The Good Life France's podcast

By Janine Marsh & Olivier Jauffrit

Society & Culture Arts Food Places & Travel

What's The Good Life France's podcast about?

Everything you want to know about France and more… in a free podcast. Janine Marsh, Editor of The Good Life France, award-winning travel writer and author of best-selling memoirs about life in France with her unruly chickens, dogs, cats, ducks and geese, quirky neighbours and the joys of renovation, and Olivier Jauffrit, the vintage French music expert at Radio Paris Chanson – have teamed up to make a podcast!

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The Good Life France's podcast episodes:

05.06.2024
#41 - The fascinating history of absinthe
The history of absinthe is a tale of madness, creative genius, smuggling, fairies and bad behaviour in the Belle-Époque, a time of peace and economic prosperity in France when the arts flourished from early 1870 until 1914 and the start...
04.29.2024
#40 - The Mystery of the Mona Lisa
A woman with an enigmatic smile. She has been celebrated in songs, poetry and pop art. She is mysterious, some say she is a siren who casts a spell on those who look at her. She does not move. She...
04.22.2024
#39 - May Day in France
In this petite podcast episode, we’re going to explore the traditions of May Day in France, the first of May, and specifically the tradition of giving flowers to friends and loved ones which is unique to France. It’s a tale...
04.15.2024
#38 - The Life & Times of King Louis XIV
Today we’re going to be talking about a man who in his time was one of the most powerful men in the world. He had a huge impact on French history. He had lavish tastes, he was a control freak,...
04.08.2024
#37 - French art de vivre
What exactly is French art de vivre? In this petite podcast episode, we explain all, where it comes from, what it is and how to practice art de vivre, a fundamental part of the French psyche and a way to...
04.01.2024
#36 - French wine – history, traditions and etiquette
Today we’re going to be talking about something very French, wine. France is of course one of the best wine making countries in the world and beyond, according to one of us on this podcast! Though extra-terrestrials probably won’t be...
03.18.2024
#35 - Reasons to love France
France is the world’s most visited country, Paris is the world’s most visited city, and several of its monuments, museums and metropolises are on the world’s top list for visits. But it’s not just the places or the buildings of France...
02.26.2024
#34 - Day Trips from Paris by train
We love Paris, but today we’re going to escape the city’s hustle and bustle. Join us as we discover historic, delicious, fascinating and enchanting destinations you can reach from Paris by train on a day trip. And we’ve made sure...
02.05.2024
#33 - The Life and Times of Queen Marie-Antoinette
Queen Marie-Antoinette's life was a blend of luxury, controversy, and tragedy. Her story is a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of royal life and the turbulent times of late 18th century France – no wonder we remain fascinated with her...
01.22.2024
#32 - Travel Guide to France
When you’ve ticked off those must-see sites on your list – the Palace of Versailles, Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, a dazzling little island that makes you feel you have stepped back centuries, the Louvre, the world’s most visited museum and the...
01.08.2024
#31 - Paris Uncovered: secret Paris
In this episode we’re going to be uncovering Paris to explore some of the most amazing hidden gems, the secret places you might miss if you don’t know they are there. It's not just the landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower and...
12.18.2023
#30 - All about France Quiz
How much do you know about France? In this episode we’re doing a quiz that everyone can join in with! We’ll ask some questions on all sorts of topics – gastronomy, history, culture, language and more, and we’ll give you...
12.04.2023
#29 - French stereotypes – true or false?
A tour through the charming, amusing, and sometimes misunderstood world of French stereotypes. We’re going to take a light-hearted look at some of the common stereotypes about the French - from fashion to rudeness and smoking like chimneys. From the...
11.20.2023
#28 - The history of the French baguette
Bread in France is more than just food; it's a cultural cornerstone. It’s about community, tradition, and the French way of life. We'll discuss the role of bread in daily French life and how it reflects the values and rhythms of...
11.06.2023
#27 - The Eiffel Tower in a podcast
The Eiffel Tower isn’t just a symbol of Paris, but a symbol of France. But this wasn’t supposed to happen. The Tower shouldn’t even be there. We have to go back in time to the beginning of her story, she is...
10.23.2023
# 26 - Halloween in France
Ghosts, ghoulies and Halloween in France. In this episode we’ll talk about haunted castles – there are loads of them in France. Plus ghost stories - including the tale of a wooden leg that walks alone. And French Halloween habits –...
10.09.2023
#25 - The miraculous Mont-Saint-Michel, a legendary landmark
Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy is one of France’s most iconic, legendary, and visited landmarks. This little island in one of the officially most beautiful bays in the world is a record breaker, a place conceived with the help of an angel with...
09.25.2023
#24 - How to be French Part II – very French habits
Sometimes the French can be very different from everyone else! We look at some of the more unusual and unique habits such as never, ever, ever being wrong. And not only that, we explain the surprisingly and really rather strange...
09.11.2023
#23 - Autumn in France
Autumn in France and La Rentrée – a very French thing! It literally means ‘the return’, which sounds quite mysterious, like a thriller film but it’s not at all. We explain all about la rentrée and the best places to...
07.24.2023
#22 - The palace of Versailles in a podcast
Versailles – the palace, the people, history and legends. The extraordinary story of this mighty castle, built in a swamp on the outskirts of Paris stars a heavyweight cast of royals and played a key role in the destiny of...
07.10.2023
#21 - Where do the French go on holiday?
Ever wondered where the French go on holiday, and what their secret favourite places are? Well, no secrets here, we reveal all, as well as some of the quirky habits of the French on holiday and some frankly downright weird...
06.26.2023
#20 - Bastille Day in France – what’s it all about?
Bastille Day is France’s biggest national holiday. Find out what it’s all about and why French people have no idea what you’re talking about when you call it Bastille Day – they don’t call it that at all! We explore...
06.11.2023
#19 - Amazing castles of France
Discover some of the most amazing castles of France, the most haunted, tallest and oldest. The castles with amazing histories like Vaux-le-Vicomte near Paris, built by a King’s minister and so beautiful it made the King seethe with jealousy and what...
05.29.2023
#18 - The A-Z of Paris
In this episode we share the A-Z of Paris. From arrondissements, the municipal districts of the city laid out in the shape of a snail, to the second oldest zoological garden in the world, started when the animals of the...
05.15.2023
#17 - The A-Z of French Food
In this episode we share the A-Z of French food. France is the nation that invented the restaurant, haute cuisine and Cordon Bleu, the pique-nique, baguettes and crème brulée. The French certainly live to eat, not eat to live. The...
05.02.2023
#16 - Weird and wonderful superstitions of France
The French are rather a superstitious bunch – and some of the superstitions are very odd - got 13 for dinner and think the number 13 is unlucky? Then go French, pop an egg on the table, now you have...
04.17.2023
#15 - The most marvellous monuments of France
Marvellous, magnificent and mesmerising monuments of France! The biggest and the best, the strange and the quirky, their history, legends and fascinating facts from the Eiffel Tower to the most incredible palace in France – built by a postman from...
04.03.2023
#14 - Fabulous and frankly quirky French festivals
The biggest and the best, the strange and the quirky, the festivals where you can eat yourself to a standstill, and the ones where you’ll have so much fun, you’ll want to go back year after year! Marathon races that...
03.20.2023
#13 - Welcome to cheese land
For the French, cheese is a symbol of Frenchness. They’ve been eating great cheeses for a long time here, some of the most famous were being made thousands of years ago. In this episode we consider some of the most famous...
03.06.2023
#12 - Top places to visit in France – plus top tips, secret places & more
Discover the most popular places to visit in France, their histories and legends, but also the secret places close by so you get to travel to ‘real’ France. In Paris you must of course visit the Eiffel Tower, but how about...
02.20.2023
#11 - Fascinating history of French food
In this episode we'll be talking about a topic that's on everyone's lips in France - great classic French food! And especially food that has a fascinating history, cheese that has a 6000 year old past, stew that helped save...
02.06.2023
#10 - How to speak French!
Learn the three most important words in the French language in this fun episode - no test at the end we promise! Tu and vous - you and you - what's that all about? We'll explain what it means if a...
01.23.2023
#9 - The fairy tale Chateau de Gudanes
What if you were to browse the internet and see a photo of a neglected castle in the south of France, a ruin for sure but with a faded grandeur that pulls at your heart strings… Would you be tempted to...
01.09.2023
#8 - How to be French?
Ever wondered what makes the French so… well French?! Janine Marsh, resident of northern France, author of three books about life in France for a frequently baffled expat and the editor of magazine and website The Good Life France chats to...
12.19.2022
#7 - Christmas in France
It might not surprise you to know that mostly – Christmas in France is all about food… so buckle up, or maybe unbuckle your belt, for a fun, festive and foodie episode – the A to Z of Christmas in...
12.02.2022
#6 - A year in the Merde!
Our guest today is British author Stephen Clarke who lives in Paris. He has sold more than a million books world-wide including the hugely popular and hilarious Merde series which began with a Year in the Merde based on Stephen’s own...
11.19.2022
#5 - Walking the Camino pilgrims route
We chat to artist Perry Taylor who walked 900km of the Camino, from France to Spain, in six weeks. Famous for his humorous drawings of life in France, he put down his paintbrush and pens and walked the equivalent of...
11.05.2022
#4 - Eat, Cake, Love | The magic of Paris and baking
Molly Wilkinson left Dallas, Texas, USA to train in Paris as a patisserie chef at the famous Cordon Bleu cookery school. What she didn’t expect was to fall in love with a Frenchman, set up home in Versailles on the...
10.21.2022
#3 - How murderous daydreams became a best-selling book series
The Good Life France Podcast Episode 3 with Ian Moore, a British author and comedian who lives in the Loire Valley where he runs a gite and dreams of killing his guests which has inspired a series of fun thrillers! He...
10.08.2022
#2 - How to be a Parisian in less than one hour!
In this episode discover how spiders can bring joy and hope in France! Find out whether it’s really true you shouldn’t turn up on time for dinner at a French person’s house! And learn how to be a Parisian in...
09.22.2022
#1 - A podcast about France
An introduction to The Good Life France podcast – everything you want to know about France and more. Meet author Janine Marsh an ex-Londoner who lives in rural northern France, and Olivier Jauffrit from France who lives in London. Entente-cordiale...

What's The Good Life France's podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Good Life France's podcast episodes:

#41 - The fascinating history of absinthe

#40 - The Mystery of the Mona Lisa

#39 - May Day in France

#38 - The Life & Times of King Louis XIV

#37 - French art de vivre

#36 - French wine – history, traditions and etiquette

#35 - Reasons to love France

#34 - Day Trips from Paris by train

#33 - The Life and Times of Queen Marie-Antoinette

#32 - Travel Guide to France

#31 - Paris Uncovered: secret Paris

#30 - All about France Quiz

#29 - French stereotypes – true or false?

#28 - The history of the French baguette

#27 - The Eiffel Tower in a podcast

# 26 - Halloween in France

#25 - The miraculous Mont-Saint-Michel, a legendary landmark

#24 - How to be French Part II – very French habits

#23 - Autumn in France

#22 - The palace of Versailles in a podcast

#21 - Where do the French go on holiday?

#20 - Bastille Day in France – what’s it all about?

#19 - Amazing castles of France

#18 - The A-Z of Paris

#17 - The A-Z of French Food

#16 - Weird and wonderful superstitions of France

#15 - The most marvellous monuments of France

#14 - Fabulous and frankly quirky French festivals

#13 - Welcome to cheese land

#12 - Top places to visit in France – plus top tips, secret places & more

#11 - Fascinating history of French food

#10 - How to speak French!

#9 - The fairy tale Chateau de Gudanes

#8 - How to be French?

#7 - Christmas in France

#6 - A year in the Merde!

#5 - Walking the Camino pilgrims route

#4 - Eat, Cake, Love | The magic of Paris and baking

#3 - How murderous daydreams became a best-selling book series

#2 - How to be a Parisian in less than one hour!

#1 - A podcast about France