THE GUIDE WINTER BREAKS 2016


1st to 5th at Nantes’s Cité Internationale des Congres. www.follejournee.fr


Turkey festival You can be sure that French turkeys hate Christmas just as much as British ones do. But unlike their cousins on this side of the Channel, they do have their very own winter festival. The Fête de la Dinde is staged every year in the Pas-de-Calais town of Licques, where more than 40 local turkey farmers turn up and the whole town indulges in turkey tasting, parades, drinking and a lot of dressing up in turkey suits. This year’s festival runs from the 10th to the 12th of December. www.tourisme-3pays.fr


Christmas shopping at Galeries Lafayette


Reach new heights with amazing holiday deals in Serre Chevalier Vallée


For the ultimate in Parisian high fashion, head for the Galeries Lafayette, on Boulevard Haussmann, in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. At Christmas time, your eyes will positively boggle at the clothes, perfume and luxury goods on offer, all beneath that famous glass and steel dome, and surrounded by the beautiful Art Nouveau staircases. The Christmas tree is


always impressive and will inject festive spirit into even the most humbug of visitors. Just down the road is the Lafayette Maison and Gourmet store for all your homewares and luxury food and wine needs. www.galerieslafayette.com


Réunion Island


Dominating this beautiful island in the Indian Ocean is an extinct volcano called Piton des Neiges, rising to over 3,000 metres above sea level. Don’t be fooled by the name, however. Snow, even just a dusting, hardly ever falls on the summit since it’s well inside the tropics. The other big summit is Piton de la Fournaise which is surprisingly active – the last time it erupted was in July 2015. The island’s beaches may be few and limited, with much of the coast off-limits due to sharks, but when it comes to wildlife, Réunion is exceptional. You can hike and mountain bike through its vibrant rainforests, while along the coastline you’ll see humpback whales, dolphins and turtles. The snorkelling and diving opportunities along the coral reefs are spectacular and certainly not to be missed once you have voyaged this far. www.reunion.fr


Ski and board from


*Selected dates apply €217pppw


Serre Chevalier Vallée Tourist Office Tel: 0033 (0)4 92 24 98 98


Email: resa@serre-chevalier.com www.serre-chevalier.com


148 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Oct/Nov 2016 FT158.WINTER BREAK GUIDE.indd 148 05/09/2016 13:26 Turkeys voting for Christmas in Licques, Pas-de-Calais


INCLUDING your lift pass*


Photo accreditation: Agence Zoom


© MICHEL GIULBERT


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11