France
Our guides in France.
France · region
French Riviera (Cote d'Azur)
Spend two or three nights in Nice for the Old Town, the museums and the Promenade des Anglais, a night or two around Antibes or Cannes for the coast and the Croisette, and at least a day inland for Eze and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Add Monaco or the Gorges du Verdon as day trips.
France · city
Paris
Split your stay between the Right Bank (Le Marais for food and history, Montmartre for hills and light) and the Left Bank (Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter for bookshops, cafes and the Sorbonne). Book the Louvre, Versailles and the Notre-Dame towers ahead.
France · region
Provence
Fly to Marseille, on El Al direct from Tel Aviv, or take the train from Paris to Avignon in about three hours. Pick up a car. Stay in the Luberon for three or four nights and plan the days around the markets: Gordes on Tuesday mornings, Roussillon and Ménerbes on Thursday, Lourmarin and Bonnieux on Friday, Apt on Saturday, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the Coustellet farmers’ market on Sunday. See Sénanque in a morning, walk the ochre trail at Roussillon, and give an afternoon to the Popes’ Jews: the synagogue of Carpentras, which the Vaucluse tourism board calls the oldest still in use in France, and the tiny synagogue museum of Cavaillon. Then move to Saint-Rémy or Arles for Les Baux, Glanum, the arena and Van Gogh. In late June and early July drive out to the Valensole plateau for the lavender and a sunset behind Mont Ventoux. Check the forest-fire map every evening in summer before you plan a walk.