Tag: France Travel

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Cheapy Cheap Air France Flights Now Possible with 'MiNi' Fares

Where: France
January 7, 2013 at 4:03 PM | by | Comments (0)

Everyone is always asking, "how can I get cheaper airfare?" Well today's your lucky day as Air France announces a bare-bones ticket that's nothing but cheaper airfare, and they're calling it the "MiNi."

One-way "MiNi" fares would start at €49 (including tax), which is around €20 less than a normal economy ticket, though MiNi means no itinerary changes, no seat selection at booking, and no mileage earning. Still, if you can keep it to carry-on only (checked baggage is €15 per piece in advance, €30 at the airport), it's a heck of a lot cheaper than taking the Eurostar from London to Paris and the TGV on to Nice.

There are 58 starter destinations, all short- and medium-haul, for example from London City to Brest, Nantes, Pau, Avignon, Toulon and Paris-Orly. If you're like, "what the heck in Toulon," then know that it's an airport much nearer to St. Tropez, Cannes and Monte Carlo than Marseille, so that's our first choice right there. Other MiNi fare hubs are Paris-Orly, Marseille, Toulouse and Nice.

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Air France and Barneys Want to Send You to Paris in Business Class

Where: France
December 4, 2012 at 10:02 AM | by | Comments (0)

We like contests. Even more so, we like travel contests. When these contests are coupled with fashion, we've died and gone to heaven. Now that may be a little dramatic, but we really do like a contest that includes business class travel instead of the usual economy roundtrip. This time, the goods come from Air France and the grand prize includes not only biz class tickets to Paris, but also a hotel stay at a Sofitel and an entirely new wardrobe from Barneys, all wrapped up in the cuteness of Disney.

The contest can be found on Air France's US Facebook page and involves very little effort, but will bring a few smiles and giggles. Just head on over to the fan page and give them the thumbs-up and click over to the Electric Holiday Sweepstakes. Once there, all you need to do is watch the short cartoon featuring Minnie Mouse and various other fashion icons, then type in your details at the end.

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Air France Yesterday and Today, in Video

Where: France
November 12, 2012 at 9:17 AM | by | Comments (2)

Happy Monday! We have recently stumbled upon a video that left us gazing into the computer screen with longing while exposing a terrible case of wanderlust. Perhaps you have spent the weekend traveling or are looking forward to an upcoming journey/Thanksgiving jaunt; either way, we think you will enjoy this Air France video as much as we do.

It begins with arrival at the airport, Paris-Charles de Gaulle in this instance, and navigates through check-in, boarding and in-flight luxuries. What makes the tiny film so unique is the juxtaposition of the retro with current AF cabins, products and aircraft.

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Serena Williams Celebrated Her US Open Victory on the Côte d'Azur

September 17, 2012 at 2:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

Last week we speculated that perhaps Serena Williams would celebrate her U.S. Open win with a trip to Miami, but it turns out she opted for a romantic getaway to France instead.

The tennis superstar was spotted with her new boyfriend, coach Patrick Mouratoglou, in the French town of Valbonne, located about 10 miles north of Cannes.

The pair went window shopping and dined out in the small French town, which they apparently liked so much they took time to check out the local real estate listings. And even though one of the most prestigious tennis clubs in France, Sophia Country Club, is just a few miles from Valbonne, the new couple decided to leave their tennis rackets at home for this trip.

[Photo: Daily Mail]

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Inside the Canadian D-Day Landing Museum on the Beaches of Normandy

Where: France
September 6, 2012 at 12:17 PM | by | Comments (0)

Utah, Omaha, Juno, Gold, Sword...fifty miles of the Normandy coastline in northern France that changed the world forever as the British, Canadian and American armed forces invaded Europe on D-Day: June 6th, 1944.

Driving the entire length of these beaches on our recent stay in Normandy, we find it's a seriously bizarre mix of post-war seaside houses, golden sandy beaches, concrete bunkers and war memorials.

Of all the World War II heritage sites in this historic area, we found the Canadian Juno Beach Centre, just to the west of Courseulles-sur-Mer, the most informative of the lot.

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Wish You Were Here: La Suisse Normande, France

September 4, 2012 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (0)

Bonjour from the banks of the river Orne, in the area of Normandy called "La Suisse Normande"—Swiss Normandy—on account of the hills, where autumn is setting in.

This is World War II, Band of Brothers country, and unusually for France there's not a whole lot of ancient history to see, mainly because the Allies bombed and shelled the crap out of it before the D-Day Normandy Landings and in the rest of the Liberation of France.

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The Day We Discovered a Secret French Wine

July 25, 2012 at 11:47 AM | by | Comments (0)

One of the things we love about travelling in France is stumbling across random local wines that even winefans like us aren't familiar with. (It doesn't help with the "not familiar" part that the French shifted round their already-impenetrable system a few years ago.) The great thing is, these local wines we'd never heard of are often more awesome than the bigger names. And sometimes they're secret.

And so it was when we came to stay on the Côte Roannaise, a stretch of hills near renowned foodie town Roanne between Lyon and Vichy. Nestling in the hills of the Monts de la Madeleine (Magdalene Mountains) on the side of the upper reaches of the Loire, and discovered both the AOC Côte Roannaise and the IGP Vin de pays d'Urfé.

LOL OMG, WTF's an AOC and an IGP, you ask? Well, get yourself a glass of something, read on and we'll explain.

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Foreign Grocery Friday: the Apéricubes of France

Where: France
July 20, 2012 at 12:43 PM | by | Comments (0)

When you think France, you think cheese. Delicious, delicious cheese. So do we, and whenever we hit France we always find amazing stuff even in the supermarket. (And in the local village's summer market too, but that's for next week...)

We love us some creamy Saint-Félicien, piquant Morbier, stinky Époisses, crumbly bouchons of chèvre... but there are some things you just remember from a childhood trip to France and go OMG WANT -- and for us, those are Apéricubes.

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How a Small French Village Celebrates Bastille Day

Where: Roanne, France
July 16, 2012 at 3:16 PM | by | Comments (0)

Bonjour! We're spending a couple of weeks hanging out in a gorgeous French village in the hills of the Côte Roannaise, an hour or so west of Lyon, near the town of Roanne.

And—surprise!—it was Bastille Day last week, the French version of July 4th or [insert your home country's national day here], which is officially called La Fête Nationale.

Did you know that Bastille Day doesn't actually commemorate the storming of the Bastille? No, really. It's a commemoration of the commemoration of the storming of the Bastille, a year after the Bastille done got stormed in 1789.

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The World's Worst Lines at the World's Worst Airports

June 1, 2012 at 9:54 AM | by | Comments (0)

There's something jarring about partaking in the miracle of heavier-than-air flight, of literally dining in a chair in the sky as you fly across an ocean, and then - upon arriving at your destination in mere hours - having to stand in some horrible airport's interminable passport control line. Really? We can build commercial jets that break the sound barrier but we can't figure out how to efficiently stamp people's passports?

Here's a list of three of the worst wait time offenders. We're hoping that - all other options having been exhausted - maybe sustained public shaming will get through to them. Two are in so-called Alpha++ and Alpha+ global cities, so you'd think they'd try something now and again, and one is in West Africa, because we just can't get over how bad it is.

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Celebs Flock to All of Cannes' Usual Party Spots

Where: Cannes, France
May 21, 2012 at 2:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

This year the Cannes Film Festival, taking place through May 27 in the south of France, is serving up its annual dose of Hollywood glitz and glam in all the usual places.

The Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France is a hub of A-lister activity again this year. On Saturday night the star-studded Vanity Fair and Gucci party brought out stars like Robert De Niro, Naomi Watts, and Salma Hayek, while other celebs, including Jennifer Connelly, have been spotted checking in.

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Visiting the L'Occitane Factory in Provence

March 7, 2012 at 4:56 PM | by | Comments (0)

It may not be growing in the fields right now, but in Provence, lavender is always in the air. And no more so than around Manosque, a town high in the hills between Marseille and Nice, and where toiletry brand L’Occitane En Provence is based.

L’Occitane is probably our fave brand of smelly stuff so when we stayed at the official L’Occitane Hotel, Le Couvent Des Minimes, our priority was to fit in a factory tour of the operation at Manosque.

Sadly, it wasn’t to be. We arrived at the hotel on a Sunday, when the factory is closed, and the staff had no idea when, or even if, there would be a tour (of their sister outfit) on the Monday. On the Monday, they told us that there was only one tour that day – at 4pm, in French. And though our pigeon French could have muscled through, we had to be on the road to the airport at 3.

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