You may already know that Paris will be hosting the Olympic Games in 2024. For a chance to buy tickets, you must enter the ticket lottery, which has opened this week. You can register and apply for tickets on the Paris 2024 ticket website.

If you plan to be in Paris during the Olympics, be sure to book as far ahead as possible, as the best accommodation will fill up fast! And if you would like to explore France further, of course we would be delighted to plan your tour of Paris and beyond around your Olympics experience!

The Olympic Games will run from Friday 26 July - Sunday 11 August 2024.
 

The Olympic Rings in the Place du Trocadéro in Paris
©Anna Jea, CC-BY SA 4.0

We're very excited to be offering this new tour of Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, which will take you through breath-taking landscapes, beautiful little towns and villages, and thousands of years of history.

In Normandy, you'll have the chance to visit the WWII D-Day landing beaches with a private guide who will explain exactly what happened in each place you visit. Let us know if there are any sites of particular interest you'd like to visit, and we will arrange for you.

On your way to Brittany, you'll visit Mont Saint Michel, a centuries-old Abbey perched on the peak of a rocky islet near the Normandy-Brittany border. One of our selected private guides will help you discover this popular site away from the most crowded areas, and tell you all about the fascinating history of Mont St Michel.
 

In Brittany, you'll visit the lovely Saint-Malo (featured in the novel 'All the light we cannot see'), drive along the stunning Pink Granite Coast, marvel at megaliths dating back thousands of years, explore beautiful little islands, and learn about the particularities of Breton culture.
 

Finally, you'll head for the Loire Valley, the land of castles and the 'Garden of France'. We'll help you explore some of the Loire's most famous castles, as well as some less famous beautiful castles away from the tourist crowds. You can also taste some fabulous wines and even enjoy a cycling trip along the Loire river, if you like.
 

Trip planners Émilie and Laura at one of our favorite hidden gems, Chateau de l'Islette

In all three regions, you'll stay with wonderful English-speaking French hosts in premium B&Bs that we have stayed at and selected for you ourselves. We know you'll receive the warmest of welcomes, enjoy delicious breakfasts (and at least one home-cooked evening meal) and get lots of insider tips on each area.

Have we tempted you?! If so, click below to find out more about our new Normandy, Brittany & Loire Valley tour!

 

Brittany in western France has so much to offer visitors: thousands of years of history, stunning coastal landscapes, beautiful little islands, and more. Whether you want to relax on a golden sandy beach, visit ancient ruins and medieval villages, or go cycling alongside the sea, we will help you experience the best of Brittany!

We have traveled extensively through Brittany, so we’re very happy to share our favorite places of interest with you. Click below to find out our favorite places and see some beautiful photos of Brittany!
 

Locronan, one of the 'most beautiful villages in France'
©Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0
 

Brittany is well-known for its stunning rocky coastline and golden sandy beaches. Some of our favorite beaches include: 

Mont Saint Michel bay beach on the Cancale side. Technically Mont Saint Michel is in Normandy, but the bay area stretches across the department border into Brittany. It's ideal for those who enjoy walking on the sand. There are also oyster farms in this area.

Grande Plage du Sillon in Saint-Malo (pictured below and featured in our recommended book All the Light We Cannot See) is sandy, good for swimming and sunbathing, and has nice views of the 17th-century granite fortress, Fort National.

The are also many lovely sandy beaches on the Crozon Peninsula, such as Saint Tugen beach (away from the crowds and good for surfing); Plage de l'Aber (easy to access, with 24-hour parking); and Plage de Morgat (beautiful sands and shallow water with colorful houses in the town). 

The beaches on the Pink Granite Coast offer breath-taking scenery. Plage Saint Guirec in the Ploumanac’h area is surrounded by huge pink granite boulders that are typical of this area.

If you enjoy surfing, Plage de Kerloc’h in Camaret-Sur-Mer and Plage de la Torche in Plomeur are great options. The sea in this area also boasts a range of stunning blue colors.
 

Every part of France is known for a gastronomic specialty - in Brittany, these are crepes (if they're sweet) or galettes (if they're savory).

We have found this easy buckwheat pancake recipe, which only takes 15 minutes to prepare. The filling is your choice - in the photo below, they have filled the pancakes with a fried egg, ham and cheese.

There are lots of other French recipes on this website for you to try, and we also have plenty on our blog!

Bon Appétit!
 

Buckwheat pancakes (or galettes) with egg, ham and cheese
© Katherine Lim CC-BY 2.0 Flickr

The Pulitzer Prize winner, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, is set in beautiful Saint-Malo during World War II.

The novel is about a blind French girl, Marie-Laure, and a German orphan, Werner, whose paths cross in Nazi-occupied France.

Marie-Laure is from Paris, and lives near the Natural History Museum, where her father works. When the Nazis occupy Paris, 12-year-old Marie-Laure and her father flee to stay with her reclusive great-uncle by the sea in Saint-Malo. And they've brought with them one of the Natural History Museum's most valuable and precious jewels.

Werner is an orphan from a mining town in Germany, where he lives with his younger sister. He has incredible engineering skills and the children are fascinated by an old radio they find broadcasting news stories from all over the world. Hitler Youth discovers that Werner is an expert at building and repairing transmission devices, and enlists him to use his skills to track down the Resistance in France.

The lives of Marie-Laure and Werner become interwoven in Saint-Malo, and the author shows us that, against all odds, the vast majority of people are inherently good.

If you're a fan, we can recommend a self-guided walking tour of Saint-Malo that takes you to many of the places mentioned in the book. We have already done this for some of our travelers!

Breton is part of the Insular Celtic language family. It is most closely related to Cornish, which is an old Celtic language spoken by about 1,000 people in Cornwall in southwest England. It is also similar to Welsh, which is spoken as a first or second language by 17.8% of the population in Wales, as well as 110,000 people in England.

For an example of the Breton language in music, we recommend listening to Nolwenn Leroy, a famous Breton singer. In this music video, you can read the lyrics of the song 'Tri Martolod' (Three Sailors) in Breton with the English translation.

 

For our Christmas newsletter, I'll be sharing Emilie and Laura's plans for the festive season, tips on the best ways to enjoy in France in December, including visiting the famous Christmas markets and experiencing the magic of Christmas in Alsace, and a couple of delicious Christmas recipes for you to try! 

I'll also be sharing some photos from my location 'across the pond' (hint: I won't be speaking English OR French this festive season!).

Sending you our warmest regards,

Naomi Dalton
Copywriter & Editor at France Just For You