FrenchDuck’s databank
Rhone-Alpes

In the east of France and to the east of Burgundy adjacent to Switzerland, the Ain is probably a little overlooked by most visitors.

With Bourg-en-Bresse as its principal town it is a region of gentle hills and river valleys - which is one of the hidden parts of France.

The departement includes Bugey and the wines of Bugey. These are VDQS wines (Vins Délimité de Qualité Superieure) - a classification between full Appellation Controllee and VIns de Pays. As such there are restrictions on grape varieties used and planting and harvesting techniques - and the grapes must be grown in the designated region. White wines from Chardonnay, Roussette; Rosé wines from Gamay and Poulsard; Reds from Gamay, Pinot and Mondeuse; and sparkling wines from Chardonnay. Seldom seen in the UK.
For an opportunity to taste some of these wines there is an open tasting in Lyon from 25-26 January 2008 - click here for more details
For more on the wines of Bugey see www.vinsdubugey.net
One of the highlights of the year is the celebration of the famous yellow corn-fed chickens from Bourg-en-Bresse - the Glorieuses de Bresse held every December shortly before Christmas (for 2008 it runs from 16-21 December 2008 - in the form of a market and other festivities held in Bourg-en-Bresse, Louhans, Pont de Vaux and Montrevel-en-Bresse - see www.glorieusesdebresse.com

More info - see the Ain Tourism Office

For an English run B&B in the region with a knowledgeable host and guide see B&B Burgundy

Whilst it may lack the international length and high glamour of its glory years the Monte Carlo Rally still makes an exciting spectacle through the Ardeche, Drome and Alpes-Maritime departements - through the mountains of Haut-Provence and down to the Mediterranean.
For details of the route and timings see www.acm.mc

The slower, but possibly better viewing for the spectator is the Rallye Historique, which does involve numerous start points such as Barcelona, Copenhagen, Turin and Reims before coming together for the final section down to Monte Carlo - this runs from 1- 6 February 2008. To qualify as “historic” the cars have to have been built before 1980!
For details of the route and timings see www.acm.mc

Buy at AllPosters.com

The wine fairs of the Vignerons Independents (independent winemakers) for the first half of 2008 include Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes), Eurexpo from 1-3 March 2008
For a small entry fee you get the chance to meet winemakers from all the wine regions of France, to taste some of their wines and buy at vineyard gate prices.
No co-operatives, negociants or multi-nationals

Grenoble (38 Isere, Rhone-Alpes) offers a magical Christmas experience 2- 24 December 2007 - held in the centre of the city in Place Victor Hugo and Place Grenette, there will be foie gras, chocolate, spiced bread, Christmas Tea, oysters, Christmas decorations, candles, flowers, Christmas trees, wooden toys, music box - and many little gifts for all the family!

For more info see www.grenoble-isere.info

It all started in Paris with the Velib’ Scheme - an amalgam of Velo (cycle) and Liberte (free), which has been a tremendous success.

The latest we’ve come across is the Velomagg in Montepellier (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon).

Vélib’ is a Self Service “bike hire” system available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Multi pick up and drop off location allows you to pick up your bike from one service point and drop off to another.

. You need to subscribe, but for visitors there are 1-day and 7-day subscriptions and after the first 30 minutes you pay by the half-hour - e.g. a 90-minute hire will cost just €3 and you can pick up and drop off your bike at any of the hundreds of self-service stations across the city.

The Velib’ scheme has been based on a similar scheme VeloV in Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes) France’s second city. The combination of these eco-friendly and fitness focussed schemes is now spreading throughout France:-
VeloCite in Mulhouse (68 Haut-Rhin, Alsace) and Besancon (25 Doubs, Franche-Comté)
Vhello in Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Le Velo in Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence)
Velo in Toulouse (34 Haut Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)
Nantes (44 Loire-Atlantique, Val de Loire)
Rouen (76 Seine Maritime, Normandy)
Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine)
Velostan in Nancy (54 Meurthe et Moselle, Lorraine)
Velo+ in Orleans (45 Loiret, Centre)

This is clearly a popular scheme, mainly aimed at local residents but may also offer a different way of seeing some of France’s major cities from a different perspective. However, I would recommend choosing a city with good cycle lanes and paths - you do get the impression that traffic in many of France’s cities is not very forgiving with errant cyclists - so do not try cycling around the rond-point of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris!!

Most French autoroutes between major towns and cities are toll motorways, which whilst often offering fast and uncrowded dual-carriageways, can nevertheless add significantly to the cost of a trip through France - e.g over €90 (over £60) on a one-way trip from Calais to Nice (1226km of motorway driving about 760 miles).

However there are significant sections of autoroute which are toll free - most often these are around major towns and Cities (Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon etc).

In the North, the A16 is toll-free from Boulogne (J29) to the Belgian border (J36) via Calais and Dunkerque. The A25 from Dunkerque (J20) to Lille is free, so you can reach Lille from the main Channel ports without paying a toll!. Also all routes from Lille to the Belgian border.
The following autoroutes are toll free (as at September 2007)
A16 (part of the Autoroute des Estuaires (estuaries)) from Boulogne-sur-Mer (J29) to the Belgian border(J36)
A20 (L’Occitane) from Vierzon (J6 junction with A71) to Brive-la-Gaillarde (J53) via Chateauroux, Argenton and Limoges
A25 from Dunkerque (J20 with A16) to Lille
A28 from Abbeville (J1) to Rouen (J14)
A30/A31 (Autoroute de la Vallée de la Fensch) from Thionville (J1) to Toul (J12) via Metz and Nancy
A38 from Dijon (J33) to Pouilly-sur-Auxois (J24 and the junction with the A6)
A63 (Autoroute de la Cote Basque) from Bordeaux to Bellin-Bellet (J20)
A64 (la Pyreneenne) from St Martory (J20) to Muret (J25)
A68 (la Tarnaise) from Monastruc (J3 NE of Toulouse) to Albi (J11) via Gaillac
A75 (la Meridienne) from Clermont-Ferrand (J15) to Pezenas (J59) (except for the Millau Bridge) via Issoire
A77 (Autoroute de l’Arbre (trees)) from Pouilly (J26) to Nevers (J37)
A84 from Caen (J46) to Rennes (J25) via Avranches

With the 2007 Rugby World Cup kicking off in early September, it is worth knowing when and where the matches are to be held - if only so that you can avoid the additional heavy traffic for several hours around the match time. Particularly susceptible to congestion will be the Paris Peripherique and the A1 autoroute entry to the city - the Parc des Princes and Stade de France are both close to the autoroute and peripherique, and if match time is anywhere near the evening rush hour the traffic will be even more chaotic.
For more details on the Rugby World Cup CLICK HERE
For map click (more…)

Fougerolles (70 Saone, Rhone-Alpes) on the edge of the Vosges mountains southwest of Alsace holds its annual Foire aux Beignets de Cerises and Kirsch (Cherry eau-de-vie) tastings.
For more info see www.frenchduck.com

At last a budget airline has introduced transparent pricing on its website. Flybe now shows the actual cost to fly on their routes to France and elsewhere. Until now airlines would headline their offers along the lines of “Flights from 99p” but by the time booking fees, admin charges, airport charges and government taxes were added, the 99p could become £50 or more.
The only additional charge is for a credit card (£1.99) and debit card (£0.99) per person per flight.
So I was quickly able to discover that I can fly from Birmingham to Bergerac (24 Dordogne, Aquitaine) for just £65.64 inclusive at the end of September, which sounds pretty good to me!

Flybe flies to Angers, Avignon, Bergerac, Bordeaux, Brest, Chambery, Geneva, la Rochelle, Limoges, Nice, Paris, Perpignan, Rennes and Toulouse.

For more info see www.frenchduck.co.uk/travel/flights.html

Scotland v Italy in St Etienne

Samoa v USA in St Etienne

New Zealand v Portugal in Lyon

Argentina v Georgia in Lyon

Scotland v Portugal in St Etienne

Australia v Japan in Lyon

St Peray (07 Ardeche, Rhone-Alpes) holds its annual Fête des vins et du jumelage (Festival of Wine and Twinning (with towns in Germany and Italy) - which includes a Rhone wines market (Marché aux vins des côtes-du-Rhône) - see www.st-peray.com.

Saint-Péray is in the northern Rhône wine region just west of Valence.
The Rhône is predominantly associated with spicy red wines, but Saint-Péray is unusual in producing sparkling white wines - although a little still dry white is also made.

Aix-les-Bains (73 Savoie, Rhône-Alpes) hosts Festival Navig’Aix the first European meeting of Old fashion boats!
150 boats (old boats, sailing boats, cruisers), 30 ancient cars, one active engine, 1 expo village, the Bourget Lake… All the water, steam, sail or bodywork launches will be there during 4 days of celebration and show.
Info on www.aixlesbains.com

“Montelimar Couleur Lavande” Festival at Montelimar (26 Drome, Rhone-Alpes) - more famous for its nougat - see www.frenchduck.com

Val d’Isère (73 Savoie, Rhône-Alpes) to Briancon (05 Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) - after a well-deserved rest day on Monday, the agony continues through the Alps with another Category 1 climb and two Hors Categorie - so steep and challenging that they are outside the normal classification.

For more info on the Tour de France 2007 see www.letour.fr or UK Eurosport where there are some good interactive maps of the route.

A truly punishing day in the Alpes with no less than 3 of the steepest Category 1 climbs running from Le Grand Bornand (74 Haut-Savoie, Rhône-Alpes) to Tignes (73 Savoie, Rhône-Alpes)

For more info on the Tour de France 2007 see www.letour.fr or UK Eurosport where there are some good interactive maps of the route.