Welcome to our site. If you like what you see why not subscribe to our RSS feed. You can also help us by bookmarking this page with any of the buttons to the right. Follow us on Twitter for travel deals and travel related news, questions and conversations. Thanks for visiting!

The Eiffel Tower

Who can picture Paris without the Eiffel Tower? Yet when the tower was built in 1889, no one thought it would be around for this long.

Originally built as the main entrance for the 1889 World’s Fair, designer Gustav Eiffel could only get a 20-year permit for the structure. At the time, many thought it was an eyesore that clashed with traditional Paris architecture. By 1909 there were calls to tear it down. Yet the tower survived to become a symbol of Paris. (more…)

There’s beginning to be a long tradition of travel narratives depicting glorious summers in the French countryside, and before you pick up Martin Calder’s A Summer in Gascony: Discovering the Other South of France you might be rather suspicious that this is just another one of them. In some ways it is, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing - many of us dream of a life in France with copious amounts of wine and fresh cheese and a good dose of fresh air. (more…)

photo credit: Brother G

The 95th Tour de France starts July 5. This year the tour will begin in Brittany where the tour has started six times before. Choosing the route, which alters every year, begins three years in advance and must take several factors into account:

• International regulations: Rules stipulate that the course not exceed 3,500 kilometers spread over 21 days with two days of compulsory rest. Also, the individual stages can only exceed 225 kilometers twice.
• Balance: The first week should include several flat stages before the riders take on the high mountain stages in the Alps and Pyrenees and two days need to be reserved for time trials.
• Equity: The race should pass through as many the regions of France as is possible. So far, the only area that has never hosted the Tour is the island of Corsica.

Here’s a look at the towns on the this year’s tour. (more…)

Beaches in Paris? Bien sur! The “City of Lights” may be located well away from the sea, but that doesn’t mean residents and visitors “in the know” can’t enjoy an afternoon at the beach. (more…)

Terry Darlington might be the new Bill Bryson. His first travel narrative, Narrow Dog to Carcasonne, is a hilarious read and a real page-turner. Darlington and his wife Monica are a retired English couple who’ve bought a narrow boat to take on vacations, and they get quite addicted to the lifestyle of traveling along England’s canals. The narrow dog of the title is their whippet, Jim, who somewhat reluctantly tags along on their travels. (more…)

Carneros Vineyards in California. Flickr

Years ago, vacations were planned around national monuments, natural wonders, Uncle Joe’s farm or Grandma’s house. Now planning a vacation for family or friends can cover all kinds of bases. There are eco-vacations, that explore the rain forests and attempt to combat global warming; there are “volunteer vacations” that may involve working with Habitat for Humanity, there are spa getaways that indulge the body and mind….and there are wine tours! The opportunity to experience the sights, sounds, scents and of course taste of wine! (more…)

The Glass Pyramid outside of the Louvre Museum
(Photo via flickr cc)

You could spend a month in the Louvre and not even scratch the surface of the museum’s collection of 35,000 works of art. Most of us don’t have the time for that, so here’s how to get the most from your visit without getting overstimulated.

Buy a museum pass
With the museum pass, there’s no admission charge, no waiting in lines and no limit to the number of times you can visit more than 70 museums and monuments in Paris and the surrounding area. Consider making two shorter visits to the museum, say a couple of hours on day one and an hour or so on day two. The pass will allow you to split up your visits without paying twice.
(more…)

Eiffel Tower in Paris France at night.

Where would be the first place that you would make sure to stop if you had the opportunity to take a vacation trip to Paris? Chances are that you would make sure to head to the because it’s the most famous landmark in Paris; it’s also one that’s hard to miss when you’re in the city. Once you had checked off the itinerary box next to this most well-known of Paris landmarks, you would still have a lengthy list of sights that you’d probably want to see.

Paris is a city that not only has a long history but which also has a long history as a vacation destination. Because of this history as well as its draw as a tourist spot, Paris has many places that people are interested in seeing when they are there. The majority of these famous Paris landmarks are historical attractions and architectural hot spots but there are a few more modern locations that people frequently want to check out in Paris as well.
(more…)

Are you planning a ski vacation? If you want to visit a beautiful area of the world with wonderful skiing, consider visiting Chamonix. (more…)

Have you always wanted to tour the countryside of Normandy and Brittany, but have never been able to tear yourself away from the sights, shops, and restaurants of Paris? Get a sample of this rugged part of France, two regions as different as you can get from the cosmopolitan flair of the “City of Lights.”

Avanti Destinations has just released three excellent videos that you can view right from your desktop. View the ancient monastery just offshore between Normandy and Brittany at Mt. St. Michel; view the WWII graveyards and famous beaches on the Norman coast; see the picturesque harbors; and witness the landscapes that inspired the Impressionist art movement.

1. A Virtual Tour of Normandy
2. A Virtual Tour of Brittany
3. A Walk through the Memorial at Caen

Avanti Destinations specializes in individual travel modules that allow vacationers traveling by themselves to take advantage of group travel rates at hotels and attractions. They also include an array of extra items, such as a tour of a lesser known winery, in their packages—things of which the average traveler might not be aware. In France, Avanti offers packages to the Loire Valley in addition to those to Brittany and Normandy.

(Photo via flickr cc)