Rick Steves Home > 2008 Tours > Best of Paris & the South of France in 15 Days

Best of Paris & the South of France in 15 Days: Recommended Reading & Viewing

France is overwhelmingly rich in history, art and culture. Any preliminary reading, viewing or listening you can do will help you get the most from your trip. For more information on any of these books, visit your favorite bookstore or check out amazon.com; for video information, go to imdb.com. Rick Steves guidebooks are available at our office in Edmonds and also on our website's Travel Store.

Recommended Reading

Non-Fiction

• French or Foe?; Savoir-Flair — Polly Platt
• Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong — Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow
• A Distant Mirror  — Barbara Tuchman
• The Road from the Past — Ina Caro
• A Year in Provence; Toujours Provence — Peter Mayle
• Portraits of France — Robert Daley
• At Home in France — Ann Barry
• Postcards from France — Megan McNeill Libby
• A Goose in Toulouse — Mort Rosenblum
• From Here, You Can't See Paris — Michael Sanders
• Holy Blood, Holy Grail — Michael Baigent
• Adapter Kit France: A Traveler's Tools for Living Like a Local — Terry Link
• Culture Shock: France — Sally Taylor
• Traveller's History of France — Robert Cole
• Travelers' Tales: France — James O'Reilly
• The Longest Day — Cornelius Ryan
• Wine & War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure — Don and Petie Kladstrup
• Suite Francaise — Irene Nemirovsky
• Is Paris Burning? — Larry Collins
• Paris to the Moon — Adam Gopnik
• Marling Menu-Master for France

Fiction

• The Da Vinci Code — Dan Brown
• City of Darkness, City of Light — Marge Piercy
• Inspector Maigret — Georges Simenon
• A Very Long Engagement — Sebastien Japrisot
• Birdsong — Sebastian Faulks
• Les Misérables; The Hunchback of Notre Dame — Victor Hugo
• Joy of Man's Desiring — Jean Giono
• The Fly-Truffler — Gustaf Sobin

General Europe

• Europe 101 — Rick Steves & Gene Openshaw. History and art overview for the traveler; humorous and easy to read.
• A Distant Mirror — Barbara Tuchman. A well-written history of French nobility during the Middle Ages.
• Innocents Abroad — Mark Twain. Humorous classic recounts an American group's 1867 "Grand Tour" through Europe and the Holy Land.
• Civilisation — Kenneth Clark. BBC-TV series and book that teaches European art and civilization like nothing else. BBC-TV series and book that teaches European art and civilization like nothing else.
• Connections — James Burke. Fascinating book and TV series that links historical events and scientific discoveries across the centuries.

Rick Steves' Travel DVDs

For a fun, informative preview of your next tour destination, watch a DVD from our "Rick Steves' Europe" TV series! Our online Travel Store has 70 shows available on 12 DVDs (a generous five to eight shows per disc).

Films With a French Accent

Saving Private Ryan (1998) • Band of Brothers (2001 mini-series) • To Catch a Thief (1955) • La Grande Vadrouille (1966) • Jean de Florette (1986) • My Father's Glory (1991) • My Mother's Castle Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) • French Kiss (1995) • Chocolat (2000) • The Chorus (2004)

Mood Music

Edith Piaf, Francis Cabrel, Paris Combo, Charles Aznavour, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Trenet, French Kiss, Gigi, or Amélie soundtracks.