News from France Dec 2024/Jan 2025

The latest news in culture, tourism and sustainable travel from France and its regions.

New ticket fares for Paris public transport

A major change is coming to Paris’ public transport on January 2 when the awkward 5-zone system disappears for good. Regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités announced that the current pricing system – which has 50,000 fare combinations will be simplified into two categories: bus/tram, and metro/RER/train. Taking the train, RER or metro, the journey will now cost €2.50, whatever your destination, even if you’re going to Disneyland, Versailles, or the other end of the Île-de-France region. On the bus or tram, your journey will cost €2, whatever your destination.

The catch? Airports are not included, and as the categories already hint, you can no longer connect between bus/tram and metro/train/RER and hop on with the same ticket. The simplification also applies to tickets specially conceived for visitors. The Navigo day pass for all zones will now be €12, instead of €20.60 (without airport access), Single airport fare is €13, valid for both airports (Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly), departing from anywhere in the Île-de-France region. Finally, the convenient Paris Visite pass is set at €29.90, which includes airport access.

www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr

Exhaustive research after the fire at Notre-Dame led to a number of fascinating discoveries and none so intriguing as two lead sarcophagi, which were found during excavations while setting up the 700-tonne scaffolding to rebuild the spire. Le Figaro explains that this was not unusual as thousands were buried in what was a necropolis between the 14th and 18th centuries. But the coffins were made of lead, which pointed to personages of note. The epitaph on one identified Antoine de la Porte, a generous patron and Canon of Notre-Dame. The second was a mystery.

The team, led by Eric Crubézy, doctor and professor of anthropology at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, could tell that he had suffered from tuberculosis and died young, and that he’d been an avid rider, which earned him the code name ‘the horseman’. Further study finally revealed that he was the poet Joachim Du Bellay, of the storied Pléiade group, who died aged 35 on January 1, 1560. He was not a religious dignitary but the nephew of Cardinal Jean du Bellay, former bishop of Paris, the number two man in the Church of Rome.

A new 58-room hotel, La Fondation, located between Parc Monceau and Batignolles, has recently opened its doors to guests. Designed by architect Philippe Chiambaretta, with interiors by New York firm Roman and Williams, it offers three distinct zones dedicated to hospitality, work and wellbeing, including a floating garden, state-of-the-art fitness club, pool and workspaces, promising a unique base from which to explore Paris.

Swiss company BEWTR is the first company certified by health agency ARS and the Paris Préfecture to bottle and market still and sparkling water from reservoirs beneath Paris. The company is focused on catering to hotels and restaurants looking to reduce plastic use.

An inspired four-way partnership between the new Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne. the Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune, the Château du Clos de Vougeot and the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin in Dijon has given rise to the Chemins Epicuriens. For a journey along the famous wine route of Grands Crus de Bourgogne, the initiative connects Dijon with Beaune in a combination of history, heritage and know-how. What could be better than a blend of stunning landscapes, a tapestry of World Heritage-listed climats (specific vineyard plots) and remarkable gastronomy? The Chemins Épicuriens invites you to explore the rich history and exquisite flavours of Burgundy and enjoy more of the region’s tourist attractions. Available at any of the four partner sites at a reduced rate, the combined ticket is valid for one year so you can tour at your leisure over an extended visit or go on an all-out Burgundian bonanza.

After three years of extensive renovation, the emblematic home of Ruinart champagne, at 4 Rue des Crayères in Reims, has been transformed. The world’s oldest Champagne house, exclusively producing champagne since 1729, it combines 300 years of savoir- faire with art, gastronomy and cutting-edge creativity. The transformation was the work of Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, interior designer Gwenaël Nicolas and landscape artist Christophe Gautrand, who fused the centuries-old buildings with a contemporary pavilion in stone and glass. Every detail works in harmony with its environment, with bio-sourced materials, rainwater harvesting, a green roof, reinforced insulation and UV blocking glass. Even the surrounding sculpture garden is designed as a haven for local biodiversity; leading onto 7,000m² of wooded grounds, it is home to 110 works by 36 artists and is open to visitors free of charge. Stop by for a sensorial and inspiring dive into an exquisite marriage of champagne, art and nature.

Top slopes

From fans of ripping black-diamond powder to gentle bunny slope gliders, these are France’s top ski resorts as recently ranked by Lonely Planet.

Four new architect-designed Coucou Cabanes holiday cabins, the creation of which aims to ‘protect the natural environment whilst creating the best possible experience for the guests’, have been added to the roster of 25 existing cabins at the stunning 150-hectare Grands Lacs site, located in the village of Chassey-lès-Montbozon in Franche-Comté. Coucou Cabanes is a wilderness hotel company that describes itself as ‘craftsmen of a progressive tourism’ that promotes a ‘living biodiversity and a better interaction between humans and nature’. The cabins whose design is reminiscent of a bud just before it blossoms are built from noble, sustainable materials and are completely integrated into the environment. They were designed by AW2, an international architecture and interior design studio led by partner architects Reda Amalou and Stéphanie Ledoux.