Villa Cavrois is an architecturally designed Modernist home lying just outside Lille, France. Commissioned from Robert Mallet-Stevens by Paul Cavrois, this yellow brick-clad villa exceeding 1,800 square metres’ living space is a prime example of Mallet-Stevens’ design manifesto blending architecture, decoration and landscaping. We visited on an overcast Friday in early March. Getting to Villa [read more]
This guide to transport options in Lille covers what you need to know about getting to and around the city. It looks at arriving by Eurostar or driving to Lille, including where to park, as well as how to use the city’s metro, trams and buses. It also covers bike hire schemes and sightseeing tours [read more]
The Lille City Pass can help you access the best galleries, museums and attractions. Lille and its surrounding towns are well connected and packed with things to do; culture, shopping, open spaces. It’s no surprise Lille is a hugely popular weekend break destination meriting repeat visits to enjoy its food, architecture and vibrant atmosphere. This [read more]
The Bay of the Somme, or Baie de Somme in French, is an easy weekend break from the UK. Located in Picardy, the Somme is popular with nature lovers and families, it’s a great slow tourism destination. Seals wallow on sandbanks, seabirds dive into the water and there’s a wide open grassy marshland to be [read more]
From buzzing pavement cafés on boulevards, to the beehives in Parc du Luxembourg, from the noisy chimes of Metro doors closing, to gazing at éclairs through a patisserie window: Paris is a feast for the senses. Out of over seventy trips I’ve made to France, at least ten of these were to Paris. Whether you’re [read more]
Normandy’s Compact City is Full of Surprises Why isn’t a Rouen city break closer to mind for city breaks? Packed with narrow streets filled with medieval houses, stunning Gothic buildings and the Joan of Arc factor. There are interesting shops and museums to explore, and rich Normandy cuisine to sample. All within seven hours’ drive [read more]