Bordeaux is a glorious city. The gracious and elegant capital of the Aquitaine region is rich with classical buildings, formal squares, tucked-away quartiers where you can wander the streets and find individual shops and boulangeries, cafés and bars, and some unusual and stunning attractions. The city stands proudly on the grand Garonne river on the French Atlantic coast.

Victor Hugo was an admirer: ‘Take Versailles, add Antwerp and you have Bordeaux…Add to that, my friend, the magnificent Gironde, bustling with ships, the delightful backdrop of green hills, a fine sky and warm sun, and you will fall in love with Bordeaux, even if you only drink water.’

I recently spent three days in Bordeaux and despite a punishing schedule missed out quite a few of the city’s attractions. Next time I’ll take a week.

Start with this guide to Bordeaux to make the most of your time here.

Bordeaux – A City Devoted to Wine and the Cité du Vin

Bordeaux sits at the heart of one of the world’s great wine-producing regions. Anyone with even a passing interest in the noble grape should schedule a visit to the Cité du Vin.

“It’s going to be my Guggenheim” declared Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux in 2006 when the project was born. It’s a pretty extraordinary piece of architecture: its undulating shape and its distinctive curves have been described as evoking a sailing ship…wine poured from a decanter…or swirling around a wine glass.

Make of the outside what you will; inside you’ll find a fascinating series of exhibitions telling you the story of mankind’s great drink. I’d advise at least half a day for a visit, and if you can, eat here at Le 7, restaurant that looks out over the Garonne and Bordeaux.  

Article about the Cité du Vin

Don’t Miss: The Bordeaux Wine Festival, normally takes place in June. But next year it coincides with the Tall Ships Race. The race starts in Bordeaux and runs from July 7-11, 2027, the same dates as the Bordeaux Wine Festival.

Les Bassins de Lumière

Step inside Les Bassins de Lumière in the same quartier as the Cité du Vin (and conveniently near) for extraordinary annual changing exhibitions. This is the world’s largest digital art centre, offering an experience which will entrance, sometimes frighten, and always impress.

Housed in the former World War II German submarine base in Bacalan, the sound-proofed insulated spaces, some up to 8m high, are filled with 360° images that slowly change. I stood mesmerised in the first gallery, then walked over footbridges into more galleries with different dream-like images.

There are six spaces in total, all very varied. Take in the art shows and a huge mooring bay built over the water. As you look, the gates appear to open and submarines seem to enter the base, moving towards you at a menacing speed. There’s an area where you can sit in tiered stages to watch the show from different heights, and a museum space with the history of the building. And of course, a very good shop at the end.

I was there for the 2025 exhibition (which runs to Jan 6, 2026). Egyptian Pharaohs from the Old Kingdom of Khéops to the New Kingdom of Ramsès II (c. 2589 BC to 1213 BC) taught me more about this ancient history than any book I have read. We were brought more up to date with The Orientalists exhibition which focuses on the French Orientalist painters: Ingres, Delacroix and Jean-Léon Gérôme. We were there during the week; on Sundays the place must have been full of families watching The Little Prince come to life with Saint-Exupery’s images blown up to fantastic proportions.
Les Bassins de Lumière website

Tip: If you’re here in the Bacalan district, try shopping at Les Halles de Bacalan for regional and local foods and products. It’s a great place to put together a picnic, or eat a casual lunch at one of the stalls. Open daily except Mondays.

Walk the City’s Old Quartiers

Bordeaux is a great city for walking, particularly through its small compact historic areas. If you have time, pick one and spend a minimum of a couple of hours exploring. If time is limited, take a guided tour. Bruno Coiffard, a Bordeaux guide, took us around different areas, taking great pleasure in pointing out the superiority of Bordeaux over Paris.  Bruno Coiffard (+33 6 08 28 65 26). At the end of our two tours we agreed with him (sorry Paris!).

Tip: If you’re feeling peckish as you walk around, pop into one of the Cassonade Cannelés & Spécialités cafés for a coffee and a speciality of the city, a cassonade – a delicious caramelized cake that comes in a distinctive shape.

Port de la Lune (Port of the Moon)

This romantically named quayside doesn’t denote a district as such, but is the heart of old Bordeaux. It’s a crescent-shaped bend in the river, originally the source of Bordeaux’s wealth. In the Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul district, the Port of the Moon was the heart of the global trading center between Africa, Europe and the Americas.

From the noisy, crowded and dangerous quays, ships carried the precious commodities of coffee, cocoa, cotton, sugar and indigo from to the rest of Europe. By the 18^th century, with its dominance as a wine-exporter, Bordeaux was the second busiest port in the world after London.

The port has long disappeared but in its place stands the Place de la Bourse and in front of it the Miroir d’Eau, between the Place and the river. The largest water mirror in the world spouts water from the fountains during the day and magically reflects the illuminated, semi circular buildings at night.

If you want to see a superb example of French neoclassical architecture, this is it. The warm stone buildings facing the river in the Place de la Bourse have a wonderful symmetry, fanning out from the centre in two arcs that follow the banks of the river. The Place (Stock Exchange Square) took from 1730 to 1775 to build, replacing the medieval crowded muddle of Bordeaux which was breaking out of the old city walls. The north building was the original stock exchange (now the Chamber of Commerce); the Hôtel des Fermes to the south was built for the local customs authority. It now houses the Musée Nationale des Douanes, reopened in Spring 2025. It’s well worth a visit. We might think that customs and excise is a pretty dull subject, but avoiding taxes has always been an ingenious pastime. A wooden stool opens up to become a salt store. It was designed so the lady of the house could firmly sit on it, hiding the heavily taxed commodity under her voluminous skirts. And such handsome hats.

Find out more about the Musée Nationale des Douanes on Mechtraveller.

Les Chartrons

The Chartrons district that housed the wine merchants of the 17^th and 18^th centuries lies south of the Bacalan. Stone buildings line the streets, the front rooms housing the living quarters of the Lynches, the Bartons, the Johnstons and other English and Irish families who dominated the lucrative trade. At the back lay their large wine warehouses.

It was a bustling, noisy district, housing barrel makers, the glass bottle factory of an Irishman, Pierre Mitchell, which belched out smoke day and night, label printers and heavy carts that transported the barrels to the harbour. According to the excellent Bruno, this was where capitalism was born.

Today it’s a delightful area of antique shops, art galleries, and small boutiques, interrupted by cafés whose pavement tables and chairs are always full. Walk along Rue Notre Dame for its churches, then turn north into the Place du Marché des Chartrons which hosts events and exhibitions. Look out for pretty houses covered in ivy or flowering bushes, that occupy the streets and hidden alleys.

We came across the small but delightful Musée du Vin et du Négoce, housed in one of Bordeaux’s oldest buildings, an Irish merchant’s house of 1720. The crowded museum takes you through vaulted cellars that, with maps, images, models, artefacts, oak barrels and wine bottles, tell the story of the city’s lucrative wine trade in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, plus the role of the négociant (merchant trader).   

America’s First Consulate

Along the river you’ll come across the old American Consulate, the first such consular post in US history, established in 1778. It’s easy to spot – a plaque commemorates Joseph Fenwick, appointed in 1790. With the French Revolution just starting in the late 18th century, Bordeaux was deemed to be a far safer and more stable city than Paris.  

Fenwick’s family had Maryland and South Carolina connections – vital for the US and its trade of Carolina gold rice, sea island cotton and raw indigo dye, shipped from the port of Charleston to Europe.

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is the centre of Bordeaux, certainly for the Bordelaise, stretching between the Allées de Touray, Cours de l’Intendance and Cours Georges Clemenceau.

This is the area for shopping in the glass Galerie des Grands Hommes, and admiring the grand 18^th and 19^th century buildings.

The Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux

In the heart of the Golden Triangle, this imposing building is a real statement of power. The ‘Temple of the Arts and Light’ was commissioned by Marshal Richelieu (grand-nephew of the famous Cardinal), and designed by the architect Victor Louis, and inaugurated on April 7, 1780. Its distinctive exterior feature is the Corinthian columns running along the façade. Other such buildings have 8 columns; the Bordeaux theatre has 12. Topping the columns 12 statues look out over the city – the nine Muses plus the Roman goddesses Juno, Venus, and Minerva.

A century later the architect Charles Garnier visited Bordeaux. He was so impressed by the very grand staircase, that he copied the design for his 19th-century grand Paris Opera. You can visit the building and see the staircase. Better still is to get to a performance of the Bordeaux opera or ballet. The acoustics are superb; and for history buffs, the theatre remains one of the oldest wooden framed opera houses still active, having survived fire and rebuilding.

Francisco Goya in Bordeaux

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes left Spain for Bordeaux in 1824, 78 years old, completely deaf and at odds with the Spanish monarchy. He died in 1828; his funeral was held in the city and he was first buried in Cimetière de la Chartreuse.

A bronze plaque marks his house at 57 Cours de l’Intendance where he lived for the last years of his life. The Spanish connection continues: the building now houses the Institut Cervantes which promotes Spanish language and culture.  

In 1888 Goya’s body was exhumed and repatriated to Spain. And here begins the mystery and the stories that Bruno tells with relish. “Goya skeleton without a head,” wrote the Spanish consul in Bordeaux to his Spanish colleague. “Please instruct me.”

Goya’s headless body was taken to the San Antonio de la Florida chapel in Madrid where it now resides under the frescoes in the dome which Goya painted in 1798.  

The skull was most possibly acquired by a phrenologist who believed that the secrets of a person’s character lay in the skull. Bruno recounts that it turned up in a local bar and became an object of pilgrimage by the painter’s admirers.

Bordeaux vs Paris

There is (again according to Bruno), a healthy rivalry between these two grand cities of France. Baron Haussmann was a prefect in Bordeaux from 1851 to 1853 and it was here that he first stamped his style. He employed town planners to create grand boulevards leading to spacious squares, transforming the centre. He left Bordeaux to transform Paris.  And once the architectural similarities are pointed out, you see the evidence everywhere.

Place des Quinconces

The Place des Quinconces is one of the largest squares in France, today the location for big fairs (the brocante fair in late April/early May is one of the best in France. At one end stands the Monument aux Girondins, a giant column commemorating the victims of the Terror during the French Revolution. It’s topped with a statue of Liberty Breaking her Chains.

Also unmissable is the extraordinary fountain, with its bronze horses pulling chariots and allegorical figures that represent liberty, justice and the Dordogne and Garonne.

The Garonne River

Bordeaux is the major port on the mighty Garonne River and marks the point where the river flows into the Gironde estuary and from there into the Bay of Biscay. The city sits between the two major wine-producing areas of Entre-deux-Mers to the east and Médoc to the west.

For centuries it marked the division between the rich on the left bank and the poor opposite. Today, as the city expands, the right bank is developing fast and has become the trendy alternative place to live, work and play.

Crossing the River to the Right Bank

We took the Bat ferry , which runs along the Garonne from the Pont de Pierre to Lormont with stops at Stalingrad, Quinconces, Hangars Médoc, and Cité du Vin. It’s as good as a mini cruise (very mini; it just takes 25 to 35 minutes to travel between its endpoints along the 25-kilometer route). It costs the same as tickets used on buses and trams. 1 trip: €1.70; 2 trips: €3.00; 10 trips: €13.70.
Check the website for detailed information.

Darwin ecosystem

Darwin ecosystem, housed in a former barracks, takes up much of the right bank. It’s a large area with restaurants, bars and cafés, a skatepark and a handful of very cool shops. Veja cleans, repairs and recycles its old shoes; go to Shop Sauvages for clothes which you have to be seen in (if aspiring to be casually chic); librairie La Géolibri sells books, posters and more, and Bric à Brac Emmaüs is the place for recycled items.

There are events and street performances all year round, so keep an eye on the Darwin website for up-to-date information.

And of course there are plenty of places to eat, many of them offering organic ingredients.  We had lunch at la Belle Saison, sitting outside and looking over to the left bank. Good value, excellent service and delicious food.

Tip: Try to avoid Mondays when many shops are closed.

Bordeaux UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 2007 Bordeaux, The Port of the Moon, was given the world’s highest award for the unity of its exceptional urban heritage. Created in the 18th-century age of the Enlightenment, Bordeaux has more than 350 listed Historical Monuments. Most striking is the sheer size of the UNESCO perimeter: 1,810 hectares in total, amounting to almost half of the city’s surface area. In total Bordeaux has more protected buildings than any city after Paris.

UNESCO also recognised the history role Bordeaux has played as a city enjoying an exchange of cultural values for over 2,000 years…particularly highlighting the commercial links with Britain and the Low Lands (Holland and Belgium) from the 12th century.

Bordeaux and Britain

In 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry Plantagenet bringing Bordeaux under English rule. For Bordeaux it was significant, heralding the start of the dominant trade of Bordeaux wine to England, helped by the special privileges that Henry offered. With 25% of the total Bordeaux output going to England, ‘claret’ (as Bordeaux red wine was called) became a staple and has remained a favorite ever since.

For more about the Plantagenets and the English connection, visit…Le Mans! It comes as a surprise (and it certainly did to me) but Le Mans has one of the largest medieval preserved quarters in France.

Where We Stayed in Bordeaux

We stayed at Villas Foch, a 5-star privately owned boutique hotel with just 12 rooms and eight suites. Housed in two adjoining 19^th-century classical stone buildings, it’s been beautifully restored and has quirky modern touches, like the spectacular chandelier that hangs in one of the grand staircases.

There’s a cosy Le Ferdinand bar, a spa and pool and a great breakfast room. Bedrooms are light and airy with impeccable bathrooms. A portrait of Foch in each room follows you around, which I found rather companionable. Villas Foch is just a few minutes from the Place des Quinconces, so it’s pretty central but feels tucked away. Rooms from €550.

Restaurants in Bordeaux

Bordeaux is one of France’s great culinary cities, up there with Paris and Lyon. You’ll find restaurants for every budget and style, but here’s a small selection of ones I have enjoyed.

Le 1925 Brasserie

Come to Le 1925 Brasserie as much for the brasserie style as the cooking which is classically based: pig’s trotter, snails, oysters and some of the best heritage tomatoes I’ve come across for starters. Mains range from prawn risotto to duck breast, beef tartare or pork confit shoulder, all served with extra favourites like French fries, home-made mash, green salad. And desserts? Chocolate mousse, sorbets or…where else can you find this these days? Crêpes Suzette flambé Grand Marnier which is prepared dramatically at your table. And the wine list is superb, selected by the owner who invariably will appear to chat to his customers.
Starters from €10 to €28; mains €25 to €35; desserts €10 to €15 (for that flaming fabulous crêpes Suzette)

Le 1925 Brasserie
4 Place des Quinconces
Tel: +33 (0)5 56 52 84 56
Website

Le 7

At the top of the Cité du Vin on the 7^th floor, the restaurant offers spectacular views over the port and beyond along with top regional cooking. Creamy burrata with sautéed artichoke, piquilio pepper sauce and basil oil was followed by slow-cooked chicken supreme then an After Eight dessert (go there to discover this one). And of course, a great wine list of 500 wines from 50 countries, with a selection of 32 wines by the glass.

Starters from €21 to €25; mains from €31 to €37; desserts from €10 to €16.
Mon-Fri lunch menu starter and main €32; 5 course dinner menu €70; childrens menu 3 courses €16 (free on Wednesday except school holidays).

Le 7
Cité du Vin
Esplanade de Pontac
Tel: +33 (0)5 64 31 05 40
Website

Le Chapon Fin

The word ‘historic’ is often over-used. But Le Chapon Fin is a restaurant that can rightly claim the description.
Le Chapon Fin opened in 1825 when much of central Bordeaux was being rebuilt in the classical style by Haussmann. In 1900 Le Chapon Fin was renovated. Perhaps renovation isn’t not the right word; an adventurous owner and equally adventurous architect brought the outside in with a rocky scene at the and a lot of plants.

The restaurant became the place to go. The Spanish King Alphonse XIII kept a private cellar here; diners included the Sultan of Morocco, the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) and artists like Sarah Bernhardt and Toulouse Lautrec as well as George Clemenceau and a host of politicians.   
Today its reputation, particularly for its wines, is in the capable hands of owner Sylvie Cazes who comes from a family of wine makers. She was very much involved in the Cité du Vin, and jointly owns the famous Château Lynch-Bages and Château Chauvin vineyards, and the company Bordeaux Saveurs which tailor makes visits to vineyards.
This is not a restaurant to go to on a casual basis; the cooking, based on the south west, includes dishes like field and garden tomatoes with various different oils, followed by chicken breast, crispy breadcrumbs and roasted broccoli. Or be more ambitious and taste a bit of history with Alphonse XIII pigeon with tobacco leaf, corn and vanilla.
Menu Marché: from 35€ to 45 €. Or make it a special occasion with the historic menu whose dishes are inspired by significant dates from 1825 to 2024.  €78 to €98 .

Le Chapon Fin
5 rue Montesquieu
Tel: +33 05 56 79 10 10
Website

Getting to Bordeaux

From Paris by train: The TGV is direct and takes 2 hours from Paris.
From the UK: By plane: BA, Easyjet and AirFrance fly from London and regional cities to Bordeaux.

Take the tram from the airport to city centre

Getting around Bordeaux

The city centre is very walkable with pedestrian areas throughout. The tram system runs throughout Bordeaux, using a unique ground power system so you’re not distracted by overhead wires. It runs from 5am to midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the day. There are regular buses.
Bordeaux Tourism website

Bordeaux Tourist Office

The Bordeaux Tourist Office can help with all your queries, from hotel bookings to guided tours.
12 cours du XXX juillet
33080 Bordeaux
+33 (0)5 56 00 66 00
Website
Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm; Sunday and public holidays 10am-5pm

More about the Bordeaux Region

The French Atlantic Coast
The Glorious Vendée Department

AND...
Great Rivers of France

Food Festivals of France

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Dijon, the capital of the rich region of Burgundy, is a perfect place for a short  break. It may be eclipsed by its more flamboyant and famous neighbour, Beaune, but Dijon is a gem of a place to discover.

Dijon has an old quarter with walking trails leading you down cobbled streets past medieval half-timbered buildings and gracious Renaissance stone mansions, a Fine Arts Museum with extraordinary medieval tombs you won’t see anywhere else, and an International Centre of Gastronomy which opened in 2022. To top it all, dynamic new bars and restaurants have a young staff determined to introduce you to the wines of Burgundy that will not break the bank.

Dijon is a city of surprises; it’s easy to get to from the UK or Paris, and it’s a city to discover on foot. A city perfect for a weekend or weekday short break.

Getting to Dijon

It’s an easy trip from either the UK or from Paris to this glorious corner of France. I boarded a Eurostar train at London St Pancras to Paris, then took the RER train from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon. The rapid TGV sped through the ever changing countryside to get to central Dijon in just 1 hr 35 minutes. The whole journey took a mere 4 ½ hours, though I had to be pretty quick crossing Paris from station to station.

Where to Stay in Dijon

The l’Hôtel Oceania Le Jura on the Avenue Maréchal Foch is a mere 5-minute walk from the train station. Just outside the historic centre and with a contemporary decor, spa and swimming pool, it’s a good 4-star choice. Rooms from €98.

Day 1 Short Break in Dijon

I was in the gastronomic city of Dijon; what better way to start than a guided Balade Gourmande tour, booked and organised by the tourist office. It was a rainy autumn day so the first stop was inside the long, lofty Saint Bénigne cathedral to avoid a short sharp rain shower. It’s a magnificent Gothic building rebuilt between 1280 and 1325 on a former monastery. The crypt and splendid rotunda at the east end are being restored, adding to sights to see in 2025.

Gourmet Tastings

Then it was on to less cerebral pleasures, starting with the delightful Mulot et Petitjean shop whose old-fashioned windows are full of pain d’épice (gingerbread) loaves, tempting packets and colourful tins of those sweet delicacies piled high. If you really get hooked, visit their factory for lessons in tasting and making.

A mustard lesson came next, at Edmond Fallot, one of the few manufacturers of genuine Burgundy mustard. Moutarde de Dijon might be a familiar name, but as it’s not officially protected geographically (like Camembert cheese, or Puy lentils), it can be produced anywhere in the world. However, keep your eyes open for mustard with the Burgundy label Moutarde de Bourgogne and you’re on to the real thing. 

The small Fallot shop at 16 rue de la Chouette; its shelves jammed with mustard pots, was full of people trying the different tastes at the mustard bar. Locals take along their own pots to get them filled with their favourite flavour.

Look out for the Owl

On the way we came across small plaques of a comic owl, one on the wall of Notre-Dame church, the others on the ground. Pick up the leaflet of the Owl Trail (Le Parcours de la Chouette) from the Tourist Office, then follow the plaques past all the major sights. It’s a good booklet giving you nuggets of odd information. The ornate Maison Millière in the cour de l’Hôtel de Vogüé appeared in the film, Cyrano de Bergerac; rue Verrerie may now be full of antique shops, but it’s been called other names after the professions that once occupied the ground floors: Pork Market Road; Cloth Street and Shearers Road. You can also take a Tourist Office guided walk for €4 per person.

Lunch

Time for lunch and my first real lesson in Burgundy wines from one of those young restaurateurs who know a thing or two about finding good, relatively inexpensive wines. Dr Wine is a bar/restaurant in the heart of the old town where you sit at tables surrounded by wines on open shelves and in glass cases that run from floor to ceiling.

I was looking forward to this; after all Burgundy wine is extremely expensive, and the top Grand Cru wines from Gevrey-Chambertin and particularly Romanée-Conti are beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. One hectare of vineyard in Burgundy today costs between three and four million euros. The most expensive wine ever sold was a 1945 Domaine de Romanée-Conti which fetched $558,000 at a Sotheby’s sale in 2018. It had been estimated at $32,000, so even the experts can get it wrong. This particular bottle was so expensive due to its rarity: it was the end of World War II; only 600 bottles were produced that year, and immediately after this the Domaine replanted all its vines. It begs the question: would there ever be an occasion when the proud owner dared to open and drink it?

Dr Wine

The owner of Dr Wine, Simon Quiquerez, told us the philosophy behind the bar/restaurant:  “We go to vineyards just outside the AOC, which are the same, but far less expensive.” And with that, he poured us a 2020 Chardonnay from Paul Pallot, one of the top names in Chassagne-Montrachet which produces all the main categories: Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. It was delicious and a fraction of the Grand Cru equivalent. With a whole range of wines, and an excellent menu of 2 dishes at €18, or 3 at €23, Dr Wine is a real find. There’s a Dr Wine shop just around the corner.

An Afternoon with the Dead

Much happier, and with blue skies beckoning, I made my way to one of the blockbusters of Dijon, the Fine Arts Museum, opened in 1787. A major museum and one of the oldest in France, it’s housed in a corner of the grand-sounding, and grand-looking, former Palace of the Dukes and Estates of Burgundy. Construction began in 1366 under Philip the Bold, the first of the four immensely powerful and rich Dukes of the Valois family who transformed Burgundy into one of the powerhouses of medieval Europe. The gracious classical building you see today was the inspiration of the architect of Versailles, Jules Hardouin Mansart. The oldest part is the square tower that dominates the back of the palace. If you’re feeling energetic (and fit), it’s worth climbing the 316 steps in the tower for the panoramic view over the city and beyond into the countryside.

The Museum has 1,500 works of art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century but the most unusual and surprising room is the chapel with the tombs of Philip the Bold and his son John the Fearless and his wife Margaret. They lie in splendid state, protected by angels. Even more impressive are the ‘weepers’ who surround the bases; here you see the extraordinary life-like sculptures of mourners.  ‘A funeral march in stone’ is how the author of The Waning of the Middle Ages, Johan Huizanga, described the weepers.

Walk the Streets

Dijon is small and compact with great walks taking you into its rich past. Grand hôtels particuliers – private mansions built in the 17th and 18th centuries, lie behind the doors and gateways. I took in the symmetrical and gracious Hôtel built in the 1690s by Charles Legouz de Gerland, master of the Dauphin’s robes and others like the Hôtel Le Chambellan with its balconies, staircases and Renaissance windows packed into a small courtyard.

Another Wine Tasting and Dinner

It was approaching 6pm so obviously the time for more Burgundy wines. La Source des Vins, 6 bis Rue Michelet, offers a great tasting of three wines, with plates of charcuterie, cheeses and fruit for €20 or €25. The selection of wines to buy is wide: the most expensive bottles are between €1800 and €2000, but like all the wine shops in Dijon, there’s also a good selection from €12.

I walked back to the Place de la Libération for dinner at Le Pré aux Clercs, a restaurant owned by the 3-star Michelin starred Michel Guérard though independently run. With menus from €25 to €39, an imaginative selection of dishes and outdoor seating looking at the Palace, it’s a rightly popular place. Almost exclusively Burgundy wines range per bottle from around €30 to  €2,150 for those with impeccable tastes and deep pockets. (It’s a Montrachet Grand Cru 2018 from the Domaine des Comtes Lafon in the Côte de Beaune in case I have any rich readers).

Day Two – Short Break in Dijon

Into the Countryside on a Wine Tour

The second day began with a group tour in a minibus through the vineyards surrounding Dijon with Chemins de Bourgogne. Sébastien Maurin who founded the company knows his wines so sit back and enjoy the tour that takes you past vineyards, up hill and down dale. It turned into a ‘Did you know?’ kind of experience that was a revelation. 

So I will share some of these (great for a kind of Trivial Pursuit conversation).

Did you know that…

1. In Burgundy the soil changes every 70 metres
2. ‘Climats’ refers to small vineyard plots
3. Individuals pay 30% inheritance tax, but companies like LVMH pay no such tax
4. Burgundy bio wines are officially made by just 6% of producers. However that’s not a true figure; many produce bio wines but are reluctant to go through the complex and time-consuming classification. For instance each of the fields (which might be scattered across a wide area) carries a separate form. A fine example of French bureaucracy in all its glory 
5. Some producers still pick by hand using horses and carts rather than tractors (far less heavy therefore they don’t compact the soil so heavily), and use sheep to eat the grass between the rows of vines 
6. The Domaine de la Romanée Conti is still considered the most prestigious wine in the world
7. Climate change is having an impact. August harvests have been recorded more and more frequently. The first was in 1465, the second in 1836, third in 1976, then in 2003, 2009, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2022. 

But that’s enough; go on the tour for more surprising facts.

The tour finished with a wine tasting in Gevrey-Chambertin at the Domaine de Quivy. Its wine cellars are full of wooden barrels, while bottles covered in the dust of ages line the walls. Quivy produces between 10,000 and 12,000 bottles a year, and 600 to 900 Grand Crus. We tried a 2020 Les Journées, perfect to drink with beef or cheese; a 2021 Les Evocelles, a 2021 Les Corbeaux (a Premier Cru) produced on land very close to the prestigious Grand Crus, and called Corbeaux as crows follow the pickers, seeking out juicy insects to snack on. We finished with a Grand Cru, Charmes Chambertin of 2020. It was a superb wine tasting.

We bowled back to Dijon for lunch and another excellent wine tasting. It was at La Cave du Palais, in the cellar of the Hôtel du Palais…which is owned and run by the enterprising Sébastien Maurin and his wife, Eve.

A Gastronomic Afternoon

The Cité de la Gastronomie et du Vin (The International City of Gastronomy and Wine) opened in April 2022 to great fanfare. Not a surprise; in 2010 UNESCO declared the French gastronomic meal part of the world’s intangible heritage. Around £210 million was invested in turning a former hospital into a glorious exploration and celebration of French gastronomy. And why not; after all, isn’t a good meal one of the reasons we go to France for?

It’s fun and educational at the same time with plenty of machines to sniff, smell and try your knowledge. There are cartoons, photos of the world’s great and good sitting down with various Presidents of France at a banquet, film clips and more. A converted chapel takes you through the vineyards; shops offer you the chance to buy a wide variety of top cheeses, charcuterie and kitchen equipment (at a price, I have to warn you); there are regular events and tastings. 

Surprise, surprise…another wine tasting

What you choose to taste at the wine bar, La Cave de la Cité, is up to you. After walking around the three floors holding 3,000 bottles – mostly but not exclusively – from Burgundy, make your way to the tasting room. Buy a card for whatever you want to spend, then get your choice dispensed into your glass from a machine. There’s a choice of 250 wines varying from €2.50 to €9.50. Open Mon: 12-5.30pm; Sun, Tues-Thurs: 11am-7pm; Fri, Sat: 11am-8pm.

After that, book a meal at the excellent La Tables des Climats. They take the unusual path of helping you choose the wines in advance (from over 800), then letting the chef cook your dishes to complement them. Otherwise take one of the menus from €32 euros to €71 (with suggested wines adding to the price). Open Wed-Sat 12-1.30pm & 7pm-9pm; Sun lunch. Closed Sun eve, Mon and Tues.

Day 3: Short Break in Dijon

A Cookery Lesson

We had tasted; we had eaten; now it was the chance to cook. Salt & Pepper offers cookery lessons in a large professional kitchen.  Alexandre Vachon was about to teach us to cook goujères (small cheese puffs), oeufs en meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce), and poached pears in brandy snap baskets.

It seemed an easy task, but it wasn’t. We got there in the end, sat down to eat and congratulated ourselves on a job well done. However (and it’s a big however), I have tried the goujères at home and they have fallen flat (literally). Where am I going wrong?

Farewell Dijon

I left Dijon vowing to return. There is so much to see in this city of medieval houses (painted red to repel insects), and ornate Renaissance houses, small museums and large churches. And of course there is a lot of Burgundy wine to drink (learn about, I mean).

More Places to Stay

There are a number of good, inexpensive chain hotels in Dijon.

Also recommended are the Grand Hôtel de la Cloche with its 88 rooms, spa, bar and a good restaurant in a pretty conservatory with outdoor seating. Rooms are large and comfortable with good bathrooms. From €149.

The upmarket bed and breakfast La Cour Berbisey has just 4 suites. It’s in a delightful Renaissance town house in the center of Dijon just ten minutes from the station. Well-sized and decorated rooms look onto a private courtyard, there’s an indoor pool and good breakfasts are included. From €129 (least expensive in low season) to €279 (most expensive in high season).

More about Burgundy

Food in Burgundy
Guédelon – Building a Medieval Castle in Burgundy

General Information

Regions of France

The post Guide to a Short Break in Dijon, Burgundy appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Courseulles-sur-Mer is a charming seaside resort on the Normandy coast. The French love the small town with its marina for small yachts, its fish market, glorious beaches and good restaurants and shopping. Foreign visitors come to visit the Juno Beach Centre, the museum commemorating and revealing the role that Canada and their armed forces played in the great D-Day Landings that began in the early hours of June 6, 1944.

I came to Courseulles-sur-Mer while researching a guide book to the Normandy D-Day landing beaches for 2024 with my partner and fellow author. We had visited the Juno Beach Centre before, but like so many visitors, had sped our way on to the other famous beaches. Thank goodness we had booked a long stay here, using Courseulles as a base for our trips to the beaches, museums, memorials and sites of this glorious stretch of the Normandy Coast. In between we managed to enjoy the resort.

Courseulles-sur-Mer makes a perfect short break. It’s located very near Sword, Gold and Omaha beaches and is just a short hop to Caen and Bayeux. It really is a small gem on the Coeur de Nacre (Mother of Pearl) coast.

What to Do in Courseulles-sur-Mer

Juno Beach Centre

Juno Beach Centre has a two-part story which sets it apart from the other D-Day museums. It starts with why and how did the Canadians become part of the Allied forces? They didn’t have to; though part of the Commonwealth there was no legislation for Britain to call on Canada. And unlike the USA there was no direct attack on their country as the Americans had suffered at Pearl Harbour.

The decision to enter the Second World War was a result of a mix of political and social causes, stemming from the difficulties and deprivations in Canada in the 1930s. Equally as strong were the ties of loyalty between Canada and Great Britain. On September 10, 1939, Canada declared war on Germany, a week after Britain had done so.

14,000 of the 135,000 allied troops taking part in Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944 were Canadian. They captured the towns of Graye-sur-Mer, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer and part of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. 1,079 were injured of whom 381 were killed on D-Day itself; 5,500 during the Battle of Normandy during July and August 1944.

In total, 45,000 Canadians lost their lives during the war.  

What You See in Juno Beach Centre

There’s plenty to see in the museum with artefacts, models, uniforms and a lot of impressive video and audio showing both the war in Europe and the way Canada mobilized and supported their troops throughout the war.

You start with a video in a room designed to resemble a beach landing craft before entering the main museum.

You leave after watching the 12-minute film called They Walk With You about the Canadians’ experience in Normandy. If you’re even slightly emotional, take tissues with you. The film is a real tear jerker but it also takes you into th wider perspective of war, bravery and the world.

You can also take a guided tour of the bunkers in Juno Park, or walk around them yourself.

The Geography of Courseulles-sur-Mer

Courseulles-sur-Mer has an interesting layout. Juno Beach is directly on the sea and is the place for D-Day memorials and crosses as well as Juno Beach Centre. Just inland is Ile de la Plaisance, a small island where Le Chant des Oiseaux (where we stayed) and various restaurants are located. You get to it via one road or foot bridges. To the east lies the main town, with shops, small restaurants and hotels and the Tourist Office.

Beach Life in Courseulles-sur-Mer

Courseulles-sur-Mer forms part of the 12 km-long Coeur de Nacre coastal stretch that runs east, taking in other delightful small resorts: Bernières-sur-Mer, Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Langrune-sur-Mer and Luc-sur-Mer.

You can walk along the beaches that stretch out along the bay or cycle this part of the 1,500 km-long Vélomaritime route that runs from Roscoff in Brittany up to Dunkirk. It’s part of the ambitious 4,000 km-long Central European Cycle Route that links Roscoff to Kyiv in Ukraine.

Families can ride on horseback (or pony for smaller ones) along the beach, or perhaps try your hand at sports like land surfing or sailing; check at the Tourist Office for details.

Port Life in Courseulles-sur-Mer

Some 20 fishing boats are based here in Courseulles, bringing fish and shellfish to the fish market along the quay. From Monday to Saturday both locals and visitors come here from 8am to 1pm to buy directly from the fishermen. For a local speciality buy the scallops – apparently 7 out of 10 scallops sold in France come from Normandy. And if you’re here in the winter, don’t miss the Fête de la Coquille (Scallop Festival) here on Saturday and Sunday Nov 18 & 19, 2023. (It’s always the third weekend of November).
For fresh oysters (and all fish), go to Régals de l’Ile run by the Benoist family and Maison Daubert.

Where to Stay in Courseulles-sur-Mer

As we were staying for a week, we took a Pierre et Vacances self-catering apartment, Le Chant des Oiseaux, which suited us perfectly. Read about it here.

La Crémaillère Hotel, a favourite with the British, occupies several buildings. Ask for a room with a sea view or looking onto the garden. All rooms are pleasantly decorated and a good size and there’s a cottage as well. They do some good special offers on a dinner, bed and breakfast formula; there’s a good outside terrace for summer wining and dining. However we ate at the restaurant and were not impressed with the cooking, though the waiter was one of the best we’ve come across.

La Cantellerie is a substantial 19^th-century red brick house offering bed and breakfast. There are 6 rooms, a peaceful garden and welcoming breakfast room. Prices per room are from €85 to €119 per night (the more expensive rooms can sleep 3 people). At popular times of the year, you have to book for a minimum of 2 nights. It’s in the centre of town but you might prefer to book dinner here.

Where to Eat in Courseulle-sur-Mer

We ate at Restaurant de l’île Benoist on Ile de Plaisance, sitting at a window table looking out of wide windows over the waters surrounding the little island and witnessing a spectacular sunset. The meal was as spectacular. The restaurant is part of the Benoist fish and shellfish specialists so choose fish. It’s as fresh as it gets, is cooked with care and presented with style. Excellent meat options also. Menus: lunch €25; 3-course set menu €40; child menu €15. Open Wed to Sun lunch & dinner.
Rte de Ver. Tel: +33 (0)2 31 77 35 16.

Also recommended

La Maison Bleue, also on Ile de Plaisance, offers something for everyone: fish dishes and traditional cooking using seasonal local ingredients. It has a great location and terrace looking out over the surrounding waters. Menus Lunch €29.50; child up to 10 years €14. It’s open daily lunch & dinner.
Rue Marine Dunkerque. Tel: 09 74 56 58 86.

Le Quai Est opposite the island, is a simply decorated restaurant where the cooking takes centre stage. Again, good very fresh fish and some meat dishes. They have an excellent and well-priced take away menu which you have to order before service starts. Menus €35 & €45. Open Wed to Sun lunch & dinner.
13 Quai Est. Tel: +33 (0)2 31 97 20 90.

Practical Information

Courseulles-sur-Mer Tourist Office
5 Rue du 11 Novembre
Tel: +33 (0)2 31 37 46 80
Website

How to Get to Normandy from the UK
Guide to D-Day Landing Beaches
Hotels near the D-Day Landing Beaches

The post Courseulles-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Saint-Nazaire’s industrial heritage offers the visitor a fascinating mix of sights. I have to admit that they weren’t on my bucket list but after a visit to the city, I’ve changed my mind.

Here’s a list of must-see industrial heritage attractions in Saint-Nazaire which happily is a relatively compact city and so is very easy to get around. Most of these attractions are good for families with excellent explanations and hands-on exhibits. The exceptions are the tours of the Chantiers de l’Atlantique and Airbus which are mainly coach tours.

Escal’Atlantic Tour

I started with the soft option: a tour around the Escal’Atlantic which tells the story of the great passenger liners. The ships built in Saint-Nazaire by the world-famous Chantiers de l’Atlantique are names to conjure with, like SS Normandie where the first-class dining hall was longer than the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. 700 rich passengers sat down to eat here 3 times a day.

The rich travelled in style; the poor in steerage. The rich went on endless vacations; the poor were escaping the poverty of the old world for the promise of the new.

The tour (both French and English tours available) takes you through the geographic spread of destinations from the 19^th century onwards. You walk past boards showing how the ships speeded up from Saint-Nazaire to the overseas ports; you learn the stories of the passengers; you watch a moving old film of the arrival in New York of so many displaced from Europe.

You look into small cabins, see how useful the luxury Louis Vuitton travel trunk was, peer down at the huge engine rooms, go out on deck and finish in the mock-up of a restaurant where kosher and pet menus were offered along with lavish 7-course feasts for those 700 diners.

My Guide to Escal’Atlantic

Chantiers de l’Atlantique

The Chantiers de l’Atlantique is a remarkable institution. This is one of the great shipyards of the world; the place where cruise ships, military ships and latterly, the electrical substations that power offshore wind farms are developed and built.

The company has built over 70 passenger ships in its history, among them SS Normandie, SS France, and RMS Queen Mary II.

Today they are foremost in building new cruise ships for the world’s biggest companies: Celebrity Cruises, Caribbean Cruises, MSC and more.

Chantiers de l’Atlantique Tour

You can take a 2-hour tour of the shipyards, but only in a coach with a French guide (and English headphones). The shipyard keeps its industrial secrets and you cannot take pictures. You also have to provide ID (passport, not a driving licence) before getting on the coach at the Tourist Office.

The visit takes you through security and into the areas which cover the whole process of building these great ships. It’s an insight into how complex it is. You start in the steelyard where steel in different forms is cut and assembled into various sections.

The coach drives you past huge buildings where larger sections are being welded together. You look at huge steel sections and wonder what they are then realise you’re seeing part of a huge hull, or the middle part of a cruise ship.

You see the ships’ interiors in the hangars where they are being fitted out. You get out of the coach at the final stage, to watch two huge gantry cranes lift blocks (up to 1,400 tons) into place. The ships are now in the docks that will eventually open to launch these huge, and hugely impressive, beauties on their journeys around the world.

Information and tickets for the Chantiers de l’Atlantique.

Watch the Ships Launch

Every time a ship is launched, the whole town celebrates. Join the locals flocking to the two main places to see the ships leaving the Loire estuary, the Vieux Môle and Place du Commando. 

For an excellent in-depth description of the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, read my partner’s article on mechtraveller.com.

Espadon Submarine

The Espadon is a French submarine built in 1958. Decommissioned in 1985, she was towed to Saint-Nazaire to become the first French submarine on display to the public. The Espadon was substantially restored in 2021 and opened to visitors in July.

I find submarines sinister from the outside and claustrophobic inside. So my visit was rather fast, particularly as you need a certain amount of knowledge to appreciate the finer points.

There are two audio guides in English, both activated automatically as you walk through the ship. One is the story of the youngest sailor in the crew which I took. It’s good if you want to understand his reactions to the ship (very much like mine). The second is told from the point of view of a journalist who was on board when the Espadon undertook her most famous patrol. She was part of the arctic team exploring under the pack ice in the Norwegian Sea in May 1964.

You climb down a steep staircase into the submarine. Walk along a narrow passage past complicated equipment, past the torpedo bay, the control room and crew quarters, one shower room and one toilet (for the 65 man crew!) and look down at the engines.

You’ll find Espadon in the fortified lock opposite the main submarine base where the Tourist Office is housed.

Information and tickets for the Espadon submarine

The EOL Centre éolien – Offshore Wind Farm Visitor Centre 

The visitor centre about wind farms is unexpectedly great fun. It’s very hands-on, with lots of small models to explain how winds and wind turbines work. And it teaches both children and adults about this great source of energy. You blow, you cycle, you pit yourself against the wind…with consequences.

The French have been slow in adopting wind power. But now the wind farm just off Saint-Nazaire is up and running. Two more of them are about to come on line, in Fécamp (Seine- Maritime) and Courseulles-sur-Mer.

The centre’s here in Saint-Nazaire as the Chantiers de l’Atlantique are building the electricity substations.

Information and tickets for the oelian centre

Up on the Roof

Go up onto the roof where there’s a great view of the shipyards and the sea, and the turbines slowly turning in the distance. When we were there an outdoor photographic exhibition showed the restoration of the Espadon. And there’s a useful information sign showing where the turbines are located and explaining more about the projects.

Look a little closer

We walked further along the quayside for a fascinating, closer glimpse at the huge pylons that are driven into the sea bed to hold the eolians.

The sight of these just reinforced my first impression of Saint-Nazaire – everything is very BIG!

Airbus Tour

Airbus is a huge and significant industry in France. The headquarters are just outside Toulouse, but Saint-Nazaire has two production sites. Here Airbus produces various parts of airplanes and assembles, equips and tests the fuselage sections of different aircraft including the A380 jet liners.

They are transported to assembly line locations in Europe either by sea for the larger components or by Airbus’ Beluga cargo aircraft. This strange looking aircraft is affectionally named the baleine volante (flying whale). Whenever it flies over the city, everyone looks up.  

You can take a tour of Airbus, though if you come from outside the EU (and that applies also to UK residents) you have to book 3 weeks in advance. You also need to take a passport with you as an identity document. Like the Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Airbus is extremely wary of industrial espionage – so no photos!

Information and tickets for Airbus Tours

Read a General Guide to Saint-Nazaire for other attractions, where to stay, eat and shop.

Practical Information

Saint-Nazaire Tourist Office
Atlantic-Loire Valley Tourist Office
Brittany Tourist Office

How to get to Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire is in Brittany, in the Loire-Atlantique region.

By car:
The nearest ferry port from the UK is St-Malo used by Brittany Ferries. It’s around 200 kms/124 miles and takes around 2 hrs 30 mins. We came from Dieppe on DFDS ferries, around 500 kms/310 miles taking around 5 hrs.
More about Ferries to France from the UK.

By Train:
Take the TGV non-stop train from Paris Montparnasse to Nantes (2hrs 7 mins). Then take the local TER train from Nantes to St Nazaire (47 mins).

By Air:
Major European airlines fly to Nantes, as do budget airlines like easyJet and Ryanair. They fly from UK and European destinations. Catch the shuttle bus to the railway station.

More about the French Atlantic Coast

French Atlantic Coast Guide from Brittany to the Spanish border.
Drive along the Loire Valley from Saumur to Saint-Nazaire

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This guide to Saint-Nazaire will, I hope, inspire you to visit. I went there not knowing what to expect and very rapidly fell in love with this great Atlantic coast city that is re-inventing itself so successfully.

Saint-Nazaire has two sides. If you’re interested in shipbuilding (Saint-Nazaire has one of the world’s biggest shipbuilding yards), World War II history, submarines, ocean liners, wind farms and Airbus it will certainly be on your list.

But Saint-Nazaire has another delightful side: with old buildings, glorious beaches, lovely walks both long and short, picturesque fishing huts, good restaurants and a little naval shopping.

Saint-Nazaire’s Mixed History

Originally just a simple fishing village, Saint-Nazaire became a major port with the coming of the railways in the 19^th century. Vast new docks were built and Saint-Nazaire replaced Nantes as the main harbour on the Loire estuary emptying into the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps inevitably it became known as the Liverpool of the West, or if you’re on the other side of the Atlantic, Little Breton California.

By the end of the 19^th century, Saint-Nazaire was the main port building luxury ocean-going liners.

At the start of World War II the port was used to evacuate British troops. A major disaster occurred when the Clyde-built cruise liner SS Lancastria, requisitioned to carry British troops back from France, was sunk by German Junkers bombers in just 15 minutes. Winston Churchill banned all news coverage of the worst disaster in British maritime history (around 4,000 troops were killed) and the incident remained unknown.

In June 1940 France surrendered. The Germans occupied Saint-Nazaire and built the heavily fortified, impregnable U-boat submarine base so vital for destroying the Atlantic supply ships. Saint-Nazaire became a strategic target and in January 1943 the Allies bombed the town, burning it to the ground – though the submarine pens remained.

After the liberation of most of France in 1944, German troops who were holed up in the submarine base refused to surrender but with no supply line they were powerless. General Eisenhower ignored the German bases along the west coast and Saint-Nazaire stayed under German control until after the end of the war in Europe on May 8, 1945.

Saint-Nazaire was rebuilt in the late 1940s so there’s a lot of fairly mundane housing, flats, offices and shops. But is is changing rapidly and the seaside is being developed sympathetically.

Top Attractions in Saint-Nazaire

Start at the Submarine Base

The German submarine base was too strong to demolish without huge cost. Today it’s a major tourist attraction, housing the Escal’Atlantic Museum, a café, a bar and Saint-Nazaire Tourist Office. Get your tickets here for tours of the major industrial sites. It’s also the starting point for the coaches that take you to the shipbuilding yard and to Airbus.

Back to the other Saint-Nazaire Attractions

Beach Life

Make for one of the 20 beaches in and around Saint-Nazaire. There’s plenty of choice. Try the long sandy central beach for watersports, or find yourself a bit of peace and quiet on a cove around Port Charlotte to the west at La Courance or Trébézy.

Walk Beside the Sea

The long promenade beside the sea starts in the east at the Place du Commando by the entrance to the port. Large placards along the walk show the story of Saint-Nazaire; people stroll, cycle or run while others sit on the benches looking out to sea.

Take time for a detour through a small area known as La Havane. Many of the shipbuilders lived in the old houses that line the streets of Santander, La Havane and Veracruz, streets named after the destinations of their cruise liners. 

Look out for ‘Sammy’, built in 1927. The monument commemorates the 198,000 US soldiers stationed in Saint-Nazaire from 1917 to 1919.  

You’ll pass small fishing huts, reached by wobbling little passageways from the shore. Privately owned, the owners use them to fish, lowering the large nets hopefully but usually unsuccessfully into the water. Otherwise they are there just to sit and watch the ever changing seascape.
You can hire them; we spent an hour or so in one – a glorious, restful experience.
Hire a Fishing Hut

Look out for Tintin

You’re not the first illustrious visitor to Saint-Nazaire. 6 boards and an orientation table mark the places in the comic book Les 7 Boules de Cristal visited by Tintin, Captain Archibald Haddock and Milou. “Et puis, pensez donc: Saint-Nazaire, le port, les quais, l’océan, le vent du large, les embruns qui vous fouettent le visage…” “And then, just think: Saint-Nazaire, the port, the quays, the ocean, the offshore wind, the spray that whips your face…“
Pick up the little leaflet at the Tourist Office and set off on your Tintin journey.

L’Écomusée

Housed in a small building in the old port area, the Éccomusée museum tells the story of Saint-Nazaire’s history and industrial heritage, of the port area and the great ocean liners that were built in the city.

It’s a small museum but with enough models, maps, artefacts and photographs to take you through thousands of years of history in a delightful, digestible way.

There are plans for a new museum, but for the moment, take time for a visit and take the family.
Here’s a very good guide to L’écomusée from mechtraveller.com.

Follow the Daring Operation Chariot Raid

Saint-Nazaire was a huge problem for the Allied troops in World War II. The port and the great submarine pen housed the battleships and U boats used by the Germans to destroy the Atlantic convoys that took vital supplies from America to Britain.

Two great battleships occupied Saint-Nazaire: Bismarck and Tirpitz. Bismark was sunk in May 1941 after a fight in which the British ship HMS Hood was also sunk. Tirpitz remained.

Mountbatten came up with an audacious and extremely dangerous plan. Bombing was not possible as Saint-Nazaire was too heavily defended. So the massive Joubert dock, where Tirpitz was stationed, became the target. Or rather the seaward lock gate was the target. The idea of what became known as Operation Chariot? To destroy the gate with a ship packed with explosives rammed into the gate. And, if possible, to wreak more havoc on other sea locks into the basin where the submarine base was located.

The ‘Greatest Raid of All’ was launched by an old destroyer, HMS Campbeltown, loaded with explosives and accompanied by patrol boats carrying commandos whose job it was to go ashore a little further out and attack locks and the German defences.

It was an extraordinary attack, one of those heroic, seemingly hopeless attempts that largely succeeded.

It’s a ripping good yarn, but if you want the full details, go to the excellent Mechtraveller.com story.

The whole point of this rather long introduction is to encourage you to follow the easy Operation Chariot trail. Pick up the leaflet from the Tourist Office to walk around the 7 panels that tell you the story at various times of the raid.

Walk the Coastal Path

The famous coastal path, GR34, starts in Saint-Nazaire and runs north along the Brittany coast for over 2,000 kms/1,240 miles. It finishes at Mont-Saint-Michel. It’s not new; the original trail was created by customs officers in 1664 to intercept smugglers. It takes about 3 hours to walk the Customs Officers’, or Smugglers’ Path as it’s known, from Place du Commando to Plage de Sainte-Marguerite in Pornichet (14 kms/8.6 miles). It’s well worth the effort. Or just go for a few kilometres; the views are stunning.

Where to Stay in Saint-Nazaire

We stayed at the Originals City Hôtel de l’Europe. The 3-star hotel had good rooms, breakfast and friendly staff. There’s a useful (paying) car park opposite.  

Our second night was at a charming chambre d’hôte (bed and breakfast). La Tête sur l’oreiller is in the town centre and run by the helpful and friendly owner, Agnès. There are 5 large rooms including a family room, many looking out onto the peaceful back yard where there’s limited parking. No website, so get in touch directly: latetesuloreiller.44@gmail.com.

Or try Le Berry, a 3-star hotel near the station. It has smart modern bedrooms and bathrooms, a brasserie and bar. Rooms from €70 in the low season and from €100 high season.

There’s a good selection of budget and chain hotels in Saint-Nazaire.

Where to Eat in Saint-Nazaire

There are plenty of good restaurants in Saint-Nazaire. We ate at La Plage, one of the new restaurants in the Place du Commando. Top seafood dishes, great staff and a wonderful view of the sea.

Also in the Place du Commando, La Fabrik is a good choice for lunch (it closes at 7pm). Go here for waffles, vegetarian dishes, skewers of meat and vegetables, salads and steak and chips as well as ice creams. Tel: +33 2 51 16 96 74.

One of the most enjoyable casual meals was at Le Papillon, a bar/restaurant on the beach with extra tables on the sand. They do excellent plâteaus of charcuterie and cheese plus moules in large pans. It’s at  Plage de Villès, about a 20-minute walk from the Place du Commando. Run by Igor and Melissa, who worked for 10 years in London in restaurants and bars, it’s only open in the summer.

We also had lunch at Le Maharaja, an Indian restaurant a short walk from the submarine base. First-rate tandoori dishes and classic Indian curries with a terrace for summer dining.

For a quick meal, or takeaway, try Basilic&Co. It’s a chain of good pizzerias, centrally located, friendly and good value.

Shopping in Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire is not known for its shopping. But walking to the submarine base from our bed and breakfast, I came across Comptoir de la Mer. And this sprawling shop was irresistible. Good clothing if you’re sailing, many different fishing rods, but best of all, those wooden lighthouses, birds and boats that place your bathroom right by the sea. I spent a small fortune. 

Markets in Saint-Nazaire

The large main covered market, Les Halles was built in the 1950s. It’s the place for fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, cheeses and more, both French and international. It’s not particularly pretty but it’s a great place to shop for a picnic. Stalls both inside and out. Open Tues, Fri and Sun mornings. Blvd de la Legion d’Honneur. Saint Nazaire Villeport.

To the east you’ll find Penhoët Market in Méan-Penhoët. Built in 1877 it was brought here from the centre in 1936. Open Wed and Sat.

Saint-Nazaire Markets.

Great Places outside Saint-Nazaire

A Serpent Awaits

Drive over the impressive Saint-Nazaire bridge then turn off immediately to Brevin-les-Pins. Park in the main car park and walk along the seaside path. It will take you to the 130-metre long Serpent d’océan, best seen at low tide.

Saint-Marc-sur-Mer and Monsieur Hulot

I was brought up on Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, a hilarious black-and-white and very old-fashioned film starring Jacques Tati. It’s become part of the folklore of France but I had no idea that the village was just a 17 km/10.5 mile drive along the coast from Saint-Nazaire and that the French had taken Monsieur Hulot quite so much to their hearts.

There are various walks and view points, helpfully shown on boards around the village relating to the holidaymaker who creates havoc in the small seaside resort.

Walk along the Smugglers’ Path (part of GR34), take bathing gear, walk down the steps from the path and swim in the blue waters of the sea.

Stay in the excellent 3-star Best Western Hôtel de la Plage, M. Hulot’s hotel. With a room looking out over the beach and the sea, and a view of M. Hulot himself standing on a rampart with exactly the right pose, it makes a great end to a stay in Saint-Nazaire. Good bar, restaurant and terrace dining.

We ate at an excellent Asian style dinner (dishes from €16.50) at Le Centre in the middle of the village. On Sundays there’s live music at 4pm.

Go Further Afield

Just to the north of Saint-Nazaire you’ll come to the Parc naturel regional de Brière. France’s second largest wetland is a glorious area of villages, natural ecosystems, animals and thousands of birds.

Salt Marshes of Guérande

Go north west and you’re in the salt-marshes of Guérande. In this huge low-lying area, the precious (and expensive) salt is produced naturally. The seawater flows through the pans producing brine.

Stop at Terre de Sel, one of the businesses producing salt. There are plenty of food stuffs to buy and they also arrange guided tours of the salt marshes.

Read about the Industrial Heritage of Saint-Nazaire: Shipbuilding, Submarines, Airbus and Wind Farms to visit.

Practical Information

Saint-Nazaire Tourist Office
Brittany Tourist Office
Atlantique-Loire Valley Tourist Office

How to get to Saint-Nazaire

Saint-Nazaire is in Brittany, in the Loire-Atlantique region.

By car:
The nearest ferry port from the UK is St-Malo used by Brittany Ferries. It’s around 200 kms/124 miles and takes around 2 hrs 30 mins. We came from Dieppe on DFDS ferries, around 500 kms/310 miles taking around 5 hrs.
More about Ferries to France from the UK.

By Train:
Take the TGV non-stop train from Paris Montparnasse to Nantes (2hrs 7 mins). Then take the local TER train from Nantes to St Nazaire (47 mins).

By Air:
Major European airlines fly to Nantes, as do budget airlines like easyJet and Ryanair. They fly from UK and European destinations. Catch the shuttle bus to the railway station.

More about the French Atlantic Coast

French Atlantic Coast Guide from Brittany to the Spanish border.
Drive along the Loire Valley from Saumur to Saint-Nazaire

Declaration: I was on a self-driving press trip as a guest of the Saint-Nazaire tourist office.  Apart from the Hotel de l’Europe & meal at Basilic&Co, the tourist office covered all meals, accommodation and entry fees.

The post Guide to Saint-Nazaire appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Every year, Épernay, the capital of champagne, celebrates Les Habits de Lumière. It was originally launched as an event to thank the locals who are so important in champagne production. Now it’s open to the general public and is one of the major champagne events in France in December. Taking place over the second weekend, it is spectacular.

Les Habits de Lumière Weekend

This is champagne letting its hair down. Every year the town is turned into one glorious party. Around 60,000 people come to celebrate Les Habits de Lumière.

Avenue de Champagne

It starts on Friday evening at the Avenue de Champagne, the elegant boulevard that runs through the centre of town. The champagne houses that line the street are open, their façades lit up with glorious illuminations, their courtyards full of champagne bars, food trucks and in many cases rock bands. Pol Roger had a silent disco.

In the year I attended, an acrobat performed impossible contortions in the first courtyard we came to; images of trains lit up another while a group of strangely dressed creatures danced and glided down the middle of the street. Were they creatures from the sea or from space, we wondered?

We stopped for a meal in a marquee in one of the champagne houses, washed down of course with bubbly.

Then the fireworks started shooting up into the sky and we stood with everyone going ‘oohh and aahh’ particularly the children.

The whole thing is repeated on Saturday evening.

Saturday morning and Les Habits de Saveurs

No French festival, particularly one in Champagne, is complete without a gourmet tasting. And so it proved here. A large marquee opposite the covered Saint-Thibault food market was buzzing.

From 9am to noon ten well known chefs from the region demonstrated their skills, sponsored by one of the champagne houses. It’s always a pretty impressive line up with chefs from restaurants like the 3-star Michelin Chef, Arnaud Lallement from Assiette Champenoise in Reims, and a whole host of top local restaurants.

Sunday Habits de Lumière Events

On Sunday the French take to the road. Well, a large number of vintage cars and vans did. The procession made its stately way through the streets of Épernay, and particularly down the Avenue de Champagne, with onlookers clapping and cheering from the pavements. The French have a thing about old car rallies, and this one was full of cars and drivers from all over France.

Many people make a weekend of it, staying in or around Épernay. Museums and attractions, bars and restaurants are all open. If you haven’t been, it’s well worth going but you’ll have to book a hotel early.

Here’s my Guide to Épernay with attractions, trips outside, markets, restaurants and places to stay.

Practical Information

Épernay Tourist Office

This year Les Habits de Lumière in Épernay  will be from Dec 12-14, 2025.
Visit a Champagne House in Reims

More to see and do in the December events diary

How the French celebrate Christmas
Visit a French château at Christmas

The post Habits de Lumière in Épernay in Champagne appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Follow this Épernay in Champagne guide for a glorious visit at any time of the year. The small town is considered the capital of champagne rather than its big sister Reims.

Épernay is a charming small town, 28 kms (17 miles) south of Reims. It’s in the Marne department of Champagne-Ardenne and is the heart of a wine-growing region covering 35,000 hectares of wines. It’s easy to get to and makes a perfect short break. I went in December for Les Habits de Lumière weekend. It was cold, sparkling and beautiful.

Major Attractions in Épernay Guide

You’ll find the websites of each attraction at the end of the article.

Avenue de Champagne

Épernay life revolves around the Avenue de Champagne that runs through the middle of the town.

This wide long boulevard is lined with the names of the great and the good: Moët et Chandon (founded in 1743), Perrier-Jouët, Pol Roger, Mercier, de Castellane and other champagne houses less well known to foreign visitors like de Venoge and Boizel. You’re walking over 110 kilometres of underground cellars, where the champagne is kept at a constant 9-12°C degrees.

The elegant châteaux were once both home and cellar to the original owners. Grand and gracious, their façades look out onto courtyards protected by cast-iron railings and gates while the lucky inhabitants kept their gardens at the back.

It’s used for every big occasion in Epernay. In December it’s at the heart of the Habits de Lumière festival; in January it saw the cars driving from Reims at the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally to Monaco.

Moët et Chandon Guided Tour

Moët et Chandon is arguably the best known name. A guided visit to Moët et Chandon starts in the former drawing rooms. Then with an English-speaking guide you descend into the brick-lined cellars underneath. Dimly lit, the cellars engender a feeling of reverence, bordering on awe. Not surprising really; you’re looking at millions of euros worth of bubbly made according to age-old methods. The dusty bottles are stacked in racks with deliberately bewildering numbers and letters at the top of each stack. Only the cellar master and his assistants know what they mean. And this is just the showcase. Most of the houses, particularly Moët et Chandon, have far larger production sites outside Épernay.

It makes you appreciate the glasses you savour upstairs even more.

Château Perrier Houses a Top Museum

I hadn’t expected the Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology Museum to be so surprising. No bubbly served here for a start. But such considerations aside, it gives you a wonderful snapshot of the region’s prehistory and more recent history in a delightfully easy way.

The museum is full of the kinds of models I love. Strange skeletons for those who are into osteology; pots and shards for the archaeologists. I spent time with the Romans. Did you know that Roman roads often had three tracks? One elevated for those Roman armies to march from city to city, and one each side for the horses and carts of the plebs.

The champagne production section is just as interesting with oddities, and quirky information on the process itself. Again the section is full of models and pictures to keep your interest and there’s a sniffing table where you can try to identify different scents.

The only one I got right was walnuts (see below!)

You can also go down to the cellars but we were off to try another glass of bubbly.

Birds’ Eye View from a Helium Balloon

The Épernay helium balloon is tethered just outside the Avenue de Champagne. Ascend slowly up to 150 metres high for a view of the surrounding vineyards and villages. And, naturally, it’s done with a glass of champagne. It only takes off in good weather, so check before you go.

Markets in Épernay

If you like markets (and who doesn’t?), visit the covered Saint-Thibault market which has a good selection of stalls; open Wednesday and Saturday 8am-noon. On Tuesday and Saturday there’s a fabric and textile market in rue de la Poste. On Wednesday there’s a general market on la place Fada N’Gourma; Sunday morning try the food market on Auban-Moët Square.

There’s a flea market on the third Sunday of each month in Saint-Thibault.

Return to the ’70s

Vintage cars and vans are something of a universal passion in France. In fact, so popular are they that companies have sprung up all over giving tours in the sedate old ladies. My vintage tour company took us in a 70’s minibus out of Épernay and up and down small gravel tracks to a vineyard with a panoramic view. The back of the van was set up like a bar and a bottle of champagne produced. ‘Who wants to try this?’ asked the driver-guide, waving a sharp small sword. Up stepped one of our party to do the honours of beheading the bottle.

It’s actually quite easy (or at least looks quite easy). The bottle and the top with the cork have to be cold. You line up the bottle so the join of the two parts of the bottle is facing upwards. Take the sabre in your hand; hold out the bottle and hit the end of the cork firmly. Et voilà! The cork flies off and into the vines to be retrieved as a souvenir.

I’m not sure if this is a ‘Don’t try this at home trick’. I haven’t summoned up the courage or bought a bottle of cheap champagne yet to try the trick. But I will.

Pressoria – A Sensory Visit

Pressoria, just outside Épernay in Aÿ-Champagne, bills itself as ‘A Sensory Journey to the Heart of Champagne’. Which is a pretty bold claim. But Pressoria delivers and in such a way that you can take the family as well.

There are rooms showing you the growth of the vines and the changing seasons in the vineyards; there’s a room for sniffing scents to try to identify them (I managed walnuts but not much else); there are rocks to touch to give you an idea of the subsoil.

You can blend your own champagne and you end in a room surrounded by a screen with images of bubbles and music – all very artistic which everyone loved (except for me).

And of course there’s a tasting at the end.

What to See outside Épernay

It’s all about Champagne

Champagne is associated with the venerable Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon. This jovial figure (well his statue looks jovial) was the cellar master at the monastery in Hautvillers. He didn’t invent champagne, but in the 1670s was a key figure in the development of the wine.

Today Moët et Chandon produces Dom Pérignon, a sought after vintage champagne. This stipulates that all the grapes used are harvested in the same year; it’s only produced in good years and it is usually released after 8 to 10 years.

Hautvillers

The pretty village of Hautvillers is 6 kms north of Épernay. Small enough to wander around, it’s a good idea to book an English-speaking guide at the tourist office. It may be known today for one thing – champagne production – but once Hautvillers was a thriving little centre full of different shops. Wrought-iron signs hanging from the walls depicting the profession of the owner, vital to a population that couldn’t read or write.  

There’s a good view over the UNESCO World Heritage site vineyards that surround the village from the lower road. Keep walking to a cobbled, steep alley leading up to the Monastery and Abbey. You can only see the monastery from the outside, but you can go into the church where Dom Pierre Pérignon  is buried.  

And a visit to Don Pierre Pérignon’s statue is a must. People come from all over the world to look at this and pay their own particular respects. There’s always a bottle of champagne by his feet and the glass he’s holding is usually full.

More Villages around Épernay

Épernay is located in the vineyards of the three surrounding areas: Montagne de Reims, Côte de Blancs and Vallée de la Marne and there are plenty of villages and vineyards to visit. Check out the Route du champagne at the local tourist office or go online here. The different routes are easy to follow and you can stop and taste at anywhere which has the Acceuil (Welcome) sign outside. Try the smaller vineyards for some real revelations (and less expensive bottles).

Where to Stay

Jean Moët 4-star hotel is right beside the Avenue de Champagne. Rooms are different sized, ranging from the smaller attic rooms to larger rooms; bathrooms are spacious and there’s a view from most rooms of the splendid Épernay Town Hall. From €145 in the low season and €175 in the high season.

We ate at the restaurant but didn’t stay at the top 5-star Royal Champagne Hotel. 47 beautiful huge rooms look out over the vineyards below. Needless to stay this is expensive, from around €560 per night in low season for the cheapest suite to around €900 in the high season. But this is Champagne and this is a superb hotel so if you have the means, go for it! It’s owned by an American couple from Boston who fell in love with France years ago on cycling trips. So it’s something of a labour of love for them.

The Best Western Le Relais du Vigneron is in Vertus, 16 km south of Épernay. Bollinger, Duval-Leroy, Moët & Chandon, Piper-Heidsieck, Roederer, and Taittinger all have vineyards near the village which is one of the highest rated Premier Cru villages of Champagne. It’s a delightful hotel which has been totally renovated. It now has large modern rooms in different buildings in the middle of the village. Good-sized bathrooms, bar and restaurant and friendly and welcoming English-speaking staff. Some rooms have small kitchenettes if you want to cater for yourself.

Where to Eat

Épernay has a lot of good restaurants. Locals drink champagne throughout the meal, so ask for advice if you’re not sure what to order.

La Table Kobus. Centrally located, this was one of the best restaurants I have been to for some time. It’s a pleasant room with a brasserie vibe and excellent waiters with style. The menu is kept to 3 or 4 choices, ranging from truffled foie gras terrine with Reims ham and artichoke chutney on the starters to fish including scallops and cod. Meat dishes include black angus beef, Iberique pork and roast veal. Menus from €27 to €53.

Le P’tit Champenois is part of the Hotel Jean Moët. There’s an entrance from the hotel into the charming restaurant which is heavy on beef or try the chicken supreme. 2-course menu is €27; 3 courses €32.

Le Domaine de Vincine. In central Épernay this small family-run restaurant is bright and cheerful. The small menu changes every 3 weeks and offers simple dishes using local and regional  ingredients. It’s best for lunch.

Le Bellevue Restaurant in the Royal Champagne Hotel. The restaurant is lavish with crystal chandeliers and luxury furniture and a view over the surrounding vineyards. Dishes are sophisticated; wine list is superb. There’s a lunch time menu at €45; otherwise starters hover around €25 and main dishes from €33 to €75 (for lobster).

La Cave à Champagne is a pretty restaurant. In the centre of Épernay, it has an impressive Champagne list (as you’d expect). Expect good, rustic regional dishes which are not for the faint-hearted and are good value. There’s a menu at €25.

Le Théatre Restaurant is one of the town’s oldest brasseries, housed in a classical building with a delightful décor. Again the chef concentrates on traditional local dishes. Menus €27 to €50.

Château d’Étoges. This impressive château is just outside Épernay. It’s a hotel and spa and offers good value breaks. There are 2 restaurants, a casual bistro and the more serious Orangerie. Menus from €58 to €78.

When to visit

Épernay is an all-year round destination. Undoubtedly it is at its best from Spring to late Autumn, but it has a very special event in December which I urge you to try to attend. Les Habits de Lumière takes place over the second weekend. I went last year; it was enormous fun.

This year Les Habits de Lumière in Épernay runs from Dec 8-10, 2023.

Practical Information

Épernay Tourist Information
Moët et Chandon Tour
Champagne Wine and Regional Archaeology Museum
Épernay Helium Balloon Ride
Pressoria

More to see and do in Champagne

Champagne Houses to visit in Reims
Voltaire, his lover and the Château de Cirey in Champagne

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Guide to Deauville and Trouville by guest writer Fiona Quinn
Updated April 12, 2026

The twin seaside towns of Deauville-Trouville on the Normandy coast in the département of Calvados sit cheek-by-jowl. The only thing that separates them is the narrow, winding Touques river where it discharges into the English Channel. Yet, while the towns are both complementary, each has a very different vibe. Check out this guide to Deauville and Trouville.

The Chic Past of Deauville and Trouville

Back in the heyday of the Belle Epoque, everyone who was anyone in Paris headed to Trouville for a bit of “trou-la-la” on their holidays. Imagine the summer of 1870: elegant ladies in long white summer dresses holding their parasols wander along a wooden boardwalk lined with grand buildings next to a wide sandy beach.

A two-hour train trip from Paris-St-Lazare brought hordes of visitors seeking sea air, packing their bathing suits to spend time on the long stretches of sand at Deauville and Trouville before taking a bracing sea bath. Well refreshed, their evenings were spent mingling at the casino and enjoying the seafood brought in by local fishermen. This was the era when haute couture had recently been invented, Champagne production was being perfected, and the Eiffel Tower still hadn’t been built.

And What Do Today’s Visitors See?

Today, for the British the Côte Fleurie is just a quick hop on the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. The Parisian jetset still love this beach and hang out here at weekends, enjoying their holiday homes, while stopping for lunch in the fish market at Trouville or shopping in the glamorous designer stores in Deauville.

In Deauville, a parade of colourful tied-up beach umbrellas dot the beach in front of 1920s beach cabins named after film stars, while in neighbouring Trouville, a wooden boardwalk flanks the grand seaside villas where residents can step out straight onto the beach.

First came Trouville

Trouville was the first to be discovered. French artist Charles Mozin (1806–62) specialised in marine painting and had been to Honfleur painting beaches when he was told by local fishermen that the beach at Trouville was far prettier. An early influencer, he sold his art to the Parisian elite, who came to the coast eager to see the beautiful beaches for themselves and try out the new trend of sea bathing that had come over from Regency England in the 1820s.

The town began to grow and by the 1840s, Trouville’s fishing quay was developed. The boom in tourism in the 1860s saw new villas popping up along the beach and spilling on the hill to house the weekend visitors and their households.

Then in 1867, the Planches promenade wooden boardwalk was installed. Now the stylish visitors could amble along the beach, a practice the French know as flâner, filling their lungs with invigorating sea air.

Guide to Deauville and Trouville: Start by Walking the Streets

Wander the backstreets and you discover eclectic, yet elegant architecture that was heavily influenced by travel. Individually designed villas combine traditional Norman half-timbering Colombage style with Alpine chalets, English bay windows and castle-style turrets all jostling for a view of the sea.

Villa Montebello was built in 1865 with a commanding vista above the Roches Noires hotel. Now the town’s museum it houses some of Mozin’s paintings along with vintage pieces of sea bathing history. Holding temporary exhibitions, this year it’s the turn of Charles Pécrus (1826–1907), a friend of Eugene Boudin.

Deauville

During the Second Empire in the 1860s, Emperor Napoleon III’s half-brother the Duc de Morny, had the vision to establish a new town on the other side of the river and Deauville was born. The designed town was on mostly flat land. The planned streets give a neat, formal feel with the main square based on the Place de l’Etoile in Paris with eight boulevards that fan out leading to tourist attractions in each direction.

The Duc’s passion for horses also gave the refined town a different vibe from its coastal neighbour, and a thoroughbred racecourse, Deauville-La Touques, was built in 1864 just a short walk from the beach on the edge of town. This has since led to the countryside around Deauville being the main horse-breeding region in France.

The Impressionists Arrive

As both resorts developed, they attracted writers such as Gustave Flaubert and Impressionist painters Eugène Boudin and Claude Monet who spent his honeymoon in Trouville in 1870. See also Normandy and Impressionism.

Deauville Grows: Villa Strasbourg, Hotels and Casinos

In Deauville, on farmland once owned by Gustave Flaubert’s family, Baron Henri de Rothschild built an impressive Anglo-Norman villa overlooking the racecourse, where he liked to visit. The Belle Epoque holiday home was eventually bought by Ralph Strassburger before being given to the town of Deauville in lieu of taxes. Villa Strassburger is open to the public between June and September. You must book a guided tour in advance.

In 1912 three iconic buildings added to the considerable appeal of the seaside resort: the Hôtel Normandy and the Hôtel Royal strategically placed with the Casino between them. Discreet underground tunnels led to the trio of luxury buildings specifically aimed at chic Parisians and the milords of British high society.

The hotels, both part of the prestigious Barrière group, are grand in the best possible old-fashioned way. Huge entrance halls, long corridors, high ceilings and spectacular public rooms make the perfect place for a drink.

20th-Century Wars

Shortly after, the First World War broke out. Eventually the Second World War left its historical mark on the region with many of the grand buildings being occupied as either hospitals or homes for German officers.

But each time the holidaymakers returned as soon as they could. Fashionistas came, including Coco Chanel in 1914 opening her first haute couture shop outside Paris and later Yves Saint Laurent. And in 1975, Deauville’s annual film festival, now held in September every year, put the resort firmly on the celebrity map.

Guide to Deauville and Trouville Today

At weekends and in season, the tiny local population is mostly boosted by Parisians, who come shopping for luxury along Deauville’s Rue Désiré Le Hoc, Rue Eugène Colas and Rue du Casino, watch a polo match or have a flutter at the races. The beaches are full of life with families.

Yet, out of season, as horse riders and harness carriages gallop along the empty shoreline, visitors can enjoy the bracing sea air and long walks without the need to jostle for space on the beach and can easily get a table in one of the numerous dining places around both towns.

Eat, Drink and Watch the World Go By

Lying next to the sea, the lure of fresh seafood is strong. Every guide to Deauville and Trouville must include sea snails and sea urchins, oysters, clams, grey shrimp, prawns, langoustines, and lobster from Brittany. The stalls at Trouville’s fish market (marché aux poissons) are filled with delicious produce. But this is not only a seafood vendor and tourist attraction. Lunch here allows you to indulge at high tables where you’re served the freshest seafood platters and champagne. Saiter, one of the ten sellers, was the first to sell food directly to visitors and takes centre stage in the market under red awnings. 

In neighbouring Deauville, chic cafés spill onto the pavements at the Place Morny next to the fish market. You’re never far from good seafood, and both towns have plenty of places to dine out with both prix fixe and a la carte menus.

A good meal in Normandy is often broken up with a trou normand – literally, a Norman hole! It is in fact the name given to a glass of Calvados, apple brandy, drunk before the main course to aid digestion (and appreciate the next course).

Calvados – That Great Normandy Drink

For more than 200 years, Père Magloire has been producing Calvados in Normandy using local apples that thrive here. Visitors can discover more at the Père Magloire Calvados Experience, a 10-minute drive from Deauville-Trouville. Several different rooms in the former cellars show the history of Calvados, its origins, the apples and orchards that lend their flavours to this local drink, and the methods used to create this distilled apple brandy, even down to shaking the trees to make the apples fall. The fun exhibit ends with Calvados tasting in the stylish bar, all for only a few euros per person.

Don’t Miss this Attraction

With so many elements to the region’s history, it might prove difficult to encapsulate all of it in one place, but the Franciscaines multimedia cultural centre has managed to do just that. Opened in May 2021 in an old convent, the centre makes local culture accessible to everyone. The modern facilities on the ground floor include an exceptional cafe, where lunch is served on one tray, and a concert and performance venue in the former chapel, while the the glass roof over the original cloister is made up of thousands of tubes that dot the sky like a cloud in an Impressionist painting as you look up.

Art and creativity is celebrated in all its forms with an extensive public library spreading around the upper floor with cosy zones to hang out, lounge around and even lie down, books on horse racing, Deauville history, music, and art, private screening rooms to watch films, and a museum dedicated to painter André Hambourg (1909-99).

Fun Things to Do

A Day at the Races

Horse racing in Deauville dates back to 1863 when horses and riders pounded along the beach on a temporary track. A year later, the Deauville-La-Touques racecourse was built and opened – as the locals will proudly tell you, before the church was built.

One of the most beautiful and leading flat racecourses in France, it attracts international trainers to its summer and winter seasons. It’s not for nothing that Deauville is twinned with Lexington, Kentucky. A day at the races is remarkably cheap, just a few euros in July and August and free for the rest of the year’s racing.

The second course at Deauville-Clairefontaine is just to the east of the town with racing in June, July, Autust and October. Race meetings take themes, perhaps ecology or the local region, with plenty of related events to keep the family entertained. And it offers three different kinds of racing: flat, trotting and steeplechasing. Like Deauville-La Touques, it’s just a few euros for entry.

Fast and Furious Polo – Up Close

Deauville has the oldest polo club in France and the club where the Argentinian teams want to win of all the European venues.  Polo is a great sport – expensive to play but cheap to watch.

Polo has been played in Deauville since 1892. But it wasn’t until 1950 that the Gold Cup, which concludes the world championships, was established.

It’s a great sport to watch from the small charming pavilion which is conveniently a few hundred yards from the main racecourse. So you can enjoy an afternoon’s racing, then go over to the polo ground for the 5.30pm matches. It’s free during the week, 10 euros at weekends and 20 euros for the finals.

Or go down early to the beach to watch the players having fun on the sand.

Presqu’île de la Touques

Another recent development in town is squeezed between the two resorts. The new district of Presqu’île de la Touques is bordered by the river and the harbour full of sailing boats, accessed from Deauville via a pedestrian drawbridge with two striped belvedere towers at either end. For exceptional views across both towns stretching from the beach to the golf course, you can climb or take the lift to the top of one of the towers for a couple of euros.

Pierre et Vacances Apartments

The former industrial zone was once full of warehouses, and home to the grand Custom House. Now, French apartment company Pierre & Vacances have brought the old working neighbourhood to life by building new apartment buildings in the spirit of Deauville’s old architecture, and renovating the time-worn Custom House – Le Bâtiment des Douanes – into stylish apartments for two to eight people, perfect for groups of friends and family holidays.

All come with spacious dining areas and well-equipped kitchens – even including an oyster shucker! The premium residence of provides a free-to-use heated indoor and outdoor pool, sauna and steam room, and a cardio-training area. Optional extras include massages and treatments in the Algotherm spa, underground parking and a generous breakfast buffet of fresh and organic local produce.

Double/Twin from €150 per night.

Practical Information

Getting to Deauville and Trouville

Brittany Ferries sails three times a day between Portsmouth and Caen with a choice of daytime and overnight departures. Fares start from £89 each way for a car plus 2, or from £39 each way for a foot passenger. For information: Brittany Ferries, Tel: 0330 159 7000. 

More Information on Ferries to France from the UK

For more on Deauville, visit the Deauville Tourist Office website
For more on Trouville, visit the Trouville Tourist Office website

More on the Region

Normandy Travel Guide
Seaside Resorts in North France
Islands of France – including Normandy

About guest writer, Fiona Quinn

Fiona Quinn is a francophile travel writer and editor. She’s lived in France on and off during the past 30 years, including as a student in Paris, ski saisonnaire in Savoie and Haute Savoie, and a home-owner in sunflower-filled Charente. 
Check out her website.

The post Guide to Deauville and Trouville appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

Why the need for a guide to Le Mans? Surely it’s all about the famous annual 24-hour race in June when petrol heads pack the city, and its equally famous car museum?

But no, there’s another side to Le Mans and I hope you’ll be as surprised and delighted as I was to discover an extraordinary preserved and extensive medieval quarter at the city’s heart.

So let’s start at the beginning…(Don’t worry, there’s more about the car race and museum below.)

Old Le Mans

Once a vital Roman stronghold, Le Mans remained important for the next 14 centuries. Walk through the ‘Plantagenet City’ and you step into a history that linked medieval France and England.

Remember King John and Robin Hood? Richard the Lionheart? King Henry and the murder of Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury? They all took place while both France and England were part of the mighty Plantagenet Empire that stretched from Scotland in the north down to Spain in the south. In the east the Plantagenet Empire bordered Flanders, Champagne, Burgundy, Savoy and the region around Toulouse.

And Le Mans was the great empire’s heart.

The All-Powerful Plantagenet Kings and Queens

The story begins in 1129 when Geoffrey, the powerful Count of Maine and Anjou married Mathilda, the daughter of Henry I of England and the granddaughter of William the Conqueror. The power marriage had far-reaching consequences. The Plantagenet dynasty lasted until 1485 when Richard III, the last English Plantagenet King of England, died.

Plantagenet Le Mans – Guide to a City within a City

The old 24-hectare quarter sprawls over the hillside above the River Sarthe. Cobbled medieval streets are lined with half-timbered houses and stone Renaissance mansions.

It’s encircled in parts by the original 3^rd-century Gallo-Roman walls which at their most impressive run along the river front. At several hundred metres long in total they’re among the best preserved in Europe.

Pick up a comprehensive map and plunge into the muddle of mostly pedestrianised streets where the hôtels (grand houses) belonged to the once powerful families of de Rouxelin d’Arcy, de Clairaulnay and Courcival. These grandees were part of the French court and ran the flourishing city. 

Don’t miss the massive Saint-Julien cathedral, a Romanesque masterpiece. Soaring vaults in the choir are lit up by the colours from the stained glass windows. The Virgin Chapel is a revelation with its angels playing 24 different instruments painted on the roof. And watch the nightly summer night show telling the story of the mighty church.

Parts of the once magnificent Plantagenet Palace still exist; Le Carré Plantagenet Museum tells you more about the powerful empire.

Not surprisingly Plantagenet Le Mans is something of a film set, featuring in films like The Man in the Iron Mask with Leonardo di Caprio and Gérard Depardieu in Cyrano de Bergerac.

Guide to Plantagenet medieval Le Mans.

Guide to more Le Mans Attractions

Go back even further at the Musée de Tessé. Venture down to the basement for the museum’s Egypt collection of mummies. Two full-scale reconstructions, including one of Queen Neferari, are impressive in their detail and scale.

The museum opened in 1799 making it one of the earliest in France. It also has French, Italian and Flemish paintings from the 16^th to the 20^th century. 

If you’re interested in 19^th and 20^th century paintings of Le Mans and the river Sarthe, go into the Queen Bérengère Museum housed in three old wooden houses in Plantagenet Le Mans. It’s at 7 Rue de la Reine Bérengère.

Guide to Le Mans Markets

The best known local market is the Jacobins at the foot of the cathedral. It’s held every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 8am to 1pm.

For a more international flavour, try the Sablons Market on Thurs from 8am to 1pm.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Race

The first ever automotive race, the Grand Prix (Le Grand Prix de l’ACF) took place on June 26 and 27, 1906. It covered 103 kms (64 miles) between Le Mans, Ferté-Bernard and Saint Calais on public roads closed for the race. Certain towns were bypassed for the race and instead the formidable vehicles raced on specially constructed wooden roads. The Hungarian Ference Szisz won the event in a Renault AK.

In 1923 the race was changed from a speed event to an endurance 24-hour race, encouraging reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible. It’s now one of the world’s great sporting events.

Today some 60 cars compete; the winner being the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours.

Le Musée des 24 Heures du Mans (The Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans) 

The museum is a must for anyone visiting Le Mans, even for someone like me. I like driving, and cars, but I am not an enthusiast for motor museums. But even I found the museum fascinating. It’s large and arranged chronologically so you start with those strange machines built in the 19th century.

Here’s a guide to Le Mans 24-Hour Museum.

Le Mans at night

The Cathedral has the best known sound and light show with angels and demons, forests, ladders and more flickering across the façade. Royal figures appear on the porch while in the Place du cardinal Grente on the corner, angels escape from the Virgin chapel in the cathedral.

One side of the Romans walls display architects, and builders, musicians playing odd instruments while two chimeras fly along the top. On the other side, separated by the tunnel that runs up from the riverside gardens to the old medieval town, masks from the Roman theatre, knights of the Round Table and fighting dragons make their appearance. Drive or walk along by the river for the full effect.

And just east of the cathedral the White Lady appears. She’s Queen Bérengère, widow of Richard the Lionheart.

Where to Stay in Le Mans

We stayed in the Maison Saint-Pierre. Not only are the three rooms gracious and spacious and the breakfast excellent; the bed and breakfast is right next to the cathedral which is perfect if you want to marvel at the illuminations that race across its façade. (And the view from our window is spectacular.)

Also recommended is the 19^th-century Le Clos d’Hauteville. It offers three delightful rooms, an excellent communal breakfast. You’ll find a courtyard and garden to enjoy during good weather. Car parking is available.

There are also good budget hotels in Le Mans. Check out the main budget hotel chains here.

Where to Eat in Le Mans

We ate in three very different restaurants.

Le Mans is full of delightful surprises and Libertà is one of those. The restaurant is in La Visitation, a former prison now converted into housing, shops and restaurants and a great place to eat. There’s also entertainment, with events and live music. Libertà’s Italian/Corsican slant makes for some unusual cooking as well as offering great pizzas. It’s noisy, fun and good value with lunch menus at €19.90 and €24.90.

La Ciboulette (Chives) is a charming family-run restaurant in an old house on the edge of the medieval city. Good classic French dishes like magret de canard cooked with skill, friendly service and outside seating in summer. Menus at €24.90 (including an excellent vegetarian menu), €35.90 and a gourmet feast at €59.

We went to La Rotisserie when we were visiting the 24-Hour Museum, and needed a car to get here. Persevere: it’s a local favourite and was buzzing. It has all the classics, and majors in pork rillettes, roasts and grills. It’s well priced and fun. Thoroughly recommended.

More Information on Le Mans and Surroundings

How to get to Le Mans

From the UK: We took the DFDS ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe and drove the 270 kms/168 miles to Le Mans, taking 3 hours. More about Ferries to France from the UK.

France Travel: By car Paris to Le Mans is 208 kms/130 miles and takes 2 hrs 30 mins.
By train: The train goes from Paris Montparnasse and takes from 56 mins.
By bus: The bus goes from Paris City Centre – Bercy Seine and takes around 3 hours.

How to get around Le Mans

The bus and tram network work from 5.00am to 1.00am in the week and from 6.00am to 1.00am Sundays and bank holidays. The system is efficient and cheap.

Le Mans is in the Sarthe department of the Pays de la Loire region.

Also Check Out

Sarthe Tourism

Pays de la Loire

More to see in the region

We also explored the Loir (without an ‘e’) Valley. It was delightful, unexpected, and full of treasures.

Try these attractions:

Tour the Secret Loir Valley
Visit the Château du Lude and its fabulous gardens
Glorious Medieval Baugé with its château and apothecary
Step into the world of the privately and family owned Château de Bazouges

Declaration: I was travelling in the area as a guest of the Le Mans Tourist Office which sponsored the accommodation and meals.

The post Le Mans Guide – A Tale of Two Cities appeared first on Mary Anne's France.

For many people Le Mans is all about the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race and the museum. It’s a heady mix that rises to fever pitch every June when the annual 24 Hours of Le Mans event takes place.

We visited the track and the museum in the week before the race started. The roads were crowded and many of them blocked with diversions in place so it took longer than usual to get there. We had to park quite a way away and walk past the track where the cars were practicing. This might not be Formula 1 but it’s pretty fast and very noisy. Next year I plan to attend the event, and camp in one of the nearby sites.

The next 24 Hour Race is on June 11-12, 2022. It will be the 90th race and quite an event.

But let’s start with a bit of history…

The 24 Hours of Le Mans Race

The first ever automotive race, the Grand Prix (Le Grand Prix de l’ACF) took place on June 26 and 27 1906 in Le Mans. It covered 103 kms/64 miles and ran between Le Mans, Ferté-Bernard and Saint Calais on public roads closed for the race. Certain towns with narrow streets totally unsuitable for a cavalcade of racing cars were bypassed for the race…with specially constructed roads made out of wood.

The Hungarian driver Ference Szisz won the event in a Renault AK.

In 1923 the race was changed from a speed event to an endurance 24-hour race, encouraging reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles that last and spend as little time in the pits as possible. It’s now one of the world’s great sporting events.

In 1923 the average speed was 92 kph/57 mph; today it’s 210 kph/130 mph. The race is run on the 13.6 km Sarthe Circuit.

Some 60 cars compete; the winner being the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours.

They’re off!

Originally the start of the Le Mans race involved the drivers lining up opposite their cars, running across the track to get in and get going. It led to some ingenious starts.

Stirling Moss had his car waiting with first gear already engaged. He jumped in and turned the starter on without pushing down on the clutch. So the starter jerked the car forward without starting the engine. After a few seconds of moving, Moss pushed the clutch down so the engine speeded up and started while the car was already moving.

The start became increasingly dangerous as teams and drivers got up to all sorts of tricks to get off to a speedy start. So in 1970 it was changed to the rolling start (also called the Indianapolis start). The cars do a formation lap behind the safety car. On their return to the pits, the starter waves the French flag and the race starts.

Le Musée des 24 Heures du Mans (The Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans)

I loved Le Musée des 24 Heures du Mans with its gleaming beasts on show. But rather than the technical aspects (I have to confess that I’m still not sure how a carburettor works) it’s the stories that I find fascinating. And there are so many of them. So this article is about the stories of the cars and the personalities behind the whole industry.

If you want to read an excellent article explaining more about the museum’s cars and all their technical aspects from MechTraveller, click here.

The museum is located on the edge of the Bugatti circuit, the dedicated track section where the race starts and finishes.

Originally founded in 1961 as the Automobile Museum de la Sarthe, the organisers of the 24-hour race took over the site in 1991.

What you See

The museum is easy to walk around and divided up into different parts. The main section is devoted to the cars. But there’s a lot more. The Hall of Fame depicts the great names of the sport – manufacturers, drivers and enthusiasts.

There’s also a comprehensive car model section. If you’re a collector it may leave you in despair at the models you don’t have.

Finally there’s a large motor cycle section.

The Start of it all

The story of Le Mans starts with the Boullée family. Amédée Bollée, a bell founder, moved to Le Mans in 1842. In 1873 he invented the 12-seater Obéissante (‘Obedient’) car which he drove from Paris to Le Mans in a spectacularly short 18 hours. In 1895. His son Léon Boullée founded Léon Bollée Automobiles and Le Mans became a centre of car production.

The original vehicle is in the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris.

Precious Old Cars

Cars are displayed chronologically so you start with what today look frankly bizarre but back in their day really had the wow factor!

150 or so cars are on display with excellent and surprising information about each one.

Did you know that an electric car, the CGE Tudor electric, built in 1942, drove the 225 kms/139 miles from Paris to Tours at an average speed of 42 kmh/26 mph on a single charge? 

The Great Names

The great names are all here: Bentley and Bugatti, Ferrari and Ford, Jaguar, Porsche, Audi, Peugeot and more. The design changes are fascinating to look at. Early cars are sleek beasts with rounded outlines; later models are aggressive go-faster models like the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado III.

What I found so fascinating about the museum is the way the explanations bring the cars to life. But I apologise for the enhanced stories here. The information in the museum served to whet my appetite. Then when it came to writing this article, I went back to more research so some of the information in this article is not from the museum.

But the end result of all this? I’m planning another visit to the museum to look at the cars again with greater knowledge and interest (and perhaps a little more understanding of carburettors).

Bentley

In 1923, Walter Owen Bentley came on the scene. The Bentley company might have been small but he was supported by the ‘Bentley Boys’ group of wealthy businessmen. Initially Walter Bentley thought the whole Le Mans race mad and believed no car would finish.

Persuaded by the Bentley Boys, he allowed the Canadian driver Captain John Duff to prepare his own car in the factory and in addition let his own Bentley test driver, France Clement, partner John Duff.

Duff had bought and prepared a 3-litre Bentley that he had already raced at Brooklands for the new 1923 Le Mans race. The two drivers recorded the fastest speed but suffered from a holed fuel tank. Duff had to run back to the pits then bicycle back with a can of petrol (only drivers could work on the cars). They came 4^th.

The following year Bentley committed to the race and lent Duff one of the dealership cars. They won. You can see a Bentley 3-litre sport of 1924, and the Bentley Speed 8 which won the sixth race for Bentley in 2003.

Bertha Benz

The early pioneers were an innovative lot and none more so than Bertha Benz, the business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz.

On Aug 5, 1888, Bertha set off with her sons Richard and Eugen aged thirteen and fifteen in a Model III. She didn’t tell her husband, nor get the necessary permission from the authorities for the drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim.

It was quite an adventure. The automobile had no fuel tank and only a 4.5 litre supply of petrol.  She had to find ligroin, the petroleum solvent needed for the car to run. Ligroin, along with other fuels including petrol was at the time sold only in pharmacies. With her purchase the chemist in Wiesloch became the first fuel station in the world.

Bertha Benz apparently cleaned a blocked fuel line with her hat pin. She found a blacksmith to help mend a chain; the failing wooden brakes were repaired by a cobbler using leather for the first time. The car’s two gears were too weak for uphill so the two boys had to push the car up steep roads.

She was the first person to drive such a long distance – 106 kms/66 miles. In doing so she achieved her goal with a journey that Benz and many other manufacturers needed to encourage them and add much needed publicity about the new vehicles.

Bugatti

The name Bugatti is known both for design and for cars, and Bugattis were always beautiful. Le Mans unites the two elements with this stand where a Bugatti Torpedo Type 40 stands beside a Bugatti suitcase, designed by Carlo Bugatti (1856-1940), an Art Nouveau furniture and jewelry designer. It was his son, Ettore Bugatti (1881-1947) who was the inspiration behind the car manufacturing.

Founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace (part of the German Empire until 1919), the cars had huge racing successes. Bugatti’s Le Mans prizes began in 1937 with Jean-Pierre Wimille and his co-driver Robert Benoist. But it was a tragic race with a 6-car accident. The accident was caused by the inexperienced French amateur driver René Kippeurt who lost control of his Bugatti T44. He and one other driver, the Briton Pat Fairfield, died.

Bugatti won again in 1939 with Jean-Pierre Wimille and Pierre Veyron in a Bugatti Type 57C. With the outbreak of World War II, Le Mans did not take place again until 1949.

Ettore Bugatti described Bentleys (his arch competitors) as ‘the world’s fastest lorries’ for focusing on durability. 

Don’t pass by the more modest cars – each has its own honourable slot

In 1958, Jean-Claude Baudal and Jacques Séguéla took a round-the-world trip in iconic Citroen 2CV, the much-loved ‘Deux Chevaux’. They drove through 50 countries and travelled nearly 100,000 kms/62,137 miles in 12 months in the car displayed in the museum. It’s still a little battered.

Le Mans – 24 Hours Moto

Le Mans also hosts Le Mans – 24 Hours Moto race. This year it takes place on Apr 16 & 17, 2022 and like the car race, it’s an endurance test.

The Museum’s large motorcycle section contains delights like the two-seater tricycle of 1896, the voiturette, designed and produced by Léon Boullée. The passenger sat in front, which led to its nickname of ‘Mother-in-Law killer’.

Another pioneer was the British Sunbeam Longstroke 500 produced in 1921 which won various earlier motorcycle races. The rider shifted gears using a lever on the right side of the motor which meant taking one hand off the handlebars. The manoeuvre did not catch on.

There’s also the Honda RCB 1000 which won the first edition of the race in 1978. It’s a gleaming red speed machine on two wheels (as you can see, I don’t know too much about these frightening motorcycles).

Events around the 24 Hours of Le Mans

In the week before the race, there’s plenty to see. Practice and qualifying sessions take place on the track (so note that there are public road closures).

One of the most popular non-race events is the Driver’s Parade which takes place on the Friday before the race in the centre of Le Mans. The carnival atmosphere, complete with music and dancing, is a fantastic way to kick off a weekend of racing.

On the morning of the race, Le Mans Legend is the chance to see cars previously competing. Different eras are chosen each year; drivers are both amateurs and former professionals.

You can watch the race either live or on one of the 11 giant screens in the race area, grandstands, and village.

If you want to drive part of the circuit (though not from the week before the event to the day after), take the main road south of the city towards Tours. This follows the famous speedy 5.7 kms Mulsanne.

Porsche Experience Center

Now this is something I would love to do. One of my stranger ambitions is to drive the safety car in a Formula 1 Race. Going to the Porsche Experience is probably the closest I will get to the same feeling.

It’s a day’s tuition on two routes: Maison Blanche and Bugatti. And naturally it’s fiercely expensive. Driving a Porsche from the Center it’s €1195. If you have your own Porsche it’s €730.

But there’s much more on offer than just driving a Porsche. The website will tell you more (in English).

General Guide to Le Mans with hotels, restaurants and more attractions.

How to Get to Le Mans

By Car: If you’re coming from the UK, take a DFDS ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe. The drive from Dieppe to Le Mans takes around 3 hours and is 270 kms/168 miles.

Or take Brittany Ferries overnight from Portsmouth to Caen. The drive from Caen to Le Mans takes around 2 hours and is 160 kms/100 miles.

More information on travel from the UK to France.

More to See and Do in and around Le Mans

If you can, take time to look at medieval Le Mans. It’s an extraordinarily well-preserved medieval city within the city, partially enclosed by the original Roman Walls.

The Loir Valley

We also explored the nearby Loir (without an ‘e’) Valley. It was delightful, unexpected, and full of treasures. Its fortunes were intricately tied up with the Hundred Years War and the Plantagenets.

Tour the Secret Loir Valley
Visit the Château du Lude and its fabulous gardens
Glorious Medieval Baugé with its château and apothecary
Step into the world of the privately and family owned Château de Bazouges

Also Check Out

Sarthe Tourism

Pays de la Loire

The post 24 Hours of Le Mans – The Race and the Museum appeared first on Mary Anne's France.