Travel podcasts for city break fans. All the historical and cultural background you need to enjoy your visit.
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
This episode centres on Marseille’s most popular sights, the Old Port, the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Canebière, the wide avenue leading back from the port into the heart of the city. After a few snippets of history, we tour such sights as the fish market, the iconic canopy built to mark Marseille's year as a City of European Culture in 2013, an ancient tower and a surprising link to Odessa in Ukraine. We might take the little ferry across the harbour, we'll certainly walk - or maybe take the 'petit train' - up the hill to Notre Dame de la Garde, where a huge golden statue of Mary the Virgin watches protectively over the city.
Reading Suggestions
The Wicked City by Nicholas Hewitt
Marseille Port to Port by William Kornblum
Total Chaos by Jean-Claude Izzo
Links for this post
The Saint Jean Fort
Deportation Memorial
The Petit Train
Notre Dame de la Garde
Boat trips from the Old Port
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
There are 26 centuries of history in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France! This episode runs through 10 places where you can find traces of key moments in the city's past. They range from the plaque commemorating the founding of Marseille in about 600 BC to the site where you can still see bullet holes from the fight to liberate the city from German occupation in 1944. They’re listed in chronological order, with a few of their stories attached and although this makes a good overview, we've saved some of the 'big-hitters’ such as Notre Dame de la Garde and the Château d’If for later episodes where they'll get a fuller treatment.
Reading Suggestions
The Wicked City The many Cultures of Marseille by Nicholas Hewitt
Marseille Port to Port by William Kornblum
Links for this post
Roman Docks Museum
Saint Victor Abbey
Memorial of the Marseillaise
Provencal Museum
Deportation Memorial
Museum of Marseille History
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
Wednesday Jan 03, 2024
Bienvenue à Marseille. Welcome to Marseille, the lively southern French city whose name rhymes with 'soleil'. There's beauty in the Old Port and the stunning coastline, there's history and culture a-plenty in the museums, there's a Provencal feel - boules and bouillabaisse - overlaid with a vibrant multi-ethnic mix. There's a little grit too, for this is the home of Marseille Noir crime fiction and the notorious Château d'If so graphically portrayed in The Count of Monte Cristo.
This introductory episode will help you get your bearings and pick up the basic facts which underpin everything. As the French say, 'On y va!' - Let's go!
Links and Reading
Three useful websites for tourist
Marseille Tourist Office
Marseille Tourisme.fr
About France: a short guide to Marseille
3 Guide Books
The Rough Guide to Provence and the Côte d’Azur
Marseille Travel Guide by Angela J Rea
Marseille Travel Guide by Betty Vanslyke
4 books on Marseille Culture
The Wicked City The many cultures of Marseille by Nicholas Hewitt
Garlic, Mint and Sweet Basil by Jean-Claude Izzo
Unveiling Marseille Your Insider’s Guide to the Multicultural Marvel by Tailored Travel Guides
Taste the World in Marseille by Vérane Frédiani
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Marseille series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Our introduction to literary Bordeaux begins with the 3 most famous Bordeaux authors, the ‘3 Ms’, that is the philosophers Montaigne and Montesquieu and the novelist François Mauriac. There are statues of them all in the city. There are mini biographies and pointers to their works. Then we follow up with more books set in and around Bordeaux - historical fiction, two very different detective stories and the true account of the web of spies – French, German, British – operating in Bordeaux during World War II.
Reading Suggestions
The Essays A Selection by Michel Montaigne
How to Live A Life of Montaigne in 1 Question and 20 Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell
Persian Letters by Montesquieu
The Knot of Vipers by François Mauriac
Thérèse Desqueyroux by François Mauriac
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
Bordeaux Private Eye by Rorie Smith
Game of Spies by Paddy Ashdown
Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie
Link for this post
Musee d'Aquitaine
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
This post gives ideas for day trips from Bordeaux, focussing first on nearby St Émilion, attractive both for its history and its world-renowned wine industry. To wander its cobbled streets is to find photo opportunities on every corner, both architectural gems and splendid scenery. Then we cover ways to explore the countryside around Bordeaux and also the beaches and resorts along the nearby Atlantic coast. Hikes and bike rides, boat trips and oyster tastings are all ways to enjoy the Nouvelle Aquitaine culture surrounding Bordeaux.
USEFUL LINKS
Guided Tours in St Emilion
Introduction to St Emilion
The King’s Keep
Les Cordeliers
Macarons de St Émilion
Macarons Moulierac
St Èmilion Open Doors Festival
Ban des Vendanges Festival
Hot Air Balloon Festival
Finding Beaches near Bordeaux
Cycle route from Bordeaux to Lacanau
Hiking trail around Bordeaux
Oyster tasting in Arcachon
Boat Trips from Arcachon
More ideas for trips out from Bordeaux
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Food and Shopping: two of the major reasons for visiting Bordeaux! This episode lists some of top-notch products from Bordeaux’s Atlantic coastline and the rich agricultural land surrounding it and highlights the areas of the city and some of the restaurants where you can enjoy them. Then we do the same for shopping, listing specialities and highlighting the shopping streets and markets you should look out for in different areas of the city. Don’t forget, there’s already been an episode on Bordeaux’s wine.
Useful Links
Bordeaux Food Tours
The Épicuriales Festival
Le Chapon Fin
Grand Hotel, Place de la Comédie
Brasserie Bordelaise
Café du Levant
Les Halles
Le 7 (Restaurant at Cité du Vin )
Galéries des Grands Hommes
L’Intendant
Librairie Mollat
Quai des Livres
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
This post introduces 3 Bordeaux art galleries, the long-standing Museum des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts), the always surprising Musée des Arts Contemporains (Museum of Modern Art) and the Bassin des Lumières, France’s largest digital art gallery where parts of the World War II submarine base have been re-purposed to provide a new way of enjoying art in an unexpected setting. And finally, a little about the Bordeaux-born artist, Rosa Bonheur, 19th century animal painter extraordinaire who has recently been enjoying something of a renaissance.
Reading Suggestion
Rosa Bonheur by Sandrine Andrews (in French)
Useful Links
Bordeaux Museum of Fine Arts
Bordeaux Museum of Contemporary Art
Bassins des Lumières
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
Wednesday Aug 02, 2023
Bordeaux wine – could two words be more inextricably linked? No, said the author Henry James: ‘Bordeaux is dedicated to the worship of Bacchus’. This post gives a little background, then focuses on where in the city to find out all about this most important product, whether than is learning about it, buying it, drinking it. We finish with 5 quirky reading ideas, everything from a great wine scandal to what Samuel Pepys thought about Bordeaux wine.
Reading Suggestions
From Bordeaux to the Stars by Jean-Michel Cazes
On Bordeaux Tales from the World's Greatest Wine Region by Jane Anson
The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide 150 years from 1870 to 2020 by Neal Martin
The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace
The Bordeaux Club by Neil McKendrick
Links for this post
Self guided wine walk around Bordeaux
2nd wine walk around Bordeaux
L'Intendant Bordeaux's best wine shop
Cite du vin Huge museum on everything to do with wine
9 km self-guided bike tour of Bordeaux's vineyards
23 km self-guided bike tour of Bordeaux's vineyards
30 km self-guided bike tour of Bordeaux's vineyards
Vineyards you can reach by public transport
Top pick of vineyards and chateaux to visit
Guided tours of vineyards outside Bordeaux
Maison du Vin wine-tasting, courses, etc
20 wine bars to visit in Bordeaux
Reviews of 2 Bordeaux wine bars
Bordeaux Wine Festival 4 days in June
Chartrons Wine Festival 2 days in October
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Jul 05, 2023
Wednesday Jul 05, 2023
Strolling through Bordeaux today, you can be largely unaware of the fascinating story of the city under German Occupation between 1940 and 1944. This episode recounts a little of the history and highlights three places to visit in the city today to find out more. Prepare for tales of hardship, persecution, courage, betrayal, resistance and, eventually, liberation.
Reading Suggestions
Life in Bordeaux under the Occupation by Jane Anson
Jewish Fates in Bordeaux during the 2nd World War
Game of Spies by Paddy Ashdown
Histoire de Bordeaux by Madeleine Lassère (French only)
Useful Links
Bassins à Flot
Bassins des Lumières
Great Synagogue of Bordeaux
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website for the blogpost accompanying this episode, to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
This post is all about Bordeaux's riverside heritage. We’ll be looking at a number of museums which explore the links between Bordeaux, the River Garonne and its trading prosperity, including the dark stain of slavery and how that is remembered in the city today. We end with ideas for the many ways to enjoy the riverside in Bordeaux, plus ideas for exploring the Gironde Estuary and its unique history and wildlife more widely.
Useful Links
Musée d’Aquitaine
Museum of Bordeaux Maritime History
Wine and Trade Museum
National Customs Museum
Museum of the Sea and Marine Life
Tour of the Bridges Walk (self-guided)
Bordeaux Tourist Office: ideas for enjoying the River Garonne
Boat Trips on the Garonne
Bordeaux Tourist Office: Visiting the Gironde Estuary
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Bordeaux series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!