Échappées Belles Experiences “Le Rêve Californien”

Visit California partnered with Échappées Belles — the most well-known travel TV show in France — on a dedicated California episode. It aired during prime time France 5 television and corresponding reruns in early February.

Échappées Belles has been on air for over 18 seasons on the French national TV channel, France 5. Each episode is 90-minutes long and features one destination — its culture, art, gastronomy, heritage and nature — via host Sophie Jovillard who meets with local residents to explore each destination through their eyes. Échappées Belles airs on Saturdays during prime time. The average audience of France 5 during the show’s broadcast is between 1-1.4 million viewers.

Visit California hosted Échappées Belles on two separate press trips. One with Sophie Jovillard to interview locals and destination experts and another with just the camera crew to capture b-roll and landscape shots. Both crews traveled throughout southern California in late October. The trips included stops in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, Sequoia National Park, Temecula and other destinations.

• In Laguna Beach, Jovillard visited Crystal Cove State Park.
• In Los Angeles County, Jovillard explored Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood sign, Santa Monica, UCLA, Venice Beach and other locations.
• In Palm Springs, she checked out Joshua Tree National Park, the modernist Kauffman House, Pioneertown, The Station gift shop and the iconic Trixie Motel. En route to Palm Springs, she made a stop in Borrego Springs.
• In San Diego County, Jovillard explored various neighborhoods, including Balboa Park, Barrio Logan, Old Town and Pacific Beach. The second crew savored tacos from Las Cuatro Milpas for an authentic taste of Southern California.
• In Santa Cruz, the second crew followed roadtrippers along Highway 1, stopping in Natural Bridges State Park to observe the migration of monarch butterflies.
• In Sequoia National Park, the second crew followed U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighters to learn more about preventative measures they take to preserve the forest. The crew also met with a tribal liaison officer to learn about the region's Native culture and history.
• In Slab City, the crew made a pitstop to explore some of California's alternative lifestyles.
• In Temecula, Jovillard sipped California wine at Doffo Winery.

The broadcast special also sparked print coverage in Le Parisien, on Instagram and on the show’s Facebook page (with half a million followers) in a post detailing the addresses of every place she visited in California.

You can watch the full episode.