THE MINI GUIDE TO: FRANCE
Paris is, like, sooo 5 years ago! What to see and where to go if you want to experience France off the tourist trail. HAYLEY NOLAN, a resident for 5 years, presents a mini guide…
France is best known for its wine, so where best to go than my old home city of Bordeaux. It’s undergone a huge refurbishment over the years since I’ve lived there but it is still home to the most fabulous fashion high street, Rue St Catherine!
But if you want to experience the city’s true wine culture, or should I say vine culture, then head on over to the ourskirts where, at the right time of the year, you can join the vendange and help pick the most famous grapes in France! It’s here, on the edge of the city and adjacent towns, like Parempuyre, that you can also visit Caves du Vin (pronounced cav du van) where you can sample wines and fill up your own bottles from the huge wine vats on the cheap!
If you’re going to experience the French Alps then Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc, is the place to go! Unlike Val D’Isere and similar towns, it has a great community which makes you feel immediately like a resident, rather than a tourist. The slopes are catered to everyone, from small children and families, to the advanced and confident skiers. Just down the mountain, in fact, is the British Ski Academy where our Olympic champions of the future are training!
An incredibly international and cosmopolitan place, you’ll find everyone from Australians, Italians and the Swiss coming together in Chamonix. And if you want to peek over the borders, then take a trip up the breath taking Aguille du Midi cable car,where you’ll find yourself, bizarrely enough, looking down on the lumbering Mont Blanc!
