5 Sporty French Destinations to Check Out After the Olympics, From Nice to Chantilly
France is well known for wine, for fashion, for food—but sporting prowess should also be high on that list. After all, Paris is where the modern Olympics as we know them were revived and reinvented in 1900.
But this summer’s Olympics will extend far beyond the City of Light—and you should, too. As we previously reported, soccer matches kick off in Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes, while sailing is set in Marseille. Basketball and handball fans are making their way to Lille, while the Loire Valley will welcome the shooting competition. Surfing will be held in a different hemisphere entirely, in French Polynesia.
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And it doesn’t stop there. Below is a guide to iconic French destinations to add on at the end of an Olympic trip that will allow you to continue in the spirit of the Games.
Twice as Nice
In the cycling world, July in Paris is synonymous with one image: the famous sprint up the Champs-élysées on the final day of the Tour de France. This year, Tour organizers have had to look elsewhere as they step aside to make way for the Olympics. It’s the first time in its history that the event will finish anywhere other than the French capital, but Nice’s famous beachfront strip, the Promenade des Anglais, is a fine understudy to call upon. The race wraps up before the Olympics kick off (on July 21), but the C?te d’Azur is an evergreen destination for road-cycling enthusiasts, with some legendary routes on the city’s doorstep—including Col de la Madone, a mountain pass Lance Armstrong favored as his pre-Tour fitness test. “With its climate and terrain, this area is made for cycling,” says six-time Tour de France rider and Nice local Christophe Le Mével. “The inland roads from Nice are stunning.” Plus, the city is enjoying a long-awaited renaissance with a clutch of highly anticipated luxury hotel openings and an increasingly inventive fine-dining scene.
Make It in Marseille
Marseille, France’s second city, can be reached in just over three hours from Paris on the country’s fast TGV train network, meaning you don’t need to rush your croissant and café in the capital in the morning if you want to be swimming in the Mediterranean by lunch. The venue for all Olympic sailing events, including kiteboarding (a sport making its Olympic debut), the city is a wonder to enjoy by water, whether cruising the coves of the Calanques or the string of islands off its coast, the Frioul archipelago. What makes Marseille one of the country’s most exciting destinations, however, is its food scene, from haute cuisine at AM par Alexandre Mazzia, the Michelin three-star restaurant from Alexandre Mazzia—the chef overseeing the menu for athletes during the Games—to casual street eateries serving up an explosion of flavors from around the world. “What I like about food in Marseille is that it reflects the diversity of the city,” says Fabienne V?llmy of Marseille’s urban winery Microcosmos. Her favorite? Provencal cuisine with Congo influence at Kin. “For me, chef Hughes Mbenda is the next star chef in Marseille,” she says.
A Rendezvous in Reims
You don’t need a sporting excuse to tack on a visit to the home of Champagne once the Games wrap up, but here is one just for the record: Reims played host to long-distance shooting events at the 1924 Paris Olympics—and even saw a gold medal performance by home favorite, France’s Pierre Coquelin de Lisle. The striking Art Deco building erected for the event is still standing, repurposed as the headquarters of the local shooting club. But if the only pop you want to hear is the sound of a Champagne cork, tour companies such as Black Tomato can unlock several exclusive experiences in the wine region. For CEO Tom Marchant, the pick of the lot is Champagne Bollinger, the bubbly of choice of James Bond. “It’s like another world,” Marchant says. “You enjoy this incredibly privileged access to the chateau and cellar itself, which is strictly invitation-only, as well as a tour of stunning vineyards of the estate in a vintage Land Rover Defender, seemingly plucked from one of the 007 films.”
The Cream of Chantilly
Fun fact: Polo has not been an Olympic sport since 1936 in Berlin. But, if it was in Paris, odds are high that it would take place at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, a vast, 500-acre property that dates back to the 17th century just 40 minutes outside Paris. Timed to coincide with the conclusion of the Olympic equestrian competition on August 6 in Versailles, the Club is hosting the Paris Games Polo Challenge 2024 on August 7, pitting the U.S. against France in a tribute to the centenary of the Paris 1924 Olympics (where the two countries met in competition). “The event is a way to reignite the spirit of international polo competition,” says J. Michael Prince, president & CEO of U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association. Prince recommends staying for a few days to soak up Chantilly’s rich history, including the stately Chateau de Chantilly, home to the second-largest collection of historical paintings in France after the Louvre.
Breakers in Biarritz
Biarritz may have lost out to French overseas territory Tahiti in its bid to host the surfing events at Paris 2024, but the fashionable coastal resort is considered the birthplace of the sport in France and is a three-time World Championship host destination (1980, 2017, and 2019). Legendary surf spots along this stretch of Basque Country coastline include Plage de la C?te des Basques, beloved for its powerful waves. “Biarritz, nicknamed Little California, is the ideal destination for enjoying the sea air and trying your hand at board sports,” says Romée de Goriainoff, cofounder of Experimental Group, who own the five-star Regina Experimental, a recently refurbished Belle Epoque hotel perched on a cliff overlooking the bay of Biscay and Biarritz Lighthouse. Summer’s tamer swell is considered perfect for beginners to the sport: Properties such as the Regina Experimental work with local surfers to guide guests to the best spots for group or individual lessons.
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