France

Exclusive guide to the best holiday destinations in France, independent reviews from award-winning travel writers

86e006l

Hotel Shangri-La Paris

In a city awash with five-star hotels, a new entry with a slightly off-centre location needs an irresistible proposition to draw the well-heeled. Napoleon is not a bad name to throw around, nor is having the Eiffel Tower on your doorstep. Chinese owners of the Hotel Shangri-La Paris have done a good, if difficult job, of combining French grande luxe with Asian antiquities in this hotel built in 1896 as the private residence of Napoleon III’s great-nephew, Prince Roland.

Read the full story here
L'Abeille Restaurant Paris

Epic L’Abeille Restaurant Paris

What does it take to get the ultimate accolade from Michelin inspectors, and is that third star worth the extra cost of the meal to the diner? Not so long as you can eat at the two-star L’Abeille Restaurant in Paris, which offers a far more joyful and satisfying experience than two three-star hotel restaurants recently experienced by this particular Trip Reporter in the City of Light.

Read the full story here
Strasbourg

Guide to Strasbourg. Unmissable hidden gems to discover.

Little more than two hours from Paris by TGV, Strasbourg is an inspiring city with an age-old centre, a go-ahead culture, chic boutiques, High Street stores, and a wealth of fine dining and high-end restaurants serving imaginative offerings of regional and international dishes.

Read the full story here
015 4593

Sarlat

At the hub of Périgord Noir, the vintage town of Sarlat lies in a depression surrounded by a protective arrangement of wooded hills, a medieval settlement that evolved around an abbey with Carolingian roots.

Read the full story here
Avant retouched 01 tcm13 40050

Eurocamp Les Ecureuiles

After a reading a staggering statistic which showed the number of camping holiday nights booked in 2013 in Europe totalled over 360 million, with nearly half of those taken in static mobile homes, I admit I felt my view of outdoor leisure living needed a rethink. It was time to test out these impressive statistics, and after getting a family of four teamed up with Eurocamp, a provider of camping and mobile home holidays for over 34 years we tested out a week at Eurocamp Les Ecureuiles in Vendee.

Read the full story here
1024px Samoens

Samoens. The French Alps’ little secret

Mention the French Alps and a few famous names spring to mind; Chamonix, Val d’Isere and Courchevel perhaps, but there is one village tucked away in the Giffre Valley which has been a firm favourite with those in the know for many years, in both winter and summer. Yes, Samoens is the French Alps little secret.

Read the full story here