France

The Paris office of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the organization mandated by the State of Israel to facilitate and encourage immigration from around the world, announced today that 7,900 French Jews immigrated to Israel in 2015. That represent a 10% increase over the record 2014 figure.

The perfect Paris and France travel gift for your friends and loved ones--or for yourself--suffering from Paris-envy, Francophilia and a frequent desire to travel to France: Travel therapy with Gary Lee Kraut, editor of France Revisited.

The terrorist attacks in Paris and Saint-Denis on November 13 killed 130 people and left hundreds more wounded. The immediate target was joie de vivre in the City of Light: the pleasure of sharing a drink or a meal with friends, of listening to music, of strolling down the street, of kissing on the sidewalk, of men and women mingling and dressing freely, of gathering comfortably with strangers, of being young in years or young at heart, of openly celebrating life. Those are all things that you, the visitor and the return traveler, look forward to when you imagine (re)visiting Paris.

In the aftermath of the Great War of 1914-1918, American philanthropy and charitableness made its mark in Europe with initiatives to assist in the social, economic and structural reconstruction of devastated regions of northern and northeastern France. Château-Thierry, 55 miles east of Paris along the Marne River, benefited from the dedication of Reverend Julian Wadsworth and his wife, who created the House of French-American Friendship.

June 18, 2015—Two hundred years ago today Napoleon I (Bonaparte) was defeated at Waterloo. For much of the world (except perhaps for the British) Waterloo speaks far more about the fall of Napoleon and of France’s ambitions in Europe under his leadership than it does of the victory of the forces allied against him and against France.

There are those big biking trips that you spend months preparing. Then there are those short trips that begin with “Hey, it’s going to be nice out this weekend—let’s go biking… in the Loire Valley!” This little Loire loop—three days, two nights, including two days of biking—is of the latter kind. Beginning and ending in Blois...

To Blois or not to Blois, that is the question that travelers ask when planning their itinerary of Loire Valley chateaux. Though not as photogenic as some the other stars of the valley, Blois, easily accessible from Paris, is in many ways the key to understanding royal history and architecture all along the Loire. This illustrated article examines the men and women who made Blois, followed by information about hotels, B&Bs and restaurants in Blois and in the surrounding area.

June 6, 2015—On the eve of the 71st anniversary of the D-Day landing in Normandy, Dan Schlossberg of Travel Itch Radio invited France Revisited's editor Gary Lee Kraut on the show to discuss D-Day and other American War Memories in France.

The elegant Château de Cheverny is "chez moi" for Charles-Antoine de Vibraye and his family. Call him "marquis" if you like. His ancestors have resided on the premises for the better part of 600 years. Cheverny was one of the first private French estates to open its gates to the public, and de Vibraye welcomes on average 350,000 guests per year to his castle-sweet-castle.