Top Reasons to Visit France in 2023

The Vallée de la Gastronomie is a new concept that invites visitors to explore four elite regions of the Eastern half of France through an abundance of sensory journeys.  This 385-mile path which begins in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, will provide food & wine lovers with a delightful way to experience this gourmet trail from Dijon to Marseille. The route wends its way through the gastronomy & wine powerhouses of Auvergne-Rhone-Alps and Provence’s Rhone Delta and ending in Occitanie’s Gard County.

The Vallée de la gastronomie website offers travelers a wealth of suggestions on where to eat and taste wines, like the simple bistro La Chaumière in Dole, Franche-Comte to the restaurants of 3 Michelin star Chef Anne-Sophie Pic in Valence. La Vallée also presents 6 itineraries that comb through those regions in distinctive and original ways. It is a perfect way to meet its people and its top artisans that are all dedicated to the French art de vivre and know-how. Visits include those to brewers of beer and whisky, chocolate makers, olive oil or vinegar producers or to better-known producers of the famed Marseillais “Sablés” or the “calissons” of Aix. The more adventurous can become a grape-harvester for a day or—to burn off those calories—experience all this through the Via Rhona, a dedicated bike path along the scenic Rhone River.

Sports fan? You’re in luck. The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be held in France from Friday, September 8 to Saturday, October 28, 2023. During that period, 20 countries will compete in over 45 matches, in nine French cities and venues. The opening match will be in Saint-Denis–a close suburb of Paris—at the impressive Stade de France. It should be a memorable and exciting one, pitting the home team known as “Les Bleus,” against the formidable “All Blacks,” more simply put, France and New Zealand.

There are many reasons to visit or revisit these 9 host cities but visiting them during the Rugby World Cup will provide sport fans & travelers alike with some extra oomph and joyous atmosphere. The other host cities are wine capital and ardent rugby city, Bordeaux; Northern France’s Lille, capital of French Flanders; Lyon, one of, if not the top gastronomic city of France; Mediterranean Marseille, France’s second most ancient city, with a very contemporary twist; creative Nantes, the Western Loire’s former capital of the Dukes of Brittany; UNESCO World Heritage site, Nice, capital of the Cote d’Azur; Saint Etienne in the Auvergne Rhone-Alps region and France’s capital of design and last but not least, the great rugby capital of Occitanie, Toulouse, also known as the Pink City.

Finally, the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance car race will celebrate its 100^th anniversary—having held its first race in May 26, 1923. 24 hour lore includes Hollywood icon Paul Newman and his team placing 2nd in 1979. The 91st edition will take place in Le Mans June 10 & 11, 2023.