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Best Bets: The Best Travel Experiences
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Hunting Antiques: The 18th- and 19th-century French aesthetic was gloriously different from those of England and North America, and many worthwhile objects bear designs with mythological references to the French experience. It's estimated that there are more than 13,000 antiques shops throughout the country. Stop wherever the sign ANTIQUAIRE or BROCANTE is displayed.
Dining Out: The art of fine dining is still serious business in France. Even casual bistros with affordable menus are likely to offer fresh (seasonal) ingredients used in time-tested recipes that may comprise one of the most memorable meals of your life. Food here is as cerebral as it is sensual.
Biking in the Countryside: The country that invented La Tour de France--the world's most impassioned bicycle race--offers thousands of options for leisurely bike trips. For a modest charge, trains throughout France will carry your bicycle to any point you specify, allowing you to avoid the urban congestion of Paris and other large cities. Some of the best bike tours are offered by Euro-Bike Tours in DeKalb, Illinois (tel. 800/321-6060), which features tours of some of the most desirable hiking regions in France, including Provence, Burgundy, and the Loire Valley.
Cruising on a Luxury Barge: Take a leisurely cruise on the canals and waterways of Burgundy, Brittany, Alsace, Languedoc, the Dordogne, or Provence. Many barges (originally used to transport lumber, coal, or grain) have been upgraded into luxury craft with superb dining facilities and comfortable accommodations. You can sit back and enjoy the lovely scenery, perhaps stopping here and there to sightsee or to visit local wineries. Contact Premihre Selections, a division of the Kemwel Company (tel. 800/234-4000). Inclusive fares for 3 nights begin at $1,410; for 6 nights, at $2,615.
Strolling Along the Seine in Paris: Lovers still walk hand in hand alongside the river, while on its banks the bouquénistes still peddle their postcards, perhaps some 100-year-old pornography, or a tattered edition of a history of Indochina. Some visitors walk the full 7-mile stretch of the river through the city, but you may want to confine your stroll to central Paris, passing the Tuileries, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame and crossing one or more of the historic bridges, like pont Neuf, over the Seine and onto Île de la Cité or Île St-Louis and back again.
Shopping in Parisian Boutiques: The French ferociously guard their image as Europe's most stylish people. The citadels of Right Bank chic are found along rue du Faubourg St-Honoré and its extension, rue St-Honoré. The most glamorous shops sprawl for about a mile along these interconnected narrow streets, which stretch between the Palais Royal (to the east) and Palais de l'Elysée (to the west). Follow in the footsteps of Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Karl Lagerfeld for a shopper's tour of a lifetime.
Exploring the Loire Valley: Exploring the chbteaux scattered among the valley's rich fields and forests will familiarize you with the French Renaissance's architectural aesthetics and with the intrigues, dalliances, and scandals of the French kings and their courts. Nothing more evocatively conjures up the aristocratic ancien rigime than a leisurely tour of these legendary chbteaux.
Climbing to the Heights of Mont-St-Michel: Straddling the tidal flats between Normandy and Brittany, this is the most spectacular fortress in northern Europe. Believed to be protected by the archangel Michael himself, most of this Gothic marvel stands just as it did during the 1200s.
Paying Tribute to Fallen Heroes on Normandy's D-Day Beaches: On June 6, 1944, the largest armada ever assembled departed under cover of rough seas and dense fog from the English coast. Its success was anything but guaranteed, and for about a week the future of the civilized world hung in a bloody and brutal balance between the Nazi and Allied armies. Today you'll see only the sticky sands and wind-torn, gray-green seas of a rather chilly beach. But with just a bit of imagination, you can picture the struggles of the frightened yet determined young soldiers who established a bulkhead on the Nazi-occupied continent of Europe at a terrible price.
Schussing Down the Alps: France is noted for its world-class skiing and its luxurious resorts. Our favorites are Morzine and Avoriaz, Chamonix, Courchevel, and Megève. Here you'll find vertical cliffs only the experts should brave as well as challenging runs for intermediates and beginners; off the slopes, the après-ski scene roars into the wee hours.
Touring Burgundy During the Grape Gathering: Medieval lore and legend permeate the harvests in Burgundy, when thousands of workers (armed with vintner's shears and baskets) head over the rolling hills to gather the ripened grapes that have made the classified wines of Burgundy so famous. You can sample the local wines in any of the area restaurants, which always stock impressive collections.
Partying on the Côte d'Azur: Until Edwardian escapists "discovered" it about a century ago, the coastline of Provence was dotted with sleepy fishing villages; today this region is famous for its glamorous sense of hedonism, despite its desperate overcrowding (and impossible traffic jams). Our vote for best beach goes to the Plage de Tahiti, just outside St-Tropez, where there's lots of topless (and bottomless) action going on. If you bother to wear a bikini, it should be only the most daring.
Marveling at the Riviera's Modern-Art Museums: Since the 1890s, when Signac, Bonnard, and Matisse discovered St-Tropez, artists and their patrons have been drawn to the French Riviera. You can experience an unforgettable trip by driving across southern Provence, interspersing museum visits with wonderful meals, people-watching, lounging on the beach, and stops at the area's architectural and artistic marvels. Highlights are Aix-en-Provence (Cézanne's studio and the Vasarély Museum), Biot (the Léger museum), Cagnes-sur-Mer (the Museum of Modern Mediterranean Art), Cap d'Antibes (the Grimaldi Château's Picasso collection), La Napoule (the Henry Clews Museum), and Menton (the Cocteau Museum). If that's not enough, Nice, St-Paul-de-Vence, and St-Tropez all have impressive modern-art collections.
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