Travel & Hospitality Awards | Europe Awards 2018 | www.thawards.com

French Top 5
Paris
Narbonne
market is comparable to the Boqueria
de Barcelona for its architecture and its
variety of products.
Nimes
Discover Paris and all it has to offer
including history, culture, leisure,
cuisine. Its cafes and boats on the
Seine, its elegant neighbourhoods and
its shops, its metro and its musicians,
its monuments, squares, quays, and
fountains. The French are justly proud
of their capital. Begin with the symbol
of the city: the Eiffel Tower. From its
peak at 300 metres, you will enjoy a
breathtaking view over the rooftops of
the capital. Built for the 1889 Universal
Exhibition, the monument remains the
highest observation tower in Europe.
At its foot is the Champ De Mars, where
some of the biggest events of the City
are held. Enjoy a picnic on the lawn,
take in the lights at night and feel the
magic of the Peace Wall which fronts the
Military School. No visit to Paris would
be complete without a trip to the Louvre
on the banks of the river Seine. This royal
palace needs no introduction and is
impossible to see everything in one visit.
But essential viewing is Leonardo Da
Vinci´s La Gioconda and the department
of Egyptian antiquities. The museum has
just opened a new section dedicated to
the most stunning Islamic art. Guaranteed
to raise goosebumps to any discerning
art lover. Celebrate French gastronomy
at the Louchebem, an old butcher shop
in the Les Halles district, downtown Paris
where the dishes of beef are out of this
world. Nearby in the Bastille area is the
Cafe de L’Industrie, a typical Parisian
cafe offering reasonably priced food
and drinks alongside a pleasant French
atmosphere.
The magic of the South of France should
be explored in its entirety. An area
of particular interest historically and
architecturally is Narbonne. Situated
on the Canal de la Robine, Narbonne
is a city with an abundance of Roman
architecture still retained in the medieval
streets and Roman roads. Attractions
on offer include the impressive 13thcentury
Cathedral, a medieval palace
with art gallery and museum as well as
the Horreum, a Roman warehouse with
underground art galleries. The main
square hosts the revered Via Domitia,
the first Roman road built in Gaul,
created around 118 ac with the purpose
of facilitating the transport of Roman
armies, and where Hercules along with
50,000 Carthaginian soldiers and 37
elephants passed through on his way to
conquer Italy. I
In addition to having the best buffet
restaurant in Europe, Les Grands
Buffets, Narbonne has one of the most
colourful and spectacular markets in
the area, Les Halles. This centennial
Situated in the Languedoc-Roussillon
region, Nimes is a relatively small town
with a population of 150,000. Nimes,
like Narbonne, has almost flawless
Roman formations and architecture.
Even more so in fact due to the incredibly
impressive and well preserved Roman
amphitheatre, Les Arenes, with a seat
capacity of seat 16,000 and is still
used today to commemorate the Roman
Games of Nimes. In addition a temple
known as Maison Carree, a Roman
temple dating from the sixteenth century
and Corinthian in style with columns of
marble. Apart from these two perfect
statements of Roman architecture,
Nimes is a legacy to Roman history and
is nicknamed French Rome. Narrow
streets add to the charm of Nimes, and
some of the best restaurants in the world
showcasing French flavours and talent
makes Nimes a gastronomical delight.
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