The Complete Guide with Paris Walks, Great Chateaux and the Best of Every Province (Gold Guides)

A new edition of the guidebook to the cities and countryside of every region of France which includes a Rand McNally map. Accommodation, food, the night life and culture of France are all covered.

Pleasures and Pastimes
Art

It is through the eyes of France's artists that many first get to know the country. No wonder people from across the globe come to find Gauguin's bobbing boats at Pont-Aven, Monet's bridge at Giverny, and the gaslit Moulin Rouge of Toulouse-Lautrec -- not framed in gilt and hung in a museum but alive in all their three-dimensional glory. In Arles you can stand on the spot where van Gogh painted and compare his perspective to a placard with his finished work; in Paris you can climb into the garret-atelier where Delacroix created his epic canvases, or wander the redolent streets of Montmartre, once haunted by Renoir, Utrillo, and Modigliani. And, of course, the museums and châteaux hang heavy with masterworks, many of them bringing a telling local insight into French history, culture, and joie de vivre.
Cathedrals

Their extraordinary permanence, their everlasting relevance even in a secular world, and their transcending beauty make the Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals of France a lightning rod if you are in search of the essence of French culture. The product of a peculiarly Gallic mix of mysticism, exquisite taste, and high technology, France's cathedrals provide a thorough grounding in the history of architecture (some say there was nothing new in the art of building between France's Gothic arch and Frank Lloyd Wright's cantilevered slab). Each cathedral imparts its own monumental experience -- knee-weakening grandeur, a mighty resonance that touches a chord of awe, and humility in the unbeliever. Even cynics will find satisfaction in the cathedrals' social history -- the anonymity of the architects, the solidarity of the artisans, and the astonishing bravery of experiments in suspended stone.
Châteaux

From the humblest feudal ruin to the most delicate Renaissance spires to the grandest of Sun King spreads, the castles, manor houses, and châteaux of France evoke the history of Europe as no museum can. Standing on castellated ramparts overlooking undulating valleys, it is easy to slip into the role of a feudal lord scrambling to protect his patchwork of holdings from the centralized stronghold of kings and dukes. The lovely landscape takes on a strategic air and you find yourself role-playing thus, whether swanning aristocratically over Japanese bridges in the château park or curling a revolutionary lip at the splendid excesses of Versailles. These are, after all, the castles that inspired Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White, and their fairy-tale magic -- rich with history and Disney-free -- still holds true.
Cities

Besides being home to the most sophisticated city in the world, France has more to offer than just Paris. Other French cities possess the best of Paris without the staggering crowds, noise, pollution, and traffic. Lille, Lyon, Dijon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Marseille, and Strasbourg all have strong regional identities (and cuisines), as well as historic vieilles villes (old towns), sidewalk cafés, vast farmers' markets, and fine old parks. As for the arts, France's ministry of culture ensures that even the country's farthest outreaches have top-notch orchestras, stellar operas, and excellent museums.
Dining

Few countries match France's reputation for good food or offer as many fine restaurants. Eating in France can be a memorable experience, from the simplest picnic lunch of baguette, Camembert, and local jambon (ham) sur l'herbe (on the grass) to the most magnificent haute cuisine in formal splendor. Don't feel guilty if you spend as much of your day in restaurants as in museums and cathedrals: Dining is at the heart and soul of French culture. Give yourself over to the leisurely meal; two hours for a three-course menu is par, and you may, after relaxing into the routine, feel pressed at less than three.
L'Esprit Sportif

Though the physically inclined would consider walking across Scotland or bicycling across Holland, they often misconstrue France as a sedentary site where one plods from museum to château to restaurant. But it's possible to have a more active approach: Imagine pedaling past barges on the Saône River or along slender poplars on a route départmentale (provincial road); hiking through the dramatic gorges in the Massif Central or over Alpine meadows in the Savoie; or sailing the historic ports of Honfleur or Cap d'Antibes. Experiencing this side of France will take you off the beaten path and into the countryside (and away from those rest stops on the autoroute). As you bike along French country roads or along the extensive network of Grands Randonnées (Lengthy Trails) crisscrossing the country, you will have time to tune into the landscape -- to study crumbling garden walls, smell the honeysuckle, and chat with a farmer in his potager (vegetable garden). Moreover, picnics are more sublime
after a day of strenuous activity, and you can gorge without guilt on three-hour dinners when you reach your auberge.
The French Coast

Along the miles of French coast you will find broad-brimmed hats, parasols, and opaque sunglasses -- their modesty and discretion charmingly contradictory in view of -- and we mean full view of -- the frankly bare flesh that bobbles up and down the miles of seashore. And not just the famous seins nus (topless women), but the bellies of gastronome pépés (grandfathers) as well, swinging low over briefs too brief to mention. Naked children crouch over sand châteaux, their unselfconsciousness a reflection of their elders' own. For the French the summer beach holiday is a sacred ritual, a counterbalance to the winter ski trip -- a given, deserved and observed without thought of ozone holes, pollution, or disintegrating beachfront rentals.