Holiday In France

Before you plane your holiday in France, remember that it is not a small country and unless you have unlimited time and are well endowed with exceptionally deep pockets, you will want to decide on which region you would most like to focus. While each one of the seven regions in France is equally worthy, they are all distinctly different from one another and each main region is further divided into smaller sub-regions.

• The Western Region:
   
  Normandy displays a diverse coastline and rich countryside. It got its name from the tenth century Norman Vikings; it was conquered by William the Conqueror. This is the region where the Anglo-Saxon heritage was created.
• Brittany is said to sum up the French way of life. The entire region is filled with giant granite boulders from the coastline to the countryside and it flaunts an array of megaliths, castles, manors, chapels and old villages.
• Poitou Charente has a mild climate and with 2,250 hours of sunshine per year it is the sunniest part of Western France. It also boasts three hundred miles of sandy beaches and aromatic pine forest.
• Loire Valley has an overwhelming natural beauty, rich with streams, stately oaks, calm roads and luxuriant green countryside.
• Western Loire Valley has always been most popular with royalty who built their magnificent castles, châteaux, abbeys and mansions all through the region. Many of these grand structures are open for public viewing. This region also includes 187 miles of Atlantic coastline of sandy beaches, bays and little islands contrasting with the lush countryside through which flows the Loire River.

The Northern Region:

• Nord/Pas-de-Calais is striking with forests, gentle meadows, and rolling hills scattered with windmills. Sandy beaches and striking cliffs make up the 150-mile stretch of coastline.
• Picardy is where Clovis made Soissons the first capital of the Franks in 486 and it is the first region and the historical beginning of France. Picardy is still primarily rural and displays gentle forests, green pastures and calm ponds.

The Eastern Region:

• Champagne is the symbol of gracefully sophisticated living and is the home of the world’s best Champagnes.
• Lorraine has luxuriant greenery of its gently sloping hills and a history that is synonymous with the struggles of Europe’s many peoples wanting to live in peace and harmony.
• Alsace is like a fairy tale with storybook villages, awesome forests and quiet lakes. It is the perfect setting for hiking and biking.
• Franche-Comté has a high valley with gently rolling countryside and rugged mountains with dense forests, sheer cliffs, deep gorges and torrents of water. It has 1,300 miles of marked trails designated for cross-country skiing.
• Burgundy is the center for wine making and is the jewel of Beaune with its unique Flemish polychrome roofs, checkerboard patterns of gold and colors woven into a terra cotta tapestry.

The Southern Region:

• Corsica was known by the Ancient Greeks Kallisto, the “island most beautiful.” Almost half of its countryside is covered with trees where mountain peaks reach to the height of 8,900 feet and it is all surrounded by 600 miles of coastline.
• French Riviera is nestled along the Mediterranean coast and provides visitors with fashionable elegant surroundings in an international setting.
• Languedoc-Roussillon has a wealthy history of Roman monuments, Greek ruins, medieval castles and ancient villages all set in vineyards and farmlands.
• Rhone-Alps lies beneath the splendid Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak at 15,771 feet.
• Provence is geographically diverse because of its location between the Mediterranean coastline and the Alps.

The Southwestern Region:

• Aquitaine offers caves with pre-historic paintings because its history began thousands of years ago with the Cro-Magnon man who lived there in those caves.
• Midi-Pyrénées provides the unique history, landscape, culture, and cuisine that no other part of France does.

The Central Region:

• Auvergne offers breathtaking non-active volcanoes, lakes, rivers and forests.
• Limousin attracts visitors who prefer pristine and unspoiled countryside.

Paris has been designated a region of its own and like most big cities throughout the world, Paris lives at a very fast pace, day and night.

Holiday in France is anyone’s paradise on earth

Posted in France Vacation Guide