Recommend December 2017 - 34

FRANCE
For first-timers to France, PARIS is the
natural gateway to the country. The city
is in full bloom in spring, but there's no
bad time of the year to visit. Free concerts
and films dominate the capital in summer
and Christmas markets take over famous
stretches like the Champs-Elysees come
November. Travelers can find over 300
events taking place across the city on any
given day-with two of the most famous
being Fete de la Musique (Music Day) on
June 21 and Bastille Day on July 14, when
fireworks twinkle over the Eiffel Tower.
Every day, more than 15,000 people line
up to see Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" at the
Louvre, one of over 300 museums lining
the city's streets. Also known as a capital
of fashion and luxury, 2016 heralded in a
new era for Paris' historic palace hotels
with the reopening of the five-star Ritz
Paris in the Place Vendome, following
a 4-year, $200 million renovation that
included the addition of the world's first
Chanel spa, Chanel au Ritz Paris. In July
2017, the legendary Hotel de Crillon,
A Rosewood Hotel, debuted its new
look with another major designer, Karl
Lagerfeld, placing his touch on the haute
spot's Grands Appartements.

COASTAL MARVELS
Skip down to the coast and you'll come
across France's second-largest city,
MARSEILLE. Since being dubbed

France's iconic streetside cafes.

European Capital of Culture in 2013,
Marseille has cleaned up its gritty, sailorlike act and blossomed into a bustling
metropolis that's quickly rivalling the
country's cosmopolitan capital. The
city boasts 26 centuries of history, and
one of the best ways for travelers to get
their bearings is in the old town, or "Le
Panier." A bridge links Le Panier with the
city's new piece de resistance: MuCEM,
the first national museum dedicated
to Mediterranean civilizations for the
21st century. Philippe Starck's budgetsavvy hotel Mama Shelter Marseille,
meanwhile, lies in the hip, street art-heavy
Cours Julien district, also home to some
of the city's top restaurants, such as La
Cantinetta. For a hotel that's teeming
with 19th century charm, opt for the
newish boutique beauty C2 Hotel, tucked
behind the Old Port. The 20-room hotel
was once home to a wealthy noble family
and still exudes that sense of grandeur,
from the gilded grand salons (a.k.a bar
and restaurant) to the sleek, individually
designed guestrooms that show off aerial
views over town.
Three hours away by train-with an
airport that serves as the entry point
to the French Riviera-NICE is a town
often viewed as a stopover, but it's worth
spending a few days in the place artists
like Matisse once called home. Use the
city as a base to explore the region, which

is easily accessible by bus and train. Sleep
in luxury at the glamorous seaside Hotel
Negresco, where everyone from Dali to
The Beatles have posted up for the night.
From here, it's just a few minutes' stroll
along the Promenade des Anglais, which
borders the Mediterranean Sea, before
you reach Vieux Nice, or the Old Town.
The flower and fruit market unfolds here
in the restaurant-lined Cours Saleya every
day except Mondays, when the square
transforms into an antiques fair. At the
end of the Promenade, the trek up Castle
Hill (the site of the former citadel) offers
sweeping views over the sea. For an even
more jaw-dropping vista, the neighboring
medieval town of Eze is worth a visit. Post ➤

FASTFACTS
GETTING THERE:
Paris: ATL, BOS, CVG, DTW, JFK,
MSP, RDU, SEA, SLC, IND, LAX;
seasonally from PIT
Nice: Seasonally from JFK; connecting
through AMS, CDG, and FCO
year-round
Marseille, Bordeaux & Lyon:
Connecting through CDG and AMS
ENTRY DOCUMENTS: Valid passport
INFORMATION PLEASE:
rendezvousenfrance.com

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1/24/18 11:42 AM
http://www.rendezvousenfrance.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2017
