Festival Friday

Montmartre's annual autumn grape harvest and wine festival bursts into life Wednesday, October 8.

 LA VILLAGE EN FÊTE 

Fête des Vendanges 2025

Ends Sunday October 12

Throwback Thursday

 

 

The call of the sea.

 

 Above: evening and night walks in serene coastal villages

Below: sunsets and silhouettes

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Brittany / Normandy / Poitou-Charentes

 3 hours (or less) from Paris

 

 

 

There’s nothing quite like trading Paris' crowded boulevards for a few days of a rejuvenating seaside escapade. As autumn’s crisp embrace settles over the city, the call of the sea and windswept freedom of France's enchanting North Atlantic seashores beckon. Temperatures dip to invigorating levels. Coastlines unfold rugged cliffs kissed by frothy waves, quaint harbors glow under golden-hour light, and beaches stretch toward the horizon.

 Unlike those once secret coastal destinations that have become overrun by post-Covid throngs emboldened by Instagram selfies, there are still retreats that remain unspoiled by the clamor of travel influencers in designer flip-flops and cheeseburger-seeking TikTokers waiting to be discovered.

There’s a special alchemy in joining locals gathering at sunset over apéros and oysters and watching the sky change from lavender to amber. These moments, steeped in laughter and the warmth of shared stories, are what pull us back again and again. - BPJ  

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Main points of arrival by train from Paris (+ car rental upon arrival) for quicker seaside village access:

 Brittany
Saint-Malo and Brest for their respective coastal regions (north-east and west)
Farther: Rennes

Normandy
Caen and Le Havre generally faster to access most seaside villages due to their proximity to the coast
Farther: Rouen

Poitou-Charentes / renamed Nouvelle-Aquitaine
La Rochelle for quick seaside village access due to its coastal proximity
Farther: Rochefort, Poitiers, Niort

 

 

Window Wednesday

A glimpse through history.

Restaurant Le Procope

 

Table Tuesday

 

 

A table for two on a street on Île de la Cité.

 

Misty Monday

 

 

Morning magic in the Latin Quarter.

 

Seaside Sunday

 La Rochelle's imposing Porte de la Grosse Horloge dates to the12th-century.

 

Paris - La Rochelle

3 hours (or less) from Paris

 

Next week:

Seaside escapade*

 

 

* Escapade in French: emphasizes a carefree, spontaneous trip or adventure, with a lighter, often positive tone

Escapade in English: usually suggests a mischievous, reckless, or potentially disapproved-of act, with a broader application beyond just travel

Sit-down Saturday

 Enjoying coffee off a curb near Notre Dame Cathedral.