Off The Beaten Path - France

Let me start by saying these places do receive visitors. In fact, some of them are quite popular with French and/or European tourists. But American tourists? Not so much. I'm not quite sure what kind of force field is keeping people in Paris and its immediate neighbors for two whole weeks, but there is so much more to explore. 

I know what you're thinking, France is the most visited country on the planet – what’s there that’s left to discover? Throw a dart at a map, honestly, you can’t go wrong. You have no idea how jam-packed France is with the most unbelievable things to see and do and everyone is missing it! 

Clermont-Ferrand 
The Teoz train gets you here in about 3.5 hours. See the volcanoes and the panoramic views. The hiking here is also superb. And don't forget the Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral, which may quite possibly be the most imposing black granite church ever.  

Sète 
Here you can experience water jousting, an unusual junk museum and best of all, fresh oysters. Leave Paris first thing in the morning, and be sitting on the canal with a coquillages plate in front of you by lunch. 

Ushant / Ouessant 
It doesn’t get any more off the beaten path than the western-most point of France, off the coast of Brittany. In fact, it’s not even on the mainland – it’s an island. And seeing as how you have to go through all of Brittany to get there, there are about a hundred more non-touristy places to visit nearby. 

Aigues-Mortes 
A fortified city that’s more fun to visit than Carcassonne. Unlike the fortified part of Carcassonne, it doesn't have the museum feel to it. It’s also on the salt flats, which means you can stock up on a whole lot of sea salt. 

Conques 
Conques is an ideal side trip, because it’s completely different from Paris. First of all, there are no cars allowed in the town. And second, whatever tourists may come through leave by afternoon, so you’ve got the place to yourself. It’s about halfway between Clermont-Ferrand and Montpellier, so if you’re taking a trip down south it’s the perfect pit stop. 

Châlons-en-Champagne 

A beautiful town surrounded by vineyards and it’s an hour and a half on the train from Paris, so you have absolutely no excuse. If you are unfamiliar with this town's name, you may know this by its former name, Châlons-sur-Marne. 

It has been mentioned by Eddie Izzard in one of his bits years ago, and it appears in Snoopy’s Red Baron story in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. 

The East Coast of Corsica 
Seeing as how the east coast is closer to Italy, you’d think it’d be more visited, with many ports for ferries. This area has a multitude of breathtaking villages tucked into valleys. But the most popular places to visit on Corsica are anywhere but; the main cities are at the north and south and along the west coast, and hikers love the interior mountains. Nobody goes to the east coast. This is a travesty you need to fix! 

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