\n From a cycling trip in the Loire Valley to France’s best autumn events and the French must-reads to buy from your local bookstore, this week’s La Belle Vie newsletter offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like a local.\n <\/p>\n
La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France \u2013 from language to cuisine, manners to films. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to your newsletter preferences in \u201cMy account\u201d.<\/p>\n
The changing of the seasons seems to have coincided with a change of power as France now has a new prime minister.<\/p>\n
This autumn is shaping up to be one marked by strikes and protests. The benefit is that France is well accustomed to strikes, even if the images circulating on social media may be shocking. If you are visiting in the coming weeks – or you have a friend visiting – then I wouldn’t jump to cancelling flights or Airbnbs.<\/p>\n
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While you might want to mentally prepare for possible travel difficulties, particularly if you are visiting a big city like Paris, there are still plenty\u00a0of ways to make the most of a strike day.<\/p>\n
9 of the best activities to do in Paris on strike days<\/a><\/p>\n My parents are visiting from the US at the end of September, and I have advised them to pack a carry-on if possible. Even if you are not caught up in a strike, I have learned from experience that knock-on disruption from strikes can mean that luggage is (temporarily) lost, particularly if you have a layover.\u00a0<\/p>\n My parents have visited during busy strike periods twice, the first being the pension reform protests of 2019. Even though Paris’s public transport network was brought to a standstill, we made the most of it by renting bicycles and walking when possible.<\/p>\n For this upcoming trip, I have planned a bicycle tour of the Loire Valley ch\u00e2teaux, starting in Orl\u00e9ans and ending in Amboise, which is home to a former residence of Leonardo DaVinci.\u00a0<\/p>\n We picked the Loire Valley in part due to the castles and vineyards along the way, but mostly for the flat terrain and established bicycle lanes.<\/p>\n I used a great website – loireavelo.fr<\/a> – to map out the daily rides. Another benefit to the Loire Valley is that many of the rental shops are used to foreigners, and they offer a pick-up in one location and a drop-off in another.\u00a0<\/p>\n That said, France has an abundance of great cycling routes.<\/p>\n 13 of France\u2019s best hiking and cycling routes<\/a><\/p>\n Unfortunately, my parents will miss out on the 2025 Heritage Days. These are a great opportunity to experience French culture and visit locations that are normally closed to the public. For example, each year the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace opens its doors to visits during the Heritage Days, but be warned: it fills up quickly and reservations are required.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Events are planned across the country, and you can zoom into your local area using the culture ministry’s interactive map<\/a>. In previous years, I’ve felt a bit of option overload, so here’s a taste of what’s on offer.<\/p>\n 14 places to visit during France’s 2025 heritage days<\/a><\/p>\n Aside from the Heritage Days, there are plenty of other events in the autumn. Personally, I think it is the best season for wine lovers in France.<\/p>\n Several towns in wine-growing areas host harvest festivals – Paris included (yes, there is a tiny vineyard in Montmartre). Some allow you to take part in the picking, but others, like the famous Beaujolais Nouveau Day, are really just an excuse to drink wine and have a good time.<\/p>\n 13 of the best autumn festivals and events in France<\/a><\/p>\n In honour of la rentr\u00e9e litt\u00e9raire – basically the period from late August to early November when a large swathe of new books are published (and advertised) in France – we asked French journalist Aurore Laborie to give us her recommendations for ‘France’s cultural canon’.<\/p>\n While this is not an official list, these are some of the must-reads that you will improve your time in France, from expanding your cultural and linguistic knowledge to simply helping you understand friends’ references.<\/p>\n