Échappées belles on France 5: Creuse and the choice of simplicity with Ismaël Khelifa, Digi Mart USA News (Creuse, France): Peaceful villages, meadows and forests stretching as far as the eye can see are the focus of the next episode of the travel magazine Échappées belles. On Saturday, November 21 at 9:05 p.m.
on France 5 and on france.tv, host Ismaël Khelifa explores the Creuse, a rural department where time seems to pass more slowly but which nonetheless has plenty of energy and vitality.
Behind its image as a quiet territory, the Creuse holds many surprises. Through local initiatives, outdoor adventures and moments of togetherness, Khelifa presents a portrait of rural life that is more vibrant than ever.
The program aims to challenge preconceived ideas and make viewers want to escape the bustle of everyday life.
One of the least densely populated areas of metropolitan France, the Creuse makes its tranquility an asset. Along the way, the presenter meets people who chose to live there or return, supported by projects rooted in their region.
As always, the magazine favors human encounters over simple postcard images, letting residents tell the story of their Creuse.
The episode features crafts passed down through generations, outdoor adventures along rivers and forests, and moments of conviviality that reflect the spirit of the place. Rather than presenting a dormant department, the film shows a Creuse that innovates, welcomes visitors and takes pride in its identity, led by people who have deliberately chosen simplicity.
The episode is a new 90-minute installment of season 21. Ismaël Khelifa presents the program, and Franck Poirier directs it for the production company Bo Travail!
Échappées belles has become one of France 5’s most loyal travel programs. For several years, Khelifa has been one of its hosts, alongside Sophie Jovillard, Jérôme Pitorin and Tiga, who take turns traveling from destination to destination.
The program’s approach is to take time, listen, and show regions through the people who sustain them, in France and abroad.
The evening continues at 10:35 p.m. with a rebroadcast of an episode devoted to Dijon, Week-end à Dijon, presented by Sophie Jovillard, moving viewers from the calm plateaus of the Creuse to the energy of the capital of the dukes of Burgundy.
For a long time seen as a department one passes through rather than visits, the Creuse has in recent years been quietly regaining attention. New residents are looking for a calmer way of life, preserved spaces and a gentler cost of living, while artisans, farmers and project leaders are reshaping the local economy.
The episode highlights this productive tension between rural heritage and new energies, moving beyond clichés about so-called peripheral France.
Around Guéret, the prefecture, the region offers landscapes of hedgerows, forests and lakes that make an ideal backdrop for an outdoor escape.
Did you know? The Creuse, in historic Limousin, is home to heritage recognized well beyond its borders.
The town of Aubusson is world-famous for its tapestry, a craft inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The department is also crossed by the Millevaches plateau, a vast area of preserved nature that embodies the authentic rural life featured in the program.
Broadcast details: France 5, Saturday, November 21, 2026, 9:05 p.m., magazine format, 90 minutes, new season 21 episode. Streaming and replay available on france.tv.
