Western France | A French Collection

Honfleur – The 8 Best Things to See & Do

Honfleur is a picturesque town in Normandy in the northwestern region of France at the mouth of the Seine Estuary and it's a popular place to visit with many things to see and do. I've put together the best things to see and experience in Honfleur after my own visits to this wonderful French town. Here are the best things to see in Honfleur.

The 8 Best Things to See and Do in Honfleur, Normandy

With its pretty harbour and timber framed townhouses around the Vieux-Bassin (old port), some up to seven stories high, ancient churches and religious buildings, Honfleur has long been a favourite with artists and photographers and it's easy to see why it is still so popular today.

Les Machines de l’Ile Nantes – A Steampunk Wonderland

Imagine giant mechanical animals roaming with lights flashing, wheezing steam and constructed out of natural materials that you can ride, sit on and operate. This describes the amazing artistic and creative steam punk wonderland called Les Machines de l’Île Nantes which is in the city of Nantes in France.

"It is the only place where you'll find Jules Verne's "Invented Worlds", the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci, and Nantes' industrial history, all on the exceptional site of the city's former shipyards." - Les Machines de l’Île Nantes

Les Machines de l’Île Nantes

Les Machines de l’Île Nantes is in Nantes, in the Département de la Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire and is still known as the capital of Brittany even though it is in a different region. This attraction with all its machines is open for tourists, as is the workshop where the mechanical machines created out of recycled metal, leather and handcrafted wood with their pulleys ropes, hydraulic cylinders and welded metal frames are made and repaired.

Josselin – 5 Top Things to See and Do

Josselin is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France and is classified as a Petite Cité de Caractère (small town of character). The town is absolutely charming with a huge stone walled château, half timbered buildings, pretty river with boats to hire and great cafes and boutiques to explore. Josselin welcomes thousands of visitors every year and it’s easy to see why.

Exploring Josselin on a warm summer’s day with friends is one of my happy memories and in this post I’ll share what I think are the top 5 things to do and see in Josselin and why this town qualifies as a Petite Cité de Caractère of Brittany. I loved Château de Josselin, the Musée de Poupées (museum of dolls), walking along the river and eating lunch in the town square.

Annette Charlton

Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on numerous blogs and travel websites and appeared on ABC National Radio. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.

www.afrenchcollection.com

Best Small Group Tours of Brittany

"There aren’t many guided tours of Brittany, so when one comes along that’s absolutely brilliantly put together, run by a most charming host and takes in the very best of Brittany and just over the border Normandy – we’re excited!"

Best Small Group Tour of Brittany

That's what Janine Marsh of The Good Life France had to say about my Brittany Tours, calling them the best guided tour of Brittany, and I agree that Brittany is best explored in small groups where you are guided to the most charming towns, picture perfect beaches and best natural wonders along the French northwest coast. [Photo above is of Tregestal, Brittany where we take a coastal walk among the boulders]

Combourg -The Hometown of François René de Chateaubriand

Combourg castle amongst trees viewed from the lake

Combourg – A Small Town of Character

Combourg is a small town in the north western part of France in the region of Brittany or Bretagne. This small town of character or Petite Cité de Caractère is said to have risen from a small parish town when in the 6th century Irish monk, Saint Lunaire, built a church. Much later in the 11th century the archbishop of Dol-de-Bretagne built a château where his younger brother Riwallon lived.

The town grew around three centres; the château, the feudal settlement that developed due to the protection of Riwallon and then a priory settlement that developed after Riwallon summoned Benedictine monks to the area.

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Annette Charlton

www.afrenchcollection.com

Claude Monet’s Hometown Giverny – What to See & Do

Claude Monet's Hometown - What to See and Do

Giverny in the northwest region of Normandy is well known as the hometown of Impressionist artist Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) but the picturesque village has more to explore than just Claude Monet's House and Garden complex. Read more as I discover what to see and do in Giverny.

Monet In Giverny

Monet's attachment to the village of Giverny started after signing a rental agreement for his pink maison (home) on 3 May 1883, and then after buying the house, moving in with Alice in 1890. They lived in this house and village with the two children from Monet and Camille's marriage and the six children from Alice and Ernest's marriage for the rest of their lives as a blended family.

The village was originally divided by a railway line that went along what is now called Chemin du Roy. Chemin du Roy divides Monet's two gardens and is now a narrow laneway for cars. Giverny encompasses Monet's garden and home but also has many other attractions to offer for the visitor.

Claude Monet’s House at Giverny, France

Claude Monet's country farmhouse, with its long plain pink walls surrounded by gardens, painters studio and greenhouse in the town of Giverny in Normandy, France is simply breathtaking. Colourful, beautifully decorated and full of Monet's personal art collection, visiting his house is a highlight on any trip to France.

Claude Monet's House at Giverny

The house bequeathed by Michel Monet on his death in 1966 to the Académie des Beaux-Arts with the aim of safeguarding his memories of his father and to create a place that could be visited by his admirers, is now a place of homage for art and garden lovers and one of the major tourist attractions just outside of Paris.

Claude Monet’s Garden at Giverny, France

Claude Monet's Garden at Giverny in Normandy

"At Giverny, Monet created an ideal home for his family, a haven protected from the outside world and surrounded by the countryside that he loved. But this was also where he gained recognition as a major artist after years of rejection." - Adrien Goetz

Visiting Claude Monet's Garden

Visiting Claude Monet's Garden at Giverny in the region of Normandy, France is always a surreal experience for me and something I seriously recommend you try and do at least once. The house and gardens are where Monet lived from 1883 until his death in 1926. The gardens change with the seasons and sometimes the best season to visit is hotly debated, but I suggest you take the chance to visit Monet's Garden whenever you can - it will not disappoint.

At any time of the year wandering around the petite garden paths amongst the vibrant rainbow coloured flowers is like stepping into his paintings. I hope you enjoy my photos as I try and show you something a little different than what you may have already seen photographed in this garden.

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