Here are some other services, all run by good friends, that can help to make your stay in Europe even more enjoyable:

Nice Pebbles and Riviera Pebbles
My good friends Matt and Gayle manage many apartments on the French Riviera, all with great locations and comfortable furnishings. You can count on them to make you feel at home during your stay in Nice or along the coast. Several apartments are available in the Old Town, near where Les Petits Farcis cooking classes take place. Their websites also contain a wealth of useful information about the area. For apartments in Nice visit Nice Pebbles; for apartments on the Riviera see Riviera Pebbles.

Nice Pebbles Sales
So you've fallen in love with Nice and want to invest in your own apartment? You can count on the friendly English-speaking team at Nice Pebbles to guide you through the process, from visiting apartments to making sense of the paperwork.

Lifestyle Riviera
Having sampled Adrian Shaw's Shiatsu massages, I recommend him to anyone who wants to make a holiday in Nice or the surrounding area that much more relaxing. Skilled in several different styles of massage, Adrian is also a personal trainer. His wife, Muriel, teaches inspiring yoga classes in English and French. 

Footprint guide
Written by my dear friends Kathryn and Tristan, this is an entertaining, up-to-date guide to Provence and the Cote d'Azur.

My French Apartment
If you would like to stay in the Negresco area, Richard Huysers rents his lovely one-bedroom apartment year-round. Take a cooking class with Les Petits Farcis and rent his apartment and you will receive 10 per cent off on both!

Haven in Paris
Erica Berman has impeccable taste and it shows in the selection of holiday apartments and villas her company offers in Paris, Provence and Tuscany. She also writes an entertaining and informative blog, hipparis.com.

The Villa Book
For a fantasy, no-holds-barred holiday, book your accommodation with The Villa Book. They specialize in luxury hotels with villas, but also have stylish apartments for rent in Paris and on the Côte d'Azur.

Paris by train
Canadian Ben Lam, a Paris resident, has decided to make sense of the often confusing French train system on his comprehensive website. You'll find information on using the Paris Métro and the RER, and travelling between various French cities by train - which is my preferred method of getting from Nice to Paris, where I run the custom food itinerary company Edible Paris.

Promenades Gourmandes
My good friend Paule Caillat takes small groups on market tours, followed by a hands-on cooking class in her home in the heart of Paris. Paule is a warm and entertaining person who goes to great lengths to explain how her scrumptious French recipes can be reproduced at home.

Divina Cucina
Judy Witts Francini is truly a Diva of Tuscan cooking! In the spirit of Les Petits Farcis and Promenades Gourmandes, she offers market tours, hands-on cooking classes and gourmet tours in Florence and Chianti.

On Rue Tatin
My friend Susan Loomis, author of several authoritative cookbooks on French cooking including The French Farmhouse Cookbook (Workman) and most recently Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin (Morrow Cookbooks), offers fascinating week-long programs at her gorgeous former convent in Louviers, Normandy.

Know What and Where
The brainchild of Silke Wolf, this website is about inspiring discoveries all over the world, with sections on fashion, food and drink, lifestyle and travel. Silke focuses on small businesses that can help us save money even as we expand our horizons.

Time Out online
Thoroughly researched and entertainingly written, the Time Out guides will give you the confidence to tackle any major city. The Paris Eating and Drinking guide (which I have edited for the past eight years) is the most comprehensive and frequently updated English-language restaurant guide to Paris.

Fodor's
For insightful tips on where to eat and sleep on the Côte d'Azur (I should know, I contribute to the guide!), pick up Fodor's Provence and the Côte d'Azur. The Fodor's website is an invaluable resource for travelers, too.