Fodor's France 2009 Book

About This Book ............ 7

Chapter 1: Experience France ............ 9
France Today ............ 10
What’s Where: Northern France ............ 12
What’s Where: Southern France ............ 14
Experience France Planner ............ 16
Beating the Euro ............ 18
France Lodging Primer ............ 19
Quintessential France ............ 20
If You Like ............ 22
Great Itineraries ............ 26

Chapter 2: Paris ............ 31
Welcome to Paris ............ 32
Paris Planner ............ 34
Exploring Paris ............ 37
Where to Eat ............ 81
Best Bets for Paris Dining ............ 82
Where to Stay ............ 103
Best Bets for Paris Lodging ............ 106
Nightlife & the Arts ............ 128
Shopping ............ 134

Chapter 3: Ile-de-France ............ 149
Welcome to Ile-de-France ............ 150
Ile-de-France Planner ............ 152
The Western Ile-de-France: Versailles to Malmaison ............ 155
The Eastern Ile-de-France: Chantilly to Fontainebleau ............ 185

Chapter 4: The Loire Valley ............ 205
Welcome to The Loire Valley ............ 206
The Loire Valley Planner ............ 208
Eating & Drinking Well
in the Loire ............ 210
So Near & Yet So Loire: From Tours to Orléans ............ 213
The Storybook Loire: Villandry to Langeais ............ 240

Chapter 5: Normandy ............ 259
Welcome to Normandy ............ 260
Normandy Planner ............ 262
Eating & Drinking Well in Normandy............ 264
Upper Normandy ............ 267
Honfleur to Mont-St-Michel ............ 278

Chapter 6: Brittany ............ 305
Welcome to Brittany ............ 306
Brittany Planner ............ 308
Northeast Brittany & the Channel Coast ............ 311
The Atlantic Coast ............ 329

Chapter 7: Champagne Country ............ 347
Welcome to Champagne Country ............ 348
Champagne Country Planner ............ 350
Champagne ............ 353
Excursion: The Cathedral Cities ............ 366

Chapter 8: Alsace-Lorraine ............ 375
Welcome to Alsace-Lorraine ............ 376
Alsace-Lorraine Planner ............ 378
Eating & Drinking Well in Alsace-Lorraine ............ 380
Nancy ............ 383
Lorraine: Joan of Arc Country ............ 391
Strasbourg ............ 394
Alsace ............ 403

Chapter 9: Burgundy ............ 419
Welcome to Burgundy ............ 420
Burgundy Planner ............ 422
Eating & Drinking Well in Burgundy ............ 424
Northwest Burgundy ............ 428
Dijon ............ 448
Wine Country ............ 454

Chapter 10: Lyon & the Alps ............ 469
Welcome to Lyon and the Alps ............ 470
Lyon & the Alps Planner ............ 472
Lyon ............ 475
Beaujolais & La Dombes ............ 500
The Rhône Valley ............ 507
Grenoble & the Alps ............ 512

Chapter 11: Provence ............ 529
Welcome to Provence ............ 530
Provence Planner ............ 532
Arles & the Camargue ............ 535
Arles ............ 535
Nîmes ............ 547
The Alpilles ............ 552
Avignon & the Vaucluse ............ 559
Avignon ............ 559
Aix-en-Provence & the Mediterranean Coast ............ 587
Aix-en-Provence ............ 587
Marseille ............ 593

Chapter 12: The French Riviera ............ 611
Welcome to The French Riviera ............ 612
The French Riviera Planner ............ 614
St-Tropez to Antibes ............ 617
St-Tropez ............ 617
The Hill Towns: On the Trail of Picasso & Matisse ............ 644
Nice ............ 661
The Eastern French Riviera ............ 671
Monaco ............ 678

Chapter 13: The Midi-Pyrénées & Languedoc- Roussillon ............ 691
Welcome to The Midi-Pyrénées & Languedoc-Roussillon ............ 692
The Midi-Pyrénées & Languedoc-Roussillon Planner ............ 694
Toulouse: La Ville Rose ............ 697
Albi ............ 707
Languedoc-Roussillon ............ 710

Chapter 14: The Basque Country, Gascony & Hautes- Pyrénées ............ 735
Welcome to The Basque Country, Gascony and Hautes-Pyrenees ............ 736
Basque Country, Gascony & Hautes-Pyrénées Planner ............ 738
The Basque Coast ............ 741
The Atlantic & Hautes-Pyrénées ............ 753

Chapter 15: Bordeaux & the Wine Country ............ 769
Welcome to Bordeaux & the Wine Country ............ 770
Bordeaux & the Wine Country Planner ............ 772
Bordeaux: City of Wine ............ 775
Route du Médoc & the Wine Country ............ 783

Chapter 16: The Dordogne ............ 793
Welcome to The Dordogne ............ 794
Dordogne Planner ............ 796
Western Dordogne to Rocamadour ............ 799
Eastern Perigord to Brantôme ............ 809
Dordogne Essentials ............ 819

French Vocabulary ............ 821
Menu Guide ............ 826

Travel Smart France ............ 829

Index ............ 847

About Our Writers ............ 864

France In Focus
Notre-Dame ............ 43
The Eiffel Tower ............ 52
The Seine ............ 69
Gilt-Trip: A Visit to Versailles ............ 158
Once Upon a Ch‰teau ............ 220
A Spire to Greatness: Mont-St-Michel ............ 296
Champagne Uncorked ............ 359
Grape Expectations ............ 439
Lyon: France’s Culinary Cauldron ............ 483
Blue Gold: The Lavender Route ............ 569
Cuisine of the Sun ............ 648
Basque Spoken Here ............ 745

Maps
Paris ............ 32
Exploring Paris ............ 38—39
From the Tour Eiffel to the Arc de Triomphe ............ 49
Montmartre ............ 79
Where to Eat in Paris ............ 84—85
Where to Stay in Paris ............ 110—111
Ile-de-France ............ 150
Western Ile-de-France ............ 156
Eastern Ile-de-France ............ 188
Fontainebleau ............ 199
The Loire Valley ............ 206
Tours to Orléans ............ 214
Tours ............ 216
Orléans ............ 236
Loire Valley: Villandry to Langeais ............ 242
Normandy ............ 260
Upper Normandy ............ 267
Rouen ............ 270
Honfleur to Mont-St-Michel ............ 280
Northeast Brittany & the Channel Coast ............ 312
Brittany ............ 306
Brittany’s Atlantic Coast ............ 331
Nantes ............ 342
Champagne Country ............ 348
Champagne ............ 353
Reims ............ 356
Alsace-Lorraine ............ 376
Nancy ............ 384
Lorraine ............ 392
Strasbourg ............ 397
Alsace ............ 406
Burgundy ............ 420
Northwest Burgundy ............ 429
Troyes ............ 432
Dijon ............ 450
Burgundy Wine Country ............ 456
Lyon and the Alps ............ 470
Lyon ............ 478
Where to Eat in Lyon ............ 485
Beaujolais & La Dombes ............ 501
Rhone Valley ............ 507
Grenoble & the Alps ............ 513
Grenoble ............ 514
Provence ............ 530
Arles, the Camargue & the Alpilles ............ 536
Arles ............ 539
Nîmes ............ 549
Avignon & the Vaucluse ............ 560
Avignon ............ 562
Aix-en-Provence ............ 589
Marseille ............ 595
Aix-en-Provence & the Mediterranean Coast ............ 602
The French Riviera ............ 612
The French Riviera: St Tropez to Cannes ............ 618
The French Riviera: Cannes to Menton ............ 620
St-Tropez ............ 622
Nice ............ 663
Monaco ............ 681
The Midi-Pyrénées & Languedoc-Roussillon ............ 692
Toulouse ............ 699
Languedoc Rousillon ............ 712
Montpellier ............ 728
The Basque Country, Gascony and Hautes-Pyrenees ............ 736
Basque Coast & Atlantic Pyrénées ............ 741
Hautes Pyrénées ............ 763
Bordeaux & the Wine Country ............ 770
Bordeaux ............ 778
Bordeaux Wine Country ............ 784
The Dordogne ............ 794
Dordogne ............ 800