France

With coasts on three seas, magnificent cities and idyllic

rural areas each with its own distinctive character you
could have a hundred different holidays in France.

Canoes on the Dordogne near the village of La Rogue Gajeac, Aquitaine, South West France. © ATOUT FRANCE/Jean Malburet
FRANCE IS A COUNTRY
RICH IN RURAL CHARM AND
UNFORGETTABLE PLACES,
ROLLING VINEYARDS,
PRETTY CHÂTEAUX AND
THE WILD ATLANTIC
COAST.
The east has medieval charm and splendour, half-timbered
towns and magnificent cathedrals, while further south lie the
mountains of the Jura and Savoy and the glitz of the Côte
d’Azur. The interior offers unspoilt landscapes such as the
ever-popular Dordogne and then there are cities like Paris,
Lyon, Marseilles and many others, all beautiful and distinctive.
The SOUTH-WEST of France enjoys the lakes and rivers Easily accessible from the UK, the NORTH-EAST of
of Limousin, the golden sandy beaches, rolling Bordeaux France is home to Calais and the major town of Lille with TGV
vineyards and beautiful castles of Aquitaine, and the rich Paris, Brussels and London rail connections. From France’s
cultural heritage and diverse landscape of the Midi-Pyrénées. historical beginnings in Picardy to the romance of Paris and
The Poitou-Charentes region has a magnificent coastline and is the splendour of the Champagne region, this area of France is
linked to the superb, refined and locally produced spirit of full of charm and beauty. Lorraine is at the border of Belgium,
Cognag and is one of the finest destinations for Luxembourg and Germany and Alsace is renowned for
countryside holidays. geranium-filled villages and its medieval capital of
Corsica is a Strasbourg. And of course there is Burgundy,
See SOUTH-EAST France at it’s natural famous for its fine wines, and the natural beauty
best in Auvergne with it’s abundance of green well-preserved of Franche-Comté.
mountains and wild gorges, shaped by the island with two
volcanic activity that took place over 30 The NORTH-WEST is home to Brittany, at
million years ago. The Rhône-Alps are thirds of its surface the westernmost tip of France, a region with
famous for snowy peaks, hiking and winter- ancient countryside, quiet beaches and small
sports and the Rhône River runs straight from
being a Regional fishing villages. Normandy is fantastic for
the glacier, south through France towards the Natural Park families from the seaside coasts to child-friendly
sunny Mediterranean. Languedoc-Roussillon, activities and the Loire Valley has charming towns,
Provence Alps and Côte d’Azur have miles of sandy lush gardens and numerous museums and cathedrals.
beaches resting against the Mediterranean Sea and The north west is perfect for all kinds of pastimes like
charming villages, sparkling marinas and the romantic hill-top cycling, canoeing, and hot-air ballooning and the Western
towns and magical sunshine of the Riviera. Corsica is a green Loire stretches along the Atlantic Ocean, just below
island with pine forests and emerald mountain lakes, not to Brittany and is a scenic region with 30 miles of coast and
mention miles of luxurious beaches. 250 miles of waterways.

The beach at Carnac, a town famous for its megalithic alignments. Brittany, North West France
©ATOUT FRANCE/Michel Angot

Choice Villas & Apartments 2010 29

 Fact file
CORSICA is a prized destination for gourmets.
Don’t miss the Figalellu (lightly smoked liver
sausage), Coppa Ham, Canistrelli (lemon biscuits)
with chestnuts and Casgiu Merzu: a “dancing”
goats cheese swarming with small live white
worms (asticots)!
The JEWELS OF THE BASQUE COAST is
an uninterrupted 27km hike along the Atlantic
coastline from Biarritz to Hendaye. Walk through
wild heathland and narrow Basque streets with the
Rhune mountains on the French side and the Trois
Couvonnes (three crowns) peak across the border
in Spain.
France has almost 2000km of BEACHES
spread across 200 resorts. Whether along the
English Channel, the Atlantic or the
Mediterranean, they all have their own individual Albigny beach, Lake Annecy, Rhône-Alpes, South East France ©ATOUT FRANCE/Jean-François Tripelon-Jarry
style ranging from sandy, pebble, secret coves or Tourist Office Did you know?
invigorating waves and tides.
www.franceguide.com The maximum distances in France are:
France’s CLIMATE is divided into four climatic info.uk@franceguide.com North–South: Dunkirk to Paris-de-
zones: Tel: 09068 244 123 (60p min) Malo, 973km; East–West:
The South of France enjoys a Mediterranean Lauterbourg to Pointe de Corsen,
climate with mild winters and very hot summers. Official language French
945.5km; North-west–South-east:
The North, Paris and Central regions have an Average temperatures (July) Pointe de Corsen to Menton, 1082km.
intermediate climate with cold winters and hot
summers.
Nice 23ºC The French Motorail allows you to
Paris 19ºC take your car to the south of France,
Alsace, Lorraine and along the Rhone corridor
and in the Alps, Pyrenees and Massif Central, the
Montpellier 23ºC saving you the drive. Your car is
climate is semi-continental with harsh winters and Lyon 20ºC
loaded onto special transporter
hot summers.
Currency Euro carriages whilst you relax in the
In the west from Bayonne to Lille, the oceanic and passenger carriages. Services operate
humid climate give cooler summers. Local time GMT+1 (end Mar–end Oct
to Brives, Toulouse, Narbonne,
GMT+2)
Avignon and Nice.
Average flying time Approx 11/2 hours www.frenchmotorail.com
Septmonts, Picardy, North East France
©ATOUT FRANCE/CRT Picardie/Claude Jacquot

Along the Orne, viaduct and countryside on the outskirts of Clécy, Normandy, North West France.
30 Choice Villas & Apartments 2010 © ATOUT FRANCE/CDT Calvados
France

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 South-East, South-West, Skiing

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