Slow Paris

Christmas in Paris: A Paris local’s self- guided walking tour with map

This self- guided walking tour and photo essay brings you a flavour of what Paris is like during Christmas. If you are travelling to Paris or are new to the city, this walking tour will help you navigate some of the most iconic Christmas decorations that you should not miss.

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A Paris street with traffic decorated with Christmas lights

LATEST ARTICLES

A couple looking at the Seine, with a Parisian façade in the background

Slow Paris

Winter in Paris: How to get through the cold weather

As I’m looking forward to experience my fourth winter in Paris, here are my tips for visitors as well as new implants in Paris, on how to prepare (physically and materially) for winter in the city of lights. The promises of winter in Paris are endless once you start looking beyond your comfort zone.
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The entrance to a Paris metro station in Saint Germaine de Pres

Slow Paris

Is Paris metro safe? A candid answer from a Paris local

Paris metro is a defining part of the city. Today, it is one of the busiest and densest metro stations in the world. If you’re wondering about safety in Paris metro, here’s my measured take on it.
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A view of the roman amphitheatre in Arles

Essays, Travel

Les Rencontres d’Arles: An extraordinary photo festival in France

For many decades, the tiny city of Arles in the stunning Provence region of France has been hosting Les Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles every summer. This photography festival has grown from a local affair to an internationally awaited event. Les Rencontres photo festival is an invitation to discover new limits of what photography can feel, look, and be like. It’s a celebration of the struggles, joys, and pitfalls of this art of storytelling.
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Girl wearing white staring at Chateau de Chantilly grounds

Travel

5 reasons to visit Château de Chantilly: A perfect Paris day-trip

Not only is Chantilly a welcome escape into the French countryside, but it is also an extremely important centre of French history, culture and art. Chantilly is also an ideal day trip from Paris. A 25-minute train ride will get you from Paris to the magnificent Château de Chantilly and its sprawling grounds.
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Monet's house in Giverny with a snapshot of blooming flowers in his garden

Travel

A visit to Monet’s house and garden in Giverny

Monet’s house in Giverny has a special place in the cultural landscape of France, and indeed, of the world. The reason is not just because Monet lived and worked here. But it is because the house and the surrounding magnificent gardens have been the inspiration behind some of the most iconic paintings by Monet. Read along to find out how to reach Monet’s house and garden in Giverny, as well as what to expect. I
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Le Jardin Emotions with giant faces sculpted onto green bushes

Travel

Les Jardins d’Étretat: An unusual place to visit in Normandy, France

Les Jardins d’Etretat combines artistic whimsy, with the surreal, sometimes melancholic, beauty of Normandy. The magnificence of the gardens, with its focus on being a space for creative expressions, makes it one of the most unusual, and beautiful places to visit in France.
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ABOUT

Détours celebrates slow travel and nature. This is a home for unhurried, soulful wandering. If you love exploring urban nature, natural parks, remarkable gardens and trees, you are in the right place.

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ABOUT ME

I am Pronoti, writer, photographer and founder of Détours. After moving from India to France, at 31 years old, I changed the course of my life and start a new chapter from scratch. Leaving a career in academia and teaching, I took the plunge into full-time writing in 2022.

A lot of my writings entails telling stories about travel. However, the more I write about travel and exploration, the more I felt that there was a need to tell stories of Paris or any other city or place by centring nature as much as culture.

This is my pursuit with Détours, to inspire people to view travel and exploration from a more mindful eco-centric, rather than ego-centric lens.

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Parisian girl walking the steps in Montmartre Paris

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