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This is just a quick snapshot. The regions' representatives will take you through anything which interests you in detail. Remember to register.
Museums
- Auvergne: The Hôtel-Dieu in Le Puy-en-Velay, a recently restored UNESCO world heritage site, now houses an interactive museum with temporary exhibitions, a café-restaurant and conference centre.
- Languedoc Roussillon: The ‘Dinosaur museum’ in Esperaza is the first French museum completely dedicated to dinosaurs.
- Nord Pas de Calais: The Tri Postal is a 6,000 m² building which has now become a benchmark venue for contemporary creativity which will soon welcome a Nick Cave exhibition.
- Poitou - Charentes: Angouleme’s ‘International Comic Strip Museum’ has 1,300sqm of space organized around the history of the comic strip, design workshop and temporary exhibitions.
- Rhône - Alpes: The Institut Lumiere in Lyon gives a fascinating insight into the history, science and aesthetics of film and the story of the Lumière brothers, inventors of the cinematograph and fathers of cinema.
- Clos Luce: The countryside display at the Château du Clos Lucé is a top cultural attraction – a real journey of discovery, on the trail of Leonardo da Vinci’s visionary genius.
- Club French Heritage & Culture: The Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte, near Paris, organise special shows with horse carriages.
- Var: in Hyères, the ‘Villa Noailles’, built between 1924 and 1932, is today a main art centre dedicated to fashion, desigh and photography.2 international annual events: the international Fashion & photography Festival and the ‘design parade’.
Historic events and people
- Burgundy: A team of 50 people have taken on the extraordinary feat of building the Guédelon castle using the same techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages.
- Dordogne Valley: Discover the chateaux, beautiful medieval towns and some of the most beautiful villages of France based in the Dordogne region.
- Midi - Pyrenées: A boat excursion that travels 112 yards underground and 550 yards along a river to admire the ‘Padirac chasm’, the world's leading underground site.
This is just a quick snapshot. The regions' representatives will take you through anything which interests you in detail. Remember to register.
Museums
- Languedoc Roussillon: The Museum of the Desert, in the centre of a typical Cevennes hamlet, illustrates the history of the Huguenots and Camisards in the Cévennes.
- Midi-Pyrénées: The Simonow exhibition, at Flaran Abbey in Gers, features masterpieces from the 16th through to the 20th century (Monet, Matisse, Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso).
- Nord pas de Calais: The new Louvre Museum extension in Lens gets ready to open its doors and promises 900 works for its inauguration in 2012.
- Rhône-Alpes: The Musée de Grenoble houses a beautiful collection of objects from ancient Egyptian through to contemporary art.
Heritage
- Auvergne: Among its many treasures, Romanesque art is particularly well represented here, with more than 250 buildings making the Auvergne's Romanesque heritage.
- Clos Luce: Leonardo’s garden brings to life the Master’s botanical drawings, geological studies and landscapes. Spread out over a hectare, “Leonardo’s Garden”, a real outdoor museum, has been landscaped in the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci.
- Dordogne valley: A list of some the Dordogne villages officially designated as the ‘most beautiful villages’ in France: Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne, Curemonte, Autoire , Loubressac, Carennac.
- Limousin: Romanesque churches, abbeys, historical routes, some of “France’s prettiest villages” are only some example of what the rich heritage the region has to offer.
- Normandy: Nestled in le Bec-Helloin, one of France’s most beautiful villages, the Benedictine Abbey du Bec was founded in the 11th century.
Historic events and people
- Poitou-Charentes: Visit the house Napoleon was staying in when he surrendered to the English in Ile d’Aix or simply get back to nature while cycling around in this car-free island.
- Savoie Mont Blanc: The Château of Yvoire sits on the shore of lake Geneva and features a beautiful garden with an incredible variety of flowers and plants forming a maze.
Festivals/ Music/ exhibitions
- Riviera: The next edition of the Vallauris Biennial will be on the theme of ‘International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics – Contemporary Creation and Ceramic’.
This is just a quick snapshot. The regions' representatives will take you through anything which interests you in detail. Remember to register.
Museums
- Dordogne: On the outskirts of the pretty little market town of Saint Céré in the village of Le Tours de Saint Laurent is a tapestry museum the Atelier Musée Jean Lurçat.
- Languedoc Roussillon: In Sérignan, near Béziers, the Contemporary Art Museum of Languedoc-Roussillon offers an insight into creation from the sixties to present day.
- Midi-Pyrenées: Part museum, part theme park, Micropolis in Aveyron, invites families to enter the world of insects through its 15 themed, interactive spaces.
- Nord pas de Calais: The palais de l’Univers will take you on a trip that will take you from the first moments of the Big Bang up to the present day. Also, Visit Agincourt and learn more on how a small number of British bowmen defeated the entire French army during the most terrible battle of the Hundred Years War.
- Ile de Ré: The Guide "Les Clés du Patrimoine" details 12 visits aimed at enabling visitor to discover the wealth of heritage on the Ile de Ré.
- Riviera: 50,000 items on show amongst them Marie Antoinette's famous "nécessaire" at the newly restored International Perfume Museum of Grasse.
Castles
- Auvergne: The Auvergne’s châteaux range from medieval military fortresses to elegant Renaissance residences, where fun and entertainment is aimed at children.
- Brittany: Children will be open-mouthed at the wonder of the Château de Fougères. 13 of its huge towers still stand, as do great lengths of its defensive walls.
- Burgundy: First built during the 12th Century, the Château de Sully is one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Burgundy and France.
- Clos Luce: New exhibition: ‘Léonardo da Vinci and France’, exploring ten years of the fascinating relationship between three kings of France and the Tuscan Master.
- Savoie Mont Blanc: Overhanging lake Annecy, the Castle of Menthon is said to have inspired Walt Disney for its fairy tale "The Sleeping Beauty"
Heritage
- Club French Heritage & Culture: an exhibition about ‘clothes and society in the Middle ages’ in the Popes’ Palace, the Cathedral Notre Dame and the Petit Palais Museum in Avignon.
- Vendée: With its dramatic displays - live films, original scenery, rhythmical settings and special effects - the Puy du Fou offers visitors an extraordinary epic in time, from the period of Gallic-Roman up to today.
- Limousin: Romanesque churches, abbeys, historical routes, some of “France’s prettiest villages” are only some example of what the rich heritage the region has to offer.
- Normandy: Ongoing restoration of the Mont St Michel and opening of a new car park plus launch of a shuttle bus service to improve access to this amazing site.
- Poitou-Charentes: The three towers of La Rochelle are among the most important remains of medieval maritime fortifications, with outstanding views over the town and old port, with Fort Boyard and the islands of Aix, Oléron and Ré on the horizon.
- Rhône-Alpes: The Gallo-Roman archaeological site of St Romain en Gal is considered to be the largest collection of artefacts from the gallo-roman period in France.
This is just a quick snapshot. The regions' representatives will take you through anything which interests you in detail. Remember to register.
Museums
- Corsica: The Fesch Museum in Ajaccio is a place not to be missed.
- Languedoc Roussillon: The “Modern Art Museum’ of Ceret has works by some major artists such as Chagall, Dali and Picasso. Contemporary art by Ben and Arman….
- Midi-Pyrenées: In Figeac, the birth house of Jean-François Champollion, who deciphered hieroglyphs, houses a museum dedicated to the Writings of the World.
- Nord Pas de Calais: The new Louvre Museum extension in Lens gets ready to open its doors and promises 900 works for its inauguration in 2012.
- Normandy: Alençon is the only place that still produces needlework lace. 1cm² of lace takes around 7hours to complete! The ‘Lace Museum’ provides a wonderful insight into this unique art.
- Riviera: The ‘Bonnard Museum’ in Le Cannet is now the first institution entirely dedicated to the artist with a garden and 350m2 exhibition space.
Castles
- Clos Luce: a new exhibition: "Léonard de Vinci and France" will explore ten years of the fascinating relationship between three kings of France and the Tuscan Master.
- Burgundy: The newly renovated ‘Château d'Ancy-le-Franc’ has the largest number of mural paintings dating back to the Renaissance. Guided tours, concerts, cooking classes and wine tasting are available.
- Savoie Mont Blanc: The Castle of Ripaille is a private castle in a beautiful vineyard set on the shore of lake Geneva. Guided tours and tastings are available all year long.
Historic events and people
- Auvergne: Seven sites in Auvergne have been awarded the ‘Sites of Artistic and Historic Heritage’ label in recognition of their efforts to highlight and preserve their remarkable heritage.
- Brittany: The 1100 Carnac’s standing stones are world famous. Predating both our own Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, they need to be seen to be believed.
- Dordogne valley: Array of Dordogne villages officially designated ‘most beautiful villages’ in France: Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne, Curemonte, Autoire , Loubressac, Carennac.
- Limousin: Romanesque churches, abbeys, historical routes, some of “France’s prettiest villages” are only some example of what the rich heritage the region has to offer.
- Poitou Charentes: A splendid 18th century ship, L’Hermione, is being meticulously recreated in Rochefort and visitors can see the impressive work in progress.
- Ile de Ré: The well-preserved fortress of Saint Martin is part of Vauban’s major site. One of the largest defensive buildings of this time built in 1681.
- Rhône-Alpes: 20 "villages de caractère" invite visitors to share their traditions and their way of life.
- Var : Defintely worth a visit, the Thoronnet Abbey dating from the 12th century, the basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume , and the Marie Madeleine’s grotto
This is just a quick snapshot. The regions' representatives will take you through anything which interests you in detail. Remember to register.
Museums
- Riviera: The Oceanographic Museum in Monaco is a bastion of biodiversity and temple to the sea over five floors of astounding displays.
- Languedoc Roussillon: The Musée Fabre in Montpellier shows off its impressive collection of paintings - from the 17th through to 20th century including Old masters and Modern movements.
- Midi-Pyrenées: The Natural history Museum of Toulouse is the second in France. Its collections contain approximately two and a half million pieces spread over
3000 m2 of exhibition rooms. - Nord pas de Calais: The new Louvre Museum extension in Lens gets ready to open its doors and promises 900 works for its inauguration in 2012.
- Rhône-Alpes: The 'Cité du Design' in Saint Etienne is a centre for design, business and economics, a unique concept in France, held in three restored 19th century factory buildings alongside two modern constructions.
Heritage
- Auvergne: Le Puy-en-Velay is one of the four starting points for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. UNESCO has put some stretches of the marked trail, as well as the cathedral and Hôtel Dieu in Le Puy-en-Velay, on the World Heritage List.
- Brittany: The fishing port of Pont-Aven is as pretty as a picture which is no doubt why it provided the inspiration for many of painter Gauguin's works.
- Burgundy: The Fontenay Abbey is one of the oldest Cistercian monasteries in Europe. A UNESCO site, the magnificent Romanesque style has been perfectly preserved.
- Dordogne Valley: An array of Dordogne villages officially designated as the 'most beautiful villages' in France: Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne, Curemonte, Autoire , Loubressac, Carennac.
- Clos Luce: The Château du Clos Lucé presents 3D animations in the model exhibition halls. They enable visitors to understand how Leonardo’s inventions worked, and to see them in action.
- Club French Heritage & Culture: Thanks to ‘Le Centre des monuments nationaux’, over 100 chateaux, abbeys, grottos & other French historical monuments welcome 200 concerts, shows and exhibitions every year