Visit Argentat in the Valley of the Dordogne

Argentat is a small town in the southern Correze, at the heart of the Valley of the Dordogne region. It won’t take you long to explore and discover the highlights but be sure you do because it is a very lovely little town in an enviable setting.

The old town in Argentat, the region behind the quais a little up the hill from the river, has some exceptional buildings to discover, dating mostly from the 16th-17th centuries,  including among others the Maison Delmas, which is a very lovely house but perhaps a little overly restored – I suspect that M Delmas would hardly recognise it.
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Finding cheap flights to france

During the last ten years or so we have witnessed a significant change in the frequency and methods that people use when travelling around Europe, largely as a result of the new budget airlines operating flight routes to destinations that might otherwise have remained undiscovered.

Despite the accusations of ‘cattle truck’ treatment by some of these cheap airlines they remain extremely popular with flights to many of the new destinations available at a very low price. If you can be flexible about the time and date of your travel, and can keep an eye on upcoming bargains there are often great deals to be found.

The best way to find these cheap flights for yourself  is to plan ahead when possible, and to monitor the prices for your  chosen flights very frequently. Set yourself a target price – that is, a price that you would be happy with – then watch the prices each day, and if they fall to (or even better, below) the price you have set – book the tickets!

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Marseille attractions

Marseilles is a city with an ancient seafaring vocation, so an essential route to see the attractions of Marseille should depart from the ‘old port’ of the city. Built in an area protected by the hills of Saint Lorent, Moulins and Carmes and two fortress (Saint Jean and Saint Nicolas) it is also a characterful place with its wharves dating back to the seventeenth century, and the sight of colourful fishing boats at anchor, the fish market and a great number of “bistrot”.

Marseille museums

Nearby you can visit the Musée des Docks, which contains examples of goods dating back to the first century B.C. and the Muséee du Vieux Marseille, where you see a model which reproduces the city as it was in Roman times. Also dedicated to local history is  ‘Musée d’Histoire de Marseille‘, which also contains the remains of an old boat (3rd century BC) discovered in the Old Port area.

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Triumphal Arch in Orange, France

The Triumphal Arch in Orange (near Avignon) is about 22 meters high and 21 metres wide, and consists of three arches.

It is located on the ancient Via Agrippa (the Roman trade route from Lyon to Arles) and features numerous ornate carvings relating to the history of the conquests of Augustus, the Roman supremacy over the Gauls and various religious symbols.

In the nineteenth century it was called the Arch of Marius because it was assumed that it was erected in honour of the Marius’ victory against the Cimbri and the Teutons in 101 B.C., but today it is accepted that the arch was a dedication to the victory of Augustus at Actium (31 B.C.), and later also to the Emperor Tiberius.

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Visit Mirepoix

The Ariege department of south-west France is often visited for the countryside and scenery, and the chance to enjoy outdoor activities, but there are also some interesting towns and villages to discover and explore – and one of these is Mirepoix.

Situated to the north-east of Ariege (south-east of Toulouse, south-west of Carcassonne), Mirepoix is a small market town that contains a great deal of history.

The town as we now see it dates from the 13th century and later. Although an earlier town existed just across the river it was destroyed by a flood in 1209.

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Bergerac wines

The south-west of France is well known for its wines – perhaps above all for the red wines produced in the Bordeaux / Medoc / Saint-Emilion regions. A little to the east of these world-famous wine regions  in the Dordogne department around Bergerac there are also some well known wines produced which deserve your attention.

In total there are 13 wines listed as ‘appellations’ in Bergerac, from seven different regions. A brief guide to these is shown below:

Pécharmant wine

Red wines with a very distinctive flavour and strong aroma originating from the soil in which they are grown that incorporates clay, sand and gravel. The Pecharmant wines use a mix of grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot Noir.

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Weekend in the south of France

With the advent of cheap flights from the UK to France, it is increasingly easy and popular to spend a weekend in the south of France.

You can set off on Friday evening, have the whole weekend somewhere glamorous, then return on Sunday evening – relaxed and ready to ask in the office on Monday ‘What did you do this weekend?’

Flights to France outside high season vary a lot according to your departure point but typical destinations for a long weekend in the south of France, both because they are accessible and because they are interesting when you get there, are Biarritz, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Marseille and Nice. All these cities are highly recommended, and have plenty to amuse you without a car being necessary.

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Weather in the south of France

The information here refers to the weather in south-east France, on the French Riviera. The weather in the other regions of southern France (Midi-Pyrenees, the Dordogne or along the Atlantic Coast) is significantly different – see notes below for regional variations.

Weather in January

• Typical minimum daily temperature 5° centigrade, maximum 13°
• Seven days with rain in January
• 160 hours of sunshine

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Five reasons to visit Correze

The Correze department of France is one of the country’s undiscovered (well, almost) highlights and if you are planning to visit the south of France but can’t face Provence or the Dordogne again this could be just place that you are looking for.

Here are five reasons why you should consider Correze for your next visit to France:

Peace and quiet

Located in the southern Limousin, and neighbour to the Lot and Dordogne departments to the south, it has much of the appeal of those two departments, but with less other visitors to share it with!

Uzerche and the Upper Vézère Valley

An unexpected town to come across, Uzerche has an extensive old town, with a fortified section containing several fascinating buildings looking down across terrecs to the Vézère river below. Behind the fortifications is an old town with numerous medieval houses, ancient manors and other sites to explore.

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Following Charlemagne’s army in Agen

We’ve looked before at some of the bastide towns (medieval ‘new towns’) in the north of the Lot-et-Garonne department of southern France.  This time we head to the south of the same department, and across the border into the Tarn et Garonne department.

The ‘Pays Agenais’ as it is known is the region around the town of Agen and features numerous villages and small towns, many of them bastide towns, of historical interest.

The central open squares are intact, often with arcaded buildings around the edges that provided shelter to market traders 500 years ago.

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