No visit to France is complete without a side trip to Paris, the city of romance. In Roman times, the city was but a small village named Lutece on the Ile de la Cite. It wasn't until the fourth century that the name changed to Paris. Today, the name is known throughout the world, and the city's landmarks include the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysees, the Louvre, le Place d'Etoile, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and the Palace de Versailles. The bars and bistros of Montmartre are also worth visiting to experience the lifeblood of the city.
Le Midi is the southeastern region of France that includes Provence and Languedoc, a vast region stretching from Italy to Spain. It conjures up visions of a landscape painted gold with mimosas, olive groves and fields of lavender; deep Mediterranean bays lined with palm trees; and the sound of cicadas on a summer night. Here you'll find the biggest fortress in Europe, Carcassonne, nicknamed the "Virgin of Languedoc" because of its impregnability. You'll also find deep river gorges running between sheer 2,000-foot cliffs, and the wild white horses of the Camargue.
Much of Burgundy has remained unchanged since the Middle Ages, and a fine example of this is the town of Semur-en-Auxois. Burgundy is best known today, of course, for its great wines, but it's also a country of Romanesque churches and chateaux and of houses that date back to the 14th century. The main town of Burgundy, or Bourgoine as it's more correctly known, is Dijon, which is famous the world over for its mustard. It's to the south of this city that you'll get your first glimpse of the region's vineyards. Clinging to the sides of the valleys are Nuits-Saint-Georges, Gevrey-Chambertin and many other famous names.
