TOURING FRANCE ON WHEELS

My love affair with France stared when I was in my mid teens and I did a French exchange like many in the UK. I went to Paris for the first time and I was completely blown away. I remember sitting in an apartment on the Rue de Passy at an open window and delighting in drawing a stunning, typical Parisian, intricately designed and sinuous window balcony rail. I couldn't believe how beautiful the city was. I have been a helpless francophile ever since.

Last year I went to Lyon for the first time as an adult {as covered in the last series of blog posts}. This year however I decided to tour part of France by car, most stops being places I had never visited before. I went on a route that resembled a “c” shape starting in Pontoise and ending in Lyon. It was an unforgettable, once in a lifetime experience. The tour consisted of 15 stops in total. Over the following series of blog posts, I will share highlights from the experience.

STOPS

1 Pontoise, Île-de-France

2 Auvers-sur-Oise, Île-de-France

3 Giverny, Normandie

4 Versailles, Île-de-France

5 Chatres, Centre-Val de Loire

6 Tours, Centre-Val de Loire

7 Angers, Pays de la Loire

8 Nantes, Pays de la Loire

9 Tocane-Saint-Apre, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

10 Brantôme, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

11 Sarlat-la-Canéda, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

12 La Roque-Gageac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

13 Beynac-et-Cazenac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

14 Lac d'Aydat, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

15 Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Tour route

 Map of French regions