Sian Griffiths Travel & Tours

  • Home
  • Sian Griffiths Travel & Tours

Sian Griffiths Travel & Tours Based in Nimes in southern France, I'm a French Government-licensed tour guide and owner of charming vacation let "Au Coeur de Nimes".

I look forward to helping you to discover the south of France!

❤️ Goes without saying, I guess.....but you probably know that already from everything else I post, right? 😀🎄  With Twel...
03/01/2025

❤️ Goes without saying, I guess.....but you probably know that already from everything else I post, right? 😀

🎄 With Twelth Night coming up, thud is the last weekend with the Christmas lights around town, plus the skating rink, Christmas Village, Little Train and so on.... au revoir until next time!

🎅 In the meantime, a big "merci beaucoup!" to the Ville de Nîmes - this year's red & white theme has been so colourful, warm and festive (vs previous years' blues, LED grey-whites and so on....) - we look forward to next Christmas's theme!

Winter mornings along the Quai de la Fontaine..... crispy cold, but sunny with a glorious blue sky!
02/01/2025

Winter mornings along the Quai de la Fontaine..... crispy cold, but sunny with a glorious blue sky!


🎉🥂 WHEN THE CLOCKS STRIKE 12..... As 2024 draws to a close, I wish you a fabulous New Year's Eve celebration wherever yo...
31/12/2024

🎉🥂 WHEN THE CLOCKS STRIKE 12.....
As 2024 draws to a close, I wish you a fabulous New Year's Eve celebration wherever you may be tonight - and warmest wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025!

❤️ THE HEART OF NÎMES.....Christmas lights in Nîmes' beautiful medieval Place aux Herbes.Our lovely one-bedroom vacation...
29/12/2024

❤️ THE HEART OF NÎMES.....
Christmas lights in Nîmes' beautiful medieval Place aux Herbes.

Our lovely one-bedroom vacation rental apartment Au Coeur de Nîmes (literally and metaphorically in the very heart of Nîmes!) is at the very top of the building on the right (first photo), with stunning views over the cathedral (second photo) - contact me for more details!

A sunny Saturday lunchtime in Rue Regale, looking towards the Esplanade and the  Christmas Village....           #      ...
29/12/2024

A sunny Saturday lunchtime in Rue Regale, looking towards the Esplanade and the Christmas Village....

#

🫠 POST-CHRISTMAS AAAAHHHHH....A gloriously sunny and relaxing Boxing Day in my neck of the woods, with my apartment on t...
26/12/2024

🫠 POST-CHRISTMAS AAAAHHHHH....
A gloriously sunny and relaxing Boxing Day in my neck of the woods, with my apartment on the right overlooking the stunning twin-spired church of Saint-Baudile, fountains and trees of Place Gabriel Péri plus the Roman Porte Auguste on the left (not shown).

It's still strange to me that 26 Dec sees everyone back at work in France, yet Boxing Day is such a vital part of the Brit festive experience!

Now catching up on Brit TV, and settling down to watch (yet again!) "Gladiator" - the original, stunning Ridley Scott spectacular from 2000.

It's my all-time favourite movie soundtrack, and one of my absolute best Nîmes memories is from three years ago when the Arènes hosted a huge al fresco screening with 200 musicians and singers, including Lisa Gerrard,, co-composer with Hans Zimmer and singer of haunting theme "Now We Are Free" - it still gives me goosebumps to this day!

Happy Boxing Day!

#

🎅 EVEN SANTA SHOPS AT LES HALLES DE NÎMES 🤶 !Just honoured as one of the world's top 30 food markets by the "Financial T...
23/12/2024

🎅 EVEN SANTA SHOPS AT LES HALLES DE NÎMES 🤶 !
Just honoured as one of the world's top 30 food markets by the "Financial Times Weekend" magazine and celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, Les Halles is even busier than usual at this time of year as everyone prepares their festive spreads!

The culinary hustle & bustle goes on until 1.00pm 363 days a year, but today and Christmas Eve tomorrow see Les Halles open all day long - so happy food shopping at one of the best on the planet!

# #

🕊  FLYING HIGH.....Fabulous views from my terrace tonight of "Cubo" -  Cirque de Soleil-style aerial artistes performing...
22/12/2024

🕊 FLYING HIGH.....
Fabulous views from my terrace tonight of "Cubo" - Cirque de Soleil-style aerial artistes performing on, in, above and around a giant metallic cube, plus magical bird-shaped "balloons" (and not forgetting of course the ever-spectacular Roman Porte Auguste city gate opposite and the Tour Magne watchtower in the distance!)

MORE VIENNA....A few randoms this time, to end the long weekend in this gorgeous cityFrom a  magnificent  gingerbread Ra...
02/12/2024

MORE VIENNA....
A few randoms this time, to end the long weekend in this gorgeous city

From a magnificent gingerbread Rathaus ( = town hall) in a bakery window, stunning Art deco gallery, cute dog-poo (plus steep fine!) warning, Mozart statue (and lawn!), had-to-be-done apple strudel and hot chocolate (with LOTS of cream!) in a traditional coffee house, lovely old shops, cute tinsel Christmas tree hats, to - last but not least! - Zum Schwarze Kameel (= the black camel), a Vienna institution since 1617 and our go-to spot for a Sekt ( = Austrian sparkling wine) or six!

That's Austria for this year - see you in 2025!

🎨  CULTURE VULTURES..... NOT!!!!Well, our day of culture was not to be - apparently if you only see one museum in Vienna...
02/12/2024

🎨 CULTURE VULTURES..... NOT!!!!
Well, our day of culture was not to be - apparently if you only see one museum in Vienna, the Belvedere is it, with Klimts galore among myriad other treasures, so we arrived just before noon, to find the first entry slot was 4.45pm (memo to self : book online slots before travelling!), so that was that - the nearest we got to Klimt was in the souvenir shop (with a touch of Vincent thrown in for good measure!)!

However the gardens are magnificent (first photo) and - guess what! - there's a Christmas market in the forecourt. All the other museums were packed too, with long, long lines - and Christmas markets everywhere you looked......

Getting a bit Christmas marketed-out by this point, but the tour was at 5.00pm - actually rather disappointing as the guide, who despite being very sweet, wasn't very informative.

However we did go across a fab bridge designed by French street artist Invader (one of my favourites!) Into the Museums Quartier - very cool and modern, so quite the contrast with all the Baroque elsewhere!

🎄  IT'S TIIIIIIME........for our annual Christmas Market-fest - this time we're in Vienna for a few days, visiting Chris...
30/11/2024

🎄 IT'S TIIIIIIME........for our annual Christmas Market-fest - this time we're in Vienna for a few days, visiting Christkindlmarkts all over this stunning city to get into the festive spirit!

So far we've seen huge (Schönbrunn, the summer palace of the ruling Hapsburgs), intimate (Spittelberg), fabulous art & handicrafts (Karlskirche) and downright cool (Museums Quartier), plus a city tour, window shopping, apfel strudel and hot chocolate (both with lots of whipped cream, natürlich!) and lots of Austrian food and wine!

Tomorrow it's time for some culture with a museum visit or two, and then a Christmas Market & Food Tour - can't wait!

#

🎨 IN THE MARKET FOR ART....From now until 15 December, pick up a painting along with your fruit and veg at Les Halles de...
28/11/2024

🎨 IN THE MARKET FOR ART....
From now until 15 December, pick up a painting along with your fruit and veg at Les Halles de Nîmes market!

"L'Art dans Lard" (lard = bacon) is a brilliant initiative by local artist Christian Pradès, showcasing his work plus a selection of other local artists in two pop-up mini-galleries in empty market stalls.

Les Halles just celebrated its 140th anniversary, and so this is a great way to bring some colour and interest to sad empty stalls, and highlight local talent at the same time - merci Christian!

🐊 CROCODILES ROCK! 🐊 👖 France 3 TV reports that my friend Guillaume Sagot  - founder of Ateliers de Nîmes and who single...
26/11/2024

🐊 CROCODILES ROCK! 🐊
👖 France 3 TV reports that my friend Guillaume Sagot - founder of Ateliers de Nîmes and who singlehandedly achieved his dream to "ramener denim à la maison" ( = bring denim home) - just received a letter from Lacoste's lawyers, demanding he stop using the crocodile on his logo, as the crocodile "belongs" to them.

🐊 However while their crocodile connection goes back to the 1930s with the promise of a crocodile-skin travel bag if Rene Lacoste won a tennis match, Guillaume's goes back way further than that - to Roman times, to be exact!

🐊 🌴 The crocodile chained to the palm tree is Nîmes' coat-of-arms - first used in 1536 and still in use today, it dates back to a coin minted in 28 BC to celebrate the Roman victory at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, where Augustus (né Octavian) beat the Egyptians, led by Cleopatra and Mark Anthony.

🐊 Minted in Nîmes, the chained crocodile symbolised Egypt's defeat, while the palm was the Roman symbol of victory - more importantly though, the coin was stamped "Col Nem", showing the importance of Nîmes at that time.

🐊 Thus the crocodile has been "ours" for a while now, and Guillaume's logo shows the crocodile and the palm tree coat-of-arms - so hardly an imitation of Lacoste's logo!

👖Last but not least, in a wonderful play on words, "Ateliers de Nîmes" ( = Nîmes Studios) is ADN for short - and ADN is French for DNA - thus denim is in Nîmes' DNA! 👖

🇭🇰  ALL ABOARD FOR A NEW LIFE! 🇨🇵Exactly eight years ago tonight, after 30 amazing years in HK, we took off from Hong Ko...
22/11/2024

🇭🇰 ALL ABOARD FOR A NEW LIFE! 🇨🇵
Exactly eight years ago tonight, after 30 amazing years in HK, we took off from Hong Kong Airport, headed for Paris Charles de Gaulle and our new life in France .

Eight amazing years later of discovering, learning, exploring, new career opportunities, new friends, new dogs and lots of fun and excitement along the way - it's been a blast, and we're eagerly looking forward to the next eight and beyond!

Two amazing locations to live and myriad amazing experiences in both places - I'm so incredibly lucky and feel very blessed!

#

🛍  TALKING SHOP....Fragonard, one of my favourite shops in Arles, is coming to Nîmes, opening in early 2025,  right acro...
22/11/2024

🛍 TALKING SHOP....
Fragonard, one of my favourite shops in Arles, is coming to Nîmes, opening in early 2025, right across from the Maison Carrée, and just a few doors down from the fab Galeries Lafayette, also opening in 2025.

Founded in 1926 in Grasse by the Fragonard family of perfumers, now four generations later the shops offer a fabulous collection of perfumes, toiletries, homeware, clothing and more, plus wonderful candles - my go-to gift!

🛍 Bienvenue Fragonard et à bientôt! - Welcome Fragonard, and see you soon!

🎄IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS! 🎄 Bit by bit, the Christmas decorations and lights are going up all over t...
20/11/2024

🎄IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS! 🎄

Bit by bit, the Christmas decorations and lights are going up all over town, ready for the grand festive lighting ceremony hosted by the mayor on 29 November (for more details, visit the Nîmes Tourist Office website).

Meanwhile Christmas is coming to the medieval Place aux Herbes, with the 11th century cathedral (currently under renovation), right underneath my vacation rental apartment, Au Coeur de Nîmes - iterally and metaphorically in the very heart of Nîmes!

Stay tuned for more scenes of Noël in Nîmes once the lights are switched on!

🛟 À BIENTÔT.....As the gangway's winched back up on board in time to set sail, today sees the last cruise tour of 2024 a...
19/11/2024

🛟 À BIENTÔT.....
As the gangway's winched back up on board in time to set sail, today sees the last cruise tour of 2024 and the end of another very successful Rhône river cruising seaaon

So it's all quiet from now until March next year when cruises restart again - we already have all our dates for next year (Viking very efficiently assigned them all way back in August!), so we're all on board for 2025!

Having worked several years at sea with Cunard Line many moons ago, and then many more years next to Hong Kong's spectacular harbour, I LOVE being on the water - so this is my idea of heaven!

🛟 See you all next year!

Late lunch today at Dolce & Café, our favourite café just a stone's throw from the Arènes.  Cool (puffa jackets to the f...
15/11/2024

Late lunch today at Dolce & Café, our favourite café just a stone's throw from the Arènes. Cool (puffa jackets to the fore!) but glorious sunshine - what's not to like??!!

Address


Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Sian Griffiths Travel & Tours posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Sian Griffiths Travel & Tours:

Videos

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Videos
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency?

Share