The Velvet Guide to France: French Travel, Food & Lifestyle

Introducing The Velvet Guide to France: French Travel · French Food · French Lifestyle · The Pleasures of Discovering France

There is always more to discover in France.

Beyond the familiar landmarks and well-trodden destinations, there are beautiful towns, regional specialities, characterful hotels, quiet corners, memorable meals and simple pleasures that reveal a different side of France.

That is the inspiration behind The Velvet Guide to France — a monthly collection from The Velvet Runway, bringing together French travel, food and lifestyle, beautifully curated for those who enjoy discovering France at a slower, more thoughtful pace.

You can explore other slow travel itineraries in my French Travel Gems Series, where I share tips for experiencing destinations with intention, curiosity, and ease. If you’re interested in discovering more about French food culture you might also enjoy our guide to French food and way of life.

A New Way to Explore France

The Velvet Guide to France is a monthly collection of French travel, food and lifestyle, created for readers who love France — whether you live here, visit regularly or simply dream of your next journey.

Each issue is different. Some may explore an A–Z collection of French destinations or food; others may take a seasonal approach, focus on a particular destination, bring together an itinerary or place to stay, explore French gastronomy or simply celebrate the pleasures of French life.

The idea is not to create a definitive guide to France, but a growing collection of discoveries worth sharing — beautiful places, regional flavours, useful ideas and the stories behind them.

The Guide is designed to be something to return to rather than simply read once: a collection of inspiration to browse when you’re planning a journey, dreaming of France or simply in the mood for a little French inspiration.

The idea is simply to discover more of France through beautiful places, flavours and stories.

What You’ll Find Inside The Velvet Guide to France

French Travel Gems

From elegant cities and historic towns to coastal escapes, mountain retreats and lesser-known corners of France, the Guide will explore destinations worth knowing about.

Some will be familiar favourites. Others may be places you haven’t yet considered.

The emphasis is on places with character — destinations that offer something beyond the obvious and invite you to slow down, look around and experience France at your own pace.

This isn’t intended to be a definitive list of France’s best destinations. Instead, it is a personal and evolving collection of places, shaped by my own travels and experience of France.

French Food

French gastronomy is about so much more than croissants and crème brûlée (although both of these are delicious!).

The Guides will explore French ingredients, regional specialities, traditional dishes and the stories behind some of the country’s most delicious food.

And sometimes, that may mean a recipe to try at home; at other times, it might be a regional discovery, a French tradition or simply something delicious worth knowing about. It’s an invitation to discover France through its flavours — and perhaps find something new to try at home.

French Lifestyle

France is also about the pleasures of everyday life — the rituals, traditions, meals, markets, cafés and small details that make travelling here so rewarding.

The Guide will occasionally look beyond where to go and what to eat to explore the French way of life itself — ideas and inspirations that can be enjoyed whether you’re in France or simply bringing a little of its spirit into everyday life.

The First Issue of The Velvet Guide to France

The Velvet Guide to France begins with Issue A — French Travel & Food, a celebration of alluring French escapes, flavours and discoveries.

From Aix-en-Provence and Annecy to Arcachon and the Alps, the first issue takes us from Alpine lakes to Atlantic shores, with beautiful destinations, places to stay, French food discoveries and a taste of regional cuisine — including a recipe for Aligot, one of France’s most comforting specialities.

It is designed as something to linger over rather than simply scroll through — a collection to browse when you’re planning a journey, dreaming of France or simply in the mood for a little French inspiration.

Take a Quick Look Inside

Explore a small selection of pages from Issue A of The Velvet Guide to France — just a glimpse of what’s inside.

Receive The Velvet Guide to France

The Velvet Guide to France is available free to subscribers of The Velvet Runway.

Each new issue is delivered directly to subscribers, with access to the growing online collection.

A Collection to Keep

The Velvet Guide to France is intended to grow over time.

Each issue will add another little piece to the collection — perhaps a destination, a regional flavour, a French tradition, an itinerary, a recipe, a place to stay or simply another reason to keep discovering France.

The Guide will evolve from issue to issue, but the intention remains the same: to celebrate France beyond the obvious and to share the places, flavours and pleasures that make it so endlessly rewarding to explore.

Whether you’re planning your next French escape or simply want to bring a little more France into everyday life, I hope you’ll enjoy discovering it with me.

Velvet Guides