For a great day trip outside Paris, you won’t find anywhere more charming and picturesque than the lovely town of Fontainebleau and its surrounding countryside. Famous both for its scenic forest and for the historic, magnificent Château de Fontainebleau, the town is only about 40 minutes from Paris by rail (trains leave from the Gare de Lyon), or about an hour by road.

(Photo from: http://www.minube.sg/)

One of the great things about visiting Fontainebleau is that, while it is no less interesting than Versailles – many people in fact prefer it – there are far fewer tourists, and so you won’t have to join any long queues or be jostled by crowds, unless perhaps you are arriving on a public holiday.

The town itself is very easy to navigate, with one main street – the rue Grande – leading you past many interesting and attractive shop windows containing everything from fine pastries to jewellery.

The air is remarkably clean here, too, and despite being only a short ride outside Paris, there’s a very rural French atmosphere, which is further augmented by the weekly Sunday morning food market. If you’re looking for a breath of fresh air, you’ll certainly find it in Fontainebleau.

(Photo from: http://www.passagestothepast.com/)

Cathay Holidays is currently offering a four-day, three-night Paris Seasonal Package that starts from just HK$7,500 with a choice of more than a dozen hotels. Extra nights are also easy to book at reasonable prices, so you can stay longer to explore places like the enchanting town of Fontainebleau. Please click here for details.

One of the world’s largest museums and a historic monument, the iconic Louvre in Paris decided to develop a satellite museum so that people could view some of its content without travelling into the capital. And so Louvre-Lens opened last December 2012.

(Photo Source: http://www.lemonde.fr) 

Louvre-Lens is located in the city of Lens, in the northern part of France, about two hours’ drive from Paris, and about 90 minutes by car from Brussels.

(Photo Source: http://www.wallpaper.com) 

Not only exhibitions of paintings and sculptures are held here – Louvre-Lens also organises events such as musical performances and literature readings. Highlights this month include a marathon reading of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables taking place on March 30 and 31.

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You can visit Paris with a four-day, three-night Cathay Holidays package starting from only HK$6,775. For details please click here.

Today, we have a Q & A with M. Vincent Fabre, President of the unique Marathon du Medoc, which is a celebration not just of running, but of fine wine, too!

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What is special about the Medoc Marathon?

The Medoc Marathon was the first marathon in the world which proposed to run 42.195km in fancy dress with refreshments including water, wine, oyster, beef, cheese and ice cream. It’s not an easy race because of the many dusty roads, so the runners are coming here to enjoy themselves, not to break records!

How many wine Chateaux will be open for runners?

Between 30 and 40 Chateaux are open for the runners during the race, the most famous being Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Is it ok to drink wine when running a marathon?

During the Medoc Marathon, runners “taste” rather than “drink” red wine. We recommend drinking a glass of water before tasting.

What else do you provide at the supply stations along the course?

Runners can find water, dried fruits, cola, energy drinks, oysters, beef, cheese, ice cream, candies – and some fancy “pit stops” such as a make-up stand one kilometre before the finish line in order for the runners to look great when they cross the finish line!  

Can you recommend a nice route for runner-tourists to take for their recovery run the next morning?

We organise a 10km vineyard walk with five wine tastings the day after the Marathon. It’s not a race, just a walk open to the runners, volunteers, partners and spectators. This year’s walk will visit Cissac-Médoc, a village near Pauillac and Saint Estèphe.

Do you have any special message for runner-tourists considering taking part?

The Medoc Marathon is the only such opportunity to visit the most famous Chateaux in the world in a day. What could be more beautiful than tasting a glass of wine front of a fine Chateau, in the middle of a vineyard with 8,500 others persons?

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Note: This year’s Marathon du Medoc will take place on Saturday, September 7, with a whole range of activities organised for the weekend, and the fancy-dress theme for runners will be “Science Fiction”. Watch this space for news on a Cathay Holidays package, and in the meantime, be sure to check out the other Marathon Packages we already have on offer here.

The 37^th Paris Marathon will be held on April 7 this year. Known as one of the five biggest marathons in the world (along with those held in New York, London, Berlin and Chicago), the course of Paris Marathon allows runners to take in many of the city’s most famous and spectacular sights.

Runners will set off from the Arc de Triomphe, and then head down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde. The Rue de Rivoli then leads them to the Place de la Bastille, and after the greenery of the Bois de Vincennes park, the difficulty of the return journey is eased by fine views of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.

Each year, this event attracts around 16,000 participants from outside France, and although the official enrolment period has now ended, Cathay Holidays still has several much sought-after slots reserved for runners who may have missed the deadline.

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To be one of the lucky few, and take part in one of Europe’s great social and sporting events for 2013, click here for reservations and package information.

Cathay Holidays will have more upcoming overseas marathon packages to offer in the near future – so stay tuned for news about your favourite destination.

Following up on the popularity of our Japan Marathon Packages, Cathay Holidays has added three great European events to our Marathon offerings for 2013. In March, April and May, runners will be offered the chance to compete in the Rome, Paris and Prague Marathons respectively, with flight-and-accommodation packages that include runner registration, and with a lower-priced rate for runners’ non-competing companions.

With three nights in a choice of conveniently located hotels, prices start from HK$10,480 for Paris, HK$12,550 for Prague and HK$13,080 for Rome.

For the fit and athletic, this is a truly unique way to see some of these cities’ most popular sights in an exciting atmosphere of competition and celebration. The Rome Marathon, for example, starts near the Coliseum and passes by the Trevi Fountain and St Peter’s Basilica. The Paris Marathon takes runners past The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame Cathedral, and finishes at the Arc de Triomphe, and the Prague Marathon starts and finishes at the city’s famous Old Town Square.

So don’t miss your chance! There’s still time to get in shape for these spectacular international running events. The Rome package must be booked by December 12, but you have until March to book for Paris and Prague.

For further information, just click here for Paris, here for Rome and here for Prague.

A really great way to take a stress-free skiing holiday is to go all-inclusive, with the kind of holiday experience offered by Club Med. This way, not only are all your meals and refreshments taken care of, but ski passes, ski-lift access, and group lessons for all levels are also included. Of course, the resorts also provide some fantastic ski runs.

Cathay Holidays is currently offering a selection of Club Med ski packages to Sahoro in Japan, and to several European destinations.

We have chosen some of the most popular resorts for you, including: Club Med Sahoro, located on the spectacular northern Japanese island of Hokkaido; Club Med Chamonix Mont-Blanc in France – a mountain resort with fabulous views of Mont Blanc; Club Med Serre-Chevalier in western France; and Club Med Villars-sur-Ollon – a luxury hotel built in the 1920s near the Swiss Alps and close to Lake Geneva.

In Italy, you can also try the Olympic runs at Sestrières or ski cross-country at the new Club Med Pragelato Vialattea, located at the key site of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps

Ski holidays at Club Med Sahoro start from just HK$12,090 or you can fly Business Class from a package price of only HK$16,490. The European Club Med ski packages are priced from HK$23,340. (You will also earn 1,000 Asia Miles.) Cathay Holidays has an early-bird offer for booking ski packages at European Club Med resorts before September 27, with a HK$2,000 discount per adult and HK$1,500 discount per child. For more details of Cathay Holidays’ Club Med resorts, please click here.

This week, Welcome Abroad catches up with Cathay Holidays staff member Olivia Ng to ask about her European travel experiences.

WA: Which places in Europe have you been to?

Olivia: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey and the UK.

WA: Which is your favourite European city?

Olivia: Paris for sure! 

WA: Why is Paris your favourite?

Olivia: The food there is excellent, and even if you have a limited budget, you can always get a fresh baguette from the bakery, so you’ll never go hungry! 

WA: Can you recommend three Parisian attractions?

Olivia: Bastille market – to meet the locals and get fabulous fresh food. Walk along the River Seine in the evening for unbeatable views of Paris. And finally, get off the metro at Trocadero station, from where you can enjoy some of the best views of the Eiffel Tower.

WA: What are your tips for wandering through Europe?

Olivia: Spend some time to shop around the huge supermarkets, and try the dairy food and beverages as they always taste fresh in Europe. Rollerblading and cycling are fun in Europe, too.  You can bring your own rollerblades or rent a bicycle, and there are plenty of long cycling tracks from which to view the lovely scenery

WA: Which European city do you want to visit next?

Olivia: Rovaniemi in Finland, to see the hometown of Santa Claus!