What to do in France – Enjoy the best of French life on holiday in France
There are features of French life that simply cannot be transported northwards over the Channel: the way long-aproned waiters glide between the tables of a boulevard café, the haughty chic of a mademoiselle in Paris shopping for French fashion, the whiff of Gauloises and Pastis as another evening of boules commences beneath the village plane trees. These are just a few of the uniquely Gallic things to savour when on holiday in France.
French life is epitomised by its cafés
Just as the UK has its pubs, France has its cafes. They serve similar purposes, and these range far beyond being a dispensary of beverages and light snacks. French life centres on the café, especially in villages and small towns where the notion of a ‘local’ is apparent. The café is the place to catch up on the gossip, to debate the goings on of the rich, famous and powerful, to play chess or babyfoot, and relax and watch neighbours and strangers go by. Not for the French the obscured windows of the British pub! They want to see what is going on outside, what everyone is doing, what they are wearing, who are they talking to…. Whether you are on your summer holiday in France’s rural backwaters or on a spring weekend Paris shopping trip, pull up a chair, order a coffee and linger.
French art – Very impressive
The French ‘invented’ Impressionism. This movement began as a loose group of Parisian artists in the 1860s that took a common approach to the portrayal of outdoor subjects, but it is the work of Claude Monet that it is most widely associated with, especially by those who take art-speciality holidays in France.
Monet was the most prolific of the Impressionists and his fans flock to his home at Giverny, near Rouen, to view the scenes that inspired many of his paintings (www.fondation-monet.com). But Impressionism is not just about Monet, as the American Impressionist Museum, also in Giverny, testifies, nor is Impressionism about only Giverny. This style of painting is celebrated in many places across the country, from the tiny Chateau Museum of Dieppe to the Beaux Arts museum in Lyons, but the best collections are in the capital, which means viewing fabulous works of art can be enjoyed even on Paris shopping expeditions. Both the Marmottan Museum and the huge Louvre have excellent Impressionist collections but the crème de la crème is the Musee d’Orsay
Join a game of Boules
All over France, but especially in the south, locals gather most evenings to play boules (or petanque, as it also known). For locals, read men. For it is rare that women join in the game itself. They are more likely to be spectators. But this ritual of convening beneath the plane trees in the village centre or in a shady city square has been played out for years, and boules is about as synonymous to French life as it gets.
For a brief explanation of boules, see the Culture in France page. Understanding the rules may make spectating more enjoyable but don’t try to muscle in on a game when you are on holiday in France. French life is governed by some pretty strict etiquette and one of the unspoken rules is that you can play only when one of the locals hands you a ball. If you have moved to France, be patient for that invitation. If you are on holiday and don’t know anyone, show your enthusiasm, enjoy watching but hold back. You may be lucky. And if you are, savour the experience.
Paris for shopping, French fashion and French life at its most chic
If French fashion is your thing, or any fashion for that matter, a Paris shopping trip is a must. At many different levels, the French capital is probably the best place in the world to engage in some retail therapy. It is beautiful for a start, so it feels only right and proper to be concerned with adornment amid such loveliness. It is also incredibly chic. This is a place where French fashion is not just in the store windows, but can be seen strutting its stuff along the boulevards.
The ultimate Paris shopping trip begins at Rue Faubourg St Honore, a narrow street that is home to some of the top new designers, and leads into the grand Champs Elysees with its monumental sidewalks, snooty cafes and stylish showrooms. Add in Avenue Montaigne and Avenue George V and you will have run the entire gambit of top international and French fashion designers with names such as Bottega Veneta, Chanel, Chloé, Givenchy, Jean-Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Versace and Louis Vuitton. These streets are the outdoor catwalks of Paris. If you would like an indoor display of French fashion, book a month ahead for a seat at Galeries Lafayette for the department store’s free Friday afternoon fashion show.
Party in style
France is not only about high culture, haute cuisine and haute couture. An important slice of French life is reserved for a good party, too. As you would expect, it is done with typical French flair, but they do not let style get in the way of substance.
Their parties come in all shapes and sizes, from the Lent carnivals of Flanders which feature parades of giants and men on stilts, to the harvest festivals celebrating lemons, oranges, mimosa, lavender… you name it. And, of course, there are the autumn wine festivals of each and every village that ever owned a vine. Any excuse and the French will celebrate long and hard, so whether you are living in France permanently, are on your summer holiday in France or just on a Paris shopping trip, check out the festival calendar and join in with these vignettes of French life.
