Springtime in Paris? A treasure trove of Easter events and festivals across France

By Chris Leadbeater

Fit for an emperor, Versailles is a French palatial wonder and beautiful in springtime


The woozy taste of a fine Bordeaux; the clink of a coffee cup in a Lyon bistro; the sight of Mont Blanc peeping above the slopes of Courchevel; the view of Paris from below the Sacré Coeur: you never need to think hard to find a reason to visit France.

But spring is an especially pleasant time to visit the home of Napoleon, Thierry Henry and (for now, anyway) Carla Bruni.

It is the season when the UK's sometimes friend next door shakes off its winter slumber, not least in the north and northwest, where a host of events bring the year to life.

Fancy some historical perspective in Rouen or Paris? A dash of jazz in Normandy? A modicum of high culture in up-and-coming Lyon?

The following celebrations and festivals should keep Francophiles busy until summer finally rears its happy head.

Orleans and Rouen
April 29 to may 9 (Orleans); June 5 to 6 (Rouen)
Nearly six centuries after her short life and brutal demise, Joan of Arc still plays a prominent role in french life. One of France's patron saints, her life is celebrated in two festivals in spring and early summer. The Loire city of Orleans goes first, at the end of April, commemorating the heady days of May 1429 when the 17-year-old peasant girl was instrumental in lifting the English siege of the city, turning the tide of the Hundred Years War in the process.

The fetes de Jeanne D'Arc recalls her success through the usual three fs (feasts, falconry, fireworks), parades of knights on horseback and (this being france) food markets.

Around 100 miles to the northwest, Rouen boasts an almost identical event in the first week of June - albeit one played out against a darker backdrop. The capital of Normandy was the scene of Joan's execution, burned at the stake for heresy on May 30, 1431, by her English captors, following a hastily arranged show trial. The L'église Sainte-Jeanned'Arc, a defiantly modern church, now stands on the site of her death, offering a sober contrast to the festival's jesters, stilt-walkers and jollity.

For more information visit: www.fetesjeannedarc.com, www.rouentourisme.com
ParisApril 3 to October 31 (Saturdays and Sundays); May 25 to June 29 (Tues)
For a true dose of historic pomp and ceremony, few (if any) Gallic locations can hope to compete with the architectural exclamation mark that is the palace of Versailles.


One of the marvels of the Industrial Revolution, the Eiffel Tower continues to attract 7million visitors every year


The former seat of the kings of France perches and preens ten miles west of Paris in a haze of priceless paintings, gold livery and unabashed royal narcissism courtesy of its 17th century founder, Louis XIV.

The 221 years since the french Revolution put it out to pasture have scarcely dimmed its majesty - a fact that comes into focus in April, when its gardens (all 400 exquisitely landscaped hectares of them) host Les Grandes Eaux Musicales, an extravaganza where the 50 fountains around the grounds demonstrate their statue-laden grandeur in coordinated displays of shooting water to loud classical music.

Louis XIV, though dead since 1715, probably approves entirely.

For more information: www.chateauversailles.fr www.chateauversaillesspectacles.fr
Normandy

June 5 to 7

Though it is now nearing seven decades since the incredible sacrifices of June 1944 radically altered the course of the Second World War, D-Day remains an occasion that is remembered with commendable and considerable dignity along the 50 miles of the Normandy coastline that witnessed it.

The day itself, June 6, is observed in the shape of quiet memorials at beaches such as Omaha and Utah, with proceedings centred on Arromanches and the Musée du débarquement. further west, Bayeux - which was the first town to be liberated by the incursion of Allied troops - lightens the mood somewhat by throwing a three-day celebratory bash.

Anyone visiting during this period can look forward to fireworks, picnics, guided walks and a reconstruction of a military camp.

For more information visit: www.normandiememoire.com, www.bessin-normandie.com
Loire ValleyApril 29 to October 27

If you like outbreaks of beauty in palace gardens, an alternative to Versailles is the festival International des Jardins, which takes over the grounds of the Château de Chaumont every summer.

Now in its 19th year, this green-fingered affair sees a team of designers create 30 different mini-gardens of varying colour and complexity. The emphasis is on the contemporary, so expect to see everything from trees painted blue to weirdly wonderful uses of tomatoes.

This year's theme is body and soul, which will surely lead to all manner of outlandish confections. The chateau itself, which overlooks the River Loire, has quite a past. Largely built in the 15th century, it was once a favourite of queen Catherine de Medici, who threw lavish parties here. Nostradamus was among the occasional guests.

For more information visit: www.loirevalleytourism.com www.domaine-chaumont.fr
ArdennesMay 15 to 16

Huddled on the roof of northeastern France, the Ardennes departement has long been frontier country. It is a zone of thick forest, swiftly flowing rivers and nervous glances at not-so-distant neighbours.


Picture perfect: Rural France comes to life in the Ardennes


All of which explains the stony presence of the Château de Sedan, a brash beast of a structure that lays claim to being the largest fortress in Europe.

Certainly, in its 16th century heyday, it was a fortress to be reckoned with - a behemoth that bristled with menace.

Nowadays, of course, the border it oversees is that between France and not-overly threatening Belgium. This means its job is now not so much guard dog as it is museum.

And the main moment in its calendar is the festival Medieval de Sedan, a two- day riot of pageantry that takes in everything from theatre pieces, alehouses and jousting to ' medieval marriages'.

Happily, perishing in the Black Death is not included.

For more information visit: www.chateau-fort-sedan.fr
Le Mans and Coutances
March 2 to May 9 (Le mans); May 8 to 15 (coutances)
For those who like their artistic stimulation to come in audio rather than visual form, Normandy could be an unexpected source of entertainment this spring.

Better known for castles, cheese and cider than for the tootling of trumpets, minor chords and complex time signatures, the region will nevertheless stage two excellent jazz festivals before May gasps its last.

One, the mammoth Europajazz shindig, is al ready underway bringing clever key changes to a multitude of Norman towns. It hits its stride between April 25 and May 9, when the majority of concerts are scheduled for Le Mans.

A little later that month, Coutances - a town that lurks south of Cherbourg and the outstretched hand of upper northwestern Normandy - responds with its own musical spectacular Jazz Sous Les Pommiers, which translates, romantically, as Jazz Under The Apples Trees.

For more information visit: www.europajazz.fr www.jazzsouslespommiers.com



source: dailymail

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France holidays: Six things you must do in... Biarritz

By Gareth Huw Davies

Atlantic delight: Biarritz was a destination that became particularly popular during the Belle Epoque in the 19th Century


One of the many Royal visitors to Biarritz would set off for the Queen of Resorts with the battle cry: 'Chill the champagne, pack the pearls and tune up the Bugatti.'

Gareth Huw Davies, travelling more modestly to this famous old town on France's south-west coast, just 12 miles from the Spanish border, found plenty of old-fashioned luxury.

But you don't have to belong to the international elite to enjoy its long beaches, big waves and mild weather. His list of things to do includes low and no-cost options.


1. LE GRAND STROLL

Biarritz offers one of the most attractive seaside saunters in France, on a route lined with tamarisks and hydrangeas.

It starts at the lighthouse on the high headland and passes France's second-oldest golf course (it's municipal, so quite easy to book) and the Russian Orthodox Church, built for visiting 19th Century nobility, with its glorious blue dome. The famous old promenade along the Grande Plage leads past the Casino Barriere, with a fine art deco ceiling and floor, the peaceful old square Place Ste-Eugenie and the Museum of the Sea, with its handsome facade and shark-feeding sessions. On to Fishermen's Port, built by Emperor Napoleon, and the Rock of the Virgin. The statue of Madonna, set up to keep local fishermen safe, is over a bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel, of tower fame


2. SURF'S UP

Riding ashore on the crest of a wave is an obvious and exhilarating way to harness natural forces.So you'd think people had always been doing it. But it wasn't until 1957 that surfing reached Europe. And it happened here. Hollywood screenwriter Peter Viertel (husband-to-be of Deborah Kerr) was in town for the filming of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. The powerful waves so impressed him, he asked for his board to be sent over from California. Europe's first surf club launched soon after. Surfing has widened the resort's appeal to a younger generation.


Wave of nostalgia: It wasn't until 1957 that surfing reached Europe and it came here to Biarritz, the birthplace of the sport in Europe


3. PALATIAL STAY
One way to judge the pedigree of a hotel is to count the number of times you don't mind taking the stairs if the lift's just gone. I took the grand descent to the lobby on the Belle Epoque staircase four times during my one-night stay. Which is exactly what Napoleon III intended when he designed this sumptuous place in the 1800s, originally for his wife Eugenie. This hotel commands the best spot in town, directly above Grande Plage. It seems serenely adrift in an earlier age. Rather than update it, they have simply refreshed its elegance, adding the odd modern touch such as a salubrious spa. The suites, Edouard VII, Sarah Bernhardt and Winston Churchill, all Burmese teak, Carrara marble and Italian mosaics, recall starry clients
(www.hotel-du-palais.com).


4. RHUNE WITH A VIEW

Take an easy day trip from Biarritz. North is the old and interesting town of Bayonne, and the beaches and huge echoing forest of Les Landes. A few miles south are the attractive Basque towns of Saint Jean de Luz in France, and San Sebastian, just inside Spain. For the most exciting view in the region, take the rickety, antique mining train, Le Petit Train de La Rhune. It struggles up to the 2,700ft summit of La Rhune, using cog wheels to conquer the extreme gradients, and passing wild Pottok horses along the way. The view from the top, three stars in the Michelin Guide, is spectacular. If you feel fit, buy a single ticket. A well-signed walk brings you all the way down (www.rhune.com).


Stunning: Apart from offering one of the most scenic seaside walks in France, Biarritz does sunsets really rather well too


5. SHOPS AND CHOCS

One delight of the French high street is the number of small, independent shops. In an hour's window-shopping in Biarritz , I saw only one big store. There are specialist cheese shops, grocers and a serious outbreak of chocolate, confectionery and cake shops. Bonbon-making is a tradition. One speciality, the chocolate caramel Kanouga, was devised in 1905 for visiting Russian nobility. The Chocolate Museum, www.planetemuseeduchocolat.com, is worth a visit. And try the Basque Cake, shot through with black cherry jam. You drink Izarro liqueur, made from mountain herbs, with these delights.


6. RED HOT
Red is one of Biarritz's theme colours. It is in the ubiquitous Basque flag, in the cheerful red and green half-timbered buildings, and the town's rugby team shirt.

It's also the colour of the cornerstone of Basque cuisine, the Espelette pepper. A local man who voyaged with Columbus brought it back from Mexico. Today, the autumn ritual is to fill every spare space in the villages around Biarritz with drying peppers. They sell it ground, pureed and pickled. It's the staple ingredient in the dish piperade, made with scrambled eggs and ham.

The writer travelled by train, www.raileurope.co.uk (from £119 return). See also www.biarritz.fr.


source: dailymail

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France: Montpellier's Jardin des Plantes and Champ de Mars make it perfect for weekend breaks

By Max Davidson

Grand design: The opulent Opera-Comedie, built in 1888, in Montpellier's Place de la Comedie


For the average holiday maker, Montpellier in south-west France is like Clapham Junction: a place to pass through, rather than a destination in its own right.

Our flight there is packed, but no more than half the passengers are likely to be spending a night in the city.

At the car-hire desks, couples from the Home Counties are picking up keys, signing insurance waivers and consulting maps.

Some will head for the beach, others for the hills, vineyards or sleepy villages that give the Languedoc its charm.

'We should make Beziers in time for lunch,' says a middle-aged man in a panama hat. Behind him, a young couple in flip-flops clutch surfboards.

They will probably bypass Montpellier, which is a shame because it's a fascinating city.

There is history aplenty, and more gorgeous old buildings than you can shake a baguette at, but it has resolutely refused to live off its past. As befits a university city teeming with young faces, it has entered the 21st century with a bang.

Travelling into the city centre, we pass state-of-the-art offices, gleaming malls and sleek-looking trams.

The ambience is light years from your image of the South of France. Our hotel, the Holiday Inn Metropole, is tucked away down a side street and, from the outside, it's not much to look at.

Inside it's a treat, with a courtyard garden where you can sip a cassis or two under a palm tree


Jolly: Flags hang over a scenic street in downtown Montpellier - while the city is steeped in history, it has a foot firmly in the 21st century


It is a short walk from the Place de la Comedie, the epicentre of Montpellier, where tourists and locals watch the world go by, chill out in cafes and plot their next meal.

Some look no further than the neighbouring Champ de Mars, a tree-lined esplanade where there is a daily street market, funky art gallery the Musee Fabre and a clutch of bistros.

As we take a wander before lunch, the sun falls on lop-sided churches, dusty antique shops, cheeky trompes de l'oeil and dogs sleeping under cars.

The area around the Church of St Anne is beguiling. An old woman sits on a balcony, hunched over her needlework. A priest ducks into a tobacconist, emerges with a packet of fags and smiles seraphically, as if his prayers have been answered.

For lunch, we are spoiled for choice, but plump for the al fresco Sisters Cafe. The tarte maison, a creme brulee, a pitcher of wine and change from 20 euros. Voila!
It is the juxtaposition — churches dwarfed by office blocks, moss-covered statues overlooking pizzerias — that makes Montpellier such a joy. The Antigone, where the younger set congregate, is a wonderfully over-the-top space with fountains shooting up 30ft, flanked by statues.


Tranquil: The Jardin des Plantes is the oldest botanical garden in France, dating to 1593


But for those who prefer serenity, the Jardin des Plantes is a much better bet. It is the oldest botanical garden in France, dating to 1593, when plants were grown for medicinal purposes.

It is also fun to explore the region by car. Point your bonnet to the east and you are only an hour from the Camargue, in the Rhone delta, famed for its flamingoes, bulls and wild white horses. Nose to the south and you're in the bustling port of Sète.

Accelerate to the west — as we do — turn off the main road, and you are in picnic heaven, sprawled out under a tree on the bank of the Canal du Midi.

This tranquil waterway, overhung with plane trees, runs for more than 150 miles through some of the most delectable scenery in France.

It was considered a triumph of modern engineering when it was built in the 17th century, but is now a triumph of life lived in the slow lane, with boats chugging along so slowly that the ducks overtake them.

After lunch, we drive on to the pretty little port of Marseillan, dawdle in the street market, then head for the beach at Marseillan Plage.

It is no Saint-Tropez — it is so unspoiled you could be in Devon — but there is nothing wrong with the temperature of the water, softness of the sand or fugitive beauty of the sunset.

Montpellier might be a gateway, but it leads to the sort of quintessentially French pleasures you certainly will not find in Clapham.

Travel factsEasyjet (0905 821 0905; www.easyjet.com) flies to Montpellier from Gatwick, Stansted and Luton, from £52 return. Doubles at the four-star Holiday Inn Metropole (0033 467 123232; www.holidayinnmontpellier.com) start at £108.


source: dailymail

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