Walking Tour of France

Stand in the presence of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe, without ever roping up. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we begin in the alpine town of Chamonix and trace the history that turned a feared, "cursed" peak into the birthplace of modern mountaineering - from the first ascent in 1786 to the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Then we ride one of the most dramatic cable cars on earth up the Aiguille du Midi to 3,842 meters, where the summit fills the sky, mountaineers set off across the snow, and a glass box called the Step into the Void leaves you suspended over a thousand meters of open air. From there we board the historic little red Montenvers cog railway to the Mer de Glace, France's largest glacier, descend into a hand-carved blue ice cave, and confront the sobering story of the glacier's retreat at the on-site Glaciorium.Along the way we share where to eat in Chamonix, with brief stops at Le Monchu for fondue, raclette, and hot-stone beef; La Tablee for hearty alpine classics; Malabar Princess for an intimate cheese and wine bar experience; Le Fer a Cheval for refined French cooking with its own brewery; and Pastry House Richard for the perfect morning croissant. We also point you toward nearby adventures: the Le Brevent cable car and its head-on Mont Blanc views, the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve and Lac Blanc, the mountain tramway from Les Houches, the steep Bossons Glacier, and the Alpine Museum in the heart of town.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step onto a quiet, forested ridge above the city of Verdun and walk through one of the most powerful war memorials in all of France: the Douaumont Ossuary. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, you'll stand before the monument's vast one-hundred-and-thirty-seven-meter facade, take in the sword-hilt design and the towering shell-shaped Lantern of the Dead, and gaze down over the largest French military cemetery of the First World War, with more than sixteen thousand graves sloping toward the trees.Inside, you'll move through the amber-lit cloister lined with the carved names of the fallen, look through the low windows at the remains of some one hundred and thirty thousand unidentified French and German soldiers resting side by side, and climb the tower for a sweeping view of a battlefield that nature has reclaimed but never fully healed. Along the way you'll hear how the memorial came to be, how it became the site of a historic moment of Franco-German reconciliation, and what it asks of every visitor who walks its halls.For places to eat, we mention the Abri des Pèlerins near the battlefield, the First World War-themed La Cantine des Poilus in Verdun, and the highly rated L'Étal in town. For more to see nearby, we cover the Mémorial de Verdun, Fort Douaumont, Fort Vaux, the destroyed village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont, the haunting Bayonet Trench, and the Underground Citadel in Verdun.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Follow the Loup River from a candy-scented hamlet at the bottom of a limestone gorge all the way up to Gourdon, a medieval village perched so high above the valley it's nicknamed the Eagle's Nest. This episode of Walking Tour of France traces the Gorges du Loup road past two of the region's most dramatic waterfalls, the forty-meter Cascade de Courmes and the multi-stage Saut du Loup, before climbing switchback after switchback into a stone village of glassblowers, a twelfth-century Romanesque church, and a centuries-old fortress with gardens designed by the same landscape architect behind Versailles.Along the way, we stop for chocolate-dipped candied orange peel at the century-old Confiserie Florian in Pont du Loup, wood-fired pizza on a terrace beside the falls, and a Provençal lunch with a sea view in Gourdon's village square. We also point you toward nearby Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Bar-sur-Loup, and Saint-Paul-de-Vence for anyone looking to extend the trip.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step inside one of the strangest, most beautiful buildings in Paris: the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Frank Gehry’s glass-sailed art museum on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we trace the building’s origin story – from a fateful visit to the Guggenheim Bilbao, through a decade-long legal fight over a public footpath, to the robot-molded concrete and hand-curved glass that finally brought Gehry’s sketch of a fleet of sails to life in 2014.The tour walks you from the mirrored water garden out front, through an intimate underground gallery, up past a glowing fish-shaped sculpture, and out onto rooftop terraces with sweeping views toward the Eiffel Tower and La Défense. Along the way, you’ll pick up practical tips on timed tickets, the best light for photos, and a quieter terrace most visitors miss.We also cover where to eat nearby – the Michelin-trained kitchen at Le Frank inside the museum, and the relaxed garden terrace of La Terrasse du Jardin next door – plus nearby sites worth adding to your day, including the Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park, the rose gardens of the Parc de Bagatelle, and the Impressionist masterpieces of the Musée Marmottan Monet.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step inside one of Paris's most remarkable and underappreciated museums - the Musee de Cluny, France's National Museum of the Middle Ages, tucked into the Latin Quarter at the intersection of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Boulevard Saint-Michel. In this episode, we explore a building that is actually three places layered on top of each other: a Roman bath complex built around 200 AD, a stunning flamboyant Gothic mansion constructed by the Abbot of Cluny between 1484 and 1510, and one of the world's finest collections of medieval art. We walk through the ancient frigidarium - the cold room of the baths - with its fourteen-meter vaulted ceiling, and spend time with the extraordinary Pillar of the Boatmen, the oldest carved monument in Paris. We visit the gallery of the decapitated Kings of Judah, whose stone heads were lost during the French Revolution and not recovered until 1977. We move through galleries of Visigothic gold crowns, Limoges enamelwork, medieval stained glass from the Sainte-Chapelle, and rich tapestries. And we arrive at the heart of the museum: the circular room where six mysterious tapestries known as the Lady and the Unicorn hang in low light, their meaning still debated after five centuries. For food, we recommend Maison Cluny, the Michelin-listed bistro directly across from the museum garden serving classic French fare, and Le Reminet, a charming small restaurant near the Seine with inventive cooking in an intimate room. Nearby sites to add to your visit include Notre-Dame Cathedral - now fully restored - the Sainte-Chapelle with its extraordinary floor-to-ceiling stained glass, the Pantheon with its burial vaults of France's greatest figures, and Shakespeare and Company, the iconic English-language bookshop on the Left Bank. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we climb the Eternal Hill of Vézelay in Burgundy to explore the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene - one of the greatest Romanesque churches in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We trace the basilica's origins from a 9th-century Benedictine monastery to its peak as one of medieval Christianity's most important pilgrimage destinations, a starting point for the route to Santiago de Compostela and the site where crusades were launched. Along the way, we examine the extraordinary tympanum sculpture above the central portal of the narthex, walk the striped Romanesque nave with its hundred carved capitals, and step into the Gothic choir where the light transforms the space entirely. We explore the deliberate solar design that creates a path of light along the nave floor at the summer solstice, and recount the 19th-century restoration that saved the building from collapse - work carried out by a young architect who would go on to restore Notre-Dame de Paris. For dining, we cover Restaurant la Terrasse for terrace meals with a basilica view, Le Cheval Blanc for traditional Burgundian cuisine, Le Relais du Morvan for grilled meats and regional warmth, and Le P'tit V for local wines and cheese. We also highlight nearby destinations including the Gothic church and Roman baths in the village of Saint-Pere, the medieval fortified town of Avallon, the Morvan Regional Natural Park, and the Cistercian abbey of Fontenay.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we explore the Abbaye de Saint-Gilles - a remarkable Romanesque abbey church tucked away in the town of Saint-Gilles in the Gard department of southern France, midway between Nimes and Arles. Though little-known to modern travelers, this site was once one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the medieval world, ranked fourth in all of Christendom behind Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela. We walk through the extraordinary three-portal facade - a masterpiece of 12th-century Romanesque sculpture featuring a continuous narrative frieze of the Passion of Christ, apostle statues, and intricate scenes from the life of Jesus - and descend into the remarkable 11th-century crypt where the tomb of Saint Gilles still stands. We explore the legendary spiral staircase known as the Vis de Saint-Gilles, long studied and admired by master stonemasons on their apprenticeship tours of France. Along the way, we trace the legend of how the abbey was founded, the extraordinary pilgrimage culture it supported for centuries, and the violence and reconstruction that shaped the building you see today. For dining, we mention the Domaine du Prieuré d'Estagel restaurant and the Café de la Gare for a casual lunch. Nearby sites covered include the walled city of Aigues-Mortes, the Camargue Natural Regional Park, and the Roman monuments of Nimes. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Marseille, France: The Old Port (Vieux-Port) - 2,600 Years of Mediterranean History at the Heart of France's Oldest CityThis episode of Walking Tour of France takes you on an immersive walk through the Vieux-Port, the ancient harbor at the center of Marseille - France's oldest city and one of the Mediterranean's great port capitals. Founded by Greek sailors from Phocaea around 600 BC, the Old Port has been the beating heart of the city through Roman rule, medieval crusades, the reign of Louis XIV, the devastation of World War II occupation, and a remarkable 21st-century cultural revival. The walk covers the full circuit of the harbor, from the Quai des Belges and its ancient Greek archaeological remains, along the north quay past the City Hall and the stunning MuCEM museum, across the footbridge to Fort Saint-Jean with its Knights Hospitaller chapel and terraced Mediterranean gardens, around the harbor mouth with views of the twin forts that Louis XIV built to keep his own citizens in check, and back along the south quay with the panoramic views of the harbor that have inspired painters for centuries.For dining, the episode recommends Chez Madie Les Galinettes for traditional Marseille cooking with harbor views, Une Table au Sud for Michelin-starred southern French cuisine overlooking the water, La Caravelle for the ease of a jazz bar and terrace, and Les Buvards for natural wines and simple, honest food a few blocks from the port. Nearby sites covered include the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde with its extraordinary hilltop panoramas and sailors' votive offerings, the island fortress of Chateau d'If made famous by Alexandre Dumas, and the winding streets and museums of Le Panier, the oldest neighborhood in Marseille and in all of France.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step into Millau's remarkable old town, a place where medieval streets wind past Roman history, a 12th-century royal tower, a church that survived wars and rebuilding, and a centuries-old glove-making tradition that still lives today. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we stroll from the foot of the great belfry tower through the covered arcades of Place Foch, down the ancient lane of Rue Droite, inside the church of Notre-Dame de l'Espinasse, along the monumental 18th-century washhouse, and out to the banks of the Tarn to take in the old mill and the graceful arches of the Pont Vieux. Along the way, we discover how this small town in the Aveyron became the glove-making capital of France, how a 12th-century Aragonese king built his palace here, how the Wars of Religion left a beloved church in ruins, and how all of it endures today in cobblestone, stone vaults, and the scent of good leather. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Stand beneath one of the most iconic monuments in the world -- the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we explore the grandeur of Napoleon Bonaparte's most ambitious architectural tribute, a monument commissioned in 1806 to honor his armies following the stunning victory at Austerlitz. We walk you through the breathtaking sculptures on its massive limestone pillars, including the legendary relief known as La Marseillaise by Francois Rude -- a work so powerful it inspired the face of the French national anthem itself. We pause at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the vault, where an eternal flame has burned every single day since 1923, and we ascend 284 steps to one of the most spectacular rooftop panoramas in all of Europe, looking out across the twelve avenues that radiate from this magnificent star-shaped plaza. Along the way, we weave in stories of Napoleon's wooden mock-up arch built for his own wedding, of a biplane that once flew beneath the vault, and of a flame that never went out -- not even during Nazi occupation. We also share the best spots nearby to eat, drink, and explore after your visit. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step into one of France's most extraordinary natural landscapes -- the Cirque de Mourèze, a 340-hectare amphitheater of soaring dolomite pinnacles in the heart of the Hérault. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we wander through a geological marvel 160 million years in the making, where prehistoric peoples once sheltered among the rocks, medieval villagers built their lives in the shadow of stone towers, and today's visitors lose themselves in a labyrinth of formations with names like the Oracle, the Sphinx, and the Guardian. We'll climb to the sweeping panorama at the Courtinals park, slip through the narrow lanes of the ancient village, and discover the stories etched into every weathered pinnacle. Plus, we'll share what else to see and taste in the surrounding Hérault -- from the crimson shores of Lac du Salagou to the remarkable royal factory village of Villeneuvette nearby. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step onto the famous boardwalk and into a world of elegance, horse racing, and Hollywood glamour in Deauville, Normandy's most celebrated seaside resort. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we stroll the iconic Les Planches promenade, explore the Belle Epoque grandeur of the casino and grand hotels, discover the story of Coco Chanel's rise to fame on these very streets, and wander through a town that has charmed French high society, Impressionist painters, and film legends for over 150 years. Whether you're planning your own visit or simply dreaming of the Normandy coast, this episode brings Deauville's timeless magic to life. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step inside one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the world as we explore the Château de Tarascon — a towering royal fortress rising directly from the banks of the Rhône River in the heart of Provence. In this episode, we trace the castle's dramatic 600-year story: from its origins as a Roman fortification to its construction by the Dukes of Anjou, its golden era under the poet-king who filled its halls with music and celebration, and its darker chapter as a prison whose walls still hold the carved messages of captive sailors. Along the way, we encounter a fire-breathing river monster, a legendary saint, and one of France's most beloved literary characters — all set against the lavender-scented backdrop of southern Provence. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Step inside the shadow of the world's most visited paid monument and walk every level of Paris's defining icon. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we explore the Eiffel Tower -- from the sweeping lawns of the Champ de Mars to the glass-floored first level, the postcard-perfect views of the second floor, and all the way up to the summit where Gustave Eiffel once entertained Thomas Edison. You'll hear the story of how a temporary iron structure built for the 1889 World's Fair became the eternal symbol of Paris, discover lesser-known corners and secrets tucked inside this 330-meter masterpiece, and end your visit knowing exactly where to eat, explore, and linger in the elegant 7th arrondissement that surrounds it. Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

Welcome to Walking Tour of France, a podcast dedicated to bringing you a new adventure somewhere in France with every episode. Each week we'll travel to a different destination -- from medieval châteaux and stunning gardens to fascinating cities, historic landmarks and hidden gems tucked away across this incredible country.Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.