T’s monthly travel series, Flocking To, highlights places you might already have on your wish list, sharing tips from frequent visitors and locals alike. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, and to receive our weekly T List newsletter. Have a question? You can always reach us at tlist@nytimes.com. A…
The Canal du Midi, entirely hand-dug and hailed as an engineering marvel on completion in 1681, offers a refreshing alternate take on French travel: a bikeable path through the towns and landscapes of the country’s south. Traversing Occitanie, the canal gives cyclists of all skill levels access to parts of France that are rich in…
Construction chaos, price hikes and now mandatory QR codes to walk some city streets: As the Olympics loom in Paris, many locals are already looking to escape the Games, and come July, will head to quieter parts of France. It’s likely that some of the 15 million visitors expected to roll into town might also…
In popular imagination, France’s Fontainebleau is inextricably linked to its grand Château. But when I visit, I typically skip it entirely. Yes, the 1,500-room Château de Fontainebleau that was inhabited by French kings and emperors for eight centuries may seem the most arresting attraction in this region 37 miles south of Paris. Instead, it’s the…
For sports fans, Paris will be the center of the universe this summer — and with 15 million Olympic and Paralympic visitors expected, it will feel like it, with crowds and high prices. But Paris isn’t the only Olympic site in France: Nine destinations outside the metro region are also hosting events, giving travelers a…
For months, the shelves of Carrefour, France’s biggest supermarket chain, have been dotted with bright orange signs placed in front of Pepsi bottles, Lays potato chips and a variety of other foods whose packages are suspiciously smaller than they used to be. “Shrinkflation,” the signs say. “This product has seen its volume decrease and the…
The subtitle of the stunning new cookbook “French Boulangerie,” from Ferrandi Paris, the French equivalent of the Culinary Institute of America, should be “Fermentation.” All but a couple of the recipes in the book involve the process. At the outset, after covering ingredients and explaining gluten, there are lengthy how-to’s describing several fermentation techniques: levain,…
