Why autumn is my favourite season in France
The trips to do and the tips you need for making the most of late summer and autumn in France
When I went out into our garden yesterday morning, the air felt distinctly autumnal; there was a slight nip of cold and dew on the grass, while the raspberries I was picking for my breakfast were hanging in abundance. As sad as it is to see summer come to an end (especially when the earlier months brought such rotten weather), the thought of spending some time in France this season fills me with glee. There’s something about the way the low sunlight casts long shadows in the towns and villages, especially those with yellow-hued (Provence) architecture, or golden stone (Dordogne) houses, that makes it a magic time of year to be there. The plane trees that line so many avenues in France turn such a beautiful shade of gold, and the produce in the markets is so abundant and enticing.
Among the markets’ produce are figs; they grow throughout France, but the town of Solliès-Pont is famous for them. Although they get transported throughout the country, and indeed Europe, it is worth visiting the Vallée du Gaupeau itself as you will get to try different varieties that don’t travel as well as the most-grown variety, La Violette. In late August 2022, I visited one of the local growers Karin Piasco and, as we stood in her orchard where the lines of expansive fig trees framed the view of Mont Coudon, she offered me a small pastilière fig to try. I popped the whole thing in my mouth and the flavour went off like a bomb. I have hankered to return there ever since, no other fig I have tried since has been as good.
Elsewhere, the autumn season is great for city breaks. Although the intensity of the summer heat has subsided, you can still wander the streets of enchanting places such as Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon in the warmth that lingers long into September. Our recent stay in Dijon reminded me too that it is an ideal destination for autumn. We stayed at the fantastic Mama Shelter, which opened in 2023, and is a great base for exploring the city. We had a superb meal at Epicerie & Co, where one of my favourite Burgundian products - blackcurrant ketchup - is served with jambon persillé. It was a perfect pairing of two local specialities.
My plans for a trip this autumn are yet to fall into place, but I hold fond memories for visits that have led to past stories. These have taken me to the The Lot’s walnut route in an open top Morgan car, the chestnut festival in Collobrières, or Lyon and the Drôme’s section of La Vallée de la Gastronomie. Other features I’ve written in the past have helped readers plan their trips, such as an autumnal road trip through the Dordogne Valley; or 20 great autumn breaks or autumn breaks by train.
One of the most striking regions to visit at this time of year is Normandy, where the countryside is ablaze with reds and yellows as the leaves change colour. One way to see it is to follow the Route du Cidre, which promises a road trip between the cider and calvados farms and cheese producers. Paid subscribers can scroll to down for a suggested itinerary to follow this autumn.
For further ideas on what to do in the coming months, you can visit my website and click through from the map for different stories in each region.
Welcome to new readers
The last few days I’ve had a flurry of new subscribers sign up to the France Traveller Newsletter, which has been brilliant to see. I am rather puzzled, though, as to how the sudden influx has happened as all I can see is that you’ve come from the ‘Substack App’. So thank you to whatever algorithm or recommendation has sent you my way, and welcome!
As you may have read in my bio, I have been writing about France for nearly 20 years; first as editor of France Magazine and since 2016 as a freelance writer for national newspapers and magazines. My book Amuse Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France came out this summer and is a labour of love that brings in almost all the expertise and experiences I’ve had in that time (I say ‘almost’ as there wasn’t room for it all!).
Book news
I’m delighted to share that Amuse Bouche was released in Australia this week! It can be ordered via Amazon.com.au and the bookshops listed on the publisher’s website Allen and Unwin. As I have spent the last 24 years hoping to return to Australia (I was there for five months in 2000), it would be brilliant to see it take off there. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get invited there to speak at literary festivals and events. I can dream!
In the UK, meanwhile, I have a couple of events coming up where I’ll be speaking with fellow Profile Books author Ned Palmer about French food and specifically cheese. The first is in Bath at Toppings on 9th October and the second at Max Minerva bookshop in Bristol on 15th October.
If you have bought it already, thank you! If you are enjoying it, I would be so grateful if you reviewed it online, as reviews really help a book’s progress. And please do recommend to friends and on social media - I appreciate your support. It turns out selling a book is as hard (if not harder) than writing one.
More reading
If you’re looking for further ideas for trips this autumn or indeed to book ahead for 2025, then my recent articles should whet your appetite. In a recent issue of National Geographic Traveller, my ‘Eat’ feature covered a journey through the northern region of Hauts-de-France (I also discussed this area with Gilly Smith in her excellent podcast Cooking the Books). And at the completely opposite corner of France, last week’s Guardian featured my story on our family trip to the French Basque Country.
La Route du Cidre
Normandy is a great region to explore at this time of year. Here’s a route you can follow from Caen to Conches-en-Ouches, with places to visit and stay en route.
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