Well, it probably goes without saying that our recent trip to the Côte d’Azur was the best fun. We ate all of the food, caught up with friends and visited some fabulous places. I can’t wait to share all of the things – style, accommodation, insights and even the books I read – with you […]
Where To Go
47 posts
Thanks to Distant Francophile, I get lots of emails from all over the world. Sometimes these emails are from fellow francophiles wanting to say hello. But most of the time the emails come from humans who are in the middle of planning a trip to France. I get questions on what to pack and where […]
So, Scotty left me to my own devices the other day and I managed to book us a trip to the French Riviera! Like so many of us, we’ve not travelled to France since 2019 – back in the pre-pandemic times. I would never have thought that when we flew home from France that last […]
The thing I love the most about creating Distant Francophile is all the fabulous francophiles I’ve met over the years. And one of my favourite fellow francophiles is the very fabulous Jo Karnaghan. I first introduced you to Jo in episode two of The Franco-Files. Jo is the very clever founder of frugal first class travel. […]
‘What have the Romans ever done for us?’ So went the classic and much quoted line from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The characters went on to name any number of things the Romans had done. But I feel like they missed one of the more important things the ancient Romans delivered. And that’s the […]
Squee!!! I’m super excited for this post. Why? Because I get to update you on the success of Planches & Plonk! Planches & Plonk is the dream business of our friends Graham and Damon. Graham and I got to know one another years ago when we started blogging at around the same time. When Scotty […]
In the seven year history of Distant Francophile, one post has stood out clearly as the most popular. Since it was posted in 2015, it’s had far more views than any other. Curious to know what francophiles and travellers are keen to learn about? Champagne. And specifically our do-it-yourself visit to the Champagne region. Now, […]
Is it just me, or is anyone else allowing themselves to do a little French travel planning? I have the feeling that it will be a long time before Australians are able to travel anywhere. Let alone as far as the northern hemisphere. But that isn’t stopping me from having a little think about where […]
Do you want to know a secret? I rarely shop for clothing while I’m Paris. I’ll occasionally pick up shoes, lingerie or accessories. But I just don’t find myself devoting time to shopping for clothes while I’m in the City of Light. This is despite the facts that I hold style qualifications and that Paris […]
I absolutely love this time of year. Everything has a fresh feel to it, and the Australian summer days are tailor made for slowing down. For me, it is the perfect time of the year to make plans. And this year, I’ve been having a lovely time planning for September and October – the two […]
Ten years ago this week my family and I were getting ready to return home following our first visit to France. On our last day in Paris, as we prepared to brave the 24 hour flight to Australia, Scott and I splurged by ordering two glasses of champagne. We sipped them, gazing out toward the […]
When it comes to visiting France, do you consider yourself an independent traveller? If you happen to be reading this, there’s a strong chance you do. It’s also likely that you enjoy making your own bookings and plans, as well as doing your own trip research. And I’m almost certain your research often involves scouring […]
People say there are no guarantees in life. But they are wrong. If you’re going anywhere near Bordeaux on your next trip to France, it’s a given that someone will point you in the direction of Saint-Émilion. In fact, it is an absolute sure thing. I know that every time I breathed the word Bordeaux, […]
Forget the Louvre. Ditch Notre Dame. And scrap the Eiffel Tower. If there is only one destination you visit while you are in Paris, it should be a pharmacy. French pharmacies are renowned the world over for the wealth of skincare lotions and potions that can be found just below a flashing green cross. On […]
Neither Scott nor I grew up in particularly religious families, yet whenever we are in France, you can guarantee we will set foot in a church. While we are generally there for the history or the legend rather than any spiritual calling, I’m always reminded that some of the ‘must visit’ churches, including the Cathédrale […]
It is around seven months until we head back to France. While that seems like an eternity (I’m wishing it was seven weeks, or even better, seven days) I am in full on planning mode. While I’ve developed some fairly decent desktop research skills, I still can’t go past recommendations from people who have already […]
Last week, I provided the first instalment of a response to the question Which Parisian Arrondissement Is Best To Stay In?which was put to us by a Distant Francophile reader. Let’s be honest – it’s an extremely valid question. Paris is chock full of things to do and see, and it makes sense to locate […]
It probably doesn’t surprise anyone that many of the posts on Distant Francophile are inspired by the questions we receive from people who are keen to visit France. Regardless of how these queries reach us – via the website, email or in person – they always get me wondering whether I might be able to […]
Many travellers head to France wishing to experience the amazing food. And if you feel like you want to take the ‘foodie’ experience to a whole new level, then checking out a Michelin-starred restaurant could be for you. We’ve been lucky enough to eat at a number of one, two and three starred restaurants now […]
Apart from being a perfectly delightful holiday destination in its own right, Strasbourg is also an ideal base for exploring more of France’s stunningly beautiful Alsace region. When you first start investigating villages to visit in the Alsace, the town of Colmar will definitely pop up in your search engine. It is regularly features in […]