French Life

Embrace France's joie de vivre with real-life tales and bright ideas ranging from the quirky to the inspirational.

The Cx symbol denotes subscriber-only articles.

Got a question about practical life in France? Get in touch at news@connexionfrance.com

Edmond Simeoni and the wishes of Corsica

Edmond Simeoni, 82, one of the founders of the Corsican nationalist movement, told Connexion the elections in December 2015 were a real shot in the arm for their dreams of autonomy.

'We crossed the Alps in 40kg of armour'

Historian retraces the route of 16th-century French king's troops

Make sense of...The French and holidays

The classic holiday choice for the French involves lying on a beach in August – and this year Corsica is favourite destination

Make sense of…quirky French festivals

There is no shortage of festivals in France, from music to celebrations of history, sport or food, but some are a little more unusual than others...

Handcrafted bicycles enjoy renaissance as works of art

Some of the bicycles in this month’s Tour de France are likely to have been hand-built by a frame-builder, a cadreur in French.

Life and loves of an ‘accidental’ glass blower

Crafts in focus: Artisanal glass-blower Thibault Lafleuriel discovered his calling “almost by accident” 15 years ago.

Second-hand is the new black

The Connexion examines the reasons for the rising popularity of second-hand clothing in France – where personal jumble sale parties are the next big thing... and can sell-out in minutes

The return of baby-foot

Classic French bar game is enjoying an unlikely renaissance

Wash and go green

After tourism and food, France’s cosmetics industry is the latest to take the ‘slow’ lane to success

You’re welcome...when I’m ready

She represents the values of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité and Marianne is the symbolic figure of the French Republic. But she also gives her name to a little-known civil service guide, Le Référentiel Marianne.

Make sense of... French vide greniers

Spring heralds the return of warm weather, longer days and lighter nights – and the start of the vide grenier season. This is France’s take on the good old jumble or car boot sale.

Simplicity is key to this spiritual retreat

In her new book, Henrietta Heald looks at the elegant art of living in the French style. Here she explains her creative inspiration and presents one of the featured homes, located in the Luberon

Join us for a Rejuvenation Day

Sponsored content: The Mind Retreat Rejuvenation Day in the Tarn

Art Holidays in the Heart of France

Sponsored content: Art holidays for those can and those who would like to be creative. Creative Arts together with le Tresor Cache are now offering seven-day all-inclusive holidays centred on the creation of art in varying forms.

Bloggers inspired Europe to love houseplants again

In 2013, a Serbian man and a Dutch woman walked into a cafe in Paris. This is the story of what happened next.

Our Valentine’s day story: “I met my wife in Paris”

We asked our readers to tell us if France played a part in their romance - here Mara and Sean Burke from Illinois tell us how they fell in love in France.

It’s tourism, Jim – but not as you may know it...

Every edition we assess an emerging aspect of French zeitgeist. This month: Jane Hanks learns about the lengths tourism firms go to in order to give their customers much more than sun, sea, and sand...

Villagers up with the lark for Noël des oiseaux

Residents of one Grand Est village miss out on their lie-in on December 26 for a special local tradition

Planning a skiing holiday in France?

Whether you are looking for a non-stop party or a family friendly atmosphere, France has the perfect winter resort for you. Samantha David lists the differences to look out for

A late convert to winter sports in France

Connexion reader Jo Pendered started skiing nine years ago, when she was 46. “My husband, Steve, is a really keen skier and I’d always wanted to try it, but never had the chance."

Flea markets move online – and go upmarket, too...

Jane Hanks talks to the young entrepreneur credited with giving the traditional French brocante a thoroughly modern new look

The French village where everyone is maire

Vandoncourt has been called “the village with 600 mayors”... only now there are more like 800 of them.