Where to begin? As one can imagine, we have a long list of favorite places in France that we’d recommend to everyone, but we’ll simply start with the first few that come to mind. First and foremost is of course Paris–after all, Paris is Paris and there is not another city in the world quite like it! Whenever we jet off to soak in the magic of Paris, we love to stay in the 7th arrondissement–it’s centrally located and walking distance to most all attractions that we like to stop and see.

Next up on the list is L’isle Sur la Sorgue, otherwise known as the Antique capital of France. Is there any wonder why we might love it so? In L’isle Sur la Sorgue, there seem to be as many antique stores and brocantes as there are locals. It is a gorgeous city filled with streams and waterwheels and the village is actually an island among the waterways. Most dealers in the town are open Thursday through Monday where treasure abound. We love to stay at Maison Sur la Sorgue in the heart of this city–Frederic and Marie-Claude are the most gracious hosts and their petite dejeuner cannot be beat.

Gordes is a village built high on the Rocky Mountains in Provence. Houses, restaurants and churches have been painstakingly carved into the sides of the mountain and it is some of the most incredible work we have come across in France–and the views from the top are just breathtaking! If you decide to visit, don’t miss the Abbey de Notre-Dame de Senanque that is just a stones throw away (no pun intended) that has endless lavender fields. This time of year they are in full bloom and you can it smell the beautiful lavendar from miles away.

In the southwest part of France lives a charming commune called Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, which we fell in love with while visiting a friend by the name of Charlotte (@tabledetouron). Charlotte is an incredible historian and chef who often leads our tours in France! The village, whose history dates back to the 8th century, hosts very few tourists, and the farmers markets around the small town are sheer heaven for fresh produce lovers. Some locals even bring live ducks, chickens and rabbits to the markets that are in their prime to be consumed. This beautiful village also has underground waterways, and a tour through them is a must!

We are looking forward to diving into Normandy soon as we will be traveling with Sharon Santoni to her hometown in October–she will be touring us through her beloved countryside with stops in Paris and Champagne for our French Tour and we can’t wait! If you’d like to join us in exploring France, email us or call the store to learn more and reserve your place–there are just 3 spots left and we’d hate for you to miss out on unforgettable memories and joie de vivre!

VIVA LA FRANCE!

SARAH