France is by far one of
the easiest countries in Europe to get to with hourly ferry
service running from the Uk, the channel tunnel, and the many
budget airlines now operating in and out of France. France
is also an ideal place to travel around, especially by car
as the roads are long and empty and if you choose to use the
toll roads they are not too expensive. Restaurants and hotels
are in abundance in nearly every town and village, the lower-budget
ones being much cheaper than is generally available in other
developed western European countries. Train services are good
and the high-speed trains used in France (TGV)are a great
way to get around and even cyclists are encouraged. Information
is highly organized and available from tourist offices across
the country, as well as from specialist organizations for
walkers, cyclists, campers, fishermen and so on.
There are all kinds of reasons for choosing a holiday in France:
a city to explore, a region to enjoy, a river to fish or a
mountain range to conquer, physical activities, cathedrals,
chateaux. And in many cases your choice will determine the
best time of years to go. Unless you're a skier, for example,
you wouldn't choose the mountains between November and May;
and you would not head for the seaside - except for the Mediterranean
coast, which is at its most attractive in spring but still
a great place to visit in the summer months. Climates need
not be a major consideration in planning when to go. Northern
France, like nearby Britain, is wet and unpredictable but
with the amazing rugged coastline to explore a little rain
is not a problem and with summers similar to the
Channel Isles and Cornwall it is a great place to explore
and enjoy. Paris perhaps has a marginally better climate than
New York, rarely reaching the extremes of heat and cold of
that city, but only south of the Loire does the weather become
significantly warmer. West coast weather, even in the south,
is tempered by the proximity of the Atlantic, subject to violent
storms and close thundery days even in summer. The centre
and east, as you leave the coasts behind, have a more continental
climate, with colder winters and hotter summers. The most
settled weather is along the Mediterranean coastline and also
slightly inland from here and on Corsica, where winter is
short and summers are long and hot. There are regular ferry
crossing to Corsica in the summer months.
The single most important factor in deciding when to visit
France is tourism itself. As most French people take their
holidays in their own country, it's as well to avoid the main
French holiday periods - mid-July to the end of August, with
August being particularly bad. You can easily walk a kilometre
and more in Paris and all the other major cities and towns
in France, for example, in search of an open boulangerie.
The cities seems deserted except for other tourists so make
sure you are not caught out by this situation on your French
holiday.
The holiday accommodation in France is plentiful as is the
choice you are offered, you can rent out everything from a
small studio in Paris to a grand Chateau in the countryside,
there are thousands of great holiday homes, gites, etc. to
rent in France either on the costs or inland the choice is
yours. Prices in the resorts do rise to take full advantage
of tourism and often you can't find a room for love nor money
so make sure your accommodation is pre-booked in advance,
and not even a space in the campsites on the Cote d'Azur is
available. The seaside is the worst, but the mountains and
popular regions like the Dordogne are not far behind. Easter,
too, is a bad time for Paris; half Europe's schoolchildren
seem to descend on the city. For the same reasons, ski buffs
should keep in mind the February school ski break. And no
one who values life, limb, and sanity should ever be caught
on the roads the last weekend of July or August in Paris,
and least of all on the weekend of August 15
Choose your ideal French Accommodation , including
bed & breakfasts, self-catering villas and apartments
and hotels with secure online reservation- French
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