Oh Covid-19, how you have ruined so many plans. By April of every year, I have already purchased my tickets for my flight to Paris in the summer and am happily planning my itinerary to what parts of France I will visit.  This year I was planning on exploring Bordeaux, Toulouse and Pau. Alas, those plans will have to wait until we can get back to normal. In the meantime, I am missing France and I know so many others who are missing it as well, so I’ve put together a comprehensive list of ways to visit France from home!

New Books that Take You to France

There are plenty of books set in Paris or in France and I’ve chosen three here that are new to Spring 2020. Between celebrating the beloved apéritif, a tale of a daring woman and Napoleonic intrigues, this short list has you covered.

“Drinking French” by David Lebovitz

If you dream about spending a long, unhurried afternoon in a Parisian café sipping perhaps a café crème or maybe an apéritif then this is exactly the book you need. Written by Parisian expat David Lebovitz (I love his blog!), “Drinking French” is a detailed and delicious overview of the drinking culture of France. Starting with café au lait to yummy cocktails, Lebovitz provides 160 recipes in his beautifully photographed book.

“Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

This historical novel, set during WWII, is based on the real life and events of Australian socialite and spy Nancy Wake, who must take a code name once the Germans invade France. As she becomes a leader in the French Resistance, this gripping story will capture your heart and imagination from the very first page.

“The Queen’s Fortune” by Allison Pataki

I have been absolutely devouring this romantic historical fiction by best-selling author Allison Pataki. Set during the French Revolution and the subsequent rise of Napoleon, through the eyes of his lover Désirée Clary, the book is full of passion, deception and intrigue, perfect for French history lovers.

Additionally, you can read this post about 5 other great books when dreaming about a trip to Paris.

France from Home: Visit a Museum from chez vous!

I’ve compiled a very short list of French museums offering virtual tours right now. In addition, you can join my Facebook Group, “Art and Architecture of France” for more inspiration.

Musée du Louvre

The Louvre has an excellent website where you can discover all of the most important artworks from their collection, organized by various themes.

Like many other museums have put together during this time, the Louvre offers a virtual tour of the Petite Galerie here.

Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay has its own You Tube Channel offering videos in both French and English.  The “Une oeuvre, un regard” series is released every Tuesday and via an artwork chosen from the collections of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, they present the vision of a contemporary figure – an artist, writer, philosopher, designer, musician, actor, film or theater director or scientist.

Centre Pompidou

Although most of the videos are in French, the Centre Pompidou also has a You Tube Channel. Their “Chefs d’oeuvre” collection is a series of short videos that present some of the most important contemporary artists from the museum’s collection.  Some of the videos are subtitled in English. Check out this one on Frida Kahlo as an example.

The exhibition of the renowned British painter Francis Bacon closed in January but you can watch an excellent tour with the curator himself here (subtitled in English).

Finally, the Centre Pompidou has produced a series of podcasts. The exhibition of Christo and Jeanne-Claude was set to open on March 18^th, 2020 but was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, you can listen to an interview about Christo, his debut in Paris, the process of wrapping the Pont-Neuf in the 1980’s and more.

Château de Versailles

The Château de Versailles also has a You Tube Channel and they produce various informational pieces about the Château and the grounds. Otherwise, you can take a virtual tour of  Versailles, from gardens to Trianon palaces.

Google Arts and Culture

I’m not sure of when Google Arts and Culture began but I have certainly discovered it during this time of #confinement! Here you can search artworks, collections and stories from 500 cultural organizations around the world, from museums to historic sites.  Using Google Street View, you can meander through entire museums and sites.  In France, some of the museums you can virtually visit are the Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Orangerie, Musée du Quai Branly, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Grand Palais, Palais de Tokyo and even the Château de Versailles.

France from home: Virtual Tours

Maybe you just want to walk the streets of Paris, without necessarily stopping in any one of its  fabulous monuments.

One day in Paris: 360° Virtual Tour with Voice Over

Paris 360° Experience | Escape Now

Study French

When I’m not blogging, I actually teach French.  But I am always looking for great additions to my curriculum.  For those who didn’t take high school French – or just can’t remember what you learned – there are plenty of apps out there to learn French, from FluentU to Rosetta Stone to Duolingo to Busuu.

I especially love this website, “Lawless French” – if you follow them on twitter and/or Facebook, you will get daily brainteasers, grammar quizzes to test your knowledge in French and writing challenges. The website is amazingly comprehensive on any question related to French grammar.

Listen to French Radio

I have consistently been tuning into the FranceInfo app for the latest news on the coronavirus situation in France. But you can also stream French music on Pandora or Spotify.

Watch a Movie set in Paris

This is just a short list but a good start. If you can, try to watch the French movies in French with English subtitles to make you feel like you are there.

• Midnight in Paris
• Love in the Afternoon
• A Good Year
• Amélie
• Sabrina
• The Rebel
• French Kiss
• Les Choristes
• Le Dîner des Cons
• Ratatouille

France from home via Food and Drink!

You’ll inevitably have to go out for groceries, so why not pick up a little bit of France? Our local WholeFoods has a pretty good selection of French wine and cheese. In Los Angeles, we have a grocery store called Gelson’s with an incredible patisserie with the best pain au chocolat I have had outside of France. If your favorite, local French establishment is closed during the pandemic, perhaps you could think about buying an online gift certificate to support them during this difficult time – when the world re-opens, you can enjoy your purchase then.

Food

There are so many great cookbooks and French cooking websites, its hard to know where to begin. If you want a truly classic French cookbook in English, then you could turn to the master, Julia Child. As to websites, my favorite French cooking website is Mon Petit Four. Check out the recipe for French onion soup, for example, it will have your mouth watering!

Wine

Wine of course is a source of strong regional pride in France. Each region has its own varietal. Below is a very high level list of wines from France but of course, there are so many to choose from, its hard to know where to begin:

• Champagne
• Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (white)
• Sancerre (white)
• Muscadet (white)
• Morgon (red)
• Cahors (red)
• Bordeaux (red)
• Brouilly (red)
• Côtes-du-Rhône (red)
• Beaujolais (red)
• Chinon (red)
• Rosé (pink)

France from Home: Sounds of Paris

Finally, I think one of the most heart-warming sites I have found during this pandemic is ‘Bruits de Paris’. It is a collection of sounds of Paris – from the sounds of the bustling Grandes Boulevards to the excited shouting at the local marché. Just turn it on and transport yourself to beautiful Paris and enjoy France from home. You’ll get back there someday.

Les Bruits de Paris (Sounds of Paris)

Read More…

Did you enjoy reading about visiting France from home? Here are some other posts that might interest you:

A Perfect Day in the Marais

5 Must Read Books for Your Trip to Paris

The Château de Chenonceau: The Ladies’ Château

Notre-Dame de Paris: How a Building Can Break Your Heart

7 Spectacular Architectural Sites in Provence, France You Don’t Want to Miss!

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