Travel Smart hops catches a Brittany Ferry across to France for this episode, looking at the reasons why the country is your perfect getaway in the autumn months.Ben Parker and Annabel Grossman grace the south of France, where the crowds have thinned but the weather remains gorgeous and takes a tour through France's most well-known area, Provence, showcasing the best that it has to offer between September and December.Meanwhile, Annabel explains why Burgundy is her place to be in September. Watch Travel Smart on Independent TV to find your perfect escape.
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00:00Welcome to Travel Smart Weekly, the insider's travel guide from Independent TV.
00:05This is the series where we share our take on the best destinations to visit across the globe.
00:10In this episode, we're exploring France in the autumn, which we think is one of the best times to visit.
00:30Now, it's impossible to include all of the French destinations we love in just one episode,
00:36so we've pulled out just a few of our favourites, starting down in the south.
00:43The towns along the French Riviera are quite stunning in summer, but it does get very hot, not to mention incredibly busy.
00:50But by September, the crowds will have thinned out a little, while the temperatures are still pleasantly warm.
00:57This makes it the perfect time to drive between the many gorgeous towns along the coast, or explore by train.
01:05Nice is a good starting point. Make sure you take some time to wander around the old town, as well as along the promenade.
01:13And then you're spoilt for choice for charming towns along the coast, including Antibes, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat,
01:21Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Aizé.
01:27Moving on to Provence, perhaps the most well-known and popular region in France, and for good reason.
01:36This is the landscape that inspired Van Gogh, Cezanne and Renoir, where villages with cobblestone streets perch on hilltops,
01:44with bustling markets bursting with fresh French produce.
01:48In peak season, the roads can become clogged with tourists, while accommodation gets booked up months in advance and can be ruinously expensive.
01:57If you wait until October or November, you might not get the glorious display of lavender fields that treat visitors in July and August,
02:05but you may find you can get a seat in the charming cafés that feel oh-so-French, and afford a bed in the most charming of Provence villages.
02:14France is famed for its wine country, and if I had to pick one region to visit in autumn, I'd opt for Burgundy.
02:24As the harvest season comes to a close in mid-September, the leaves tend to blazing reds and golds.
02:31It's the ideal backdrop to sipping a glass of wine or sampling typically French dishes from the region,
02:38like Coq au Vin, Beef Bourguignon and Escargot de Bourgogne.
02:43Moving up to the mountains, although the French Alps are best known for skiing, before the snow falls can be the most magical time to visit.
02:52In Chamonix, the summer is also high season, with climbers, hikers, trail runners and sightseers flocking to the region
03:01to make the most of world-famous terrain and sights like the incredible Aiguille de Midi.
03:08But by September and October, kids have returned to school, most tourists have gone home, and the town is largely a return to the locals.
03:17Yet the scenery takes on a new form of beauty, with the turning leaves and the snow starting to settle on the highest peaks.
03:25We're finishing off in the north of France, in Brittany, which may not get the same attention in autumn when it starts to get chilly, but we think it deserves some love.
03:40Brittany's coastline is markedly different from anything you will see in the south, and in September and October will feel wild and windswept without being bitterly cold.
03:53Wander through the pretty little medieval towns of Rochefort-en-Terre, Vannes, Dinan and Rennes, or tick off the famous lighthouses scattered along the coast of Finistère.
04:08That's it for this episode of Travel Smart Weekly. Be sure to check in for the next episode, which you can watch onsite, on the Independence mobile app, or on your smart TV.
04:18And for the latest travel news, reviews and advice, be sure to check out independent.co.uk forward slash travel and listen to Simon Calder's daily podcast.