Could the far right seize the French presidency? Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National is now a major political force in French politics – putting the future direction of the EU in question. We join the campaign trail in areas of newfound support for the RN and head to Paris for the final climax of the polls. We’ll be there for the first part in this two-stage process.
For two decades the left and centre have united to block the right, but polls suggest they could lose this time. We track the rise of the RN – from rural areas to the suburbs and then head to Paris for the vote. A successful candidate has to win a majority in the first round. This is THE election to follow in Europe in 2027.
This seven night French Election tour takes in some of Frances crucial battlegrounds – on the left in Rennes and Brittany, on the right in Saint Dennis, Henin-Baumont and Lille and then finally back in Paris – with up-to-date analysis from some of France’s leading thinkers and journalists. The tour is led by Catherine Fieschi, one of the Europe’s top analysts of the far right.
French Election Tour: Background
France’s 2027 presidential election is shaping up as a referendum on the political order built around Emmanuel Macron. Because Macron is term-limited, the race has exposed the fragmentation of the French center and the continued rise of the far right. Polling currently shows Jordan Bardella and the nationalist National Rally in a strong position, capitalizing on public frustration over immigration, inflation, crime, and distrust of traditional elites.
The election also reflects the long normalization of the Le Pen political machine. Although Marine Le Pen remains influential, legal troubles have increased speculation that Bardella could become the face of the French far right in 2027. The movement has worked for years to soften its image while maintaining a nationalist, anti-immigration, and Euroskeptic platform.
On the other side, France’s center and left remain divided. Possible establishment candidates include Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, while the left is split between moderates and the populist movement led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has already announced another presidential run.
Socially and economically, France faces slow growth, fiscal pressure, tensions over immigration and secularism, and deep distrust of institutions. Much like other Western democracies, its politics are increasingly polarized between technocratic centrism and anti-establishment populism. The central question of 2027 is whether voters ultimately rally behind a mainstream candidate to block the far right again, or whether the National Rally finally breaks through and takes power for the first time in the Fifth Republic.
French Election Tour: Reading List
“Far-Right France: Le Pen, Bardella and the Future of Europe,” by Victor Mallet
“The Last Neoliberal: Macron and the Origins of France’s Political,” by Bruno Amable & Stefano Palombarini
“Twilight of the Elites: Prosperity, the Periphery, and the Future of France,” by Christophe Guilluy
“The National Front and French Politics: The Resistible Rise of Jean-Marie Le,” by Peter Davies
Itinerary
Tour starts in evening with dinner in Rennes – near hotel with an introduction to week ahead with Catherine Fieschi.
Overnight Rennes
For the Rassemblement National, Brittany is a key battleground because winning over working-class and rural voters who traditionally backed the left is essential to broadening its coalition beyond its historic strongholds. Rennes and much of Brittany have long leaned left due to a mix of strong public-sector employment, social Catholic traditions that evolved into social democracy, and relatively cohesive local economies that favour moderate or progressive politics.
In the morning, we will have a brief political briefing on Brittany’s left/social democratic tradition, Rennes city politics, and regional voting patterns. Later in the day we meet with local journalists, academics, party representatives, or civic groups. Through it all, we explore why Brittany has historically been difficult terrain for France’s right, and why RN has recently advanced in European/national contests. Le Monde described RN’s 2024 European result in Brittany as a “historic breakthrough,” while noting that the left resisted better than elsewhere.
Overnight Rennes
We venture out of Rennes proper to visit farming/agri-food areas surrounding the city. We speak with an agri-food employer, cooperative, port/logistics operator, or rural commune to learn about the issues most important to rural French voters – agriculture, food processing, cost pressures, environmental regulation, youth retention, and more. We debrief in Rennes about the urban Rennes vs. rural/peri-urban Brittany divide.
Overnight Rennes
We start the day with a Saint-Denis field visit: immigration, secularism, identity politics, media narratives, and why figures such as Éric Zemmour appealed to some right-wing voters nationally, even when local electoral realities differ sharply. Potential meeting with a demographer or sociologist to provide a deeper look. In the evening, we arrive in Paris for a briefing on campaign strategy and polling.
Overnight Paris
We start the day with a briefing on post-industrial Hauts-de-France. We have Lille meetings with regional journalists, trade union voices, or academics. In the afternoon, we visit Hénin-Beaumont visit, where we discuss local governance, deindustrialisation, distrust of mainstream parties, and RN territorial entrenchment. Hénin-Beaumont is widely treated as a Marine Le Pen/RN stronghold, and Hauts-de-France voted strongly for Le Pen in the 2022 second round. Evening: Return to Paris.
Overnight Paris
We start with a think tank briefing on the 2027 race, party fragmentation, and constitutional timetable. In the afternoon we have more meetings with pollsters and campaign strategists: Fondation Jean-Jaurès, Institut Montaigne, Sciences Po/CEVIPOF, IFRI, or polling firms.
Overnight Paris
We visit a newspaper, broadcaster, or political newsroom, observe campaign/voting-day atmosphere in Paris (subject to electoral rules), and watch the results coming in after polls close with live interpretations from a journalist or analyst.
Overnight Paris
We do a full results debrief: who qualified, where votes shifted, turnout/abstention, and implications for the second round.
Departures before lunch.
Tour ends
Meet Your Expert
Dr Catherine Fieschi is a leading political scientist, author and commentator specialising in populism, nationalism, identity politics and the rise of right-wing movements in Europe and North America. Born in France and educated in both France and the United Kingdom, she has spent more than two decades researching the social, cultural and political forces driving contemporary populist and nationalist politics.
She is the author of several influential books, including Populocracy: The Tyranny of Authenticity and the Rise of Populism, which examines how demands for authenticity, emotion and identity have reshaped democratic politics. Her work explores not only electoral support for populist and far-right parties, but also the deeper social changes that have fuelled political polarisation, distrust of institutions and the growth of anti-establishment movements.
Dr Fieschi was the founding Director of the leading London-based think tank counter-extremism organisation Demos and later founded Counterpoint, where she advised governments, businesses and civil society organisations on political risk, social change and democratic resilience. She has held senior academic and policy positions in both Europe and the United States and is a frequent contributor to major international media outlets.
A longstanding observer of French politics, Dr Fieschi has written extensively about the evolution of the French right, the rise of the National Rally, changing patterns of identity and belonging, and the broader political realignments that have transformed France in recent decades. Her work places the growth of parties such as the National Rally within a wider international context, examining why populist and nationalist movements have gained traction across many Western democracies.
The average daily temperature in France in April ranges from 10-16°C.
The maximum size of our tours is 14 people, ensuring the small-group experience.
We provide genuine learning experiences through the eyes and ears of an expert, politician, or journalist.
Accommodation, meals (breakfast, lunch, and most dinners), and water are all included in tour package.
Our French Election tour starts in Rennes and ends in Paris.
The Euro is the currency of France.
What’s Included
On our French Election tour, all of your accommodation is included, as well as local transport (except during your free time).
Flights are not included in the price and need to be arranged by customers themselves or with an agent.
Following the news
Like all our tours the itinerary is focused on current affairs. Events on the ground may change and the final schedule may be adjusted accordingly.
Group size
For your bespoke tour – groups range from individuals to families, as well as small groups of friends. The tour is tailor made for you and your group.
On any of our expert-led tours the groups are deliberately small and will not exceed 14 people. Frequently we travel with 10-12 people. Limited spaces are available.
FCO Website – Travel Advice
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office publishes regularly updated travel information on its website travelaware.campaign.gov.uk which you are recommended to consult before booking and in good time before departure. Where it considers it appropriate to do so, the FCO may advise against all travel or all but essential travel to particular countries or parts of particular countries. Similarly, the FCO may withdraw any such previously given advice. Where the FCO issues such advice, we may as a result cancel your tour or make changes so as to avoid the area concerned (see clause 10). Alternatively, we may ask you to sign a form confirming you wish to proceed with the tour notwithstanding the FCO advice. It is in the nature of the itineraries we offer that the FCO may have issued such advice in relation to the country or parts of the country we are intending to visit prior to confirmation of your booking. In this case, you will be asked to sign the above form before we confirm your booking.
Medical Requirements
Advice on health requirements may be obtained from your GP, or alternatively from the Department of Health leaflet Advice on Health for Travelers, or the Department of Health in the UK. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/travel-health/travel-health-and-vaccinations//a>
Currency
The Euro is the currency of France.
What to wear
Dress is casual and comfortable. Shoes suitable for walking over cobbles are recommended. Layers are recommended as it is cooler in the evenings.
Some of the hotels have swimming pools. You may want to pack a swimming costume.
Men: Will need a jacket and tie for some of the meetings.
Women: You will need smarter dress for one or two meetings.
Electricity
Type C and Type E outlets.
Webinar with Catherine Fieschi
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France Expert:
Dr Catherine Fieschi
Dr Catherine Fieschi is a leading political scientist, author and commentator specialising in populism, nationalism, identity politics and the rise of right-wing movements in Europe and North America. Born in France and educated in both France and the United Kingdom, she has spent more than two decades researching the social, cultural and political forces driving contemporary populist and nationalist politics.