See the Calanques from new angles
MOIRENC CAMILLE/HEMIS.FR/SUPERSTOCK.
The French Mediterranean coast is at its most stupendous at the Calanques National Park: a sequence of jagged limestone cliffs, hidden coves and shady pine forests between Marseille and Cassis. The Calanques that give the park its name are slender inlets that are the French answer to Norwegian fjords (only far nicer for swimming). Road access is generally banned even where it’s physically possible, so most visitors take a boat to appreciate these fjord-like formations. One alternative that avoids the well-sailed sightseeing routes is to see the parts of the Calanques that can only be reached by hiking clifftop trails. Cassis-based walking guide Franck Rotger knows these paths well. ‘The Pointe de la Cacau is a favourite of mine,’ he says. ‘It’s not on the classic itineraries.’ From this peninsula, hikers can survey three of the famous inlets, including Calanque d’en Vau (pictured). l Find out more about walking in the national park at calanques-parcnational.fr. Ask about guides through the Cassis Tourist Office (ot-cassis.com).
Savour a last taste of France in Menton
The fnal town on the French Riviera before the Italian border, Menton is the geographical equivalent of saving a delectable bite until the very end of a meal. Double Michelin-starred Mirazur is a restaurant standing less than 150 yards from the land of canneloni and mozzarella, and its cuisine draws particularly on the bounty of the Mediterranean in dishes such as sea urchin with saffron cream and langoustine on courgette remoulade. Menton, however, is a gastronomic revelation at all price tags: in the town’s historic centre, Au Baiser du Mitron (‘At the Baker’s Kiss’) has spent 111 years perfecting its sourdough breads baked in a wood oven. One classic southern taste is the fougasse – a loaf with palm-leaf-like holes cut into it, often studded with olives. There is no ingredient more honoured in Menton, however, than its prize lemons, which even appear on the town’s coat of arms, and get their own festival around the end of February. Au Pays du Citron is an encyclopedic shop for citrus-lovers, where the sunshine-coloured fruit appear in candies, honey, olive oil and even vodka.
PHOTOGRAPHS: IVOHA/ALAMY, PHOTOCUISINE RM/ALAMY, ERIC DEFROCOURT
• The standard tasting menu at Mirazur is £100, with some £60 lunch menus (mirazur.fr). Pastries at Au Baiser du Mitron start at 80p (aubaiserdumitron.com).
‘Real Menton lemons are a protected variety that is naturally mild and rich in taste.’ Lemon specialist Corinne Pangallo l aupaysducitron.fr
Dance all night to electro swing
It’s a genre that thrives away from the giant stage and nonchalantly jumbles the musical decades in search of a beat that gets your sinews twitching. Electro swing is an easy ft for the French capital: not only is Paris a city that likes to show off all layers of its historical millefeuille at once, since the 1930s it has had its own distinctive swing – earlier than anywhere outside the American heartlands of jazz. Electro Swing Club de Paris is the 21st-century pioneer: France’s first dedicated electro swing club night. Begun by DJ Typoboy (pictured), it’s a space for musicians to combine sounds from the 1920s to the ’50s with modern dance tracks. The best of its venues is La Java, a dance hall on the fringes of the Belleville neighbourhood, which once hosted the likes of Django Reinhardt. More than anyone else, he launched gypsy jazz or ‘jazz manouche’. This original style is celebrated at La Chope des Puces – a restaurant and music venue near where Reinhardt once parked his caravan in Paris’ northern reaches.
• Look out for events at electroswingclub.fr and lachopedespuces.fr.
Learn the art of burlesque in Paris