French Holiday Ideas

If you are looking for somewhere new to visit in France, there are sure to be plenty of fascinating places that you haven't visited, and perhaps never even considered as a holiday destination. But the real pleasure of a visit to France is in discovering these less know corners, and a France that has escaped the crowds of the better known resorts. The following are a few suggestions:

The Lot department

Just east of the Dordogne department, the Lot is much less well know but every bit as beautiful as its famous neighbour. Forested hills and small scale farming are typical of the countryside, traversed by numerous small rivers and dotted with beautiful traditional villages.

The Atlantic Coast

Find the beaches of the Cote d'Azur too busy? Head to the Atlantic coast of Aquitaine. There are 200 kilometres of fine sandy beach spreading from the attractive 19th century town of Biarritz and all the way to Arcachon, to the west of Bordeaux , passing by the Dune de Pilat- the largest sand dune in Europe. Note that Bordeaux itself has been extensively rénovâtes and transformed during the last few years and is now a very impressive city.

Inland Provence

Many tourists flock to the perched villages of Provence and the Luberon, to discover the great beauty of the region. But for somewhere a little quieter head to the region between the coast and the Gorges du Verdon. In the region around the villlage of Tourtour there are numerous small Provencal towns to discover, such as Aups and Flayosc, along with attractive scenery, and of course the dramatic Gorges du Verdon themselves.

Gascony

The name Gascony is a historial one, that corresponds roughly to the current Gers department. Falling between the Pyrenees to the south and the Lot-et-Garonne and Dordogne départements to the north, the region is best know as a place to enjoy the peace and quiet, to quietly appreciate birds flying overhead, to look across fields of sunflowers...and to forget whatever stresses you left behind. There are also a sprinkling of market towns and villages to explore - be sure to visit the fortified village of Larressingle.

Brittany

Not exactly unknown to visitons to France, Brittany still has much to discover, and it is still pretty easy to escape the crowds. There are two main options for finding tranquility in Brittany:

1) Head west, to the furthest reaches of Finistere, to explore the dramatic coastline and small fishing villages

2) Stay inland, because a few kilometres from the coast the Cornish countryside is very pretty, very traditional, and still relatively undiscovered and unexplored.