Music & Festivals

“The French are the most sophisticated listeners of jazz I’ve seen,” says legendary jazz bassist, Christian McBride, when asked what distinguished French audiences. “Remember that the first jazz festival in the world was in...

It wasn’t until 1880 that France officially chose July 14 as a national holiday to honour the French Republic. That was 91 years after Parisians stormed Bastille Prison, a turning point in the French...

So fitting to start the Nice Jazz Festival with a tribute to the music that gave us jazz and the blues, the music of the African-American churches in the time of slavery, music of hope and...

With miles of unspoilt coastline, picturesque cities and the world’s largest megalithic rock site, Brittany is one of the most versatile provinces of France. And the food’s not bad either… CULTURE A GOGO Rennes boasts a glorious mix...

With France’s history and culture so firmly rooted in agriculture, the harvest season is perhaps the most magical time to visit the country. It is a time of celebration: when bountiful crops ripened over...

This charming fortified hilltop town in the Haute-Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne has ancient history and modern thrills in equal abundance. Here's what we love. ACTION-PACKED SUMMER Langres boasts a packed – and eclectic– summer calendar; and this...

It's a warm Provence morning in early August and the historic streets of Orange in Vaucluse are already buzzing with the promise of tonight’s major cultural offering. Television crews amble around outside the magnificent open-air Roman theatre, the Théâtre...

It’s always a perfect time to visit the blue, blue Côte d’Azur, but this July offers a special treat – the return of the Nice Jazz Festival, which will take place in this ever...

France Today correspondent Anne McCarthy is on location in Cannes to cover the famous film festival. For more of her dispatches and reviews, click here. Who would’ve thought Elton John would feel the need to...

Indulge yourself from the beaches to the mountainous interior, via the great cities of Bayonne and Biarritz Markets There are great Halles marketplaces in the town centres of both Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Bayonne. Open until lunchtime every day of...