La Grande Epicerie

The food section of Le Bon Marché department store is a veritable paradise for foodies. It carries a vast selection of all types of exquisitely laid out products imaginable. The best French and international brands are featured here, and the establishment this year launched its own brand. The basement has a beautiful wine cellar divided according to the different French DOs, and a restaurant – Le Balthasar. Some areas, like the cheese and fish sections, have a bar counter and tasting tables. Also on sale are themed gift hampers (retro, aperitif, picnic, Breton, girly, etc.) which you can customise to your taste.

Ladurée

Probably the most famous brand of macarons worldwide and, no wonder – they are super! They come in chic boxes running from €17.10 for six pieces to €127.65 for 55 pieces. The range of flavours includes delicate macarons, such as fleur d’oranger or rose petal; sweet, like the chocolate or salted caramel, and original ones like the smooth fruit and spices or the Marie-Antoinette tea. They have various tea rooms at different spots in Paris with truly delightful retro-romanticist interior design. If you don’t have the time to drop in on on one of their establishments, you can get hold of a box of macarons just before you board your flight, as they have very handy booths at the Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports. You can even buy them online.

Fauchon

This exclusive gourmet store has various branches around the city, although perhaps the most emblematic one is in the Place de la Madeleine. It comprises a pastry shop, a bakery and a food department with the best cheeses, foie gras, caviar, cold meats and seafood, among other delicacies, in addition to cava, wine and champagne. You can also eat right there in the interior, or out on the terrace.

La Maison Plisson

In the République neighbourhood, this food store and restaurant with a terrace is ideal for the bobos (bourgeois, bohemian) of Paris. The decoration is as impeccable as the selection of French and European wares, with the accent on organic, craft produce.The owners have roamed the various regions of France in search of the best producers and conducted blind tastings to ensure they’re getting the finest wines. The premises house a butchery, pork butchery, fruiterer's, bakery and cheese section and, in the basement, wines and packaged foods.

Mariage Frères

These tea specialists carry over 500 tea varieties from the world over, some with suggestive names like Neige de Jade, White Himalaya or Dragon. Whether classic or rare, they are all excellent quality. Their passion for this beverage encompasses their whole universe, with offerings such as tea sets, and tea-scented incense or candles. Their establishment in Le Marais quarter is priceless – colonial in style and with refined service – although they have other shops across Paris.

E. Dehillerin

The city’s oldest kitchenware store is a veritable culinary museum, with all kinds of pots, casseroles, frying pans, cocottes, pastry moulds and other cooking utensils. Particularly striking are the retro-style copper pots, although here you can find the most unexpected oddities, such as a duck press.

À la Mère de Famille

The oldest chocolate and sweet shop in Paris, founded in 1761 in the emblematic Montmartre, is a must-visit mecca for the sweet-toothed. Sweets, biscuits, macarons, candied fruit and a wide variety of enticing confectionery which you are advised to succumb to. They published a beautiful book which has a Spanish version by Lunwerg.

Text and photos by Isabel Loscertales of Gastronomistas.com

Situated just 25 kilometres north of Marseille lies this, the former capital of Provence. Its original settlers were drawn to the site on account of its numerous natural springs, while nowadays it is a magnet for university students and tourists. This must-visit stopover on any Provence itinerary is a city best defined by the word “elegance”. Some have even ventured to compare it with Paris, albeit on a much smaller scale. Here, then, are some of the keys to discovering Aix-en-Provence.

Cours Mirabeau, the Old Quarter and the Quartier Mazarin

Sandwiched between the Old Quarter to the north, and the Quartier Mazarin to the south, Cours Mirabeau is Aix’s major landmark. This pleasant thoroughfare with its moss-lined fountains, canopy of plane-trees and magnificent Renaissance mansions invites visitors to stroll along and stop at any of the many cafés and terraces on the avenue, veritable vantage points for soaking up the amazing atmosphere. One of the most popular such cafés is Deux Garçons, once frequented by Paul Cézanne, Émile Zola and Albert Camus.

Wandering through Aix’s Old Quarter is another of the pleasures held out by this city. Here, you can stroll around the pedestrian precinct, enjoy the shopping areas and uncover half-concealed enclaves which are ideal for whiling away the time – the Place d’Albertas is a case in point.

Unlike the Old Quarter, the Quartier Mazarin is more neatly laid out. Here, you will come across its striking hôtels particuliers – the name given to large mansions that once belonged to the nobility and the haute bourgeoisie. This area was designed in the 17th century on the initiative of Archbishop Michel Mazarin. Among its leading landmarks is the Granet Museum, housed in a former Knights of Malta priory, featuring an exhibition of the paintings of François Granet, in addition to Italian, French and Flemish works, and an excellent collection of modern art.

On the Cézanne Trail

The other great icon of the city is the Post-Impressionist, Paul Cézanne, who was born and died here and who captured the landscapes of Provence in many of his works. We recommend you head for the Atelier Cézanne, on the north side of the old quarter, where you can see how the artist approached his work. You won’t however, see a single Cézanne original. If you’re feeling sprightly enough, you can walk up to the Terrain des Peintres (Painters’ Park), a small, quiet park which attracts a large number of artists and the spot where Cézanne painted his multiple versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire.

The Vasarely Foundation – Op-Art in its Pristine State

Located on the outskirts of Aix, the Vasarely Foundation is well worth the effort visiting for its highly original architecture, based on conjoined hexagonal cells, and the exhibition it houses of the pop-art oeuvre of Victor Vasarely. All the exhibits here are large-format. They draw the viewer into the unusual world of this genuine artist, featuring optical effects guaranteed to impress.

Book your Vueling to Marseille and discover Provence – one of France’s most beautiful regions – by visiting some of its most evocative towns, as Aix-en-Provence most certainly is.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by vasse nicolas,antoine, Milena, Sjaak Kempe, Connie Ma, Andrea Schaffer

Set in the middle of a triangle comprising the cities of Toulouse, Montpellier and Barcelona is this spectacular walled city, a captivating sight for all who visit it. Fittingly, it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997. It is one of the leading tourist magnets in the Languedoc region and the whole of France, attracting around 4 million visitors each year. Here are the reasons why Carcassonne has become a must-visit destination.

Important Strategic Enclave

The city’s strategic location, set as it is on a hillside overlooking the Aude river valley, made it the perfect vantage point for surveilling such important routes as the one linking the Iberian Peninsula to the rest of Europe, and the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Thus, Carcassonne became a key city for centuries. In Roman times it was already an important trading post and was coveted by Gauls, Romans – who built the first walled fortifications – Visigoths and Moors, until it ended up becoming a French royal army garrison.

A Walk Through the Cité

Vestiges of that illustrious past as a strategic bulwark can be seen in the upper city of Carcassonne, now known as the Cité, site of the old walled fortifications. Sightseers touring the interior of this huge walled precinct are immediately transported to a bygone era. The Cité is fortified by two concentric walls – the innermost ring was erected in the times of the Gauls, Romans and Visigoths, while the outer, far sturdier ring with four towers was added from the 13th century onwards. Once inside, visitors are encouraged to stroll through the city streets and soak up the medieval atmosphere that pervades the complex. The major landmarks here are the Château Comtal (Castle of the Counts), in the west of the fortified city and attached to the wall, and the Romanesque Basilica of Saint-Nazaire. Be sure to also visit the Pont Vieux (Old Bridge) which crosses the Canal du Midi and links the Cité to the lower part of Carcassonne.

Some Extras On the Way

The counterpoint to this journey into the past, which takes you through the streets of medieval Carcassonne, finds its ideal complement in a culinary break in one of the restaurants you will come across on your tour. Treat yourself to a good glass of wine, preferably Corbieres, the local Designation of Origin, accompanied by duck confit or cassoulet (a local bean stew). The best way to round off your visit to this city.

Viollet-le-Duc – The Other Great Protagonist of Carcassonne

Much of Carcassonne’s appeal revolves around the figure of French architect, archaeologist and writer, Viollet-le-Duc and the “restoration”, as unique as it was controversial, which he carried out on the Cité in the mid-19th century. The fact is that, following the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659,  the fortified precinct of Carcassonne was abandoned altogether and gradually deteriorated with the implacable passage of time. Indeed, it was so derelict that some voices called for its wholesale destruction. However, by popular request, it was earmarked for refurbishment, a task which was commissioned to one of the leading figures of the moment, Viollet-le-Duc.

Rather than what would now be considered a refurbishment, visitors currently find themselves before a full-blown reconstruction of the old city, including the odd flourish of a Romantic bent added by Viollet-le-Duc himself. He actually applied what was very much in vogue in restoration work at the time, although his endeavours have subsequently drawn considerable criticism from the experts. However, the result admittedly hangs together rather well and achieves the effect of immersing the visitor in a medieval past which the architect purposely set out to reinterpret.

Book your Vueling to Toulouse, which lies less than 100 kilometres from Carcassonne, and travel back in time behind the walls of that wonderful fortified precinct in Languedoc.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Tournasol7

Whether to celebrate Valentine's Day or an anniversary, or simply to give your partner an amazing gift, here are some ideas for a romantic getaway.