Festival trip guides

The Rencontres d'Arles transforms Arles each summer into a citywide photography festival. To make the most of your visit, it helps to understand the festival's venues—ranging from medieval churches to former industrial workshops—and how they cluster around the historic center. This guide breaks down each venue type, offers practical access tips, and suggests walking routes to group nearby shows.

Plan your visit to the Rencontres d'Arles photo festival with our guide to 2026 dates, opening week, exhibitions, and practical tips for exploring Arles.

Each summer, the Rencontres d'Arles transforms the historic city into a photography hub. The opening week—often called the vernissage weekend—is when exhibitions, portfolio reviews, book fairs, and evening events converge. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Les Rencontres d'Arles turns the whole city into a photography showcase every summer. Because hotels sell out months in advance, planning where to stay matters as much as the program. This guide weighs staying in Arles, the Camargue, and nearby villages like Fontvieille and Saint-Rémy to help you choose a base that fits your itinerary.

Planning to visit the Rencontres d'Arles in 2026? Learn about the Exhibition Pass and Book Day Pass, what each includes, free admission categories, group rates, and practical tips for booking your tickets.

The Rencontres de la Photographie transforms Arles every summer into a city-wide photography festival. The 2026 edition runs from July to October. This guide covers dates, ticketing, the main venues, and how to plan your visit.

Les Rendez-vous de l'Histoire is an annual history festival in Blois, France, featuring hundreds of free conferences, debates, a large book fair, film screenings, and more. It attracts tens of thousands of visitors each October. This guide helps you plan your visit, understand the program, and explore Blois.

Séries Mania is an international TV series festival held in Lille, France, typically each spring. This guide covers what to expect, how to get there, where to park, and why you should confirm details on the official festival website before you go.

Every May 3, Bastia honors the Black Christ of Miracles with a procession from the citadel to the Old Port, where the sea is blessed. Learn about the history, the route, and the best spots to watch this deeply rooted Corsican tradition.

The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc is more than its famous 100-mile race. Each year in late August, Chamonix fills with thousands of runners and fans for a week of racing, brand events, and community celebrations. This guide explains the race categories, how the schedule unfolds, and how to make the most of your time in the mountains.

Qualifying for the HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc Finals in Chamonix involves two main paths: collecting at least one Running Stone for the lottery, or achieving direct entry through a top podium finish or a high UTMB Score. This guide explains how the Running Stone system works, which races award them, and how the UTMB Index and score thresholds for 50K, 100K, and 100M races determine qualification.

Each November, the wine world converges on the small Burgundy town of Beaune for the Vente des Vins, an auction of barrel-aged wines from the historic Hospices de Beaune estate. Held under the Les Halles market hall opposite the Hôtel-Dieu, it is part of the Les Trois Glorieuses festival. This guide explains the auction's history and charity purpose, how non-bidders can watch the event, how to visit the Hôtel-Dieu, and how to plan a day trip from Dijon.