Page 215 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Great Places to Stay in Europe

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Pyrenees at Biarritz, make spectacular where the Lot, follow. For peace, quiet and
up the final section of Aveyron and Tarn leave the simple but delicious food,
France’s Atlantic coastline. Aubrac mountains through you could do far worse than
Mile upon mile of sandy rugged gorges. the Auberge de l’Aiguebrun
beaches are backed by To the east lies the Rhône near Bonnieux (page 249).
dunes and pine forests. The Valley and beyond are the Champagne buffs will
Romans left their imperial French Alps with some gravitate to the Château des
mark here – the great arch traditional chalet hotels. Crayères in Reims (page
of Germanicus and the Provence is nowadays 235), or to the Château de
amphitheatre at Saintes are almost too familiar to need Courcelles (page 228), where
both worth a detour. much description. The salt- the cellars house outstand-
Medieval pilgrims marshes of the Camargue ing champagnes. Those
travelling to the shrine of and the resorts of the Côte who navigate principally by
St James at Santiago de d’Azur have, as a back-drop, menu are unlikely to pass
Compostela left a legacy of a highly-coloured and up a chance to stay at Jean-
Romanesque churches such scented hinterland, where Marc Reynaud’s eponymous
as those at Poitiers and the Romans who built the restaurant at Tain l’Hermitage
Parthenay. The vineyards of theatre (still in use) at (page 246) or at Alain
Bordeaux have kept the city Vaison-la-Romaine may well Ducasse’s La Bastide de
prosperous for centuries. have found Bronze Age Moustiers (page 257). Those
A number of the château remains. Hotels have found who crave a beach will take
hotels in this region, (such their way into mas – the a close look at the well-
as the one at Pauillac, page Provençal farmhouses – and priced and child-friendly
258), run their own wine into villas originally built for Ti Al-Lannec at Trébeurden
appreciation courses. private pleasure. (page 237). Mountain air
To the east lie the green, and a stunning view of Mont
rolling hills, farms and HIGHLIGHTS Blanc are both on offer at
manors of the Dordogne the Auberge du Bois Prin’s
Valley and the caves and HEHOTELS ILLUSTRATED on classic chalet at Chamonix
culinary delights of Périgord. Tthese introductory pages (page 240). Further south
The cave paintings at are just a taste of what you there are more panoramic
Lascaux are probably the will find in the listings that views from the beautifully
most important in France –
but if you prefer foie gras,
walnuts and truffles, try
Sarlat’s fabulous Saturday
market. In the far south-
west, the French Pyrenees
take you into Basque
country, offering spectacular
scenery – and mountain
activities as tiring or thrilling
as anybody could want.
Returning to your Basque
inn, or perhaps to the
Hôtel de la Reine Sancie at
Sauveterre-de-Béarn (page
263), with its spectacular
position on medieval arches
above the Gave d’Oloron
river, will make you glad
you survived the day intact.
Languedoc-Roussillon is
squeezed in between the
Mediterranean shore and
the Massif Central range.
Roussillon was Spanish
until 1659, and the Fort de
Salses still stands at the old
border. Carcassonne is an
amazingly well-restored
medieval town and Nîmes
still has much of the Roman
about it.
The Massif Central is an
enigmatic area, wild and
hard on the Grands Causses,
gentle in the Limousin and The Paris Ritz, page 234, opulence on a lavish scale