April 18, 2011

What is Your Favorite Place in France?

Marseille - le Panier

I love posing random questions on Twitter from time to time.

So far I've asked about French cheese, French wine and French food.
Now that I know what my Twitter "friends" love to eat and drink in France, I wanted to know about their favorite places in France.

The Question: What is Your Favorite City, Town or Region of France? And Why?

The Responses...

Église de la Madeleine

Some of the responses surprised me and have given me new regions to add to my "must visit one day" list. Paris wasn't mentioned as often as I thought it would be and some of the answers are places I know and love as well.

Mine. Lagrasse Languedoc, cobbled streets, fab food, river swimming, memories to make me smile :)

The historic town of Cognac...it's lively all year round, terrific restaurants and the beautiful Charente meanders through it.

RamblingEpicure There are so many wonderful cities and villages in France. How could one possibly choose?
RamblingEpicure Paris, Chartres, Annecy, Nice, but I can add lots more!

I really like the area around Saumur. It's a beautiful region with lots of chateaux, wine, good food & friendly people.

TOULOUSE 'cause it's the best town... simply

i know i'm in the minority but i ♥ Pas de Calais - interesting history, gorgeous beaches & not overcrowded, lovely people 
full disclosure, my in-laws come from there, so have visited many times, would move there if we had the opportunity

Huiles

I love the Luberon- good food grown locally, beautiful fruits/veg, sunshine, lavender, olive oil, lovely people, tangy accent

Anjou. Because of family ties, history and the fact that it is plain gorgeous. Good food and wine too.

definitely not Picardie
well I loved living in La Rochelle but I don't know what the rest of that region is like-I didn't do any traveling while there
  
provence!

Provence without doubt, all the scenery, amazing villages, lavender fields, the list is endless

the Loire Valley. Beautiful scenery, chateaux and the quaint wooden houses.

there is so much of France that I have loved visiting, it's hard to choose just one
But Brittany has a special place in my heart - truly fabulous seafood, crêpes, cider... Beautiful memories- that always helps!

@ ditto for Brittany (though haven't really seen that much of France to be honest).

Château de Brissac

loire valley...just gorgeous (and where my brother lives)!

Honfleur. I'd move there at the drop of a hat. But there's still a lot of the country I haven't seen.

Nord Pas-de-Calais
V. difficult to choose just one region (so many faves!), so I'm supporting the underdog! Look fwd to reading your post.

Really, really difficult to choose. I love the Basque Country because it's green a rolling, and has a wonderful coastline

Cote d'Or: stunning & diverse scenery, amazing wine, delicious regional specialities, medieval architecture, unspoilt villages

I absolutely love the area around Cassis and Toulon! Great seafood and love the falaises....

17 - Royan. The modern architecture, the proximity to the forest and beaches. 64 - Bayonne. The food, the people, the beach.

I have to choose?

Paris ;-) otherwise, the Loire, its wine (sancerre, Pouilly...), cheese (crotin de Chavignol) castles, cathedrals, history...

My vote is for St. Malo for its crazy tides, cute sailors, and killer seafood!

Cassis

lyon. Has everything I need, rich history and was the place that made france home for me.

Just one? Okay, city: Strasbourg. Region: Brittany.

Metz :)

I love Oleron and La Rochelle

 hossegor

Nice is my all time favourite, very cosmo, very individual, love its little satellite towns. Food, sun, sea and lots of fun!

Can Montmartre count as a city of its own :) ?  
(I said, yes!)

côte d'azur :)

Paris without doubt. Can't wait to visit again

love the south... ie Saint Rafael and Luberon region

re: fave place in Fr -- Paris is great and all, but I truly like my friend's home in Antibes (Côte d'Azur). It's lovely there.

Narbonne. Don't ask why...

Chartres, where spiritual roads come together !

All of it, but most of our time is spent in mostly because we have many friends there.

Paris Monuments

Love Aix-en-Provence!

Loire

Paris for me.

My heart belongs to Nice - Ellie, Ed Asst

Paris

Vendée! Lovely people, great beaches, some good but less popular wine, gâche (yummy brioche), and huîtres :-)

louloufrance I will always love Cassis. And Paris, of course!


What about you? What is your favorite city, town, or region of France?

Les Huîtres Pin It

28 comments:

Jackie Dyer said...

I missed the question when you posed it. For us it has to be la Bougogne particularly the stretch between Beaune & Chalon. But then we lived in Nice for a while which was glorious. The Lot Valley is beautiful & relaxing too. What about you?

spacedlaw said...

Just proves to show. There is a bit of France for everybody!

Susan said...

Thank you for including me...merci!

Unknown said...

As a child, Valbonne in Provence where I have family but now I would say Lagrasse or Carcassonne.

Anonymous said...

Not sure I'd want to live anywhere in France but Paris, although I've loved my visits to Nice, La Rochelle, and Strasbourg. And Auvergne will always have a special place in my heart. (The mountains! The clean air! The food!)

Dianne said...

My favourite place in France is the little hilltop village of Caromb. It is non touristy and beats to it's own rythm. Just delightful!

Sharon T said...

I've only been to Paris and Normandy so far and I loved them both. I hope to add more favorite places when we travel to Cahors, Agen, the Languedoc Rousillion and Lyon in the fall!

Anonymous said...

thats a hard one....for me i love it all. i can't choose...please don't make me choose ;-)

aimee said...

Probably somewhere in the southwest, along the Mediterranean...and Paris, bien sur!

Quebec Cheesehound said...

Loulou, a very interesting and thought provoking question. For me, the Languedoc has everything that captures the best of France. Quaint villages, majestic scenery, tranquility with a rich history, produce to relish, and of course, the vineyards that continue to produce outstanding wines. Long live the Languedoc!

Grace said...

For me, it would probably be Provence. As much as I love Paris (really, who doesn't?) there is something about Provence that just feels like somewhere I'd move after living for years in the city. I (briefly) visited Saint-Rémy-de-Provence this summer and simply fell in love with it.

Craig said...

I love La Rochelle and Saint Raphael and could quite happily live in either one.

PigletinFrance said...

I agree with Spacedlaw - There's a bit of France for everybody! Of the places that I have visited I agree that lots of them figure on my fave lists. Nice to see there are still lots of places for me to discover!

Jennifer said...

Jackie
Thanks for answering!
Don't know Burgundy, but it is a place that I really want to visit one day.
I love Cassis. The light, the sea, the colors. But I love Paris too.

Nathalie
Very true!

Susan
Thank you for taking the time to answer the question. I loved all the responses I got.

Jennifer said...

Phebe
Lagrasse is very beautiful!

Camille
I really want to get to La Rochelle one day. We know the area around it quite well, but have never been to the city.
And Paris...well, what can I say?
:)
Auvergne has never really attracted me, but if you have good things to say about it, then I must check it out. I know it only from driving up and down the A75.

Dianne
Never heard of it so I did a bit of research...looks beautiful! Thanks for adding to the list.

Jennifer said...

Sharon
Sounds like you have a fabulous trip coming up! I love France in the autumn...the colors are beautiful, the grape harvest is going on and the weather is usually gorgeous.

maria
I totally understand...you don't have to choose.
Your favorite region of France can be France!

aimee
All great choices. I agree wholeheartedly!

Jennifer said...

Quebec Cheesehound
I love your answer! The Languedoc does have a bit of everything. It is a very special place.

Grace
I know Saint-Rémy and know what you mean. That is a truly beautiful town and Provence is a very beautiful region. Good choice!

Craig
Another mention of La Rochelle! Now I really must get there.

Piglet
I feel the same. The responses from everyone have really inspired me to think of visiting regions that I had never really considered before.
Like Lyon! Still have never been there.

Vagabonde said...

It is difficult to choose: Paris of course but I also like the little villages around Nice and the town where I lived as a child with my grandparents called Vaison la Romaine. But I have never been in the east, like Strasbourg or les Pyrenees like Pau, and I would ike to visit them.

garry said...

Olonzac,

not the prettiest but i hate to leave there and love to go back.

Jean said...

I didn't have to think twice - it's Chinon. It's the perfect small French town, with a chateau, a fabulous river, smart shops, enormous market, great restaurants and super weather (most of the time), plus the local wine and food. What more could anyone want?

Mlle Paradis said...

i'm with maria - i love it all. the quiet well out of the way places AND the buzzy busy places. what is not to like?!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Easy question for me. We love Saint Remy-de-Provence, a charming village in the south of France. We spent two gorgeous months there and it was the time of our lives.
Sam

Quebec Cheesehound said...

To add to my previous comments on the Languedoc, Minerve, Lagrasse, Le Somail on the Canal du Midi and Lastours are "must sees". Narbonne (Les Halles is the best market), Carcassonne and Albi exemplify the best of the south of France. Oops, let's not not forget the Cathar castles of Peyrepertruse and Queribus.

Tidycam said...

Mt family and I fell in love with Aix en Provence. It's a small city with both charm and sophistication, and it's a quick drive into the hilltop villages of the Luberon. That said, we have only just scratched the surface in France and hope to see much more.

Jennifer said...

Vagabonde
It is difficult to choose!
I've always wanted to visit Strasbourg and Colmar, they both look so beautiful.

garry
Olonzac definitely has its charms.

Jean
It does sound like the perfect place. Next time we're in the Loire we'll have to visit Chinon.

Jennifer said...

Mlle Paradis
I like your answer!

Sam
Saint-Rémy would be a wonderful place to spend a couple of months. I only had a few days there and was sad when I had to leave.
Do you have plans to go back for a visit?

Quebec Cheesehound
Great list of "must sees" in the Languedoc.

Tim
I've never been to Aix, but everyone says that it is a fabulous place. Thanks for commenting!

Amanda said...

La vallée du Lot and Dordogne are
pretty amazing too but so are the Pyrénées, les Cévennes... I frankly don't know what is my all time favorite place in France. To the risk of exasperating Betty C, I would think l'Aveyron, just because my parents live there.

Jennifer said...

Nadege
All good choices.
I doubt Betty minds you extolling Aveyron's virtues.