the Fromelles (Pheas-
neighbourhood of Vieux ant Wood) Cemetery;
Lille (Old Lille), where 141 have been identified
restored 17th- and 18th- thanks to DNA testing.
century brick houses are Next door, the excellent OISE
home to chic boutiques.
Musée de la Bataille de
54 p73 Fromelles (%03 59 61 15 14;
68 Clermont # \

# e 0 20 km www.musee-bataille-fromelles.
0
/ · l 10 miles fr; rue de la Basse Ville;
L
A25
F G museum adult/child €6.50/4;
3
0 ¸ # HAINAUT hcemetery 24hr, museum
# ] Lille
# 1
D141B
A25
Fromelles # # # \ / · \ # 9.30am-5.30pm Wed-Mon),
2
/ · / · Tournai opened in 2014, evokes
N41
D22
life in the trenches with
La Bassée \ # / · reconstructed bun-
A1
/ · kers, photographs and
N47
Ring of biographies.
Remembrance / ·
A23
/ · Lens Henin- The Drive » Take the D22 4km
A21
# \ # \ # Beaumont south to the N41, turn southwest
# #
\ 3
0 ¸ # N17 and after 3km turn south onto
Vimy Ridge
/ ·
#
4
D937
Neuville- 0 ¸ # ] Douai the N47; continue for 12km
D55E2
Saint-Vaast # \ # Thélus NORD before turning west onto the
\
/ · 0 ¸ # \ A21. Get off at the D937, drive
D49
D917
Artois
Arras# Vitry-en- southeast for 5km and then
# #
\ 5
follow the signs to Notre-Dame
de Lorette. Total distance: 37km.
0 ¸ / · PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 4 IN FLANDERS FIELDS
A2
D919
F G TRIP HIGHLIGHT
# \
2
Ayette \ # Ervillers Cambrai 3 Ring of
#
\
# \
Bucqouy \ # # Achiet- le-Grand Remembrance
0 ¸ \ # Bapaume / · It’s hard not to be over-
D174
\
A26
# Newfoundland Memorial whelmed by the folly and
#
6
/ · # # Thiepval waste of the Western
D73
\ # 7
#
\
Gouzeaucourt Somme Front at the Ring of
American
11 m K
Albert # \ Cemetery
# \ Bony Remembrance (Anneau de
\#
/ · ## la Mémoire; Ablain-St-Nazaire;
A1
Bray-sur- Roisel /·
Somme Péronne D6 h9am-4.15pm, to 5.30pm
/ · ] # D1044 or 6.30pm Apr-Sep) as you
# #
\ # # \ 0 ¸
10
D1
Herbécourt # \
0 ¸
D1029
St-
NORD-PAS- # Quentin
DE-CALAIS / · \ LINK
A29
YOUR
TRIP
Nesle / ·
\ # A26
/ · A Toast to Art
D1
2
# Roye From Vimy, detour
H
\
# Oi se 9km to Lens for this tour
p72 of northern France’s arts
# \
scene.
0 ¸
D1032
/ · Noyon \ # AISNE 3 Northern Coast
A1
From Bony, head
northwest to Calais
(200km) to begin this
spectacular drive along the
Clairière de Channel coast.
#0¸ # \ l'Armistice
Compiègne \ D1031 Aisne
Forêt de Soissons
Compiègne # \ 69

walk past panel after cemetery where Hindi, Arabic
panel engraved with 5 Arras and Chinese inscriptions mark
580,000 names: WWI Contemplating the the graves of Indian soldiers and
dead from both sides who picture-perfect Flemish- Chinese labourers recruited by
the British government.
are listed in strict alpha- style façades of Arras’ two
betical order, without gorgeous market squares,
reference to nationality, the Grand’ Place and the 6 Newfoundland
rank or religion.
Petite Place (Place des Memorial
The Drive » Return to the Héros), it’s hard to believe On 1 July 1916 the volun-
D937 and drive south for 6km. that almost the entire teer Royal Newfound-
Then take the D49 east for 3km, city centre was reduced
the D917 north for 1km and to rubble during WWI land Regiment stormed
finally the D55E2 northwest. (it was reconstructed entrenched German
Total distance: 12.5km positions and was nearly
in the 1920s). To get a wiped out. The evoca-
sense of life in wartime
TRIP HIGHLIGHT Arras, head 1.5km south tive Beaumont-Hamel
Newfoundland Memorial
4 Vimy Ridge to Carrière Wellington (%03 22 76 70 86; www.vet
Right after the war, the (Wellington Quarry; %03 21 51 erans.gc.ca; Beaumont-Hamel;
26 95; www.explorearras.com;
French attempted to hWelcome Centre 11am-5pm
erase all signs of battle rue Arthur Delétoille; adult/child Mon, 9am-5pm Tue-Sun)
and return northern €6.90/3.20; h10am-12.30pm preserves the battlefield
& 1.30-6pm, closed Jan), a
France to agriculture and much as it was at fight-
normalcy. The Canadians subterranean quarry that ing’s end. Climb to the
served as a staging area
took a different approach, bronze caribou statue,
deciding that the most for the Allies’ 1917 spring on a hillside surrounded
evocative way to re- offensive. Prior to the by native Newfoundland
attack, 500 New Zealand
member their fallen was plants, for views of the
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 4 IN FLANDERS FIELDS
to preserve part of the soldiers worked round the shell craters, barbed-
clock for five months ex-
crater-pocked battlefield wire barriers and zigzag
exactly the way it looked panding Arras’ medieval trenches that still fill with
when the guns fell silent. quarries to accommo- mud in winter. The on-
date kitchens, a hospital
As a result, the best place site welcome centre offers
to get some sense of the and several thousand guided tours.
Commonwealth troops.
hell known as the West-
ern Front is the chilling, Reminders of these events The Drive » Head 5km east-
southeast on the D73 through
eerie moonscape of Vimy are everywhere, from tiny Beaumont-Hamel, across
Maori-language graffiti to
Ridge (%03 21 50 68 68; a pretty valley, past the 36th
www.veterans.gc.ca; Vimy; candle burn marks from (Ulster) Division Memorial
the Easter Mass celebrat-
hvisitor centre 11am-5pm (site of a Northern Irish war
Mon, 9am-5pm Tue-Sun). A ed underground the day monument and a homey
new Visitor Educational before the troops stormed tearoom) and on to the arches
German front lines.
Centre, set to open in of the Thiepval Memorial.
April 2017, will be staffed 54 p73
by bilingual Canadian
students who’ll run free The Drive » Take the D919, 7 Thiepval
D174 and D73 31km southwest
guided tours. On a lonely, windswept
to the Newfoundland Memorial, hilltop, the towering
The Drive » Follow the D55E2, detouring briefly at KM 15 to Thiepval Memorial (%03
N17 and D917 12km into Arras. the Ayette Indian and Chinese 22 74 60 47; www.cwgc.org;
Cemetery, a Commonwealth
Thiepval; hmuseum 9.30am-
70

5pm, closed mid-Dec–mid-Jan)
to ‘the Missing of the
Somme’ marks the site
of a German stronghold PHOTOICONIX / SHUTTERSTOCK ©
that was stormed on 1
July 1916 with unimagi-
nable casualties. Thiepval
catches visitors off guard,
both with its monumen-
tality and its staggering
simplicity: inscribed
below the enormous
arch, which is visible
from miles around, are
the names of more than
72,000 British and South
African soldiers whose
remains were never re-
covered or identified. The Thievpal Memorial to 'the Missing of the Somme'
Museum at Thiepval, run
by Péronne’s outstanding Across the Somme
Historial de la Grande River, gondola-like boats 9 Villers-
Guerre (p72), opened offer tours of the Hortil- Bretonneux
in 2016. lonnages (%03 22 92 12 During WWI, 46,000 of
18; [email protected]; 54
The Drive » A 44km ride on bd Beauvillé; adult/child €6/4; Australia’s 313,000 vol-
the D73 and the D929 brings h1.30-5pm Apr-Oct), vast unteer soldiers met their
you to Amiens. market gardens that have deaths on the Western
supplied the city with Front (14,000 others
perished elsewhere). In
8 Amiens vegetables and flowers the village of Villers-
since the Middle Ages.
Amiens’ attractive Literature buffs will Bretonneux, the Musée
pedestrianised city love the Maison de Jules Franco-Australien (%03
centre offers a relaxing Verne (%03 22 45 45 75; 22 96 80 79; www.musee
break from the battle- www.amiens.fr/maison-jules- australien.com; 9 rue Victoria,
fields. Climb the north verne; 2 rue Charles Dubois; Villers-Bretonneux; adult/child
tower of breathtaking adult/child €7.50/4, English €5/3; h9.30am-5.30pm
13th-century Cathédrale audio guide €2; h10am- Mon-Sat, to 4.30pm Nov-Feb),
Notre Dame (place Notre 12.30pm & 2-6pm Mon & Wed- scheduled to reopen in
Dame; north tower adult/child Fri, 2-6pm Sat & Sun year-round, late 2016 after compre-
€5.50/free, audioguide €4; 2-6.30pm Tue & from 11am hensive renovations,
hcathedral 8.30am-5.15pm Sat & Sun mid-Apr–mid-Oct), displays a collection of
daily, north tower to mid-after- the turreted home where highly personal WWI
noon Wed-Mon), a Unesco Jules Verne wrote some Australiana, including
World Heritage Site, for of his best-known works letters and photo graphs
stupendous views of the of science fiction. that evoke life on the
town; a free, 45-minute front. The names of
light show bathes the ca- 54 p73 10,982 Australian soldiers
thedral’s façade in vivid The Drive »Take the D1029 whose remains were never
medieval colours nightly 19km east to Villers-Bretonneux. found are engraved on
in summer. the base of the 32m-high


71

DETOUR:
CLAIRIÈRE DE L’ARMISTICE

Start: b Somme American Cemetery
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, WWI officially ended
at Clairière de l’Armistice (Armistice Clearing), 7km northeast of the city of
Compiègne, with the signing of an armistice inside the railway carriage of Allied
supreme commander Maréchal Ferdinand Foch. In the same forest clearing, in
an almost identical railroad car, the Musée de l’Armistice (%03 44 85 14 18; www.
musee-armistice-14-18.fr; adult/child €5/3; h10am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, closed Tue Oct-Dec, Feb & Mar,
closed Jan) commemorates these events with memorabilia, newspaper clippings and
stereoscopic photos that capture – in 3D – all the mud, muck and misery of WWI;
some of the furnishings, hidden away during WWII, were the ones actually used in 1918.
From the Somme American Cemetery, take the D1044, D1 and D1032 94km
southwest towards Compiègne, then follow signs 8km east along the N1031 and
D546 to Clairière de l’Armistice.


Australian National War of the war chronologically,
Memorial (%03 21 21 77 00; with equal space given to b Somme American
www.ww1westernfront.gov.au), the French, British and Cemetery
2km north of town. German perspectives.
Visually engaging exhib- In late September 1918,
The Drive » From the just six weeks before the
Australian National War its, including period films end of WWI, American
Memorial, take the D23 briefly and bone-chilling engrav- units – flanked by their
north, then meander east ings by Otto Dix, capture
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 4 IN FLANDERS FIELDS
through pretty rolling country, the aesthetic sensibilities, Commonwealth allies –
roughly paralleling the Somme enthusiasm, naive patriot- launched an assault on
River, along the D71, D1 and ism and unimaginable the Germans’ heavily for-
D1017 into Péronne. violence of the time. tified Hindenburg Line.
For excellent English- Some of the fiercest fight-
TRIP HIGHLIGHT language brochures ing took place near the
village of Bony, on the
a Péronne about the battlefields, sloping site now occupied
visit Péronne’s tourist of-
Housed in a fortified me- fice (%03 22 84 42 38; www. by the 1844 Latin crosses
dieval château, Péronne’s hautesomme-tourisme.com; 16 and Stars of David of the
award-winning museum, place André Audinot; h10am- serene Somme American
Historial de la Grande noon & 2-5pm or 6pm Mon-Sat Cemetery (www.abmc.
Guerre (%03 22 83 14 18; Sep-Jun, plus 9am-12.30pm & gov; Bony; h9am-5pm);
www.historial.org; Château 1.30-6.30pm Sun Jul & Aug), the names of 333 other
de Péronne; adult/child incl opposite the museum. men whose remains were
audioguide €9/4.50; h9.30am- never recovered are
5pm, closed Wed Oct-Mar, closed 4 p73 inscribed on the walls of
mid-Dec–mid-Feb), provides a The Drive »The American the Memorial Chapel.
superb overview of WWI’s cemetery is 24km east-
historical and cultural northeast of Péronne via the D6,
context, telling the story D406 and D57.




72

Eating & Sleeping


W) Occupying a magnificent hôtel particulier
Lille 1 (private mansion) built in 1748, this very
romantic B&B is filled with antiques, art and
5 Au Vieux de la Vieille Flemish € books on WWI. Some of the five imaginatively
(%03 20 13 81 64; www.estaminetlille.fr; 2-4 rue designed rooms and suites still have their
des Vieux Murs; mains €12-15; hnoon-2pm & original woodwork and marble fireplaces.
7-10pm daily, to 10.30pm Fri & Sat; W) Hops hang Australian host Rodney, formerly of Australia’s
from the rafters at this estaminet (Flemish-style Department of Veterans’ Affairs, is a great
eatery), where specialities include carbonade resource.
flamande (braised beef slow-cooked with beer,
onions, brown sugar and ginger bread) and
Welsh au Maroilles (toast and ham smothered Amiens 8
with Maroilles cheese melted in beer). From Bistro €
about March to October there’s outdoor seating 5 Le T’chiot Zinc
on picturesque place aux Oignons. (%03 22 91 43 79; 18 rue de Noyon; menus
€15.90-29.90; hnoon-2.30pm Mon-Sat &
4 Grand Hôtel 7-10.30pm Tue-Sat; Wv) Inviting, bistro-style PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 4 IN FLANDERS FIELDS
Bellevue Historic Hotel €€ decor reminiscent of the belle époque provides
(%03 20 57 45 64; www.grandhotelbellevue. a fine backdrop for tasty, homestyle French
com; 5 rue Jean Roisin; d €100-200; aiW; and Picard cuisine, including fish dishes and
mRihour) Opened in 1913, this grand caqhuse (pork in a cream, wine vinegar and
establishment has 60 spacious rooms with high onion sauce).
ceilings, all-marble bathrooms, gilded picture 4 Hôtel Marotte Boutique Hotel €€€
frames and a mix of inlaid-wood antiques and
ultra-modern furnishings. For an extra €20 (%03 60 12 50 00; www.hotel-marotte.com; 3
you can have fine views of place du Général de rue Marotte; d €165-300, q €365-435; aiW)
Gaulle – a bargain! Doubles as the honorary Modern French luxury at its most elegant and
consulate of Brazil. romantic. All 12 light-drenched rooms are huge
(at least 35 sq metres), but the two sauna suites
(100 sq metres), sporting one-piece stone
Arras 5 bathtubs weighing 1½ tonnes, are really luxury
apartments. Perfect for a honeymoon.
5 Café Georget Bistro €
(%03 21 71 13 07; 42 place des Héros; plat du
jour €9.50, sandwiches from €3.50; hcafé Péronne a
8am-9pm daily, lunch noon-2pm Mon-Sat; W) 4 Hôtel Le Saint-Claude Hotel €€
Madame Delforge has been presiding over this
unpretentious old-time café – and preparing (%03 22 79 49 49; www.hotelsaintclaude.
dishes comme à la maison (as she would at com; 42 place du Commandant Louis Daudré;
home) – since 1985. Drop by for a quick trip d €86-112; W) Originally a relais de poste
back to the France of François Mitterrand. (coaching inn), the Saint-Claude is in the centre
of Péronne just 200m from the Historial. The
4 La Corne d’Or B&B €€ 40 contemporary rooms are decorated in
(%03 21 58 85 94; www.lamaisondhotes.com; adventurous colours and have ultra-modern
1 place Guy Mollet; d incl breakfast €125-155; bathrooms.







73

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Location Caption details to go here

#



ESPERANZA33 / GETTY IMAGES ©
Champagne
Taster 5








From musty cellars to vine-striped hillsides, this Champagne
adventure whisks you through the heart of the region to explore
the world’s favourite celebratory tipple. It’s time to quaff!

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
3 DAYS
0 km 25 km 85KM / 53 MILES
Reims Verzenay
l
Descend into the # 1 L Climb to the top
cellars of Mumm # # # of a lighthouse for GREAT FOR…
and Taittinger # Vrigny Champagne views
HB
Rilly-la-
Montagne BEST TIME TO GO
# # #
2
# # # April to June for
Mailly-
Champagne spring sunshine
or September and
October to see the
harvest in Champagne.
Cumières # Dizy
# ESSENTIAL
# # #
65 km # I PHOTO
5
Épernay Overlooking glossy
Tick off the
prestigious names vineyards from the
along the av de Phare de Verzenay.
Champagne 85 km
m K Le Mesnil-sur-Oger K BEST FOR
# # #
# 7
View vintage
CULTURE
Champagne-making
equipment at the Sip Champagne in
village museum
the cellars of Moët &
Chandon.
Champ 75
Location Caption details to go hereagne Vineyards along the Marne River

#
\
/ ·
A26
125 km to
F G / · Tinqueux \ #
1
‚
A4
5 Champagne Vrigny # \ # la-Montagne
Coulommes-
Taster
\
Pargny-
\
\
#
lès-Reims # Jouy-lès- Reims
‘My only regret in life is that I didn’t drink enough Sacy \ #
Champagne,’ wrote the economist John Maynard Ecueil # \
Keynes, but by the end of this tour, you’ll have drunk
enough bubbly to last several lifetimes. Starting # \ Chamery # \
and ending at the prestigious Champagne centres Pourcy Sermiers \ #
of Reims and Épernay, this fizz-fuelled trip includes 0 ¸
#
\
stops at some of the world’s most famous producers D386
– with ample time for tasting en route. Poucy
#
\
Nanteuil-
la-Forêt
St- Imoges # \
0 ¸
Fleury-la- D951
Rivière
# \
Champillon
\ #
Hautvillers 4 # # # \
# \ 0 ¸
D386
# Damery # \
\
Cumières # Dizy
producer. One-hour tours \
Marne / ·
D1
explore its enormous cel- \ #
TRIP HIGHLIGHT Vauciennes /· # \
lars, filled with 25 million D3 Magenta
1 Reims bottles of bubbly, and \ # Épernay 5 # # # \
\ #
There’s nowhere better include tastings of several d'Epernay
Forêt
to start your Champagne vintages.
tour than the regal city of North of town,
Reims. Several big names Taittinger (%03 26 85 45 Vinay Moussy
\
#
have their caves (wine cel- 35; www.taittinger.com; 9 \ # # \ / ·
D10
lars) nearby. Mumm (%03 place St-Niçaise; tours €17-45; Chavot-Courcourt # \ Cuis
26 49 59 70; www.mumm.com; h9.30am-5.30pm, shorter Monthelon # \
34 rue du Champ de Mars; tours hours & closed weekends #
#
6
\
incl tasting €20-45; htours Oct-Mar) provides an Morangis \ # # Mancy
9.30am-1pm & 2-6pm daily, informative overview of # Moslins \ #
\
shorter hours & closed Sun Oct- how Champagne is actu-
Mar), pronounced ‘moom’, ally made – you’ll leave Forêt de
Brugny
is the only maison in with a good understand- Bois
central Reims. Founded ing of the production D'Argensolle
in 1827, it’s the world’s process, from grape to Gionges # \
third-largest Champagne bottle. Parts of the cellars # \ \ #
Chaltrait Villers-
aux-Bois
76
\ #

# e 0 0 5 miles 10 km occupy Roman stone
l
L quarries dug in the 4th
century.
Before you leave town,
# don’t forget to drop
# 1
# ] Reims
# \
by Waïda (5 place Drouet
d’Erlon; h7.30am-7.30pm
Tue-Fri, 7.30am-8pm Sat,
0 ¸ 8am-2pm & 3.30-7.30pm
D944
Sun), an old-fashioned
confectioner which sells
F G Reims’ famous biscuits
2
0 ¸ roses (pink biscuits), a
D951
/ · sweet treat traditionally
A4
nibbled with a glass of
Villers- Champagne.
Allerand
\ # Chigny- Verzenay 54 p83
# \ les-Roses
\ #
2
# \ Rilly-la- \ # \ # # #
Montagne # \ Mailly- Verzy The Drive » The countryside PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 5 CHAMPAGNE TASTER
Ludes- Champagne # between Reims and Épernay is
#
# 3
\
le-Coquet carpeted with vineyards, fields
Parc Naturel Villers- # \ and back roads that are a dream
Régional de la Montagne Marmery
de Reims to drive through. From Reims,
head south along the D951 for
13km. Near Mont Chenot, turn
\ # Germaine
# \ Trepail onto the D26, signposted to
Louvois # \ Rilly and the ‘Route Touristique
CHAMPAGNE- \ #
ARDENNE du Champagne’. The next 12km
takes you through the pretty
Fontaine-
# \ sur-Ay Bouzy villages of Rilly-la-Montagne
Avenay- # \ \ # and Mailly-Champagne en route
#
\
Val-d'Or Ambonnay to Verzenay.
# \
Mutigny \ #
Tours-
Mareuil- sur-Marne Conde-
# \
Ay sur-Ay # \ sur-Marne LINK
# \ \ #
Marne YOUR
TRIP
# \
Chouilly Essential France
/ · 1 Lying 150km west
D3
of Épernay, Paris marks
the beginning of our epic
journey around France’s
MARNE
# Cramant most essential sights.
#
6
# \ Avize 2 A Toast to Art
/ · Pick up our art-
D10
# Oger themed tour in Reims,
\
where it takes in the city’s
m K renowned Musée des
#
Le Mesnil-sur-Oger
# 7
#
\
# \ Beaux-Arts.
0 ¸
D933
77

demonstrates the four
authorised techniques for 4 Hautvillers
tying grapevines to guide
wires. Next stop is the hilltop
village of Hautvillers, a
The Drive » Continue south hallowed name among
along the D26 for 3km. Champagne aficionados:
TRIP HIGHLIGHT it’s where a Benedictine
2 Verzenay 3 Verzy monk by the name of
Dom Pierre Pérignon
Reims marks the start This village is home to is popularly believed to
of the 70km Montagne several small vineyards have created Champagne
de Reims Champagne that provide an interest- in the late 16th century.
Route, the prettiest (and ing contrast to the big The great man’s tomb lies
most prestigious) of the producers. Étienne and in front of the altar of the
three signposted road Anne-Laure Lefevre Église Abbatiale.
routes that wind their (%03 26 97 96 99; www.cham The village itself is
way through the Cham- pagne-etienne-lefevre.com; 30 well worth a stroll, with a
pagne vineyards. Of the rue de Villers; h9-11.30am jumble of lanes, timbered
17 grand cru villages & 1.30-5.30pm Mon-Sat) houses and stone-walled
in Champagne, nine lie run group tours of their vineyards. On place de la
on and around the family-owned vineyards République, the tourist
Montagne, a hilly area and cellars – if you’re on office (%03 26 57 06 35;
whose sheltered slopes your own, ring ahead www.tourisme-hautvillers.
and chalky soils provide to see if you can join a com; place de la République;
the perfect environment pre-arranged tour. There h9.30am-1pm & 1.30-5.30pm
for viticulture (grape are no flashy videos or Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun, short-
growing). multimedia shows – the er hours winter) hands out
Most of the area’s vine- emphasis is firmly on the free maps detailing local
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 5 CHAMPAGNE TASTER
yards are devoted to the nitty-gritty of Cham- vineyard walks; one-hour
pinot noir grape. You’ll pagne production. guided tours cost €3 (€5
pass plenty of produc- For a glass of fizz high with a tasting).
ers offering dégustation above the treetops, seek Steps away is Au 36
(tasting) en route. It’s out the sleek Perch- (www.au36.net; 36 rue Dom
up to you how many ing Bar (www.perchingbar. Pérignon; h10.30am-6pm
you choose to visit – but eu; Forêt de Brise-Charrette; Tue-Sun, closed Christmas-
whatever you do, don’t hnoon-2pm & 4-8pm Wed- early Mar), a wine boutique
miss the panorama of Sun mid-Apr–mid-Dec) deep with a ‘wall’ of Cham-
vines seen from the top in the forest. pagne quirkily arranged
of the Phare de Verzenay by aroma. There’s a
(Verzenay Lighthouse; www. The Drive » Stay on the tasting room upstairs; a
lepharedeverzenay.com; D26; D26 south of Verzy, and enjoy two-/three-glass session
lighthouse adult/child €3/2, wide-open countryside views costs €12/16.
as you spin south to Ambonnay.
museum €8/4, combined Detour west onto the D19,
ticket €9/5; h10am-5pm signed to Bouzy, and bear right The Drive » From the centre
Tue-Fri, to 5.30pm Sat & Sun, onto the D1 along the northern of the village, take the rte de
Cumières for grand views across
closed Jan), a lighthouse bank of the Marne River. When the vine-cloaked slopes. Follow
constructed as a publicity you reach the village of Dizy, the road all the way to the D1,
gimmick in 1909. Nearby, follow signs onto the D386 to turn left and follow signs to
the Jardin Panoramique Hautvillers. It’s a total drive of Épernay’s centre-ville, 6km to
32km or 45 minutes. the south.

78

nean cellars, containing 9.30-11.30am & 2-4.30pm
TRIP HIGHLIGHT an estimated 200 million Mon-Fri mid-Nov–Mar) offers
5 Épernay bottles of vintage bubbly. frequent and fascinat-
Most of the big names
ing one-hour tours of its
The prosperous town are arranged along the prestigious cellars, while
of Épernay is the self- grand av de Champagne. at nearby Mercier (%03
proclaimed capitale du Moët & Chandon (%03 26 26 51 22 22; www.champagne
champagne and is home 51 20 20; www.moet.com; 20 mercier.fr; 68-70 av de Cham-
to many of the most av de Champagne; adult incl pagne; adult incl 1/2/3 glasses
illustrious Champagne 1/2 glasses €23/28, 10-18yr €14/19/22 Mon-Fri, €16/21/25
houses. Beneath the €10; htours 9.30-11.30am Sat & Sun, 12-17yr €8; htours
streets are an astonish- & 2-4.30pm Apr–mid-Nov, 9.30-11.30am & 2-4.30pm,
ing 110km of subterra-


CHAMPAGNE KNOW-HOW

Types of Champagne
» Blanc de Blancs Champagne made using only chardonnay grapes. Fresh and PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 5 CHAMPAGNE TASTER
elegant, with very small bubbles and a bouquet reminiscent of ‘yellow fruits’ such as
pear and plum.
» Blanc de Noirs A full-bodied, deep golden Champagne made solely with black
grapes (despite the colour). Often rich and refined, with great complexity and a
long finish.
» Rosé Pink Champagne (mostly served as an aperitif) with a fresh character and
summer-fruit flavours. Made by adding a small percentage of red pinot noir to white
Champagne.
» Prestige Cuvée The crème de la crème of Champagne. Usually made with grapes
from Grand Cru vineyards and priced and bottled accordingly.
» Millésimé Vintage Champagne produced from a single crop during an
exceptional year. Most Champagne is nonvintage.
Sweetness
» Brut Dry; most common style; pairs well with food.
» Extra Sec Fairly dry but sweeter than Brut; nice as an aperitif.
» Demi Sec Medium sweet; goes well with fruit and dessert.
» Doux Very sweet; a dessert Champagne.
Serving & Tasting
» Chilling Chill Champagne in a bucket of ice for 30 minutes before serving. The
ideal serving temperature is 7°C to 9°C.
» Opening Grip the bottle securely and tilt it at a 45-degree angle facing away from
you. Rotate the bottle slowly to ease out the cork – it should sigh, not pop.
» Pouring Hold the flute by the stem at an angle and let the Champagne trickle
gently into the glass – less foam, more bubbles.
» Tasting Admire the colour and bubbles. Swirl your glass to release the aroma and
inhale slowly before tasting the Champagne.


79

WHY THIS IS A ALEXEY FEDORENKO / GETTY IMAGES ©
CLASSIC TRIP
KERRY CHRISTIANI,
WRITER
ONZEG / GETTY IMAGES ©
You can sip Champagne anywhere,
but a road trip really slips under
the skin of these Unesco-listed
vineyards. Begin with an eye-
opening, palate-awakening tour and
tasting at grande maison cellars
in Épernay and Reims. I love the
far-reaching view from Phare de
Verzenay and touring the back
roads in search of small producers,
especially when the aroma of new
wine hangs in the air and the vines
are golden in autumn.


Top: Fortress, Champagne
Left: Glasses of Champagne
Right: Marne River with Épernay in background

closed mid-Dec–mid-Feb)
tours take place aboard
a laser-guided under-
ground train.
Serious quaffers might
prefer the intimate tours
at Champagne Georges
YVES TALENSAC / GETTY IMAGES ©
Cartier (%03 26 32 06 22;
www.georgescartier.com; 9
rue Jean Chandon Moët; adult
incl 1/2 glasses €12/16, 2-glass
Grand Cru €22, 3-glass vintage
€35; htours 10.30am, noon,
2.30pm, 4pm Tue-Sun), whose
warren of cellars and pas-
sageways, hewn out of the
chalk in the 18th century,
is incredibly atmospheric.
Look out for the fasci- PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 5 CHAMPAGNE TASTER
nating WWII graffiti.
Tours are followed by a
tasting of the maison’s
Champagnes.
Finish with a climb up
the 237-step tower at De
Castellane (%03 26 51 19
11; www.castellane.com; 57
rue de Verdun; adult incl 1 glass
€14, under 12yr free; htours
10am-11pm & 2-5pm, closed
Christmas–mid-Mar), which
offers knockout views
over the town’s rooftops
and vine-clad hills.
54 p83
The Drive » Head south of
town along av Maréchal Foch
or av du 8 Mai 1945, following
‘Autres Directions’ signs across
the roundabouts until you see
signs for Cramant. The village is
10km southeast of Épernay via
the D10.


6 Cramant
You’ll find it hard to miss
this quaint village, as
the northern entrance is


81

THE SCIENCE OF CHAMPAGNE
Champagne is made from the red pinot noir (38%), the black pinot meunier (35%)
or the white chardonnay (27%) grape. Each vine is vigorously pruned and trained to
produce a small quantity of high-quality grapes. Indeed, to maintain exclusivity (and
price), the designated areas where grapes used for Champagne can be grown and
the amount of wine produced each year are limited.
Making Champagne according to the méthode champenoise (traditional method)
is a complex procedure. There are two fermentation processes, the first in casks and
the second after the wine has been bottled and had sugar and yeast added. Bottles
are then aged in cellars for two to five years, depending on the cuvée (vintage).
For two months in early spring the bottles are aged in cellars kept at 12°C and
the wine turns effervescent. The sediment that forms in the bottle is removed by
remuage, a painstakingly slow process in which each bottle, stored horizontally, is
rotated slightly every day for weeks until the sludge works its way to the cork. Next
comes dégorgement: the neck of the bottle is frozen, creating a blob of solidified
Champagne and sediment, which is then removed.


heralded by a two-storey- press dating to 1630.
high Champagne bottle. TRIP HIGHLIGHT Reservations can be
From the ridge above 7 Le Mesnil-sur- made by phone or online;
the village, views stretch Oger ask about the availability
out in all directions of English tours when
across the Champagne Finish with a visit to the you book.
countryside, taking in a excellent Musée de la Round off your trip
patchwork of fields, farm- Vigne et du Vin (%03 26 with lunch at La Gare
houses and rows upon 57 50 15; www.champagne-lau- (%03 26 51 59 55; www.
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 5 CHAMPAGNE TASTER
rows of endless vines. nois.fr; 2 av Eugène Guillaume, lagarelemesnil.com; 3 place
Pack a picnic and your cnr D10; adult incl 3 flutes de la Gare; menus €18-26;
own bottle of bubbly for €12; htours 10am Mon-Fri, hnoon-1.30pm Mon-Wed,
the perfect Champagne 10.30am Sat & Sun), where noon-1.30pm & 7-9pm Thu-Sat;
country lunch. a local wine-growing c), which prides itself on
family has assembled a serving bistro-style grub
The Drive » Continue collection of century-old prepared with seasonal
southeast along the D10 for Champagne-making
7km, and follow signs to Le- equipment. Among the produce, simple as pork
Mesnil-sur-Oger. tenderloin with cider and
highlights is a massive potatoes. There’s a €9
16-tonne oak-beam grape menu for les petits.















82

Eating & Sleeping




Reims 1 Épernay 5
5 Brasserie 5 La Cave à
Le Boulingrin Brasserie €€ Champagne Regional Cuisine €€
(%03 26 40 96 22; www.boulingrin.fr; 29-31 (%03 26 55 50 70; www.la-cave-a-champagne.
rue de Mars; menus €20-29; hnoon-2.30pm & com; 16 rue Gambetta; menus €20-38; hnoon-
7-10.30pm Mon-Sat) A genuine, old-time brasserie 2pm & 7-10pm Thu-Mon; c) ‘The Champagne
– the decor and zinc bar date back to 1925 – Cellar’ is well regarded by locals for its
whose ambience and cuisine make it an enduring champenoise cuisine (snail-and-pig’s-trotter
favourite. From September to June, the culinary casserole, fillet of beef in pinot noir), served
focus is on fruits de mer (seafood) such as Breton in a warm, traditional, bourgeois atmosphere.
oysters. There’s always a €9.50 lunch special. You can sample four different Champagnes
for €28.
5 l’Assiette
Champenoise Gastronomy €€€ 5 La Grillade
(%03 26 84 64 64; www.assiettechampenoise. Gourmande French €€ PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 5 CHAMPAGNE TASTER
com; 40 av Paul-Vaillant-Couturier, Tinqueux; (%03 26 55 44 22; www.lagrilladegourmande.
menus €95-255; hnoon-2pm & 7.30-10pm com; 16 rue de Reims; menus €19-59; hnoon-
Thu-Mon, 7.30-10pm Wed) Heralded far and 2pm & 7.30-10pm Tue-Sat) This chic, red-walled
wide as one of Champagne’s finest tables and bistro is an inviting spot to try chargrilled meats
crowned with the holy grail of three Michelin and dishes rich in texture and flavour, such
stars, L’Assiette Champenoise is headed up by as crayfish pan-fried in Champagne and lamb
chef Arnaud Lallemen. Listed by ingredients, his cooked in rosemary and honey until meltingly
intricate, creative dishes rely on outstanding tender. Diners spill out onto the covered terrace
produce and play up integral flavours – be it in the warm months.
Breton lobster, or milk-fed lamb with preserved
vegetables. One for special occasions. 4 La Villa
Eugène Boutique Hotel €€€
4 Les Telliers B&B €€ (%03 26 32 44 76; www.villa-eugene.com; 84
(%09 53 79 80 74; http://telliers.fr; 18 rue av de Champagne; s €160-177, d €216-343, ste
des Telliers; s €67-84, d €79-120, tr €116-141, q €380-398; paWs) Sitting handsomely
€132-162; pW) Enticingly positioned down a astride the av de Champagne in its own grounds
quiet alley near the cathedral, this bijou B&B with an outdoor pool, La Villa Eugène is a class
extends one of Reims’ warmest bienvenues. act. It’s lodged in a beautiful 19th-century town
The high-ceilinged rooms are big on art-deco mansion that once belonged to the Mercier
character, and handsomely decorated with family. The roomy doubles exude understated
ornamental fireplaces, polished oak floors elegance, with soft, muted hues and the odd
and the odd antique. Breakfast costs an extra antique. Splash out more for a private terrace or
€9 and is a generous spread of pastries, fruit, four-poster bed.
fresh-pressed juice and coffee.












83

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991














































Location Caption details to go here

DOUG PEARSON / GETTY IMAGES ©


Alsace Accents 6





French and German cultures come together in Alsace, renowned
for its cosy winstubs and centuries-old wine culture. Enjoy castles,
vineyards, pastel-shaded towns and the canals of Colmar.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
3 DAYS
105KM / 66 MILES
l L

# # 30 km GREAT FOR…
# # 1
HBG
Obernai
Wander the alleys of
this colourful Alsatian
town BEST TIME TO GO
May to October for
65 km # #
# #
3
the best chance of
Dambach-la-Ville sunshine.
Visit one of Alsace's
most striking châteaux
I ESSENTIAL
# Bergheim PHOTO
# #
5 # # 80 km While punting along
Hunawihr the flower-decked
See Alsatian storks at canals of Colmar in a
Hunawihr's bird park romantic rowboat.
105 km m K
# #
# #
9
Colmar
Cruise the canals of K BEST FOR
this chocolate-box FAMILIES
town
Watching the storks
at the Centre de
Réintroduction
Cigognes & Loutres.
D Location Caption details to go hereambach-la-Ville Looking over rooftops towards Église St Étienne 85

LORRAINE


6 Alsace
Accents



Gloriously green and reassuringly rustic, the Route Niederhaslach # \
des Vins d’Alsace is one of France’s most evocative F G
drives. Vines march up the hillsides to castle-topped 2
crags and the mist-shrouded Vosges, and every mile
or so a roadside cellar or half-timbered village invites Mt Ste-
Odile
you to stop and raise a toast. The official route runs (760m)
R
between Marlenheim and Thann, but we’ve factored
in a stop at Colmar, too.

Le Howard # \





13th-century ramparts
TRIP HIGHLIGHT in front of the Église St-
1 Obernai Pierre et St-Paul.
Sitting 31km south of 54 p91
Strasbourg (take the A35
and turn off at exit 11) The Drive » Follow the D422 / · Château du
Haut-
and D1422 for 9km south of
N59
is the typically Alsatian Obernai, then turn off onto the Koenigsbourg
village of Obernai. Life D62. Mittelbergheim is another \ # Ste-Marie- \ #
aux Mines
still revolves around the 1.5km west, among dreamy Saint- Hippolyte \ #
Place du Marché, the vine-covered countryside. Parc Naturel
Régional des
market square where Ballons des Vosges
you’ll find the 16th- Ribeauvillé#
4
century town hall, the 2 Mittelbergheim #
#
5
Renaissance Puits aux Serene and untouristy, Hunawihr #
6
Six Seaux (Six Bucket hillside Mittelbergheim Riquewihr #
#
Well) and the bell-topped sits amid a sea of grape-
Halle aux Blés (Corn vines and wild tulips, its # Bennwihr \ #
# 7
Exchange). Visit on streets lined with red- Kaysersberg
Thursday mornings for roofed houses.
#
the weekly market. Like most Alsatian Katzenthal # 0 ¸
8
There are lots of towns, it’s home to N415
flower-decked alleyways numerous wineries, each Turckheim \ # Colmar #
#
9
to explore – don’t miss marked by a wrought- m K
ruelle des Juifs – and iron sign. Domaine Gilg
you can access the town’s (www.domaine-gilg.com; 2 0 ¸ 170 km to
D417
HAUT- FG
16
RHIN
86 ‚

# e 0 0 5 miles 10 km rue Rotland; h8am-noon
# Marlenheim & 1.30-6pm Mon-Fri, to 5pm
\
Sat, 9.30-11.30am Sun) is a
0 ¸ BAS-RHIN Strasbourg family-run winery that’s
D422
# ^
won many awards for
its Grand Cru sylvaners,
Avolsheim \ #
pinots and rieslings.
Mutzig # Molsheim From the car park
\
# \ \ # \ # on the D362 next to the
Altorf F G Illkirch-
# \ 2
\ # Graffenstaden cemetery, a vineyard
Dorlisheim trail, the Sentier Viticole,
Rosheim # \ / · Fegersheim \ # # \ winds towards the
L
l Exchau twin-towered Château
N83
du Haut Andlau and the
# Obernai forested Vosges.
# 1
# \
R Niedernai The Drive » Follow rue
Erstein Principale onto the D425,
0 ¸ Goxwiller \ # Rhine signed to Eichhoffen. The road
\
#
D1422
\
Barr # \ # Gertwiller winds through lush Alsatian PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 6 ALSAcE AccENTS
countryside and becomes the
# D35 as it travels to Dambach-la-
#
2
Mittelbergheim Ville, 12km south.
# Benfield
\
# Itterswiller / · TRIP HIGHLIGHT
\
D5
/ · 3 Dambach-la-Ville
A35
# Dambach- Dambach is another
#
3
la-Ville
ALSACE Rust # \ chocolate-box village,
with lots of pre-1500
houses painted in ice-
# \ Scherwiller
cream shades of pistachio,
/ · # Sélestat 0 ¸
D35
\
D468
# \ Kintzheim
# \
# \ LINK
0 ¸ YOUR
D424
TRIP
# Schnellenbuhl
\
2 A Toast to Art
Our art tour ends in
Strasbourg, so it’s a natural
# Sasbach
addition to this trip along
\
the Route des Vins d’Alsace.
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
g The Jura
Kaiserstuhl Travel 170km
/ · (560m) southwest to Besançon to
A35
R
# Achkarren take a jaunt through the
\
0 ¸ mountains and plateaus of
the Jura.
N415
Breisach-
Ill # am-Rhein
\
Neuf- Brisach # \ 87

caramel and raspberry. share it with crowds
To the southwest is the during the busy season.
Château du Haut Kœnigs- Along the main street, PIGPROX / GETTY IMAGES ©
bourg (www.haut-koenigs keep an eye out for the
bourg.fr; Orschwiller; adult/ 17th-century Pfifferhüs
child €9/5; h9.15am-6pm, (Fifers’ House; 14 Grand’Rue),
shorter hours winter), a which once housed
turreted castle hover- the town’s fife-playing
ing above vineyards and minstrels; the Hôtel de
hills. The castle dates Ville and its Renaissance
back nine centuries, but it fountain; and the nearby
was rebuilt (with typical clock-topped Tour des
grandiosity) by Kaiser Bouchers (Butchers’ Bell
Wilhelm II in 1908. The Tower).
wraparound panorama It’s also worth stop-
from its pink-granite ping in at the Cave de
ramparts alone is worth Ribeauvillé (%03 89 73 20
the admission fee. 35; www.vins-ribeauville.com;
2 rte de Colmar; h8am-noon
The Drive » Stay on the D35,
which becomes the D1B as it & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-noon
nears Ribeauvillé, 22km south. & 2-6pm Sat & Sun), France’s
It’s a truly lovely drive, travelling oldest winegrowers’
through carpets of vines and cooperative, founded in
quiet villages. You’ll see the turn- 1895. It has an interest-
off to the château about halfway ing viniculture museum
to Ribeauvillé. and offers free tastings
of its excellent wines. It’s
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 6 ALSAcE AccENTS
two roundabouts north
4 Ribeauvillé from the tourist office.
Nestled snugly in a valley
and presided over by a 54 p91 TRIP HIGHLIGHT
castle, medieval Ribeau- The Drive » Hunawihr 5 Hunawihr
villé is a Route des Vins is located 2.5km south of Cigognes (white storks)
must – so you’ll definitely Ribeauvillé. are Alsace’s most
emblematic birds. They
feature in many folk tales
and are believed to bring
DRIVING THE ROUTE DES VINS good luck (as well as
newborn babies). They’ve
The Route des Vins is signposted, but a copy of been roosting on roof-
Blay’s colour-coded map Alsace Touristique (€5.95) tops here for centuries,
comes in handy. but their numbers fell
Tourist offices supply free English-language maps – dramatically during the
The Alsace Wine Route and Alsace Grand Cru Wines 20th century as a result
– detailing Alsace’s prestigious AOC regions, and of environmental damage
there’s info online at www.alsace-route-des-vins.com. and habitat loss.
Parking can be a nightmare in the high season, Thankfully, conser-
especially in Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr; your best bet vation programs have
is to park outside the town centre and walk for a few helped revive the birds’
minutes. fortunes. The Centre de


88

Riquewihr Vineyards surrounding the village
Réintroduction Cigognes Vins. Medieval ram- €4, incl Dolder €6; h10.30am-
& Loutres (Stork & Otter parts enclose a maze of 1pm & 2-6pm Easter-Oct)
Reintroduction Centre; www. twisting lanes and half- houses a gruesome
cigogne-loutre.com; rte des timbered houses, each torture chamber that’s
Vins; adult/child €9.50/8.50; brighter and lovelier than guaranteed to enthral
h10am-6.30pm, closed the next. the kids.
Nov-Mar) houses more On rue du Général de The late 13th-century,
than 200 storks, plus Gaulle, the Maison de half-timbered Dolder
cormorants, penguins, Hansi (16 rue du Général (www.musee-riquewihr.fr; €4,
otters and sea lions. de Gaulle; adult/child €3/2; incl Tour des Voleurs €6; h2-
h9.30am-12.30pm & 6pm Sat & Sun Apr-Nov, daily
The Drive » Backtrack to
the D1B and travel 4km south, 1.30-6.30pm, shorter hours Jul–mid-Aug), topped by a
following signs to Riquewihr. winter) offers a glimpse 25m bell tower, is worth
Distant hills unfold to the south into the imagination of a look for its panoramic
as you drive. Colmar-born illustra- views and small local-
tor Jean-Jacques Waltz history museum.
(1873–1951), aka Hansi,
6 Riquewihr whose idealised images The Drive » A scenic minor
road winds 7km south from
Competition is stiff, but of Alsace are known av Méquillet in Kaysersberg
Riquewihr just may be around the world. to Kientzheim, then joins
the most enchanting Meanwhile, the Tour the D28 for another 1km to
town on the Route des des Voleurs (Thieves’ Tower; Kaysersberg.

89

hillside, topped by the Turenne bridge for that
7 Kaysersberg medieval ruins of Châ- Venetian vibe.
Just 10km northwest of teau du Wineck, where The town also
Colmar, Kaysersberg is walks through forest and has some intriguing
another instant heart- vineyard begin. museums. The star at-
traction at the Musée
It’s also a great place
stealer with its backdrop
of vines, castle and 16th- for some wine tasting d’Unterlinden (www.
century bridge. An old- thanks to Vignoble Klur musee-unterlinden.com; 1
town saunter through the (%03 89 80 94 29; www.klur. rue d’Unterlinden; adult/child
Vieille Ville brings you to net; 105 rue des Trois Epis; €13/8; h10am-6pm Mon,
the Renaissance hôtel de 2-bed apt €82-96, 4-bed apt Wed & Fri-Sun, to 8pm Thu) is
ville and the red-sand- €105-120), an organic, the Rétable d’Issenheim
stone Église Ste-Croix family-run winery that (Issenheim Altarpiece),
(h9am-4pm), whose altar also offers cookery a medieval masterpiece
has 18 painted panels classes, vineyard walks that depicts scenes from
and back-to-nature
the New Testament.
of the Passion and the
Resurrection. holidays. Meanwhile, the Musée
Kaysersberg was also The Drive » Rejoin the D415. Bartholdi (www.musee-
the birthplace of Albert Colmar is another 8km south bartholdi.fr; 30 rue des
Schweitzer (1875–1965), and is clearly signed. Marchands; adult/child €5/
a musicologist, doctor free; h10am-noon & 2-6pm
and winner of the Nobel TRIP HIGHLIGHT Wed-Mon Mar-Dec) is the
Peace Prize. His house is 9 colmar birthplace of sculp-
tor Frédéric Auguste
now a museum (126 rue du
Général de Gaulle; adult/child At times the Route des Bartholdi, architect of
the Statue of Liberty.
€2/1; h9am-noon & 2-6pm Vins d’Alsace fools you
Easter-early Nov). into thinking it’s 1454, Highlights include a
PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 6 ALSAcE AccENTS
but in Colmar the illusion full-sized model of Lady
The Drive » Take the N415 is complete. Liberty’s left ear (the lobe
southeast of Kaysersberg Mosey around the is watermelon-sized!) and
for 7km, passing through the family’s sparklingly
Ammerschwihr and then canal quarter of Petite bourgeois apartment.
following signs to Katzenthal. Venise (Little Venice)
then head along rue Look out for the
des Tanneurs, with its miniature version of
8 Katzenthal rooftop verandahs for the statue on the rte du
Strasbourg (N83), erected
A mere 5km south of drying hides, and quai to mark the centenary of
Kaysersberg, Katzenthal de la Poissonnerie, the Bartholdi’s death.
is great for tiptoeing off former fishermen’s quar-
the tourist trail. Grand ter. Afterwards, hire a 54 p91
cru vines ensnare the rowboat (per 30 minutes
€6) beside the rue de











90

Eating & Sleeping


4 Le Clos
Obernai 1 Saint Vincent Boutique Hotel €€€
(%03 89 73 67 65; www.leclossaintvincent.
5 La Fourchette com; Osterbergweg; s €150-270, d €170-300,
des Ducs Gastronomy €€€ tr €280-320; pWs) Gasp you might as you
(%03 88 48 33 38; www.lafourchettedesducs. crest the hill and gaze out across the vines
com; 6 rue de la Gare; menus €120-155; h7- and the wooded peaks of the Vosges from this
9.30pm Tue-Sat, noon-1.30pm Sun) A great elegant guesthouse. The sound is silence and
believer in fastidious sourcing, chef Nicolas the smart, light-drenched rooms capitalise on
Stamm serves regional cuisine with gourmet those incredible views, as does the restaurant,
panache and a signature use of herbs to a serving French cuisine inspired by the seasons.
food-literate crowd at this two-Michelin-starred An indoor pool and a little spa area invite
restaurant. The tasting menus go with the relaxation.
seasons, featuring specialities like Alsatian
pigeon with baerewecke (spiced fruit cake) and
veal with truffles and Menton lemon jus – simple colmar 9 PARIS & NORTHEASTERN FRANCE 6 ALSAcE AccENTS
but sublime.
5 L’Atelier
4 Le Gouverneur Historic Hotel € du Peintre Gastronomy €€€
(%03 88 95 63 72; www.hotellegouverneur. (%03 89 29 51 57; www.atelier-peintre.fr; 1 rue
com; 13 rue de Sélestat; s €55-80, d €65-95, Schongauer; lunch menus €25-30, dinner menu
tr €75-120, q €85-130; pW) Overlooking a €45; hnoon-1.30pm & 7-9.30pm Wed-Sat,
courtyard, this old-town hotel strikes perfect 7-9.30pm Tue) With its art-slung walls and
balance between half-timbered rusticity and carefully composed cuisine, this Michelin-
contemporary comfort. Its petite rooms have a starred bistro lives up to its ‘painter’s studio’
boutiquey feel, with bursts of vivid colour and name. Seasonal masterpieces like roast quail-
art-slung walls. The family-friendly team can breast fillets with hazelnut cream, fricassee of
provide cots and high chairs free of charge.
wild mushrooms and quince, salsify and oregano
jus are cooked with verve and served with
panache. The two-course lunch is a snip at €25.
Ribeauvillé 4
4 Hôtel les Têtes Historic Hotel €€
5 Wistub Zum Pfifferhüs French €€ (%03 89 24 43 43; www.maisondestetes.com;
(%03 89 73 62 28; 14 Grand’Rue; menus €26- 19 rue des Têtes; r €160-305; aW) Luxurious
54; hnoon-1.30pm & 6.30-8.30pm Fri-Tue) If but never precious, this hotel occupies the
it’s good old-fashioned Alsatian grub you’re magnificent Maison des Têtes. Each of its 21
after, look no further than this snug wine tavern, rooms has rich wooden panelling, an elegant
which positively radiates rustic warmth with sitting area, a marble bathroom and romantic
its beams, dark wood and checked tablecloths. views. The plushest rooms have their own
Snag a table for copious dishes like choucroute Jacuzzis. With its wrought ironwork and stained
garnie (sauerkraut with smoked meats), pork glass, the restaurant provides a sumptuously
knuckles and coq au riesling (chicken braised in historic backdrop for French-Alsatian
riesling and herbs). specialities (menus €45 to €95).









91

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Place de la Concorde
If it’s Parisian vistas you’re after, the
place de la Concorde makes a fine
start. From here you can see the Arc
STRETCH de Triomphe, the Assemblée Nationale
(the lower house of parliament), the
YOUR LEGS Jardin des Tuileries and the Seine. Laid
out in 1755, the square was where many
aristocrats lost their heads during the
PARIS Revolution, including Louis XVI and
Marie Antoinette. The obelisk in the
centre originally stood in the Temple of
Ramses at Thebes (now Luxor).
The Walk » Walk east through Jardin des Tuileries.
Jardin des Tuileries
Start Place de la Concorde This 28-hectare landscaped garden
(h7am-11pm Jun-Aug, shorter hours Sep-May;
Finish Panthéon c; mTuileries, Concorde) was laid out
in 1664 by André Le Nôtre, who also
Distance 4.5km created Versailles’ gardens. Filled with
fountains, ponds and sculptures, the
Duration 3 hours gardens are now part of the Banks of
the Seine World Heritage Site, created
by Unesco in 1991.
Paris is one of the world’s most The Walk » Walk across place du Carrousel onto
the Cour Napoléon.
strollable cities, whether that means
window-shopping on the boulevards Musée du Louvre
Overlooking the Cour Napoléon is the
or getting lost among the lanes of mighty Louvre, with its controversial
Montmartre. This walk starts by the 21m-high glass Grande Pyramide,
designed by IM Pei in 1989. Nearby is
Seine, crosses to the Île de la Cité the Pyramide Inversée (Upside-Down
and finishes in the Latin Quarter, Pyramid), which acts as a skylight for
with monuments and museums the underground Carrousel du Louvre
shopping centre.
aplenty en route. The Walk » Continue southeast along riverside
Quai du Louvre to the Pont Neuf metro station.
Pont Neuf
As you cross the Seine, you’ll walk over
Paris’ oldest bridge – ironically known
as the ‘New Bridge’, or Pont Neuf. Henri
IV inaugurated the bridge in 1607 by
crossing it on a white stallion.
Take this walk on Trip
The Walk » Cross the Pont Neuf onto the Île de
1 la Cité. Walk southeast along Quai des Horloges,
and then turn right onto bd du Palais.

92

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#St-François Xavier # ¡ 000 ¡ Cluny–La
#
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# Duroc #St-Placide Luxembourg £ Panthéon # Lemoine
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# # e 0 0 0.4 miles 1 km
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Conciergerie Built in stages between the 11th and
On bd du Palais, elegant Conciergerie 15th centuries, it’s on a gargantuan scale;
(www.monuments-nationaux.fr; 2 bd du Palais, the interior is 130m long, 48m wide and
1er; adult/child €8.50/free, joint ticket with 35m high. Don’t miss the three rose win-
Sainte-Chapelle €15; h9.30am-6pm; mCité) dows, the 7800-pipe organ and a walk up
is a royal palace that became a prison the gargoyle-covered Gothic towers.
and torture chamber for enemies of The Walk » Cross the river on Pont au Double
the Revolution. The 14th-century Salle and follow rue Lagrange to bd St-Germain. Then
des Gens d’Armes (Cavalrymen’s Hall) take rue des Carmes and rue Valette south to the
is Europe’s largest surviving medieval place du Panthéon.
hall. The nearby church of Sainte- Panthéon
Chapelle (joint ticket with Conciergerie €15)
has stunning stained glass. Once you reach the left bank you’re in
the Latin Quarter, the centre of Parisian
The Walk » Continue east along rue de Lutèce, higher education since the Middle Ages,
then cross place du Parvis Notre Dame and walk and home to the city’s top university, the
towards the cathedral.
Sorbonne. Here you’ll find the Panthéon
Cathédrale de Notre Dame (www.monum.fr; place du Panthéon, 5e; adult/
At the eastern end of Île de la Cité, show- child €8.50/free; h10am-6.30pm; mMaubert-
Mutualité or RER Luxembourg), the neoclassi-
stopper Notre Dame (www.cathedraledeparis.
com; 6 place du Parvis Notre Dame, 4e; cathedral cal mausoleum where some of France’s
greatest thinkers are entombed, includ-
free, towers adult/child €8.50/free; hcathedral
8am-6.45pm Mon-Fri, to 7.15pm Sat & Sun; mCité) ing Voltaire, Rousseau and Marie Curie.
is the heart of Paris – it’s from here that The Walk » Walk east to place Monge, take line
all distances in France are measured. 7 to Palais Royal Musée du Louvre, then line 1 west
to Concorde.
93

94

Normandy &



Brittany











NORMANDY OFFERS SOME OF FRANCE’S
MOST ICONIC SIGHTS, including the
poignant memorials along the D-Day beaches.
This beautiful region also enjoys a variety of
dramatic coastal landscapes, quiet pastoral
villages and architectural gems ranging from
Rouen’s medieval old city to the maritime
charms of Honfleur and the striking postwar
modernism of Le Havre.
Further west, beyond its world-famous sights
such as stunning St-Malo, charming Dinan
and delightful Pont-Aven, Brittany has a
wonderfully undiscovered feel. Unexpected
gems include the little-known towns of
Quimper and Vannes, the megaliths of Carnac
and the Presqu’Île de Crozon.



Étretat White cliffs overlook the ocean 95
FABIO NODARI / GETTY IMAGES ©

English
Channel (La
Manche)
Normandy Alderney Cherbourg
& Brittany Herm # ] Tatihou
Île
Sark Arromanches
Régional des FG # \
Parc Naturel
8
Jersey Marais du # ] # ]
Cotentin et Bayeux ^
#
du Bessin # ^ St-Lô
Les
Perros- Minquiers
Guirec Île de
Roscoff # Bréhat
]
\ # 0 ¸ St-Quay- Île des
Île de
Lesneven D786 #Portrieux Cézembre Landes
] ]
#
# ] # ] St-Malo
Brest Morlaix Parc Naturel
] St-Brieuc # ^ Régional
#
Parc Naturel Crozon 0 ¸ # ] Normandie-Maine
N176
Régional Dinan
#
d'Armorique ] BRITTANY # ] Fougères
# Châteaulin
]
Île de
Sein
# ^ Quimper # Rennes
^
Ploërmel # \ Laval
Concarneau # ] # \ F G # ]
Pont-Aven 9
Lorient # ] Rivière
d'Etel
Île de
Bay of Groix # ] Vannes
Biscay # ] Île aux
Carnac
Belle-Île- Moines
en-Mer Île
d'Houat / ·
A11
Parc Naturel
Île d'Hoëdic Régional
de Brière
# e 0 0 50 miles 100 km # Nantes
^
Monet’s Normandy 4 Days Breton Coast 8 Days
7 Investigate the origins of impres- 9 Brittany’s coastline is all about big
sionism, from Étretat’s cliffs to beaches and wild views. (p117)
Monet’s waterlily garden. (p99) Tour des Fromages 5 Days
a Fatten yourself up on this tour of
D-Day’s Beaches 3 Days
8 Follow the course of the WWII Normandy’s creamy cheeses. (p125)
invasion on Normandy’s beaches.
(p107)
96

DON'T
St-Valery- Dieppe
en-Caux # ] # \ Amiens MISS
# \ Neufchâtel-
Étretat FG en-Bray
7
# \ # \
/ · Distillerie Christian
A29
Le Havre # ] Rouen FG Drouin
Forêt de
Trouville & # ] Seine Brotonne # 10 Taste Normandy’s top
^
# \ Deauville # \ Honfleur tipples – calvados and
# ] cider – at this traditional
Ouistreham # \ Les Andelys
# Louviers # ] Forêt de distillery. Refresh
^
Caen FG # ] Lisieux Vernon Chantilly
10
0 ¸ # \ Livarot Beaumont # ] # Giverny yourself on Trip a0
Forêt de
\
N158
#
^
Falaise Evreux Bois du
Chênay
# ] \ # Forêt de
Camembert Breteuil # _ PARIS Musée d’Art
Parc Naturel Forêt de Moderne André
Régional 0 ¸ Rambouillet Malraux
D939
du Perche
This museum in Le
Alençon # ^ Forêt de Forêt de # \ Chartres Havre contains the best
Saussay
Bellême impressionist collection
outside Paris. Soak it all
/ · in on Trip 7
A11
# ] Le Mans
Forêt
Orléans # ] d'Orléans Dinan
# ] Vendôme Explore this beautiful
/ · medieval town replete
A28
Blois with narrow cobblestone
# ]
Forêt streets and squares
de Blois lined with half-timbered
# ] Tours houses. Discover it on
Parc Naturel
Régional Loire Trip 9
Anjou Touraine
# \
Longues-sur-Mer
See where parts of the
famous D-Day film, The
Longest Day (1962), was
filmed – on Trip 8
Île de Batz
Find brilliant sand
beaches on this tiny
speck of paradise. Get
GUY THOUVENIN / ROBERTHARDING / GETTY IMAGES ©
away from it all on
Trip 9
Dinan Old town on the Rance River
97

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