Which is:

Eating (mais oui!) although unlike other days of the week, on Sunday the main meal is scheduled for lunchtime. This is the time many choose to gather with their families at home, or more likely at a restaurant for a long and leisurely meal. Afterwards follows a game of petanque (more of that later), maybe a walk, but more likely a nap.

If visiting a French home for Sunday lunch, take some flowers, chocolates or maybe something from the patisserie or boulangerie, both of which do a roaring trade on Sunday mornings.

+++++++

Relaxing – preferably in the sunshine. Depending on the time of year and the region, a glass of icy pastis and a sunny courtyard with a book, or some friendly conversation works wonders to revive time-poor overworked French people, just as it does for anyone.

In a country of vineyards and caves (cellar doors) a day spent strolling from one to another, sampling the various vintages and varieties is an ideal Sunday activity. You could also explore one of France’s many les plus beaux villages or simply chill-out canal-side with a simple picnic.

+++++++

Exercising – by bike riding on canal paths or shady lanes. Many Parisians have a rural escape plan and choose any weekend they can to indulge in playing at being country-siders. Some go hiking, others take a barge or boat on the canals, or head for the beaches which are surprisingly good along the Atlantic coast.

Many village restaurants are flanked by what appears to the untrained eye to be a carefully raked stretch of gravel. Look again, sometime after lunch once the meal has settled, and you’ll see groups of people (men and women, young and old) tossing silver metal balls along the ground. If it looks like a friendly game ofpetanque, watch carefully. Some can still get very competitive!

+++++++

Shopping – the leisurely way, in Sunday markets as everyone stocks up on cheeses and sausages (of which France has an almost endless variety), breads, flowers, and craft items.

Whether it’s amongst the crowd at Montmarte in Paris having your caricature drawn or leafing through some street artist’s paintings, a couple of hours of this is probably enough. After that, a glace (ice cream) some pastries or perhaps a coffee at a café is the way to go, preferably with a street-side view of others enjoying their Sunday.

+++++++

Romancing. Well, we are talking about France, so however you spend Sunday, here with your partner, is always special!

++++++

Need to know: What’s closed on Sunday?

Don’t expect to be able to eat out at a restaurant on Sunday night, especially in country areas. Big cities, maybe, but even there it is often expected that the big Sunday lunch will have been more than enough to suit most appetites.

Many (in some places, most) shops are closed on Sunday and this extends to Mondays, although the trend is changing.