All over France, parents and children are declaring “c’est La Rentrée” as they go back to school and work after their August holidays. As they vacate the hotels, beaches and tourist hotspots, now is the time to hop over the Channel and make the most of France without the crowds.

La Rentrée is a big thing in France, proving that the French are experts at turning even the most mundane into cause for celebration.

According to "Cat" on the France Magazine forum, it has even made headline news on French TV station TF1. “Was that really the most important thing going on in the world?” she says in our forum, “Well yes, perhaps it was, if you happen to be French.”

One excellent reason for celebrating La Rentrée in Paris is the return of the city’s restaurateurs. September sees them flinging open their doors after a month’s closure and, with mouths watering, their patrons sit down to newly inspired menus and the best late-summer produce.

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Carol Drinkwater, author of The Olive Route recommends Le Gorille Blanc (The White Gorilla) at 11 bis rue Chomel in the 7th arrondissement, as somewhere great for lunch or a great-value evening meal.

“I have never seen another foreigner in there,” she says.

Among her other favourite Left Bank hangouts is Nabuchodonosor (6 avenue Bosquet, 75017 Paris), which is run by a gay couple who apparently delight in explaining the strange name to customers and make sure everyone is made very much at home.

Café des Lettres (53, Rue Verneuil, 75007 Paris), meanwhile, is a great place to take a rest stop after visiting the nearby Musée d’Orsay (voted by our readers as their favourite French museum) and is a favourite spot for writers from all over the world.

Restaurants aren’t the only establishments re-opening their doors this month. The annual Journées du Patrimoine weekend takes place on September 20-21 and is the ideal opportunity for visitors to have a good nose around thousands of privately owned and government buildings, which are usually closed to the public.

This year is its 25th, and churches, abbeys, châteaux, museums and government departments will be open. Among them is the Prime Minister’s official residence l’Hôtel de Matignon, which I had a private peek at last year at the invitation of its latest tenant Penelope Fillon, the Welsh-born wife of the French Prime Minister (Sarkozy’s number two) François Fillon.

Apparently, Matignon is one of the most popular places to visit over the open weekend, and queues form early in the morning.

Visitors file through the spectacularly lavish décor, put in place in the 18th century when it was the residence of the Princes of Monaco. Since then, it has been home to a string of fascinating characters, including a Scottish banker, a community of nuns and Charles de Gaulle.

Those looking for the sillier side to French culture this month could take part in the annual Marathon du Médoc on September 6 down near Bordeaux. The region’s best vintages and gastronomic treats are consumed by more than 8,000 runners as they conquer the distance of 42.2km.

Writer Wendy Atkins took part last year dressed as a Native American and took her first taste of “a good red from Château Lynch-Bages” at 10am after her second kilometre, before going on to try 15 more wines by 25th kilometre, and then dine on oysters at the 35th. “Even if you’re not a runner,” says Wendy, “it’s worth a visit for the atmosphere and wine-tasting”.

And speaking of wine-tasting, if you’re going back to school to brush up on the lingo this autumn, a discussion on our forum came up with some ideas improving the fluency of your French: a glass or two of wine.

“Alcohol breaks down the inhibitions and one are less likely to worry about making mistakes,” says Callie. “Suddenly all the French you ever came across pours forth in a sort of burbly manner.”

And if wine doesn’t help, a soap TV series might: “Find a slow soap, such as Les Feux de l'Amour on TF1 and get the subtitles running,” says forum-user Martin.

“My other half couldn't believe how a narrative copy of the dialogue made such a difference; she could "see" where one word ended and the next began. The soap in question is truly lamentable from a content point of view, but for learning the language quite superb!”

Carolyn Boyd is editor of France Magazine

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