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France
Overview
‘An enlightened way of life’
It’s hard to generalise about France – as Charles de Gaulle once remarked, ‘how could one describe a country which has 365 kinds of cheese?’ Yet there is something about this magnificent land which draws millions of francophiles back year after year for a taste of la vie française.
Could it be the chic boulevards of Paris, the sparkling ski slopes of the Alps, sunlit vineyards and sun-baked beaches, a dusty game of boules, or coffee and croissants in an undiscovered village? Or perhaps it’s a tour of the majestic châteaux of the Loire that appeals, the glamorous jet-set lifestyle of the Mediterranean, or a relaxing picnic in Provence, where the air is fragrant with wild herbs and lavender? Consider also the delights of other lesser-known regions such as Franche-Comté, Gascony or Berry, deep in the green heart of France – regions firmly rooted to the land, whose snoozing villages offer visitors a chance to sample the true douceur de vivre of provincial France.
There is no denying that France is a land of great contrasts, offering an endless choice of enticing destinations, a rich diversity of landscapes, cuisines, climates and peoples, with an exceptional cultural heritage. It’s easy to see why the French stay at home for their holidays and why they so felicitously call their country La Belle France.
Teresa Fisher
General Information
Area: 543,965 sq km (210,025 sq miles).
Population: 58,891,900 (official estimate 2000).
Population Density: 108.3 per sq km.
Capital: Paris. Population: 2,125,246 (1999).
GEOGRAPHY: France, the largest country in Europe, is bounded to the north by the English Channel (La Manche), the northeast by Belgium and Luxembourg, the east by Germany, Switzerland and Italy, the south by the Mediterranean (with Monaco as a coastal enclave between Nice and the Italian frontier), the southwest by Spain and Andorra, and the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The island of Corsica, southeast of Nice, is made up of two départements. The country offers a spectacular variety of scenery, from the mountain ranges of the Alps and Pyrénées to the attractive river valleys of the Loire, Rhône and Dordogne and the flatter countryside in Normandy and on the Atlantic coast. The country has some 2900km (1800 miles) of coastline.
Government: Republic since 1792. Head of State: President Jacques Chirac since 1995. Head of Government: Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin since 2002.
Language: French is the official language, but there are many regional dialects. Basque is spoken as a first language by some people in the southwest, and Breton by some in Brittany. Many people, particularly those connected with tourism in the major areas, will speak at least some English.
Religion: Approximately 81 per cent Roman Catholic with a Protestant minority.
Time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Two-pin plugs are widely used; adaptors recommended.
Communications:
Telephone
Full IDD is available. Country code: 33. Outgoing international code: 00. Card-only telephones are common, with pre-paid cards bought from post offices and tabacs. International calls are cheaper between Mon-Fri 1900-0800 and from Saturday 1400 to Monday 0800. Calls can be received from all phone boxes showing the sign of a blue bell.
Mobile telephones
GSM 900 and 1800 networks cover most areas. The use of mobile telephones is prohibited at petrol stations.
Fax
Services are widely available; many hotels have facilities.
Internet
Public access is available at Internet cafes. Local ISPs include wanadoo (website: www.wanadoo.fr).
Post
Stamps can be purchased at post offices and tabacs. Post normally takes a couple of days to reach its destination within Europe. Post office opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1900, Sat 0800-1200.
Press
There are many daily newspapers, the most prominent being Le Monde, Libération, France-Soir and Le Figaro. The main English language daily is the International Herald Tribune. Outside the Ile-de-France, however, these newspapers are not as popular as the provincial press. International newspapers and magazines are widely available, particularly in the larger cities.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Passport/Visa
| | Passport Required? | Visa Required? | Return Ticket Required? | | British | 1 | No | No | | Australian | Yes | No | Yes | | Canadian | Yes | No | Yes | | USA | Yes | No | Yes | | OtherEU | 1 | No | Yes | | Japanese | Yes | No | Yes |
Note: France is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement. For further details about passport/visa regulations within the Schengen area see the introductory section How to Use this Guide.
PASSPORTS: Passport valid for three months beyond length of stay required by all, except 1. nationals of EU countries, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, San Marino and Switzerland holding valid national identification cards.
VISAS: Required by all except the following for a period not exceeding three months:
(a) nationals of countries referred to in the chart and under passport exemptions above;
(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macau (SAR), Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela;
(c) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding valid onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport. The following nationals always require an airport transit visa when not leaving the airport: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Congo (Dem Rep), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria and holders of Palestinian travel documents.
Types of visa and cost: A uniform Schengen visa, is issued for Short-stay visits (tourist, business and students), Airport transit, Transit and Long-stay (circulation) visits. Short-stay: £15-£20 for one to 30 days (single- or multiple-entry); £17-£29 for 31-90 days. Transit/Air transit: £5-£8 (single-, double- or multiple-entry). Long-stay: £29.90 for over 90 days.
Note: (a) Prices change with the prevalent exchange rate, so visitors are advised to check the exact price before travelling. Payment is accepted in cash and Pounds Sterling only. (b) Spouses and children of EU nationals can obtain a visa free of charge on presentation of relevant documentation.
Validity: Short-stay visas are valid for a maximum of six months from date of issue for single or multiple entries of maximum 90 days in total. Transit visas are valid for single or multiple entries of maximum five days per entry, including the day of arrival. Long-stay visas are valid for up to three years for a maximum stay of 90 days in every six month period. Visas cannot be extended; a new application must be made each time.
Application to: Consulate (for all personal applications) or Consular section at Embassy (for all diplomatic, service or other applications); see Contact Addresses section. Travellers visiting just one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of that country; travellers visiting more than one Schengen country should apply to the Consulate of the country chosen as the main destination or the country they will enter first (if they have no main destination).
Application requirements: (a) Passport valid for at least three months longer than validity of the visa with one blank page to affix visa stamp. (b) One application form. (c) One passport-size photo. (d) Evidence of sufficient funds for stay. (e) Proof of occupation with letter from employer, accountant, school or university. (f) Return ticket to country of residence, and visa for next destination if required. (g) Evidence of hotel reservations, a certificate of board and lodging to be obtained by your French host from the local town hall, means of support or proof of official invitation from host or company. (h) Evidence of medical insurance. (i) Fee; payable in cash only. (j) For business travellers: a letter of invitation from a french company. (k) For student trips: a letter from school stating dates of trip, address in France and name of persons responsible for student.
Note: Postal applications are only acceptable for nationals of some countries and regions; consult the Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy) for further information.
Working days required: 24 hours to four weeks, depending on nationality.
Temporary residence: A Work Permit may have to be obtained in France. For full details, contact the Long Stay visa section of the Consulate General or Embassy; see Contact Addresses section.
Money
Single European currency (Euro): The Euro is now the official currency of 12 EU member states (including France). The first Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002; the French Franc was still in circulation until 17 February 2002, when it was completely replaced by the Euro. Euro (€) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Currency exchange: Some first-class hotels are authorised to exchange foreign currency. Visitors should also look for the ‘Crédit Mutuel’ or ‘Crédit Agricole’, which have longer opening hours. Shops and hotels are prohibited from accepting foreign currency by law. Many UK banks offer differing exchange rates depending on the denominations of currency being bought or sold. Travellers should check with their banks for details and current rates.
Credit & debit cards: American Express, Diners Club, Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.
Travellers cheques: Travellers cheques are accepted almost everywhere. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Euros, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.
Currency restrictions: The import and export of local and foreign currency is unrestricted. Amounts over €7622 must be declared.
Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Euro against Sterling and the US Dollar:
| Date | May ’02 | Aug ’02 | Nov ’02 | Feb ’03 | | €1= | £0.63 | £0.64 | £0.63 | £0.68 | | €1= | $0.92 | $0.97 | $1.00 | $1.08 |
Banking hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1200 and 1400-1600. Some banks close Monday and some are open Saturday. Banks close early (1200) on the day before a bank holiday; in rare cases, they may also close for all or part of the day after.
Duty Free
The following goods may be imported into France without incurring customs duty by passengers 17 years arriving from non-EU countries:
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco; 1l of spirits more than 22 per cent or 2l of alcoholic beverage up to 22 per cent; 2l of wine; 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; goods up to the value of €183 (€91 per person under 15 years of age).
Restricted items: (a) Plants and plant products. (b) Meat and meat products from Africa. (c) Pharmaceutical products (except those needed for personal use). (d) Works of art. (e) Collectors’ items and antiques.
Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU: On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty-free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all 15 EU member states. Although there are now no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another, (with the exceptions of Denmark, Finland and Sweden, where limits are imposed), travellers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use only.
Public Holidays
Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Apr 21 Easter Monday. May 1 Labour Day. May 8 1945 Victory Day. May 29 Ascension. Jun 9 Whit Monday. Jul 14 Bastille Day. Aug 15 Assumption. Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Nov 11 Remembrance Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Apr 12 Easter Monday. May 1 Labour Day. May 8 1945 Victory Day. May 20 Ascension. May 31 Whit Monday. Jul 14 Bastille Day. Aug 15 Assumption. Nov 1 All Saints’ Day. Nov 11 Remembrance Day. Dec 25 Christmas Day.
Note: In France the months of July and August are traditionally when the French take their holidays. For this reason, the less touristic parts of France are quiet during these months, while coastal resorts, especially in the south, are very crowded.
Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | No | 1 | | Cholera | No | No | | Typhoid and Polio | No | N/A | | Malaria | No | N/A |
1: A yellow fever certificate is required for travellers coming from South American and African countries.
Other risks: Visitors to forested areas should consider vaccination for tick-borne encephalitis.
Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.
Health care: There is a reciprocal health agreement with the UK. On presentation of Form E111 (which must not be more than 12 months old to avoid the possibility of bureaucratic non-acceptance) at an office of the Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (Sickness Insurance Office), UK citizens are entitled to a refund of 70-80 per cent of charges incurred for dental and medical (including hospital) treatments and around 35-65 per cent of charges incurred for prescribed medicines. Application forms for Form E111 are obtainable from post offices. The standard of medical facilities and practitioners in France is very high but so are the fees, and health insurance is recommended – even for UK citizens.
Travel - International
AIR: The national airline is Air France (AF) (website: www.airfrance.com). Many airlines operate to France, including an increasing number of low-cost airlines from the UK.
Approximate flight times: From Paris to London is 1 hour 5 minutes; from Nice and Marseille is 2 hours.
From Paris to Los Angeles is 15 hours 5 minutes; to New York is 8 hours (3 hours 45 minutes by Concorde); to Singapore is 15 hours 5 minutes; and to Sydney is 25 hours 5 minutes.
International airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), also known as Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, (website: www.adp.fr) is 23km (14 miles) northeast of the city (travel time – 40 minutes). There are coaches to the city at least every ten minutes. Taxis are readily available and journeys to the centre cost around €33. An airport limousine service can also be hired for approximately €91. Roissybus services operate from the airport to Place de l’Opèra between 0545-2300 every 15 minutes. Fare is approximately €7.32. Air France coaches run from Etoile via Porte Maillot, from Montparnasse via Gare de Lyon and from Orly Airport to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. Services run every 12-30 minutes and take 40-50 minutes. Fares are approximately €9-11. The airport is also easily accessible by train on the RER B line or SNCF with connecting ADP shuttle bus.
Paris-Orly (ORY) (website: www.adp.fr) is 14km (9 miles) south of the city. Coaches and buses run to the city every 12 minutes (travel time – 25 minutes) from outside Orly Ouest. Taxis are available. RER B and C trains run every 15 minutes via Saint Michel (travel time – 45 minutes).
Bordeaux (BOD) (Merignac) (website: www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr) is 12km (7 miles) west of the city. There are coaches, buses and taxis to the city.
Lille (LIL) (Lesquin) (website: www.lille.aeroport.fr) is 12km (7 miles) southeast of the city. Coaches and taxis are available to the city.
Lyon (LYS) (Lyon-Saint-Exupéry) (website: www.lyon.aeroport.fr) is 25km (15 miles) east of the city. Coaches or taxis are available to the city.
Marseille (MRS) (Marseille-Marignane) (website: www.marseille-provence.aeroport.fr) is 30km (19 miles) northwest of the city. Coach service only departs to the city.
Nice (NCE) (Nice-Côte d’Azur) (website: www.nice.aeroport.fr) is 6km (4 miles) west of the city. Buses depart every 20 minutes. Taxis to the city are available.
Nantes (NTE) (website: www.nantes.aeroport.fr) is 15km (9 miles) south of the city. Trains and buses depart frequently to the city.
Strasbourg (SXB) (website: www.strasbourg.aeroport.fr) is 10km (6 miles) from the city centre (travel time – 30 minutes). Buses and taxis are available to the city.
Toulouse (TLS) (Blagnac) (website: www.toulouse.aeroport.fr) is 10km (6 miles) northwest of the city. Coaches to the city depart every 20 minutes. Taxis are available to the city.
Facilities at the airports listed above are all of a high international standard and include bank/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, restaurants and bars.
There are also small airports with some international flights at Biarritz, Caen, Deauville (St Gatien), Le Havre, Montpellier, Morlaix, Rennes and Quimper.
Departure tax: None.
SEA: The following companies run regular cross-channel services:
P&O Stena Line (tel: (0870) 600 0600; website: www.posl.com) from Dover to Calais (travel time – 1 hour 15 minutes);
P&O Portsmouth (tel: (0870) 242 4999; website: www.poportsmouth.com) from Portsmouth to Le Havre (travel time – 5 hours 30 minutes during the day and 8 hours at night) and from Portsmouth to Cherbourg (travel time – 5 hours during the day and 8 hours at night);
Seafrance (tel: (08705) 711 711); website: www.seafrance.com) from Dover to Calais (travel time – 1 hour 30 minutes);
Hoverspeed Fast Ferries (tel: (0870) 240 8070; e-mail: reservations@hoverspeed.co.uk; website: www.hoverspeed.co.uk) from Dover to Calais (travel time – 50 minutes by seacat) and from Newhaven to Dieppe (travel time – 2 hours 15 minutes by seacat);
Brittany Ferries (tel: (08705) 360 360; website: www.brittany-ferries.com) from Plymouth to Roscoff (travel time – 6 hours), from Portsmouth to St Malo (travel time – 8 hours 45 minutes), from Portsmouth to Caen (travel time – 6 hours) and from Poole to Cherbourg (travel time – 4 hours 15 minutes by ferry or, in the high season, 2 hours 15 minutes by seacat);
Condor Ferries (tel: (01202) 207 207; website: www.condorferries.co.uk) from Poole and Weymouth to St Malo (via Guernsey and Jersey) (travel time – 4 hours 30 minutes and 5 hours 30 minutes respectively), from Guernsey to St Malo (travel time – 2 hours 40 minutes) and from Jersey to St Malo (travel time – 1 hour 10 minutes).
These companies offer a variety of promotional fares and inclusive holidays for short breaks and shopping trips. Passenger and roll-on/roll-off ferry links to and from North Africa and Sardinia are provided by Southern Ferries/Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Mediterranée (SNCM) (see Travel – Internal section).
RAIL: International trains run from the channel ports and Paris to destinations throughout Europe. For up-to-date routes and timetables, contact French Railways (SNCF) (tel: (1) 5342 0000; website: www.sncf.com) or in the UK, Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848; website: www.raileurope.co.uk). The channel tunnel: Eurostar is a service provided by the railways of Belgium, the UK and France, operating direct high-speed trains from London (Waterloo International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes 3 hours from London to Paris (via Lille). When the high-speed rail link from London through Kent to the tunnel is fully operational (January 2007), the travel time between the two capitals will be reduced to 2 hours 15 minutes. The Eurostar trains are equipped with standard-class and first-class seating, buffet, bar and telephones, and are staffed by multi-lingual, highly trained personnel. Pricing is competitive with the airlines, and seats range from Premium First and Business to Standard. Children aged between four and 11 years benefit from a special fare in first class as well as in standard class. Children under four years old travel free but cannot be guaranteed a seat. Wheelchair users and blind passengers together with one companion get a special fare. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: (0870) 600 0792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the UK) or +44 (1233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK); website: www.eurostar.com); or Rail Europe (tel: (08705) 848 848). Travel agents can obtain refunds for unused tickets from Eurostar Trade Refunds, Second Floor, Kent House, 81 Station Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 1PD. Complaints and comments may be sent to Eurostar Customer Relations, Eurostar House, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SE (tel: (020) 7928 5163; e-mail: new.comments@eurostar.co.uk). General enquiries and information requests must be made by telephone.
ROAD: There are numerous and excellent road links with all neighbouring countries. Eurolines (4 Cardiff Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, L41 1PP; tel: (08705) 143 219; fax: (01582) 400 694; website: www.eurolines.com or www.gobycoach.com) runs regular coach services to France from the UK. For documentation and traffic regulations, see the Travel Internal section. The Channel Tunnel: All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals, one near Folkestone in Kent, with direct road access from the M20, and one just outside Calais with links to the A16/A26 motorway (Exit 13). Each shuttle is made up of 12 single- and 12 double-deck carriages, and vehicles are directed to single-deck or double-deck carriages depending on their height. There are facilities for cars and motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans, campervans and other vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft). Bicycles are provided for. Passengers generally travel with their vehicles. Heavy goods vehicles are carried on special shuttles with a separate passenger coach for the drivers. Terminals and shuttles are well-equipped for disabled passengers. Passenger Terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants, bureaux de change and other amenities. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and around one hour from motorway to motorway. Eurotunnel runs up to four passenger shuttles per hour at peak times, 24 hours per day. Services run every day of the year. For further information about departure times of shuttles at the French terminal, contact Eurotunnel Customer Information in Coquelle (tel: (3) 2100 6543). Motorists pass through customs and immigration before they board, with no further checks on arrival. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car. Promotional deals are frequently available, especially outside the peak holiday seasons. Tickets may be purchased in advance from travel agents, or from Eurotunnel Customer Services in France or the UK with a credit card. For further information, brochures and reservations, contact Eurotunnel Customer Services UK (tel: (08705) 353 535; e-mail: callcentre@eurotunnel.com; website: www.eurotunnel.co.uk).
Travel - Internal
AIR: Air France flies between Paris (from both Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports) and around 45 cities and towns. It also connects regional airports. For information, contact Air France (tel: (08) 2082 0820 (omit the 0 when dialling from abroad) or (0845) 084 5111 (within the UK only); website: www.airfrance.com). Details of independent airlines may be obtained from the French Government Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section).
SEA/RIVER: There are almost 9000km (5600 miles) of navigable waterways in France, and all of these present excellent opportunities for holidays. The main canal areas are the north (north and northeast of Paris) where most of the navigable rivers are connected with canals; the Seine (from Auxerre to Le Havre, but sharing space with commercial traffic); the east, where the Rhine and Moselle and their tributaries are connected by canals; in Burgundy, where the Saône and many old and picturesque canals crisscross the region; the Rhône (a pilot is recommended below Avignon); the Midi (including the Canal du Midi, connecting the Atlantic with the Mediterranean); and Brittany and the Loire on the rivers Vilaine, Loire, Mayenne and Sarthe and the connecting canals. Each of these waterways offers a magnificent variety of scenery, a means of visiting many historic towns, villages and sites and, because of the slow pace (8kph/5mph), an opportunity to learn much about rural France.
Cruising boats may be chartered with or without crews, ranging in size from the smallest cabin cruiser up to converted commercial barges (péniches), which can accommodate up to 24 people and require a crew of eight. Hotel boats, large converted barges with accommodation and restaurant, are also available in some areas, with a wide choice of price and comfort. For further information, contact the national or regional tourist board.
State-run car ferries known as ‘BACs’ connect the larger islands on the Atlantic coast with the mainland; they also sail regularly across the mouth of the Gironde. The island of Corsica is served by ferries operated by the Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Mediterranée (SNCM), 61 boulevard des Dames, 13002 Marseille (tel: (4) 9156 3200; fax: (4) 9156 3636; e-mail: info@sncm.fr; website: www.sncm.fr). Services run from Marseille, Toulon and Nice to Ajaccio, Propriano, Porto Vecchio and Bastia on the island.
RAIL: French Railways (SNCF) operate a nationwide network with 34,200km (21,250 miles) of line, over 12,000km (7500 miles) of which has been electrified. The TGV (Train à grande vitesse) runs at high speeds from Paris to Brittany and southwest France at 300kph (186mph) and to Lyon and the southeast at 270kph (168mph).
The SNCF is divided into five systems (East, North, West, Southeast and Southwest). The transport in and around Paris is the responsibility of a separate body, the RATP at 54 quai de la Rapée, 75599 Paris (tel: (1) 4468 2020; website: www.ratp.fr). This organisation provides a fully integrated bus, rail and métro network for the capital.
Rail tickets: There are various kinds of tickets (including Family and Young Person’s Tickets) offering reductions which can usually be bought in France. In general, the fares charged will depend on what day of the week and what time of the day one is travelling; timetables giving further details are available from SNCF offices. It is essential to validate (composter) tickets bought in France by using the orange automatic date-stamping machine at the platform entrance.
There are a range of special tickets on offer to foreign visitors, which usually have to be bought before entering France; some are only available in North America; others are unique to Australia and New Zealand. There are also special European Rail and Drive packages. For more information, contact your local French Government Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section).
Motorail (car sleeper): Services are operated from Boulogne, Calais, Dieppe and Paris to all main holiday areas in both summer and winter. Motorail information and booking is available from Rail Europe (tel: (08702) 415 415; website: www.frenchmotorail.com); see Travel – International section.
ROAD: Traffic drives on the right. France has over 9000km (5600 miles) of motorways (autoroutes), some of which are free whilst others are toll roads (autoroutes à péage). Prices vary depending on the route, and caravans are extra. There are more than 28,500km (17,700 miles) of national roads (routes nationales). Motorways bear the prefix ‘A’ and national roads ‘N’. Minor roads (marked in yellow on the Michelin road maps) are maintained by the départements rather than by the Government and are classed as ‘D’ roads. It is a good idea to avoid travelling any distance by road on the last few days of July/first few days of August and the last few days of August/first few days of September, as during this time the bulk of the holiday travel takes place and the roads can be jammed for miles. A sign bearing the words Sans Plomb on a petrol pump shows that it dispenses unleaded petrol. The Bison Futé map provides practical information and is available from the French Government Tourist Office. Bus: Information on services may be obtained from local tourist offices. Local services outside the towns and cities are generally adequate. Car hire: A list of agencies can be obtained at local tourist offices (Syndicats d’Initiative or Offices de Tourisme). Fly-drive arrangements are available through all major airlines. French Railways (SNCF) also offer reduced train/car-hire rates. Caravans: These may be imported for stays of up to six months. There are special requirements for cars towing caravans which must be observed; eg cars towing caravans are prohibited to drive within the boundaries of the péripherérique (the Paris ring road). Contact the French Government Tourist Office for details.
Regulations: Visitors wishing to hire a car in France must be 21-25 and some companies may include additional charges for drivers under 25. The maximum age limit is generally 70. Speed limits are 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, and 130kph (81mph) on motorways. Visitors who have held a driving licence for less than two years may not travel faster than 80kph (56mph) on normal roads, 100kph (62mph) on dual carriageways and 110kph (68mph) on motorways. The police in France can and do fine motorists on the spot for driving offences such as speeding. Random breath tests for drinking and driving are common. Seat belts must be worn by all front- and rear-seat passengers. Under-tens may not travel in the front seat. Priorité à droite: particularly in built-up areas, the driver must give way to anyone coming out of a side-turning on the right. The priorité rule no longer applies at most roundabouts – the driver should now give way to cars which are already on the roundabout with the sign vous n’avez pas la priorité; but watch for signs and still exercise great caution. All roads of any significance outside built-up areas have right of way, known as Passage Protégé, and will normally be marked by signs consisting either of an ‘X’ on a triangular background with the words ‘Passage Protégé’ underneath, or a broad arrow, or a yellow diamond. A red warning triangle must be carried for use in the event of a breakdown. All headlamp beams must be adjusted for rightside driving by use of beam deflectors or (on some cars) by tilting the headlamp bulbholder. For further details on driving in France, a brochure called The Traveller in France is available from French Government Tourist Offices and must be ordered by telephone (see Contact Addresses section). It contains a section on motoring.
Documentation: A national driving licence is acceptable. An international sign, distinguishing your country of origin, (eg GB sticker or plate) should be positioned clearly on the vehicle. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card. Without it, insurance cover is limited to the minimum legal cover in France; the Green Card tops this up to the level of cover provided by the car owner’s domestic policy. The car’s registration document must also be carried.
URBAN: Urban public transport is excellent. There are comprehensive bus systems in all the larger towns. There are also tramways, trolleybuses and an underground in Marseille; trolleybuses, an underground and a funicular in Lyon; and automated driverless trains in Lille, where there is also a tramway. There are tramway services in St Etienne and Nantes and trolleybuses in Grenoble, Limoges and Nancy. The systems are easy to use, with pre-purchase tickets and passes. Good publicity material and maps are usually available.
Paris: The RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) controls the underground (métro), rail (RER) and bus services in and around Paris. The public transport network is split into several different fare zones and a single ticket will allow travel on any of the systems within that zone (although interchange is only permitted on the métro and RER, and not on buses). Other useful transport links provided by the RATP include; Orlybus and Roissybus (special buses operating to Orly airport and Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport), Orlyval (rail service linking RER stations of Antony and Orly airport) and Montmartre funicular (special railway connecting the foot of Montmartre to the top, near the Sacré Coeur church). Métro: This was built during the Paris Exhibition in 1900. Its dense network of 14 lines in the central area makes the métro the ideal way to get about in Paris. Trains run from approximately 0530-0115. Rail: RER (fast suburban services) operate five main lines connecting most areas of the capital. There is also an extensive network of conventional suburban services run by French Railways (SNCF), with fare structure and ticketing integrated with the other modes of public transport. Bus: A comprehensive network operates within the city. Services include PC buses that run around the outskirts of Paris; Noctambus services which run through the night; Balabus services which run between La Défense and the Gare du Lyon, navigating around La Seine and major tourist attractions; Monmatrobus services that run from Pigalle to Mairie du XVIII Jules Joffrin via Montmartre; and l'Opentour sightseeing tourist buses (website: www.paris-opentour.com). Special tickets: Disneyland Passeport offers a combined ticket price of RER travel and entrance fee to the theme park at a reduced rate. Paris Visite Pass offers superb value for money with a choice of unlimited travel on the entire RATP network (métro, RER, bus etc) for a period of one to five days. A variety of discounts are available with the pass such as reduced prices at certain museums, cinemas, restaurants and shops. Paris transport tickets can be bought in the UK from Voyages Vacances (tel: (020) 7478 8212). All other tickets can be purchased from the RATP Tourist Office at 54 quai de la Rapée, 75599 Paris (tel: (1) 4468 2020 or (08) 9268 7714 (within France only); website: www.ratp.fr) or from 50 of the métro stations, all mainline railway stations and certain banks. Children under four years of age travel free on buses and underground, while children between four and 11 years travel half price. Taxi: Day and night rates are shown inside each cab. There are extra charges on journeys to and from racecourses, stations and airports and for luggage. Private car: Parking is now prohibited in many areas of the centre. Otherwise there are parking meters or parking time is restricted (zone bleue). Car parks charging a fee are plentiful all over Paris and on the outskirts.
Accommodation
HOTELS: Room and all meals, ie full-board or pension terms, are usually offered for a stay of three days or longer. Half-board or demi-pension (room, breakfast and one meal) terms are usually available outside the peak holiday period. They are not expensive but adhere to strict standards of comfort. Hotels charge around 30 per cent extra for a third bed in a double room. For children under 12, many chains will provide another bed in the room of the parents free. Logis de France are small- or medium-sized, inexpensive and often family-run hotels which provide good, clean, basic and comfortable accommodation with a restaurant attached. Further information can be obtained from the Fédération Nationale des Logis de France, 83 avenue d’Italie, 75013 Paris (tel: (1) 4584 8384; fax: (1) 4583 5966; e-mail: info@logis-de-france.fr; website: www.logis-de-france.fr). Relais-Châteaux are châteaux hotels. More details on all types of hotel accomodation can be obtained from the Union des Métiers et des Industries Hôtelières, 22 rue d’Anjou, 75008 Paris (tel: (1) 4494 1994; fax: (1) 4265 1621; e-mail: umih@umih.asso.fr). Hotels in Paris: Hotel bookings can be made in person through tourist offices at stations or at the Paris Tourist Office, 127 avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008 Paris (tel: (8) 9268 3112; fax: (1) 4952 5300; e-mail: info@paris-touristoffice.com; website: www.paris-touristoffice.com) or free of charge at www.paris-on-line.com.
Guides: Regional lists or hotels are available, as well as the Logis de France guide and various chain/association guides from the French Government Tourist Office and bookshops. The Tourist Office publishes guides to hotels in Paris and the Ile-de-France, available free of charge. Grading: Hôtels de Tourisme are officially graded into five categories according to the quality of the accommodation, which are fixed by government regulation and checked by the Préfecture of the Départements: 5-star: Luxury. 4-star: Deluxe. 3-star: First class. 2-star: Standard. 1-star: Budget. Logis de France are subject to a specific code usually above basic requirements for their grade and are inspected regularly to ensure that they conform to the standards laid down.
SELF CATERING: Gîtes de France are holiday homes (often old farmhouses) in the country, all of which conform to standards regulated by the non-profitmaking National Federation. Contact the Fédération Nationale des Gîtes de France, 59 rue de St Lazare, 75009 Paris (tel: (1) 4970 7575; fax: (1) 4281 2853; website: www.gites-de-france.fr).
Villas, Houses and Apartments Rental: Villas and houses can be rented on the spot. Local Syndicats d’Initiative can supply a complete list of addresses of local rental agencies. Tourists staying in France for over a month may prefer to live in an apartment, rather than in a hotel. For information about apartments to rent, apply to: Fédération Nationale de l’Immobilier, 129 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, 75439 Paris (tel: (1) 4420 7700; fax: (1) 4225 8084; website: www.fnaim.fr).
CHATEAUX HOLIDAYS: An association, Château-Accueil, publishes a list of châteaux offering accommodation suitable for families. Contact the French Government Tourist Office for further information.
CAMPING/CARAVANNING: There are 7000 campsites throughout France. A few have tents and caravans for hire. Prices vary according to location, season and facilities. All graded campsites will provide water, toilet and washing facilities. Touring caravans may be imported for stays of up to six consecutive months. There are 100 British companies offering camping holidays in France. The French Government Tourist Office has a full list of tour operators who run all types of tours, including camping and special interest holidays.
YOUTH HOSTELS: There are hundreds of these in France, offering very simple accommodation at very low prices. There are hostels in all major towns. Stays are usually limited to three or four nights or a week in Paris. Hostels are open to all members of the National Youth Hostel Association upon presentation of a membership card. Lists are available from national youth hostel organisations. For further information, contact the French Youth Hostels Federation (FUAS) (website: www.fuaj.org) or the French Government Tourist Office (see Contact Addresses section).
Introduction
As the world’s most popular tourist destination, France manages to be all things to all people. For city slickers, Paris is one of the world’s truly great cities with a myriad of attractions and diverse eating and drinking experiences. The large cities of Lyon and Marseille are not far behind Paris with their own bountiful charms, both offering alternatives and complements to the Parisian experience. Outside of the big three, there are many more cities worth exploring and every town and village seems to have something to offer, with even the smallest town usually boasting a couple of worthwhile churches and a civic museum, as well as the bountiful culinary traditions that the country is rightly famed for. Beyond urban France there is a diverse range of scenery, with everything from towering Alpine peaks in the southeast and rugged sea cliffs on the Atlantic coast, through to sweeping beaches in the west and south and some of Europe’s wildest areas, like the wild Camargue in the south. Any list of French attractions is by virtue of the country’s rich and eclectic nature bound to be incomplete. To talk of cities and natural attractions does not even include the style and panache of the Riviera, the ultra-modern city living of Montpellier, or even the famed chateaux of the Loire among countless overwhelming reasons to visit the country.
Note: The enclave of Monaco has its own section in the World Travel Guide, as do the French Overseas Departments and many of the other French overseas possessions; see the relevant sections for details.
Paris & Ile-de-France
PARIS: Paris is one of the world’s great cities with a practically endless amount of things to do in a city that rewards repeated and extended visits. Despite the massive size of the city, Paris is also an easily navigable destination as the city centre itself is relatively compact and all areas of Paris are connected by a highly efficient public transport system, with the famous Paris Metro an attraction in itself. Paris boasts more than 80 museums and around 200 art galleries. La Carte is a pass providing free admission to about 60 national and municipal museums in the Paris area. The périphérique and boulevard circulaire ring roads roughly follow the line of the 19th-century city walls and within them are most of the well-known sights, shops and entertainments. Beyond the ring roads is an industrial and commercial belt, then a broad ring of suburbs, mostly of recent construction. Central Paris contains fine architecture from every period in a long and rich history, together with every amenity known to science and every entertainment yet devised. The oldest neighbourhood is the Ile-de-la-Cité, an island on a bend in the Seine where the Parisii, a Celtic tribe, settled in about the third century BC. The river was an effective defensive moat and the Parisii dominated the area for several centuries before being displaced by the Romans in about 52 BC. The island is today dominated by the newly renovated cathedral of Notre-Dame. Beneath it is the Crypte Archéologique, housing well mounted displays of Paris’ early history. Having sacked the Celtic city, the Gallo-Romans abandoned the island and settled on the heights along the Rive Gauche (Left Bank), in the area now known as the Latin Quarter (Boulevards St Michel and St Germain). The naming of this district owes nothing to the Roman city: when the university was moved from the Cité to the left bank in the 13th century, Latin was the common language among the 10,000 students who gathered there from all over the known world. The Latin Quarter remains the focus of most student activity (the Sorbonne is here) and there are many fine bookshops and commercial art galleries. The Cluny Museum houses some of the finest medieval European tapestries to be found anywhere, including ‘The Field of the Cloth of Gold’. At the western end of the Boulevard St Germain is the Orsay Museum, a superb collection of 19th- and early-20th-century art located in a beautifully restored railway station.
Other Left Bank attractions include the Panthéon, the basilica of St Séverin, the Palais and Jardin de Luxembourg, the Hôtel des Invalides (containing Napoleon’s tomb), the Musée Rodin and St Germain-des-Prés. Continuing westwards from the Quai d’Orsay past the Eiffel Tower and across the Seine onto the Right Bank, the visitor encounters a collection of museums and galleries known as the Trocadero, a popular meeting place for young Parisians. A short walk to the north is the Place Charles de Gaulle, known to Parisians as the Etoile and to tourists as the site of the Arc de Triomphe. It is also at the western end of that most elegant of avenues, the Champs-Elysées (Elysian Fields), which is once again famous for its cafes, commercial art galleries and sumptuous shops, rather than the dowdy airline offices and fast food joints that took it over for much of the 1980s and early 1990s. At the other end of the avenue, the powerful axis is continued by the Place de la Concorde, the Jardin des Tuileries and finally the Louvre.
The Palais du Louvre has been extensively reorganised and reconstructed, the most controversial addition to the old palace being a pyramid with 666 panes of glass, which juxtaposes the ultra-modern with the classical façade of the palace. The best time to see the pyramid is after dark, when it is illuminated. The Richelieu Wing of the palace was inaugurated in 1993, marking the completion of the second stage of the redevelopment programme. In 1996, a labyrinth of subterranean galleries, providing display areas, a conference and exhibition centre, design shops and restaurants was opened.
North of the Louvre are the Palais Royal, the Madeleine and l’Opéra. To the east is Les Halles, a shopping and commercial complex built on the site of the old food market. It is at the intersection of several métro lines and is a good starting point for a tour of the city. There are scores of restaurants in the maze of small streets around Les Halles; every culinary style is available at prices to suit every pocket. Further east, beyond the Boulevard Sebastopol, is the post-modern Georges Pompidou Centre of Modern Art (also known as the ‘Beaubourg’). It provides a steady stream of surprises in its temporary exhibition spaces (which, informally, include the pavement outside where lively and often bizarre street-performers gather) and houses a permanent collection of 20th-century art. East again, in the Marais district, are the Carnavalet and Picasso Museums, housed in magnificent town houses dating from the 16th and 18th centuries respectively. Still further east, the magnificent Biblothèque François Mitterrand, one of the world’s most spectacular libraries, can be reached via a new métro connection (ligne 14) whose beautiful high-tech trains alone (they are constructed mainly of glass) are worth the trip. One of the best known districts in Paris, Montmartre, has become almost unbearably popular and crowded after the success in 2001 of the Hollywood blockbuster Moulin Rouge. A funicular railway operates on the steepest part of the Montmartre hill, taking people to the outlandish Sacré-Coeur: a love it or hate it chocolate box architectural creation. Local entrepreneurs have long capitalised on Montmartre’s romantic reputation as an artist’s colony and if visitors today are disappointed to find it a well-run tourist attraction, they should bear in mind that it has been exactly that since it first climbed out of poverty in the 1890s. The legend of Montmartre as a dissolute cradle of talent was carefully stage-managed by Toulouse-Lautrec and others to fill their pockets and it rapidly transformed a notorious slum into an equally notorious circus. An earlier Montmartre legend concerns St Denis. After his martyrdom, he is said to have walked headless down the hill. The world’s first Gothic cathedral, St Denis, was constructed on the spot where he collapsed. Just north of Belleville (a working-class district that produced Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier) at La Villete, is one of Paris’ newer attractions, the City of Science and Technology. The most modern presentation techniques are used to illustrate both the history and the possible future of man’s inventiveness; season tickets are available. One of the great pleasures of Paris is the great number of sidewalk cafes, now glass-enclosed in wintertime, which extends people-watching to a year-round sport in any part of the city. There are as many Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants as there are French cafes. North African eating places also abound, and dozens of American Tex-Mex eateries are scattered throughout the city. Bric-a-brac or brocante is found in a number of flea markets (marché aux puces) on the outskirts of town, notably at the Porte de Clignancourt. There are several antique centres (Louvre des Antiquaires, Village Suisse, etc) where genuine antique furniture and other objects are on sale. Amongst the larger department stores are the Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette near the Opéra, the Bazaar Hôtel de Ville (BHV) and the Samaritaine on the Right Bank and the Bon Marché on the Left Bank. The remains of the great forests of the Ile-de-France (the area surrounding Paris) can still be seen at the magnificent châteaux of Versailles, Rambouillet and Fontainebleau on the outskirts of Paris. The capital’s nightlife has never looked healthier. The ‘beautiful people’ may have moved on to Menilmontant, but the bustling streets of Bastille are still a nocturnal playground for far more than just tourists. Menilmontant itself rewards visitors prepared to venture beyond the guidebooks to discover the vibrant, hip, twenty-something scene.
Disneyland Resort Paris: The Disneyland Resort Paris, now open year round, lies to the east of the capital, a complete vacation destination located at Marne-la-Vallée, 32km (20 miles) from Paris. Disney’s first European venture has become one of the continent’s most popular attractions. The site has an area of 1943 hectares (5000 acres), one-fifth the size of Paris, and includes hotels, restaurants, a campsite, shops and a golf course, and has as its star attraction the Disneyland Paris Theme Park. Inspired by previous theme parks, Euro Disneyland features all the famous Disney characters plus some new attractions especially produced to blend with its European home. The site is easily accessible by motorway, regional and high-speed rail services, and by air. Walt Disney Studios opened on 16 March 2002.
Brittany
Brittany is a region of France that boasts a fiercely independent culture that dates back to its Celtic past. Brittany comprises the départements of Côtes d’Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Villaine and Morbihan. Fishing has long been the most important industry and the rocky Atlantic coastline, high tides and strong, treacherous currents demand high standards of seamanship. At Finistère (finis terrea or Land’s End), the Atlantic swell can drive spouts of water up to 30m (100ft) into the air. The coastal scenery is particularly spectacular at Pointe du Raz and Perros-Guirec. The Gauls arrived on the peninsula in about 600 BC. Little is known about their way of life or why they constructed the countless stone monuments to be found throughout Brittany – cromlechs, altars, menhirs and dolmens (Carnac is the supreme example of this). They were displaced by the Romans during the reign of Julius Caesar who in turn were displaced by Celts arriving from Britain in AD 460. The Celts named their new land Brittanica Minor and divided it into the coastal area, l’Ar Mor (the country of the sea), and the inland highlands, l’Ar Coat (the country of the woods). The two areas in Brittany are still referred to as l’Armor and l’Argoat. The Celts were master stonemasons, as may be seen by the many surviving calvaires, or elaborately carved stone crosses. Brittany emerged from the Dark Ages as an independent duchy. A series of royal marriages eventually brought Brittany into France and by 1532 the perpetual union of the Duchy of Brittany with France was proclaimed. Despite the rugged coastline, it is possible to enjoy a conventional beach holiday in Brittany. The Emerald Coast, a region of northern Brittany centred on Dinard, has many fine bathing beaches. The beach resorts are often named after little-known saints: St Enogat, St Laumore, St Brill, St Jacut, St Cast, and so on. There are also bathing beaches in the bay of St Brieuc, including Val André, Etables and St Quay. Brittany’s main attractions are her wild beauty and the unique Breton culture. In general, coastal areas have retained a more characteristically Breton way of life than the hills inland, though much of the coastline is blighted by the holiday homes which seem to occupy every possible space. Elaborate Breton head-dresses are still worn in some parts, the style varying slightly from village to village. Breton religious processions and the ceremonies of the pardons that take place in a number of communities at various times of the year may have changed little since Celtic times. In the region around Plouha, many of the inhabitants still speak Breton, a language evolved from Celtic dialects, and Celtic music and cultural performances are also popular. The coast from Paimpol consists of colossal chunks of rock, perilous to shipping, as the many lighthouses suggest. The very pleasant villages and beaches of Perros-Guirec, Trégastel or Trébeurden contrast with the wild and rocky shoreline.
Near the base of the peninsula, at Aber Vrac’h and Aber Benoit, the ocean is caught and churned up in deep, winding chasms penetrating far inland. Further along the coast is the huge and sprawling port of Brest, possessing one of Europe’s finest natural harbours which has a 13th-century castle. The canal running from Brest to Nantes makes a very pleasant journey either by hired boat or walking or on horseback, although not all of the route is navigable by water. The interior consists of wooded hills and farms, buttes (knolls) with fine views, short rivers and narrow valleys. Many of the so-called mountains are merely undulating verdant dunes, barely 300m (1000ft) high. They are nonetheless remnants of the oldest mountain chain on the planet. Breton architecture is perhaps more humble than in other parts of France, being more akin to that of a village in England or Wales. Inland, there are several impressive castles and many walled towns and villages. The churches are small and simple. For the most part, Brittany benefits from the warmth of the Gulf Stream all year round, but the tourist season runs from June to September. The countryside blazes with flowers in the spring, attracting many varieties of birdlife. The city of Rennes, the ancient capital of Brittany, is a good base from which to explore the highlands; sights include the Palais de Justice, the castle, the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée de Bretagne, which seeks to preserve and foster all things Breton. Some of Brittany’s most productive farms are close to the northern shore. Fertilised with seaweed, they produce fine potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, artichokes, peas, string beans and strawberries. The quality of locally produced ingredients lends itself to the simple Breton cuisine, which brings out natural flavours rather than concealing them with elaborate sauces. Raw shellfish (including oysters), lobster, lamb and partridge are particularly good. The salt meadows of lower Brittany add a distinctive flavour to Breton livestock and game. Crêpes (pancakes) are a regional speciality and there are two distinct varieties: a sweet dessert crêpe served with sugar, honey, jam, jelly or a combination (eg suzette); and the savoury sarrasin variety, made from buckwheat flour and served with eggs, cheese, bacon or a combination of several of these (the crêpe is folded over the ingredients and reheated). They can be bought ready-made in the local shops. Little or no cheese is produced in Brittany, but some of the finest butter in the world comes from here – it is slightly salted, unlike the butter from the other regions of France. Cider is frequently drunk with food, as well as wine. The popular wine, Muscadet, comes from the extreme southern point of Brittany, at the head of the Loire Estuary, near Nantes. It is a dry, fruity white wine that goes very well with shellfish, especially oysters.
Normandy
Normandy is a region dominated by farming, with mile upon mile of unbroken farmland, which eventually gives way in the west to the waters of the English Channel. Normandy contains five départements: Seine Maritime, Calvados, Manche, Eure and Orne, all but the last two touching on the sea. Its southern border is the River Couesnon which has, over the years, shifted its course as it flows over almost flat country, gradually moving south of Mont-Saint-Michel, one of Europe’s best-known architectural curiosities. Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The tides are phenomenal; at their peak, there is a difference of about 15m (50ft) between the ebb and the flow, the height of a five-storey building. The sands in the bay are flat and, when the tides are at their highest, the sea runs in over a distance of some 24km (15 miles) forming a wave about 70cm (2ft) deep. The sandbank changes from tide to tide and, if the legend of the sea entering the bay at the speed of a galloping horse is perhaps a slight exaggeration, the danger of quicksand is real enough. The present Abbey of Saint-Michel was built in the eighth century by Bishop Aubert; his skull bears the mark of the finger of Saint Michel, the archangel Michael. Cabourg is the Balbec in Proust’s novels. Maupassant and Flaubert included Norman scenes in their novels and Monet, Sisley and Pissaro painted scenes of the coast and the countryside. Deauville – with its beach, casino, golf course and race track – is the social capital of the area. Bayeux is worth a visit for the fantastic tapestry – there is nothing like it in the world. The landing beaches and World War II battlefields are remembered by excellent small museums in Arromanches (the landings) and Bayeux (battle of Normandy). There is also a peace museum in Caen, with its beautiful Romanesque church and ruins of an enormous castle, founded by William the Conqueror. Other monuments worth visiting include the 14th-century Church of St Etienne, the Church of St Pierre (Renaissance) and the Abbaye aux Dames. There is also a museum of local crafts from the Gallo-Roman period to the present.
The cross-Channel terminus and port of Dieppe has attractive winding streets and a 15th-century castle, housing the Musée de Dieppe. There are some beautiful châteaux in Normandy, particularly along the route between Paris and Rouen. They include the Boury-en-Vexin, Bizy at Vernon, Gaillon, Gaillard-les-Andelys, Vascoeuil and Martinville. Along the same route are found a number of other sites classed monument historique; the Claude Monet House and garden in Giverny, the Abbey de Martemer (Lisors) and the village of Lyon-la-Fôret. All of these merit a detour. The ancient capital of Rouen features restored ancient streets and houses, including the Vieille Maison of 1466 and the place du Vieux-Marché, where Jeanne d’Arc was burnt in 1432. There is a magnificent 13th-century cathedral (the subject of a series of paintings by Monet), as well as many fine museums and churches, including St Ouen and St Maclou. The cloister of St Maclou was a cemetery for victims of the Great Plague. The old port of Honfleur, with its well-preserved 18th-century waterfront houses, is also well worth a visit.
Normandy is a land of farmers and fishermen and is one of the finest gastronomic regions of France. Exquisite butter, thick fresh cream and excellent cheeses, including the world-famous camembert, pont l’evêque and liverot, are all produced here. Both crustaceans and saltwater fish abound; sole Normande is one of the great dishes known to the gastronomic world. There is also lobster from Barfleur, shrimp from Cherbourg and oysters from Dive-sur-Mur. Inland one finds duck from Rouen and Nantes, lamb from the salt meadows near Mont-Saint-Michel, cream from Isigny, chicken and veal from the Cotentin, and cider and calvados (apple brandy) from the Pays d’Auge.
Nord, Pas de Calais & Picardy
Northern France is made up of the départements of Nord/Pas de Calais (French Flanders) and Somme-Oise Aisne (Picardy).
Amiens, the principal town of Picardy, has a beautiful 13th-century cathedral, which is one of the largest in France. The choirstalls are unique. The nearby Quartier Saint-Leu is an ancient canal-side neighbourhood. Beauvais is famous for its Gothic Cathedral of St Pierre (incorporating a ninth-century Carolingian church) which would have been the biggest Gothic church in the world, if it had been completed. Its 13th-century, stained-glass windows are particularly impressive. There is also a fine museum of tapestry.
Compiègne is famous for its Royal Palace, which has been a retreat for the French aristocracy from the 14th century onwards and where Napoleon himself lived with his second wife, Marie-Louise. There are over 1000 rooms within the palace and the bedrooms of Napoleon and his wife, preserved with their original decorations, are well worth viewing for their ostentatiously lavish style. Surrounding the town and palace is the Forest of Compiègne, where the 1918 Armistice was signed, and which has been a hunting ground for the aristocracy for hundreds of years – a wander through its dark and tranquil interior is an exceptionally pleasant experience. The town also has a fine Hôtel de Ville (town hall) and a Carriage Museum is attached to the Palace.
The château of Chantilly now houses the Musée Condé and there are impressive Baroque gardens to walk around, as well as a 17th-century stable with a ‘live’ Horse Museum. The town of Arras, on the River Scarpe, has beautiful 13th- and 14th-century houses and the lovely Abbey of Saint Waast. There are pretty old towns at Hesdin and Montreuil (with its ramparts and citadel). Boulogne is best entered by way of the lower town with the 13th-century ramparts of the upper town in the background; the castle next to the basilica of Notre Dame is impressive.
Le Touquet is a pleasant all-year-round coastal resort town with 10km (6 miles) of sandy beaches. The port of Calais, of great strategic importance in the Middle Ages, is today noted for the manufacture of tulle and lace, as well as being a busy cross-Channel ferry terminus. Calais and its surrounds are also very popular for their large shopping malls, which are particularly popular with British visitors, who often travel across the English Channel specifically for a shopping trip.
The further north one goes, the more beer is drunk and used in the kitchen, especially in soup and ragoûts. Wild rabbit is cooked with prunes or grapes. There is also a thick Flemish soup called hochepot which has virtually everything in it but the kitchen sink. The cuisine is often, not surprisingly, sea-based – matelotes of conger eel and caudière (fish soup). Shellfish known as coques, ‘the poor man’s oyster’, are popular too. The marolles cheese from Picardy is made from whole milk, salted and washed down with beer. Flanders, although it has a very short coastline, has many herring dishes, croquelots or bouffis, which are lightly salted and smoked. Harengs salés and harengs fumés are famous and known locally as gendarmes (‘policemen’).
Champagne & Ardennes
The chalky and rolling fields of Champagne might have remained unsung and unvisited, had it not been for an accident of history. Towards the end of the 17th century a blind monk, tending the bottles of mediocre wine in the cellars of his abbey at Hautviliers, discovered that cork made a fine stopper for ageing his wine. After the first fermentation, cork kept air, the enemy of ageing wine, from his brew. But it also trapped the carbon dioxide in the bottle and when he pulled the cork it ‘popped’. At that moment, some say, the world changed for the better. ‘I am drinking the stars,’ he is said to have murmured as he took the first sip of champagne the world had ever known. This northeastern slice of France is composed of the départements of Ardennes, Marne, Aube and Haute Marne. On these rolling plains many of the great battles of European history have been fought, including many in World Wars I and II. The Ardennes was once known as the ‘woody country’ where Charlemagne hunted deer, wild boar, small birds and game in the now vanished forests. The area has three main waterways: the Seine, the Aube and the Marne. The Marne Valley between Ferté-sous-Jouarre and Epernay is one of the prettiest in France. Forests of beech, birch, oak and elm cover the high ground, vines and fruit trees sprawl across the slopes, and corn and sunflowers wave in the little protected valleys. The valleys form a long, fresh and green oasis, dotted with red-roofed villages. In 496, Clovis, the first king of France, was baptised in the cathedral in Rheims. From Louis VII to Charles X, the kings of France made it a point of honour to be crowned in the city where the history of the country really began. Rheims and its cathedral have been destroyed, razed, and rebuilt many times over the centuries. The Church of St Rémi, even older than the cathedral, is half Romanesque, half Gothic in style. The most remarkable feature is its great size, comparable to that of Notre-Dame-de-Paris. Beneath the town and its suburbs, there are endless caves for champagne. Epernay is the real capital of champagne, the drink. Here, 115km (72 miles) of underground galleries in the chalk beneath the city store the wine for the delicate operations required to make champagne. These include the blending of vintages, one of the most important tasks in the creation of champagne. It is left to age for at least three years. Aside from champagne as the world knows it, there is an excellent blanc de blanc champagne nature, an unbubbly white wine with a slight bite and many of the characteristics of champagne. The perfect Gothic style of the Cathedral of St Etienne in Châlons-sur-Marne has preserved the pure lines of its 12th-century tower. Nearby, the little town of St Ménéhould, almost destroyed in 1940, has contributed to the gastronomic world recipes for pigs’ feet and carp, but historically it is known for the fact that the postmaster, in 1791, recognised Louis XVI fleeing from Paris with his family and reported him.
Before the annexation of Franche-Comté and Lorraine, Langres was a fortified town. Its Gallo-Roman monuments, its 15th- and 17th-century mansions and its religious architecture make it well worth a visit. Troyes, ancient capital of the Champagne area, has a beautifully preserved city centre with a Gothic cathedral, dozens of churches and 15th-century houses and a system of boulevards shaped like a champagne cork. The city also boasts the Musée d’Art Moderne in the old Bishops’ Palace – a private collection of modern art, including works by Bonnard, Degas and Gauguin. Troyes is becoming increasingly popular as a base for exploring Aube en Champagne, an area that is less saturated with tourists compared to the more popular champagne areas around Rheims and Epernay.
There are beautiful lakes in the Champagne-Ardenne region, the largest being Lac du Der-Chantecoq. The Fôret d’Orient has a famous bird sanctuary. There is no school of cooking founded on the use of champagne, but locally there are a few interesting dishes that include the wine. Châlons-sur-Marne has a dish that involves cooking chicken in champagne. It goes well in a sauce for the local trout; kidneys and pike have also been fried in champagne.
Lorraine, Vosges & Alsace
This part of France is made up of two historic territories, Alsace and Lorraine, in which there are six départements: Vosges, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and the territory of Belfort. These territories have see-sawed from French to German control during conflicts between the two countries for centuries. The major cities of the area are Strasbourg, Metz, Nancy and Colmar. Strasbourg, by far the largest and most important, has been for centuries what its name suggests: a city on a highway; the highway being the east–west trade (and invasion) route and the north–south river for commerce. Today, it is the headquarters of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, but it is rich in historic monuments and architecture and possesses a magnificent cathedral.
Metz, a Gallo-Roman city, is situated in a strategic position as a defence point and is also a crossroads of trade routes. It contains some elegant medieval walls, arches and public buildings, but its pride is the Cathedral of St Etienne. Nancy is best known for its perfectly proportioned Place Stanislas, gracefully surrounded with elegant wrought-iron gates. The history of Lorraine is excellently documented in the town’s museum. A visit to Colmar can be a pleasant glimpse into the Middle Ages, and it is one of the most agreeable cities in Alsace, as well as being capital of the Alsatian wine country. The narrow, winding, cobbled streets are flanked by half-timbered houses, painstakingly restored by the burghers of the city. The 13th-century Dominican Convent of Unterlinden, now a museum, contains some important works from the 15th and 16th centuries, including the exquisite Grünewald triptych.
Colmar is a perfect place from which to set out along the ‘Wine Route’ (Route du Vin), stopping at many of the appealing towns along the way to taste the local wine. Turckheim, just outside Colmar, has some of the best-preserved array of 15th- and 16th-century houses in the district and a town crier takes visitors through the streets at night to recall the atmosphere of old. The town of Eguisheim, with its Renaissance fountain and monument in the village square, is also a charming Alsatian town with many historic houses and wine cellars open to the public for wine-tasting. Kayersberg (the birthplace of Dr Albert Schweitzer, whose house has been turned into a museum with mementoes of his work and life) also has some castle ruins on a hill overlooking the town and a picturesque stream that meanders through the town. A particularly popular town with tourists is Riquewihr, with its 13th- and 14th-century fortifications and belfry tower and its many medieval houses and courtyards. St Hippolyte is another picturesque wine-tasting town at the foot of the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, a sprawling and impressive medieval castle where Jean Renoir filmed La Grande Illusion.
Self-steer boats are readily available for canal cruising in a number of locations. There are also regularly scheduled Rhine river and canal tours daily all summer; several hotel boats ply these waterways as well. Sightseeing helicopters and balloons make regular flights, weather permitting. Several ancient steam trains make regular circuits including Rosheim/Ottrat (on the wine route); at Andolsheim a steam train runs along the Canal d’Alsace between Cernay and Soultz. Throughout Alsace there are artisans’ workshops, including glass and wood painting at Wimmenau and pottery in Betschdorf where studios and shops are open to the public. Organised walking tours that include overnight stops and meals en route are arranged from Colmar and Mulhouse. Bicycle trails are marked along the Rhine, where bicycles are readily available for hire. Belfort, a major fortress town since the 17th century, commands the Belfort Gap, or Burgundy Gate, between the Vosges and the Jura mountains. Dominating the routes from Germany and Switzerland, it became famous during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71 when it withstood a 108-day siege. This is commemorated by a huge stone statue, the Lion of Belfort, by Bartholdi, the creator of the Statue of Liberty. The ‘route du vin’ lies between the Rhine and a low range of pine-covered mountains called the Vosges. The flat, peaceful plain is covered with orchards and vineyards. Lovely, rural villages dot the landscape, their church spires piercing the horizon. The wines of Alsace have a long history, the Alsatian grapes being planted before the arrival of the Romans. It has never been clearly understood where they originated; unlike other French wines, these depend more on grape type than soil or processing. Almost exclusively white with a fruity and dry flavour, they make an excellent accompaniment to the local food. Beer also goes well with Alsatian food, and as might be expected, good beer is brewed in both the Alsace and the Lorraine areas. There are famous and popular mineral water sources in Contréxeville and Vittel (also a spa town). They were well known and appreciated by the Romans and today are the most popular in France. One of the food specialities of Alsace is truite bleue, blue trout, which is simply boiled so fresh as to be almost alive when tossed into the water. The swift rivers provide gamey trout and they can be fished by visitors if permits are obtained (at any city hall). The cooking is peppery and hearty and quite unlike that of any other French region. Munster, a strong winter cheese, is usually served with caraway seeds. Lorraine and Alsatian tarts are made with the excellent local fruits: mirabelles (small, yellow plums), cherries, pears, and so on. Each of these fruits also makes a world-renowned eau-de-vie, a strong white alcohol liqueur drunk as a digestive after a heavy meal. Lorraine is famous for quiche lorraine made only in the classical manner: with cream, eggs and bacon. Nancy has boudin (blood sausage), although this is found in all parts of France.
Burgundy & Franche-Comté
Burgundy begins near Auxerre, a small medieval town with a beautiful Gothic cathedral, and extends southward to the hills of Beaujolais just north of Lyon. The départements are the Yonne, Côte d’Or, Nièvre and the Saône-et-Loire. Driving through this region, one seems to be traversing a huge carte des vins: Mersault, Volnay, Beaune, Aloxe Corton, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin. This vast domain of great wines was for 600 years an independent kingdom, at times as strong as France itself, enjoying its heyday in the 15th century. Throughout a stormy history, however, Burgundy’s vineyards survived thanks in large part to the knowledge, diligence and good taste of its monks. Several of the orders owned extensive vineyards throughout the region, among them the Knights of Malta, Carthusians, Carmelites and, most importantly, the Benedictines and Cistercians. As a result the 210km (130-mile) length of Burgundy is peppered with abbeys, monasteries and a score of fine Romanesque churches, notably in Fontenay, Vézelay, Tournus and Cluny. There are also many fortified châteaux. Dijon, an important political and religious centre during the 15th century, has several fine museums and art galleries, as well as the Palais des Ducs, once the home of the Dukes of Burgundy. There are also elegant restored town houses to be visited, dating from the 15th to the 18th century, and a 13th-century cathedral. The towns of Sens and Macon both possess fine churches dating from the 12th century.
The region of Franche-Comté is shaped like a fat boomerang and is made up of the départements of Doubs, Jura, Haute Saône and Territoire de Belfort. The high French Jura Mountains, rising in steps from 245 to 1785m (805-5856ft), run north–south along the French–Swiss border. To the west is the forested Jura plateau, the vine-clad hills and eventually the fertile plain of northern Bresse, called the Finage. The heights and valleys of the Jura are readily accessible and, in the summertime, beautifully green, providing pasture land for the many milk cows used in the production of one of the great mountain cheeses: Comté. There are many lovely (and romantically named) rivers in this region – Semouse, Allance, Gugeotte, Lanterne, Barquotte, Durgeon, Colombine, Dougeonne, Rigotte and Romaine (named by Julius Caesar). They weave and twist, now and then disappearing underground to reappear again some miles away. All these physical characteristics combine to make Franche-Comté an excellent region for summer vacations and winter sports.
Val de Loire
One of France’s most famous regions is the Loire Valley, the former playground of the French monarchs, whose traces and grand palaces attract visitors today. The ‘centre’ of France from Chartres to Châteauroux and from Tours to Bourges includes the départements of Eure-et-Loir, Loiret, Loir-et-Cher, Indre, Indre-et-Loire and Cher. The Central Loire includes the famous Châteaux country, perhaps the region most visited by foreign tourists to France. Through it flows a part of the Loire River, the longest river in France, and considered to be its most capricious, often reducing to a mere trickle of water in a bed of sand. It has been called a ‘useless’ great river, because it drives no turbines or mill wheels and offers few navigable waterways. It could be said that the Loire serves only beauty and each of its tributaries has its own character. The Cher is a quiet, slow-moving river, flowing calmly through grassy meadows and mature forests. The château of Chenonceaux stands quite literally on the river; a working mill in the early medieval period when the Cher flowed more vigorously, it was transformed into perhaps the most graceful of all French châteaux, its court rooms running clear from one bank to the other on a row of delicate arches. Chenonceaux’s development owed much to a succession of beautiful and powerful noblewomen, and its charm is of an undeniably feminine nature. The Indre is a river of calm reflections. Lilies abound and weeping willows sway on its banks. The château at Azay-le-Rideau was designed to make full use of these qualities and stands beside several small man-made lakes, each reflecting a different aspect of the building. Water is moved to and from the river and between the lakes through a series of gurgling channels. The water gardens and its reflections of the intricately carved exterior more than compensate for the rather dull interior. The Vienne is essentially a broad stream. It glides gracefully beneath the weathered walls of old Chinon, where several important chapters in French history were acted out. The château of Blois, which is one of the finest architecturally speaking, is certainly the most interesting in terms of history. It stands in the centre of the ancient town of the same name, towering over the battered stone houses clustered beneath its walls. Chambord, several miles south of the Loire, is the most substantial of the great châteaux. Standing in a moat in the centre of a vast lawn bordered by forests, the body of the building possesses a majestic symmetry. In contrast, the roofscape is a mad jumble of eccentric chimneys and apartments. Some have attributed the bizarre double-helix staircase to Leonardo da Vinci. The five châteaux described in outline above are generally ranked highest amongst the Loire châteaux and form the core of most organised tours. There are, of course, dozens more that can be visited and it is even possible to stay overnight in several. The Loire Valley is very warm and crowded with tourists in summer.
Besides châteaux, there is much else of interest in the Loire Valley and surrounding districts. There are magnificent 13th-century cathedrals in Chartres and Tours, as well as abbeys and mansions and charming riverside towns and villages.
Other places of outstanding interest include Orléans, famous for its associations with Jeanne d’Arc, with a beautiful cathedral, the Musée des Beaux Arts and 16th-century Hôtel de Ville; and Bourges, a 15th-century town, complete with old houses, museums and the Cathedral of St Etienne. The charming little town of Loches, southeast of Tours, has a fine château and an interesting walled medieval quarter. It was in the heartland of the Touraine where the true cuisine of France developed (Touraine was given the name ‘the garden of France’).
Western Loire
The region of the Western Loire comprises the départements of Loire-Atlantique, the Vendée, Maine et Loire, Sarthe and Mayenne. The Vendée and the Loire-Atlantique share a beautiful and wild coastline with Brittany. There are 305km (190 miles) of sandy beaches. Inland, the mild climate makes for beautiful mature pastures, often made more attractive by clumps of wild camelias and roses.
In the Western Loire, La Baule, a summer resort with a fine, seemingly endless beach, is a pleasant town with winding streets and giant pines, excellent hotels, restaurants and a casino. It has an unusually mild microclimate and is exceptionally warm for the region. Le Mans, famous for its racetrack, is an historic old town built on a hill overlooking the west bank of the Sarthe. The 12th-century choir in the Cathedral of Saint Julian is one of the most remarkable in France. The magnificent 13th- and 14th-century stained glass is also impressive. Most of the Sarthe Valley consists of beautifully wooded hills, divided by the thick hedges that are seasonally draped with wild roses, honeysuckle, or large juicy blackberries. In May or early June, the apple and pear blossoms blend with the hawthorn; the orchards are in bloom and the fields and forests are rich and green. These two months are most attractive and the weather at that time is usually favourable; the autumn is less dry but as a rule usually remains pleasant through October.
Nantes, on the coast of the Loire-Atlantique, is a thriving commercial and industrial centre. There is a medieval castle, which also houses the Musée d’Art Populaire, a display of Breton costumes; a 15th-century cathedral; and a naval museum. St Nazaire, along the coast from Nantes, boasts the Escal Atlantic, a replica of an ocean liner containing interactive exhibits evoking the golden age of ocean travel. Upstream from Nantes, the town of Angers contains some spectacular tapestries. In the castle can be seen St John’s Vision of the Apocalypse (14th century) and in the Hôpital St Jean, Jean Lurcat’s Chant du Monde (20th century). The Hôpital itself is very beautiful and there are several museums and art galleries in the town worth a visit, as well as the magnificent castle/fortress and the cathedral.
The regional cuisine has the advantages of excellent vineyards, an abundance and variety of fish from the Loire and its tributaries, plentiful butter and cheese, fruits and vegetables and easily available game from the forests. In general, the wines of the Loire all have a clean refreshing taste that makes them ideal for light lunches or as an apéritif.
Aquitaine & Poitou-Charentes
This area of sunshine and Atlantic air in the southwest of France includes the départements of Deux Sèvres, Vienne, Charente-Maritime, Charente, Gironde, Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Landes and Pyrénées Atlantiques, the latter on the Spanish border. The coastline has 270km (170 miles) of beaches and the 30km (20 miles) or so from Hossegor to Hendaye fall within the Basque area and offer some of the best surfing in Europe.
North of Bordeaux the region of Guyenne is sometimes referred to as ‘west-centre’ as if it were a clearly defined part of France, yet a diversity of landscapes and an extraordinary mixing and mingling of races exists here – Celts, Iberians, Dutch and Anglo Saxons, to name a few. The linguistic frontier between the langue d’oïl and langue d’oc runs between Poitiers (former capital of the Duchy of Aquitaine) and Limoges, creating a dialect which developed from both. These people have in common the great north–south highway, the important line of communication between the Parisian basin and the Aquitaine basin. Throughout the centuries it was the route of many invaders: Romans, Visigoths, Alemanni, Huns, Arabs, Normans, English, Huguenots and Catholics all moved along it. Not far from Poitiers is Futuroscope, which is the domestic answer to Disneyland Resort Paris, offering a huge theme park containing interactive and cinematic exhibits, as well as rides and other entertainment. Biarritz and Bayonne are both resorts on the Aquitaine/Basque coast, close to the Spanish border. Biarritz has been famous as a cosmopolitan spa-town since the 19th century, when it was popular with the European aristocracy. There are several sheltered beaches, as well as a casino. Bayonne, a few kilometres up the coast but slightly inland, is a typical Basque town that is worth a visit. There is a 13th-century cathedral and two museums (one of them devoted to Basque culture). Bordeaux is on the Garonne River just above where it joins the Dordogne, the two streams forming an estuary called the Gironde which forms a natural sheltered inland harbour. It is flanked on both sides by vineyards as far as the eye can see. The combination of great wines and great wealth made Bordeaux one of the gastronomic cities of France and the city offers an impressive sight from its stone bridge with 17 arches that crowns the enormous golden horn which forms the harbour. The second-largest city of France in area, the fourth in population, the fifth port, it was described by Victor Hugo with the words: ‘Take Versailles, add Antwerp to it, and you have Bordeaux’. The city is the commercial and cultural centre for all of the southwest. Its nightlife scene is fuelled by the large local student community, which, along with its eating and drinking scene and the new budget airline route to Bordeaux, is bringing more and more city-breakers into the city. South of Bordeaux along the coast is a strip of long sandy beaches backed by lagoons, some communicating with the sea, some shut off from it. Just at the back of this is the Landes, covered with growths of scrubby pine. Here in the marshes, the shepherds walk on stilts. The hilly region between the Adour and Garonne rivers comprises the inland part of Gascony, first known as Aquitania Propria and later as Novem Populena. It was inhabited by Vascones, or Basques who, since prehistoric times, had lived in this area and south of the Pyrénées. In the south, the Basque language has survived to this day, but the northern part of the area became known as Vasconia and then Gascony, a name made famous by the swashbuckling Gascons of literature; Cyrano de Bergerac, d’Artagnan of ‘The Three Musketeers’ and le vert gallant – Henri IV. In the centre of Gascony is the old countship of Armagnac which, like Cognac, provides the world with a magnificent brandy that bears the name of the region. The difference between the two stems from several factors: the type of grape used, the soil, the climate, the method of distilling the wine and the variety of wood used in the maturing casks. Armagnac is still made by local artisans and small farmers. The quality and taste varies much more than Cognac, but it inevitably retains its fine flavour.
The Dordogne (and neighbouring Lot) is the area where traces of prehistoric (Cro-Magnon) man abound. The Dordogne River itself, one of the most beautiful of all French rivers, flows swiftly through the region, its banks crowded with old castles and walled towns. In Montignac, the fabulous painted caves of Lascaux are reproduced in the exact proportions and colours of the original, a few miles away. The reproduction was necessary as the original deteriorated rapidly when exposed to the heat and humidity of visitors. A highly interesting and informative museum and zoo of prehistoric artefacts and animals has been created in le Thot a few miles from Agen. The area around Perigueux is a country of rivers and castles – very different from those on the Loire as these are older and, for the most part, fortified defence points against medieval invaders. There are facilities for renting horse and gypsy wagons (roulotte à chevaux) for slow-moving tours of the region. Along with hiking treks, river boating and bicycling tours, it offers a relaxed way to explore this beautiful land.
It is possible in Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes to find pleasant hotels and auberges for an overnight or few days’ stay. They range from gîtes and chambre d’hôtes – a farm bed & breakfast programme – to châteaux hôtels with elegant restaurants. There are no less than 150 chambres d’hôtes stopovers in the Poitou-Charentes region alone, including many on the coast, near beaches and pleasure ports. The area of Poitou-Charentes has lovely mature woodland and an attractive coast where oysters are cultivated. The Charente-Maritime is known as ‘the Jade Coast’, with Royan to the south (a fine modern resort with 13km/8 miles of fine sand beaches) and La Rochelle to the north. The centre of the département of Charente, amid low, rolling hills covered with copses of trees and vineyards, is a little town of only 22,000 inhabitants whose name is known all over the world. Here, in an area of some 150,000 acres, the only brandy that can be called Cognac is produced. Use of the name is forbidden for brandy made elsewhere or from other than one of the seven officially accepted varieties of grape. The Valois Château, located here, was the birthplace of Francis I. The ancient port of La Rochelle, from which many pioneers left to explore the new world, is today a popular vacation and sailing port. La Rochelle is becoming more and more popular, thanks in no small part to the new budget airline route to the city from London. The rivers of the region offer quiet scenic walks or boating trips.
Close by, the offshore islands of Oléron and Ré are both connected to the mainland by bridges.
Auvergne & Limousin
West of the Rhône are the volcanic highlands of the Massif Central, historically known as Auvergne and consisting today of the départements of Haute-Loire, Cantal, Pays-de-Dôme and Allier. The Limousin region to the west comprises Haute-Vienne, Creuse and Corrèze. Architecturally, Auvergne is rich in châteaux and churches (especially in the Allier and Loire gorges) and is noted for its colourful, rich and mysterious nature. The National Park here offers magnificent walking country – a land of water, mountains, plains and extinct volcanoes (the Cantal crater may once have been 30km/20 miles wide). There are ten spa resorts within its boundaries, as well as many lakes, rivers and forests. The high plateaux of Combrailles, Forez and Bourbonnais are very beautiful.
Clermont-Ferrand, which is the political and economic nucleus for the whole of the Massif Central, is a lively and sprawling town and the birthplace of the Michelin tyre empire. Much of the town’s architecture (especially in the older parts of the Clermont area) is black, because of the local black volcanic rock. There is a 13th-century Gothic cathedral and a 14th-century Romanesque basilica, as well as several museums. The town makes a very good base for exploring the beautiful areas around it.
There are plenty of good hôtels, gîtes d’hôtes, and gîtes de France throughout the region. The cuisine is splendid, including cornet de Murat (pastries), pounti, truffades and the St Nectaire cheeses. At nearby Saint-Ours-les-Roches is the new European Volcano Centre, a specially designed exhibition and entertainment centre, which opened in 2001.
The 2000-year-old regional capital of Limousin, Limoges, is an important rail and route crossroad, famous for the production of extremely fine porcelain. The nearby city of Aubusson is noted for its tapestries (a local tradition dating back to the eighth century). Both cities are also famous for their enamel.
Languedoc-Roussillon
The combined territories of Languedoc and Roussillon include five départements: Aude, Gard, Hérault, Lozère and Pyrénées-Oriental. The area has been French since the 13th century and the name languedoc comes from langue d’oc or language in which ‘yes’ is oc (as opposed to langue d’oïl the language in which ‘yes’ is oui). This ancient language is still heard throughout the south of France, on both sides of the Rhône. The Mediterranean coast between Perpignan (the ancient capital of the Kings of Mallorca) and Montpellier now has one of the most modern holiday complexes in Europe, including the resorts of La Grande Motte, Port Leucate and Port Bacarès. Montpellier itself is the city that surveys show most French people themselves would most like to live in. With its grand civic spaces, cutting-edge architecture and state-of-the-art tram system, the city offers a vision into the future of urban living. Other attractions include some excellent museums, galleries and a string of fine, good value restaurants. More wine is produced in Languedoc-Roussillon than any other place in the world. The vineyards, started in the Roman era and producing red, white and rosé wine, begin in the Narbonne area, run past Béziers (the wine marketing centre for the region) and on to Montpellier. Once an important seaport which imported spices (its name derives from ‘the Mount of Spice Merchants’), the city is an important intellectual and university centre with five fine museums, impressive 17th- and 18th-century architecture and a superb summer music festival. There are a great variety of other attractions in this warm southland. The Roman (and some Gallic) ruins are often magnificent; the Maison Carré, Diana’s Temple and the Roman Arena in Nîmes, the Rome of the Gauls, are among the finest examples of Greco-Roman architecture to be found today. The 2000-year-old Pont de Gard is one of humanity’s greatest architectural accomplishments and certainly merits a special trip. There is the medieval city of Aigues-Mortes which would still be recognizable to St Louis and his crusaders, for it was from here they embarked for the east; and the crenellated walled city of Carcassonne and towers of Uzès are unmissable. On the coast, Sete is Mediterranean France’s largest fishing port and boasts an attractive town centre, complete with canals, beaches and bountiful restaurants and cafes. Nearby, Agde is a smaller fishing port whose main attraction is Le Cap d’Agde, with its wide expanse of unspoiled beaches and large nudist colony.
The Canal du Midi, ideal for cruise holidays, is a tranquil waterway, largely abandoned by commerce, that connects the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. It runs through the sleepy village of Castelnaudary, famous for its cassoulet, past the citadel of Carcassonne and on through Montpellier.
Rhône, Savoie & Dauphiny
This region includes the French Alps and their foothills, and the vast long valleys of the Rhône and Saône rivers. The départements are Loire, Rhône, Ain, Ardèche, Drôme, Isère, Savoie and Haute-Savoie. Lyon, in the deepest part of the Rhône valley, has a proud gastronomic tradition. More and more city breakers are flocking to the city on gastronomic trips, exploring the city’s myriad of eating and drinking opportunities, opportunities that many locals and visiting foodies argue more than match those of Paris. France’s second city, Lyon is a major cultural, artistic, financial and industrial centre, with international festivals and trade fairs. The Cathedral of St Jean is well worth a visit, as are the Roman remains of the city and the Musée de la Civilisation Gallo-Romaine. The French Alps stretch across Savoie and Dauphiny on the border with Italy. Napoleon came this way after escaping from Elba in 1815. Landing with 100 men near Cannes, he intended to march along the coast to Marseille and up the Rhône Valley to Lyon and Paris, but he received reports that the population on that route was hostile and was forced instead to head inland through the mountains. They reached Gap (150km/93 miles from the coast) in four days, Grenoble a few days after and arrived in Paris (1152km/715 miles from Cannes) in 20 days with a large and loyal army in tow. It is possible to retrace his route, which passes through much beautiful scenery; each stopping place is clearly marked. The Alps have demanded much of France’s engineers and some of the roads and railways are themselves tourist attractions. Notable examples include the 9km (6-mile) steam locomotive run from La Rochette to Poncharra (about 40km/24 miles from Grenoble); and the 32km (19-mile) track (electrified in 1903) from Saint-Georges-de-Commiers to la Mira (near Grenoble), with 133 curves, 18 tunnels and 12 viaducts. As in most mountainous regions of the world, white-water boating (randonnées nautiques) can be enjoyed on many of the Alpine rivers. Hiking is popular and well organised, utilising the GR (grandes randonnées or main trails) maps that show where the official marked trails pass. The rivers racing from the Alpine heights into the Rhône provide a great deal of electrical power and good opportunities for trout fishing. The Fédération des associations agréées de Pêche et de Pisciculture de la Drôme in Valence can lead a fisherman to the right spot (HQ in Valence, but branches in 36 cities). Skiing, however, is the principal sport in the French Alps. The best skiing is found, for the most part, west of Grenoble and south of Lake Geneva. All the resorts are well equipped, provide warm, comfortable lodgings and good food. Some specialise in skiing all year round, but almost all have summer seasons with facilities such as golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools and natural lakes. At the lake resort of Annecy, there is an unusual Bell Museum with a very fine restaurant attached; international festivals of gastronomy are held throughout the year.
Midi-Pyrénées
The Midi-Pyrénées area, with its magnificent mountain scenery, lies between Aquitaine to the west and Languedoc-Roussillon to the east. It encompasses part of the Causses, the high plateau country and most of Gascony. Included in it are the départements of Lot, Aveyron, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn, Gers, Haut-Garonne, Ariège and Hautes Pyrénées. This is a land of plains dotted with hillocks, sandy stretches, moors and pine woods, desolate plateaux cleft by magical grottoes, and little valleys covered with impenetrable forests. The northeastern section is a rough, mountainous land, known as the Rouergue. It is situated on the frontier of Aquitaine, formed by the plateau of the Causse, where game and wild birds feed on the thyme and juniper growing wild in the chalky soil. As a result, these little animals and birds develop a delicious and individual flavour. The principal town, Rodez, is severe and beautiful. The crenelated summit of its red tower, one of the marvels of French Gothic architecture, rises above a confusion of narrow streets and small squares. From here, there are views of the high plateaux beyond the Aveyron, a majestically stark landscape of granite outcrops and steep ravines. The villages and farmhouses, built of local rock, often mimic the rock formations to the extent that they are all but invisible to outsiders.
To the southeast is Millau, gateway to the Tarn gorges, and to the south lies Roquefort with its windy caves that store the famous ewe’s-milk cheese. These damp cold winds are the secret that has created the ‘cheese of kings and the king of cheeses’. Auch was the ancient metropole of the Roman Novem Populena, one of the most important towns in Gaul, long rivalling Burdigala (Bordeaux) in importance. The cathedral has two Jesuit towers, choirstalls carved in solid oak and a 16th-century stained glass window. The people of Auch have erected a statue to le vrai d’Artagnan (‘the real d’Artagnan’), the famous Gascon musketeer immortalised by Dumas. Cahors, situated on a peninsula formed by the River Lot, has a famous bridge, Pont Valentré, with its six pointed arches and three defensive towers rising 40m (130ft) above the river. It is the most magnificent fortified river span that has survived in Europe and was begun in 1308. Legend has it that the construction work was plagued with problems and the bridge still remained unfinished after 50 years. Then one of the architects made a pact with the devil and the bridge was finished without another hitch. A small figure of the devil is still visible on the central tower. A fine, very dark red wine bears the name Cahors. It is made from grapes of the Amina variety brought in from Italy in Roman times. Toulouse, one of the most interesting cities of France, is an agricultural market centre, an important university town, an aero-research centre and one of the great cities of French art (it has seven fine museums). After the Middle Ages, the stone quarries in the region were exhausted so the city was built with a soft red brick which seems to absorb the light. As a result, it is called the Ville Rose and is described as ‘pink in the light of dawn, red in broad daylight and mauve by twilight’. There are many beautiful public buildings and private dwellings, like the 16th-century Renaissance Hôtel d’Assezat and one known as the Capitole, now used as a city hall. The finest Romanesque church in southern France is here. The first Gothic church west of the Rhône was built in Toulouse, the Church of the Jacobins; and the first Dominican monastery was founded in Toulouse by Saint Dominic himself. Toulouse is a vibrant city with much activity, with its long rue Alsace-Lorraine being its axis. It is here in the early evenings that Toulousians and visitors alike sit for an apéritif at one of the large sidewalk cafes. The region was an important part of the Roman Empire, subjected for 800 years to Arabic influence (the Moors holding substantial parts of Spain just across the Pyrénées) and the cuisine has therefore developed from both Roman and Arabic. Toulouse sausage, a long fat soft sausage whose filling must be chopped by hand, is one of the ingredients of the local cassoulet as well as a very popular dish in its own right. Albi is another red-brick city, smaller but no less interesting than Toulouse, located on the River Tarn. The first extraordinary thing about Albi is its brick church. Albi was the centre of violent religious wars (the Albigensian Heretics resisted the Catholic crusaders for decades). The mammoth red-brick Cathedral of Saint Cécile, towering above all the other buildings of the town, was built as a fortress to protect the cruel bishop who imposed the church on the populace. Inside is a vast hall, subdivided by exquisite stonework embellished with statues. The nearby 13th-century Palace of the Archbishop (also fortified) is now a museum containing the largest single collection of the works of Toulouse-Lautrec. The town of Lourdes has acted as a magnet for the sick in need of miracle cures, ever since the visions of Bernadette Soubirous in the mid-19th century. Apart from the famous grotto, there is a castle and a museum.
Provence
Spectacular weather is one of the major attractions of Provence, whose départements comprise Hautes Alpes, Alpes de Haute Provence, Var, Vaucluse and Bouches du Rhône. The deep blue skies of summer are seldom clouded, although there is some rain in spring and autumn. The only inhospitable element is the mistral, a wind that sometimes roars down the Rhône Valley, often unrelenting for three or four days. When the Romans arrived in Gaul, they were so delighted with the climate of the Bouches du Rhône that they made it a province rather than a colony, which was more usual.
The varied flora that has taken root in this land has given it the hues of pewter, bronze, dark green and vibrant green. The sun has baked the dwellings to shades of ochre and rose while the deep red soil has provided tiles that remain red, defying the searing rays of the Midi sunshine. The towns, their architecture, stones and tiles all blend subtly throughout Provence with the majestic plane trees in the streets and squares. Their long heavy trunks of mottled greys and the graceful vaulting of the heavily leafed branches create a peculiar atmosphere not found anywhere else. These are the principal adornments of most of the cities, market towns and villages, casting a deep blue shade on the inhabitants, the mossy fountains, cafe terraces and games of pétanque. The eras of Greek and Roman domination of Provence have left monuments scattered across the countryside. They include walled hill towns, triumphal arches, theatres, colosseums, arenas, bridges and aqueducts. Christianity brought the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, many churches and hundreds of roadside shrines or ‘oratories’ which have given the name oradour to many communities along the Rhône. Near Avignon is Orange with its stunning Roman ampitheatre and rumble of Roman ruins.
Christian art of the highest quality is scattered throughout the area from Notre-Dame-des-Doms in Avignon to Notre-Dame-du-Bourg in Digne in the centre of the lower alps. The pilgrims throughout the territory built wonderful churches typified by graceful semi-circular arches, round rose windows, statues of Christ surrounded by evangelists, saints, the damned in chains and processions of the faithful. These are carved in stone, so worn by the sun and wind they almost have the quality of flesh.
Many of the towns and villages are marked by fortified castles and watchtowers to guard against the coming of the Saracens, the Corsairs of the Rhône and marauding bands. For this was the invasion route, by land from the north and by sea from the south. Tarascon, Beauclair, Villeneuve, Gourdon, Entrevaux, Sisteron and many others had their ‘close’ and tower situated high above the river or overlooking the sea. Marseille was founded by the Greeks (they called it Massalia) and used as a base for their colonisation of the Rhône Valley. Today, it is France’s most important commercial port on the Mediterranean and consequently many people, often who have never been, dismiss it is an ugly port city. This anachronism does Marseille no justice at all as it actually offers a mass of things to do, a vibrant cosmopolitan ambience and some top-class culinary experiences. Marseille is France’s most energetic city: a living, throbbing mass of cultures – far more melting pot than salad bowl – unlike many of the country’s other major cities. The new TGV Sud line from Paris, opened in 2001, and a regular budget airline route from London have both helped to bring the city the recognition it has long deserved. There are many sites of interest – the old port, the hilltop church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, several museums, Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation, the Hospice de la Vieille Charité and, of course, the Château d’If, one of the most notorious of France’s historic island fortresses.
Vast oil refineries and depots dominate the sparsely populated salt flats and marshes to the north and west of the city, but the land is not yet dead. It is the perfect habitat for several species of birds found in only a few other places in Eastern Europe, including bustards and nightjars. On the far side of the Rhône is the wild, marshy area known as the Camargue, long used for the breeding of beef cattle and horses, for the evaporation of sea water to make salt, and more recently for growing rice. The cattle breeders, or cowboys, are armed with lances instead of lassos. Vast flocks of waterbirds nest here in a national bird reserve, among them pink flamingos and snow-white egrets. When, in 123 BC, Consul Sextias Calvinus established a camp beside some warm springs in the broad lower Rhône Valley, it was named Aquae Sextiae – today known as Aix-en-Provence. Other interesting ancient sites are the ruined Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard and the amphitheatre in Arles. This whole region is also fascinating since it was frequently painted by the great Post-Impressionist painters Cézanne and Van Gogh. The combination of gentle light and breathtaking scenery finds echoes throughout the art galleries of the wor | | |