Annabel Simms was born in England, of Hungarian parentage. In 1991 she came to Paris on a year's sabbatical from her job as a college lecturer in London, and never left. She now works as a freelance journalist and English teacher.
An Hour From Paris, her 2002 guide to 20 little-known places in the Paris countryside accessible by train, was the fruit of more than ten years' happy exploring of the Paris region (Ile de France) by train and on foot.
She continues to make new discoveries on her weekend country walks, and her ongoing experience is reflected in the fully revised 2008 edition, reprinted with some updates in 2010 and again in 2011.
Her other publications include articles on yoga, bird-watchers, sailing and dancing, as well as on travel in and around Paris and elsewhere, for the Independent, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday.