There’s an online travel information source called “Global Wanderlist” who describe themselves as, “We’re here to fuel your wanderlust with detailed destination guides, must-see attractions, hidden local gems, and travel tips that help you explore more and stress less.” As the company name suggests, they publish lists covering worldwide vacation spots to help you narrow down the choice of where to visit, when to go, plus some tips to make the journey even more enjoyable. They are headquartered in India so their Bucket Lists favor itineraries for that country with intriguing names like Mysore, Spiti, Sikkim, and Lucknow. As exotic as those sound, my attention was drawn to their recommendations for France.

On the Global Wanderlist Facebook page there are at least 200 Bucket Lists, each with 5 categories that begin with the word “Must”: See, Eat, Buy, Experience, and Do. At the bottom of today’s blog post I’ll put the original list that, as you would expect, includes the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, quiche, wine, and exploring medieval castles. But let’s take a look at some of the lesser known items that they suggest.

Must See—

• Dune du Pilat: tallest sand dune in Europe, near Arcachon and Bordeaux
• Pont du Gard: 1st century AD Roman aqueduct near Nîmes
• Rocamadour: medieval village clinging to a cliffside near Cahors
• Étretat cliffs: white chalk cliffs on the Normandy coast featured in the Netflix series “Lupin”

Must Eat—

• Cassoulet: our area’s signature hearty bean, duck, and sausage stew
• Tarte Flambée: a traditional Alsatian baked thin crust with cream, onions, and bacon (lardons)
• Choucroute: also from Alsace with sauerkraut, smoked pork, sausages, and potatoes
• Truffade: a thick potato, garlic, and cheese dish from Auvergne

Must Buy—

• Lavender from Provence: sachets, soaps, perfume, oil, candles, body cream
• A beret from Basque Country
• Nougat from Montélimar: almonds, honey, egg whites, and vanilla

Must Experience—

• Carnaval de Nice: a vibrant 2-week street party in February
• Oyster farming in Arcachon Bay, near Bordeaux
• Cog railway up La Rhune mountain in the Basque Country

Must Do—

• Surf at Biarritz’s beaches: we like just watching the Atlantic waves roll/crash in
• Go canyoning in the Verdon Gorge: in the foothills of the French Alps
• Visit the Camargue to see wild horses: lookout for pink flamingos too
• Explore the salt mines of Salins-les-Bains: in operation for 1200 years

And how long do they suggest it will take to see everything on their list? 30 days. We’ve been vacationing in France since the late 1980s and have lived here for 10 years and we still haven’t finished these choices. At least we’re in a great spot to continue that exploration since you’ll see in the photo below, Carcassonne is on their Must See picks. Just for fun, I’ll include their recommendations for Paris.

Photo note: The featured photo across the top of today’s post is one of our favorite beach towns on the Mediterranean, Collioure. In the first paragraph is a cassoulet made by our friend Roland.