Best cool and quirky links and stories about france

This site, Offbeat France, is dedicated to showing you France behind-the-scenes, all those quirks and foibles you won't find in your basic 'top 10' and 'best things to do' lists. Yes, I DO provide some of these (I mean, you want to know about them, right?) but that's not my focus. I want you to walk away from this site with this thought: "I didn't know that!"

If that happens and you learn something new about France or the French, we will have made each other happy.

If you'd like to delve deeper into the site, please visit any of these pages:

• Start Here
• About me
• Home

Please sign up for Beyond the Baguette, my twice-monthly newsletter where I share my latest travels in France. Please join me by clicking here!

And if social media is more to your taste, I'm there too! Just click through to the social media buttons at the top of this page, on the right. See you there!

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Bonjour! I’m Leyla! I was born in Paris and now live in the bucolic mountain foothills of Eastern France between Lyon and Annecy. 

I'm rediscovering my own back yard after years of living abroad in Canada, Spain and Switzerland as a journalist and a diplomat － and I'm loving every minute.

Passionate about history and culture, I’ve created Offbeat France to seek out my country’s mysteries and legends, less-traveled destinations, along with plenty of food stops and many castles － I am French, after all!

Read more!

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What's New!

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1. How To Make The Best Of One Day In Marseille

   Jan 14, 25 07:46 AM

   Only have one day in Marseille? No matter - here's my guide to your perfect day in the Phocaean City.

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2. 6 French New Year Traditions That Are Centuries Old

   Dec 28, 24 04:21 PM

   Discover six historical French New Year traditions that reveal how France once welcomed the New Year.

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3. Chinon Castle: Tales Of Heresy, Betrayal And Liberation

   Dec 18, 24 12:51 AM

   Chinon Castle has accommodated such diverse personalities as Henry II, the Knights Templar, and Joan of Arc.

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4. All my Lyon secrets, revealed!

   Dec 15, 24 04:07 AM

   In this podcast interview with Local Perspectives in Australia I delve into my deepest thoughts and secrets about Lyon, my favorite city!

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5. 9 Things To Know Before Visiting Chateau de Cheverny

   Dec 15, 24 02:26 AM

   Cheverny, where Tintin, hunting hounds and LEGO meet - and it all makes sense.

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