Here are some tips and information on places I have been this year!
POITOU-CHARENTES/CHARENTE-MARITIME
La Rochelle: The capital of the Charente Maritime département, this is a beautiful port city where there is always something going on! http://www.holidays-la-rochelle.co.uk/what-to-see-and-do/whats-on/events
I would recommend seeing other parts of the département in day trips from La Rochelle, everything is within about an hour's drive. Highlights include Ile d'Oléron, Saintes, and my town of Royan!
Angoulême: Angoulême is the capital of the Charente département, bordering Charente-Maritme. It is simply a pretty, small French city to walk around for the day. Built on a hill, this provides for spectacular views at points around town of the Charente countryside. The town comes alive at the end of January, early February for La Festival de la Bande Dessinée, a several day long comic festival! http://www.angouleme-tourisme.co.uk/home-page.aspx
Cognac: A small town that is home to world-famous producers of the drink cognac! It is a lovely town to spend the day walking throughout, and of course take a tour or tasting with a cognac house!
http://tourism-cognac.com/en/
PARIS
France is not simply Paris, but to get a sense of France it is necessary to visit Paris. As I have been to Paris several times now, here are some of my favorite things to do:
Churches: The two most popular churches to visit in Paris are Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur. Take a walk through Notre Dame during the day, the architecture is spectacular. When visiting Sacré Coeur merely for tourism, I recommend going after 4:30 pm. Watching the sunset, or merely seeing a lit up Paris at night, is simply stunning from the steps of Sacré Coeur. (There will likely even be musicians playing cheesy guitar music to add to the experience.) If you are looking to go to mass, I recommend going to Sacré Coeur. There are translation brochures of the text being read available in several languages, and they are much more strict about keeping an atmosphere of holiness and prayer during the service here than at Notre Dame. Another church that I attended mass at in Paris and really enjoyed was Saint Vincent du Paul, located in the 10th arrondissement. I attended a small service held in one of the side chapels on a Sunday evening, and it was great to experience mass there in a smaller setting than per say under the grandeur of the two previously mentioned.
Musée du Louvre: I have especially been enjoying the Louvre this year, as I can currently get in for free with my French visa. Of course you can do the tourist run to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, but I also enjoy the Egyptian/Antiquities exhibit and Napoleon's Apartments.
Musée d'Orsay: I am slightly biased in this as I really love Impressionist art, but this is a wonderful museum to walk around that is housed in what was previously a train station.
Musée de la Parfumerie-Fragonard: A small museum run by the perfume company Fragonard, it is especially fun to visit with your girlfriends. A guide takes you on a tour to learn about the history of perfume, some particulars about perfume terminology, and there is even a game to play where you try to match the correct scents!
Salon de Thé at the Grande Mosquée de Paris: I love Morocco. And this tea house brings a little bit of North Africa to Paris. Adjacent to the Grande Mosquée de Paris (the Grand Mosque), one can sip on mint tea in a calm atmosphere where there may even be a bird or two flying about.
And finally, when to see the Eiffel Tower? I recommend at night, as it is magnificently lights up the Paris skyline. If you come near the top of the hour, there will even be a second set of lights on. I was there once with a friend, and we said there couldn't be a more perfect ending to a day in Paris.
ELSEWHERE IN FRANCE
Lille: In the northeastern corner of France, there is a distinct Flemish influence found in the area's culture due to Belgium being only a twenty minute drive away. I visited during the month of December, and the atmosphere in the city for Christmas was spectacular. Also, the city is very walkable which always makes me appreciate a city more. A few of my other recommendations for Lille include: the Musée des Beaux Arts (the fine arts museum), Furet du Nord (the ultimate bookshop and craft store), and stopping to get a merveilleux from a bakery!
http://www.lilletourism.com/index_gb.php
Bordeaux: The wine capital of the world, this is a lovely city to walk around for the weekend. I did not go on a formal wine tasting (one day! When I have a bigger paycheck!) but Mary Beth and I went to Musée du Vin et Négoce. Slightly out of city center, for seven euros we had a small tour in an exhibit about the history of the wine trade, and then got to try two wines with an employee of the museum who gave us a very detailed explanation of the wine trade in Southwestern France. I also found the city to have a heavy Spanish influence. You can not go wrong simply stopping in at a restaurant to share tapas and red wine one evening.
http://www.bordeaux-tourisme.com
Lourdes: Located at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, this small town was the sight of eighteen Marian apparitions in the 1850s. Lourdes is now considered an important pilgrimage site amongst Catholics. Truthfully, I found the actual town a little hokey-there are hotels on every street corner and flashing light figurines of Mary sold in bulk. However, the site of the basilica just outside town in magnificent, you can not help but feel at peace walking around the different chapels and prayer spaces. I also really liked walking around town to visit the various homes and places of significance in the life of St. Bernadette Soubirous, who witnessed the apparitions. The town itself is also a nice introduction to the history and culture of the Pyrenees. Make sure to visit the Chateau Fort in town, there is a museum discussing the history of the area with of course beautiful views of the Pyrenees.
http://www.lourdes-infotourisme.com/web/EN/?langRedir=1
ENGLAND
Oxford:
Bath
MOROCCO
Fez:
Marrakesh
Rabat
POITOU-CHARENTES/CHARENTE-MARITIME
La Rochelle: The capital of the Charente Maritime département, this is a beautiful port city where there is always something going on! http://www.holidays-la-rochelle.co.uk/what-to-see-and-do/whats-on/events
I would recommend seeing other parts of the département in day trips from La Rochelle, everything is within about an hour's drive. Highlights include Ile d'Oléron, Saintes, and my town of Royan!
Angoulême: Angoulême is the capital of the Charente département, bordering Charente-Maritme. It is simply a pretty, small French city to walk around for the day. Built on a hill, this provides for spectacular views at points around town of the Charente countryside. The town comes alive at the end of January, early February for La Festival de la Bande Dessinée, a several day long comic festival! http://www.angouleme-tourisme.co.uk/home-page.aspx
Cognac: A small town that is home to world-famous producers of the drink cognac! It is a lovely town to spend the day walking throughout, and of course take a tour or tasting with a cognac house!
http://tourism-cognac.com/en/
PARIS
France is not simply Paris, but to get a sense of France it is necessary to visit Paris. As I have been to Paris several times now, here are some of my favorite things to do:
Churches: The two most popular churches to visit in Paris are Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur. Take a walk through Notre Dame during the day, the architecture is spectacular. When visiting Sacré Coeur merely for tourism, I recommend going after 4:30 pm. Watching the sunset, or merely seeing a lit up Paris at night, is simply stunning from the steps of Sacré Coeur. (There will likely even be musicians playing cheesy guitar music to add to the experience.) If you are looking to go to mass, I recommend going to Sacré Coeur. There are translation brochures of the text being read available in several languages, and they are much more strict about keeping an atmosphere of holiness and prayer during the service here than at Notre Dame. Another church that I attended mass at in Paris and really enjoyed was Saint Vincent du Paul, located in the 10th arrondissement. I attended a small service held in one of the side chapels on a Sunday evening, and it was great to experience mass there in a smaller setting than per say under the grandeur of the two previously mentioned.
Musée du Louvre: I have especially been enjoying the Louvre this year, as I can currently get in for free with my French visa. Of course you can do the tourist run to see the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, but I also enjoy the Egyptian/Antiquities exhibit and Napoleon's Apartments.
Musée d'Orsay: I am slightly biased in this as I really love Impressionist art, but this is a wonderful museum to walk around that is housed in what was previously a train station.
Musée de la Parfumerie-Fragonard: A small museum run by the perfume company Fragonard, it is especially fun to visit with your girlfriends. A guide takes you on a tour to learn about the history of perfume, some particulars about perfume terminology, and there is even a game to play where you try to match the correct scents!
Salon de Thé at the Grande Mosquée de Paris: I love Morocco. And this tea house brings a little bit of North Africa to Paris. Adjacent to the Grande Mosquée de Paris (the Grand Mosque), one can sip on mint tea in a calm atmosphere where there may even be a bird or two flying about.
And finally, when to see the Eiffel Tower? I recommend at night, as it is magnificently lights up the Paris skyline. If you come near the top of the hour, there will even be a second set of lights on. I was there once with a friend, and we said there couldn't be a more perfect ending to a day in Paris.
ELSEWHERE IN FRANCE
Lille: In the northeastern corner of France, there is a distinct Flemish influence found in the area's culture due to Belgium being only a twenty minute drive away. I visited during the month of December, and the atmosphere in the city for Christmas was spectacular. Also, the city is very walkable which always makes me appreciate a city more. A few of my other recommendations for Lille include: the Musée des Beaux Arts (the fine arts museum), Furet du Nord (the ultimate bookshop and craft store), and stopping to get a merveilleux from a bakery!
http://www.lilletourism.com/index_gb.php
Bordeaux: The wine capital of the world, this is a lovely city to walk around for the weekend. I did not go on a formal wine tasting (one day! When I have a bigger paycheck!) but Mary Beth and I went to Musée du Vin et Négoce. Slightly out of city center, for seven euros we had a small tour in an exhibit about the history of the wine trade, and then got to try two wines with an employee of the museum who gave us a very detailed explanation of the wine trade in Southwestern France. I also found the city to have a heavy Spanish influence. You can not go wrong simply stopping in at a restaurant to share tapas and red wine one evening.
http://www.bordeaux-tourisme.com
Lourdes: Located at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, this small town was the sight of eighteen Marian apparitions in the 1850s. Lourdes is now considered an important pilgrimage site amongst Catholics. Truthfully, I found the actual town a little hokey-there are hotels on every street corner and flashing light figurines of Mary sold in bulk. However, the site of the basilica just outside town in magnificent, you can not help but feel at peace walking around the different chapels and prayer spaces. I also really liked walking around town to visit the various homes and places of significance in the life of St. Bernadette Soubirous, who witnessed the apparitions. The town itself is also a nice introduction to the history and culture of the Pyrenees. Make sure to visit the Chateau Fort in town, there is a museum discussing the history of the area with of course beautiful views of the Pyrenees.
http://www.lourdes-infotourisme.com/web/EN/?langRedir=1
ENGLAND
Oxford:
Bath
MOROCCO
Fez:
Marrakesh
Rabat