The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: France; History / Europe / France; Travel / Europe / France;
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This guide includes all the essential information on travelling through France, as well as notes on French culture and the arts, and a useful language section.
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A narrative of exploration—full of strange landscapes and even stranger inhabitants—that explains the enduring fascination of France. While Gustave Eiffel was changing the skyline of Paris, large parts of France were still terra incognita. Even in the age of railways and newspapers, France was a land of ancient tribal divisions, prehistoric communication networks, and pre-Christian beliefs. French itself was a minority language. Graham Robb describes that unknown world in arresting narrative detail. He recounts the epic journeys of mapmakers, scientists, soldiers, administrators, and intrepid tourists, of itinerant workers, pilgrims, and herdsmen with their millions of migratory domestic animals. We learn how France was explored, charted, and colonized, and how the imperial influence of Paris was gradually extended throughout a kingdom of isolated towns and villages. The Discovery of France explains how the modern nation came to be and how poorly understoo
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Discover France
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Seven authors, 195 days of research, 157 maps, 105 glasses of wine
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Told for the first time by the only reporter present, this is the true story of the legendary Paris Tasting of 1976 — a blind tasting where French judges shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France’s best — and its revolutionary impact on the world of wine.The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History houses, amid its illustrious artifacts, two bottles of wine: a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. These are the wines that won at the now-famous Paris Tasting in 1976, where a panel of top French wine experts compared some of France’s most famous wines with a new generation of California wines. Little did they know the wine industry would be completely transformed as a result, sparking a golden age for viticulture that extends beyond France’s hallowed borders — to Australia, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, and across the globe.Then Paris correspondent for Time magazi… More >>
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Streetwise Paris Map – Laminated City Center Street Map of Paris, France – Folding pocket size travel map with integrated metro map including lines & stationsThis map covers the following areas:
Main Paris Map 1:14,000
Paris Metro Map
Map of FranceThere are more clichés about Paris than there are tourists at the Louvre, but the fact is that underneath each overused hackneyed cliché is a glistening kernel of truth. The City of Light, the City of Love and the City of Romance, familiar platitudes, but once you experience it for yourself you understand why. There is a je ne sais quoi allure to this city that beguiles, but never completely reveals what makes it so universally appealing. Artists, poets, writers, and composers have tried to define exactly what it is about this place, and yet they succeed only to a point. Perhaps it is as elusive as defining love, for to be in Paris entails experiencing love, about someone, something, some place.There i… More >>
Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautifully commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell…. More >>
In his over 30 years of following and photographing the race, Graham Watson has mastered the Tour de France’s daily challenges. He shares his insights in this beautifully illustrated guidebook. In his easy-going style, he makes it simple to see the race while treating readers to tips on how to enjoy everything that the Tour — and France — has to offer. This guide includes easy-to-follow tips on planning, making reservations, and the first things to do upon arrival; information on where to find the best hotels, and how to find available rooms in each crowded town the Tour visits; campsites, hostels, auberges, and other economical lodging alternatives; and much more. Featuring hundreds of Watson’s award-winning photographs, along with full-color maps, travel tips, checklists, and travel resources, this book puts readers in a front-row seat to view all the action. … More >>
Fodor’s. For Choice Travel Experiences.
Fodor’s helps you unleash the possibilities of travel by providing the insightful tools you need to experience the trips you want. Although you’re at the helm, Fodor’s offers the assurance of our expertise, the guarantee of selectivity, and the choice details that truly define a destination. It’s like having a friend in France!
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Photogenic and thrilling to drive, the Riviera Corniches are three roads that follow the coastline of the Mediterranean from Nice, France through Monaco to Cap-Martin and Menton on the Italian border.
The three coast roads follow the same 20 to 30 mile (32 to 50 km) stretch of coastline at different levels along the mountainside.
The Grande Corniche is the highest of the three roads. It was originally started under Napoleon, and if you’re into a bit of history, it pretty much follows the Roman Aurelian Way. You get grande sweeping views from this one in places, but occasionally dip behind the mountains.
There are not nearly enough places to stop to admire the views, but it’s worth the drive all the same. The most spectacular stretch of all three roads is on this one… the 11 miles (18 km) from La Turbie to Nice.
The Moyenne Corniche is the middle road. There are several towns to stop at on the Moyenne Corniche. One is the medieval village of Eze. It is a labyrinth of narrow walking streets perched on a rocky outcrop high above the Mediterranean. It is a little touristy but pretty, and worth a visit.
There are lots of restaurants and cafes as well as art and antique shops. Most are pretty expensive, but you can find reasonable places to eat. There are also a couple of expensive and well known hotels in the village.
The Corniche Inferieure or Basse Corniche hugs the coast. It’s the old coastal road that connects this string of beautiful little towns and villages between steep mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.
Which is the best of the Riviera Corniches to drive? To combine the best of all three, follow the Moyenne Corniche east from Nice as it twists past Monaco and below the castle of Roquebrune before merging with the Corniche Inferieure at Cap-Martin. Return along the Grande Corniche for those spectacular views we spoke of.
You can visit this area with its wonderful Mediterranean climate any time of the year. The prettiest time is April and May. It gets very crowded in July and August when most Europeans take their one month vacation.
There are other little towns to stop in for views, food and places to stay if you want to break your drive here: Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu, Cap d’Ail, Monaco – Monte Carlo, La Turbie, Roquebrune Cap Martin and finally Menton.
You can drive into Monaco for the day and pay to take a peek inside the casino…. even wager a Euro or two. If you’re a high roller, get a hotel and gamble in the casino at night. You can get a great view of the mini-state of Monaco from the Moyenne Corniche.
If you don’t want to stop in one of the towns for the night, just take your time as you drive it from Nice or one of the towns in Provence into northern Italy… or just drive round trip from one of the French towns.
Any way you drive them, the Riviera Corniches make for a great scenic drive.
