Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile is a small village on the island of Noirmoutier in the region of "Pays de la Loire". Located below Brittany the island is a popular summer holiday destination for the French. The village, with its 4800 inhabitants, lies on...
Welcome to Travel in France Tips. To look at a closer geographical area of France, you will find a drop down menu on the top right, for mobile phone users it’s at the bottom, (“Area of France” – “Select Category”). The drop down is categorised West, North, East, South and Centre, followed by the region, followed by the city. You will also find a section for restaurants, castles and for annual events. On the top menu you will also find a blog, used for personal chatter when I usually go to some place to discover. There is also on the right the next three events in France, plus the ability to see all upcoming events. The events are major events, not small local ones.
This site deals with all of France, except Paris. If you are interested in more information about Paris, check out Colleen’s Paris for an insider’s view.
Each photo at the top of a post is just a header, but you can click on it for a bigger version. Usually a clickable map follows which can be zoomed in & out and you can click on icons on the map that will bring you directly to the page containing the pertinent info. Any photos below the map can be clicked on for a bigger version (if your screen is big enough). All photos are mine (unless stated otherwise) and they are copyrighted. Use of the photos are governed by a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Here are the latest 10 updates on the site, and below that is a map with the cities covered so far:
- 2020/01/22 Published: Pointe Saint-Mathieu – Memorial aux Marins Morts pour la France
- 2020/01/21 Published: Pointe-Saint-Mathieu – Introduction
- 2020/01/20 Published: Port-Louis – Citadel/Fortress
- 2020/01/16 Published: Quiberon – Tips
- 2020/01/15 Published: Quiberon – Introduction
- 2020/01/13 Published: Vannes – Tips
- 2020/01/10 Published: Vannes – The Ramparts
- 2020/01/09 Published: Vannes – Some Churches
- 2020/01/08 Published: Vannes – Saint-Pierre Cathedral
- 2020/01/07 Published: Vannes – Introduction
- 2019/12/18 Published: Brest – Chateau de Brest
- 2019/12/17 Published: Labarde – Chateau Dauzac
- 2019/12/16 Published: Margaux-Cantenac – Chateau Marojallia
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Here are the recent articles:
In a small town in Upper Normandy called Ermenouville you will find this quite spectacular castle. Ermenouville is a very small village, just some 150 inhabitants, but still they have this very beautiful castle dating back to the 17th century....
Transport Getting there Air: Nantes has a big international airport, and they are building an even bigger one (which is highly controversial). Flights are served throughout Europe and Africa, North America and the Middle East. Click here to access the...
The Sainte-Croix church is not a church you are going to go out of your way to admire, but the bell tower is something to be seen. This also happens to be the church where the famous sci-fi writer Jules...
The "Machines de l'Isle" is an entertainment area on the island of Nantes (located on the Loire river). It includes a massive steampunk mechanical elephant that regularly walks around the area. The area is located in the former Nante shipyards,...
The building of the cathedral of Nantes, named the Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes, started in the 15th century, and like most cathedrals, work lasted for hundreds of years. In this case, the cathedral was officially complete 457 years after it was...
The castle in Nantes is the former quarters of the Duke of Brittany. The castle, more a fortress, is enormous and can be visited. The Duke's "hunting" lodge in Sarzeau, Brittany is nicer to visit (it's called the Suscino Castle...
Nantes is France's 6th largest city with some 300,000 inhabitants and 950,000 in the metropolitan area, and it was once the capital of Brittany (that was in the 15th century). Although over the centuries it was part of the Brittany...
Transport Getting there The railroads do not come to Camaret-sur-Mer anymore. The closest railway stations are Brest and Quimper (both about an hour drive, bus services are available). Air: Camaret-sur-Mer does not have an airport, but there are two airports...
Camaret-sur-Mer in Brittany is a small town, some 2700 inhabitants, with a very scenic harbour, enormous dramatic cliffs and a very big monument. The village/town is old, very old. Traces of habitation can be found as far back as 2500...
The "Le Bordeaux Gordon Ramsay" restaurant is located in the InterContinental hotel in the centre of Bordeaux, just opposite of the magnificent opera/theatre. Upstairs from this bistro is the 2-star Michelin restaurant of Gordon Ramsay, the "Pressoir d'Argent". The outside...
Here's a look at three out of 24 catholic churches (there are also 2 protestant temples, 3 orthodox churches, 1 jewish synagogue and 3 muslim mosques) to be found in Bordeaux. Basilica-of-St-Michael The St Michael Basilica is marked by its...
Transport Getting there Air: Bordeaux operates an international airport with flights (scheduled and charter) throughout Europe. Click here to access the airport's website. Ferry: There are no direct ferries from the UK to Bordeaux. The closest in distance would be...
The Cathedral in Bordeaux, named the "Saint-Andre de Bordeaux" (Andre being French for Andrew) was started in the 12th century. It was built on top of a small church that itself was built in the 3rd century. It's location (right...
Bordeaux is not only one of France's biggest cities, it's also the name of the popular red wine region. Bordeaux wines are famous the world over, but the city is quite beautiful as well. Bordeaux, with its 250,000 inhabitants (and...
Transport Getting there Air: Lorient has an airport, but it does not offer international flights. The majority of domestic flights go to Paris or Lyon. From there you can transfer internationally. Click here to access the airport's website (in English)...
If you are into sailing, then the name "Eric Tabarly" will probably be known to you. For those of you who don't know the legendary French sailor, you can read more about him by clicking here. The museum doesn't just...
The Submarine museum (in French "Musee Sous-Marin") is NOT a museum of submarines (for that you can visit the Flore submarine next door, click here to read more about it), but for a look at the life of the divers...
The Flore submarine museum (a diesel submarine) in Lorient is located in the former German WWII submarine base, which includes 3 enormous submarine pens (which could host up to 30 submarines). Next to the 2nd German submarine pen (K2) you...
Lorient in Brittany is a rather large city of some 60,000 inhabitants which has as main attraction an enormous harbour area that hosted during WWII, the German submarines. The city dates back to the year 1666 and was constructed by...
Although this castle can not be visited on the inside, you can walk in the gardens and look around the castle on the outside. The castle is located close to one of Dinard's beaches. The city had ordered the chateau...
Transport Getting there Air: The airport, close to Dinard, is shared with Saint-Malo and offers international flights, particularly those of Ryanair. Other international destinations will require changing in London. Click here to access the airport's website. Ferry: There is no...
Dinard in Brittany is a fantastic place to stay for a few days. The seaside promenade is an incredible walk, alongside a narrow winding pedestrian area, covering the beaches and rock formations. Dinard is located just a few kilometers from...
Transport Getting there There is NO train service from/to Concarneau to the big cities in France. If you are coming from one of the ferry harbours, you'll need to change twice and then take a bus. Air: There is NO...
About me
My name is Mike Werner, Dutch, lived in 22 countries and finally settled with my Irish wife in France.
I worked several jobs, the last one for 10 years as a motorcycle, travel & tourism journalist.
Travel France Tips by Mike Werner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Latest Posts
Pointe Saint-Mathieu – Memorial aux Marins Morts pour la France
The "Memorial aux Marins Morts pour la France" (Monument for the Sailors who Died for France) is an impressive memorial located in the Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany.
Pointe-Saint-Mathieu – Introduction
A lighthouse, a church, ruins of an abbey, a French Navy Observation post and a WWII Memorial museum at Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Brittany. Quite a place to visit.
Port-Louis – Citadel/Fortress
The Port-Louis Citadel/Fortress in Brittany is in a very good state, and is now a museum. Built by the Spaniards and improved by the French (and Germans during WWII), it's quite a spectacle.
