France has a generous share of remarkable women who grace the pages of its history. Blanche de Castille, Eleanor d’Acquitaine, Jeanne d’Arc, Diane de Poitiers, Gabrielle d’Estrée and Marie Antoinette are some of the most illustrious (even if some were imports). During the Middle Ages many of them ruled in their own right and […]
What is the difference between a basilica, a church and a cathedral? Should you care? You can, of course, sail through life oblivious of the distinctions, without any problem. However, if you believe, as we do, that variety is part of what makes life interesting, you may find that being aware of the differences […]
When you look at the skyline of Paris today, you see a fairly uniform horizon that is largely the result of Baron Haussmann’s urban renewal program, which progressed from 1853 until 1870. Ordered by Napoleon III, it was a crash program to transform an exotic but highly unhealthy medieval city that lacked basic sanitation […]
Many persons contemplating touring in France in 2020 are anxiously following the current wave of protests relating to the French government’s plans to modify the pensions of different categories of public workers. At this time that includes more than forty different types of retirement plans, of which some are in tight financial straits and […]
For all lovers of greenery and original gardens, this article is for you. The gardens named after their creator, Albert Kahn, in the very early 20th century are one of the jewels of garden landscaping in Paris and its suburbs. They have reopened after almost 30 years of work and adjustments, in the style […]
The Grand Paris Project is a gigantic reshaping urban project which focuses on creating a mega railway system throughout the bigger Paris region, thus creating new centers and new habitat as well as reducing the impact of the region’s population on the downtown area.
The project started in 2007 under President Sarkozy and is supposed […]
For most of the world, eating snails is particularly difficult to understand, if not a revolting prospect. Yet the prestige of French cuisine is such that dining on snails has become one of the pinnacles France’s culinary delights. You might wonder how this came to happen?
The term “escargots de Bourgogne” literally means Burgundy snails. […]
Three ‘Modern’ Bridges
One of the most beautiful bridges in the world spans the Seine River estuary just before the Seine River empties into the English Channel. It is called the Pont de Normandie, and it links the charming fishing port Honfleur on the left bank with the very industrial shipping port of Le Havre […]
The Pont des Arts is one of the most emblematic bridges in Paris. It was the first metallic bridge to be built, precisely under the reign of Napoleon the Ist between 1802 and 1804. It is a fully pedestrian bridge and a symbol of romance for lovers in the city. It is also an […]
Travelers contemplating a trip to France in 2019 are trying to determine whether the Yellow Vest movement has run its course, or whether there is more of it still to come. Paris Luxury Tours has had some prospective clients postponing booking their 2019 tours, and others who have booked anyway, assuming that sanity will […]