Get The Most Out Of Your Trip To France

Most children love going on holiday, and they’ll  love going on holiday toFrance. As well as being conveniently close to the UK and accessible via a variety of forms of transport, it is a country with much to offer children, both socially and educationally. If you’re planning an Easter or summer getaway with your children, here are five good reasons for choosing France.

Great Beaches

There’s nothing quite like the traditional family bucket-and-spade holiday, and France has something for everyone on that score. If you’re just on a short break or don’t want to travel too far from home, try the stunning, windswept beaches of Normandy and Brittany.

Language Skills

It’s a holiday – but how about making it a fun educational opportunity as well? If you’d like your children to learn French London or even learn another language,  colleges like St. George’s offer courses which could provide the basics. They could then go on to practise their new-found skills in France. For children, French is one of the easier languages to learn as much of the vocabulary is similar to English. It is also one of the most commonly taught in schools, so giving them a head start when they’re young could be a great advantage later on.

Good Food

France’s biggest export is its food, and the country is known for its commitment to using high-quality ingredients, with very tasty results. If you’re sick of the supermarket culture that pervades the UK, use a French holiday as a chance to show children how food should be. You can buy fresh bread each day, take them to the many fascinating French food markets, eat well in local restaurants and your children will develop an appreciation of new flavours and food experiences.

Open Spaces

France has roughly the same population as the UK, in around twice the land area. That means that there are plenty of opportunities for children to run around and enjoy the great outdoors in France. Head up into the Alps and let them enjoy exploring wildflower meadows and fresh mountain air or enjoy some of the country’s great rivers such as the Ardeche or Dordogne, where there are plenty of opportunities to take part in child-friendly watersports such as family kayaking.

Fascinating Cities

French towns and cities have lots to occupy the curious child. Many have plenty of gardens and parks, such as the Jardin des Tuilieres in central Paris, where you’ll find sculptures, fountains and free deckchairs. Narbonne for instance, has a maze of medieval streets to explore, and Caen has spacious well-preserved castles – fantastic places for experience a great family holiday.

Party Time In Paris

Paris is known amongst other things for its fine living, parties, and great wine so here are a few idea to whet your whistle for fashion, a party atmosphere and fine wine! Paris is so close, and there are bargain flights to be had with a few minutes search on the web.

Paris Great Wines Fair

Of course, you cannot visit Paris without enjoying a glass of wine, so it is worth getting down to the Paris Great Wines Fair.  This takes place every December and is hugely popular with locals and visitors alike.  In fact, it attracts over 20,000 visitors every single year!

The fair allows you to try and buy some of the finest wines available with over a 100 different chateaux represented.  Some, you may of heard of, while others are new to the market or are much smaller and rarer brands.  You will get to smell, sip and taste your way around the fair and buy some bargains at the same time.

The doors open at 10:30am and the fair runs all the way through until around 8pm, so there is a good full day to get around.  However, there is so much to see that many people actually go back for a second day.  You can purchase a one day pass for 20 Euro’s but you can pay an extra 5 Euro’s and get a 2 day pass if you think you will be one of those people that returns for more necessary research!

Fashion Tea Time

The Fashion Tea time event is a must of lovers of fashion.  The event takes place at Le Bristol Palace Hotel on the 7^th January every year.  It costs 50 Euro’s to enter but you will get to enjoy a 90 minute fashion show with some of the biggest designers in the world.  Previous designer collections shown have included YSL, Givenchy and even Versace!  You will be served  Parisian pastries created by the three-Michelin star team, delicious on so many levels!

Paris Carnival

If fashion and sweet treats aren’t really your thing and you would rather be enjoying a bit of a party atmosphere then why not try the Paris Carnival.  This happens every March and is totally free to attend.  It starts with the carnival build up at 1:30pm at Place Gambetta and then the procession leaves at 3pm to pass through the city in the most extravagant of ways.  There are dancers, fire jugglers, loud music and performers of all kinds.  The atmosphere is really electric and you will see plenty of people joining in the fun and dancing around in their very own costumes and fancy dress.   This carries on all the way through until 7pm where the procession arrives at the town hall for the Grand Finale!

Just a few ideas to get you reaching for your passport  and with cheap flights to Paris – it’s just a couple of hours away to Parisienne heaven!

The Top 5 Restaurant Experiences in Brittany

L’Escale, Cancale

La Closerie de Kerdrain, Auray

La Taupinière, Pont Aven 

Le Saint-Placide, St Malo

Restaurant des Rochers, Perros Guirec

France’s Famous Garden Setting

It’s famous, of course, for the water lilies, but if you go to Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny in Normandy, what you are likely to remember most is the Clos Normand. This is the part of the garden closest to the painter’s house, and beside its gravel paths, the beds are a riot of colour and texture. It’s like walking through a 3 dimensional painting made up of hundreds of colours. And this wonderful place is just a short journey outside Paris – and flights to Paris are fast and frequent.

Monet’s Garden

Nobody knows for sure if Monet intended the garden to look like this, but we know that  Monet loved gardening. “Apart from painting and gardening, I’m good for nothing!” he once exclaimed. Weeds and brambles took over when he was gone and, despite photographs and work from various family members, what you see now is a homage, not a faithful reproduction. It’s also the product of a mind-boggling amount of work. Nine hundred varieties of annuals are planted every year in an endless cycle of digging, trailing, pruning and mulching.

In May, the responsibility for all that work fell into the hands of James Priest, the new head gardener at Giverny, and he’s a Brit — or, rather, he was. Priest came to France in 1986 and has pretty much gone native: he speaks English with a French accent. He’s deeply respectful of the work of the previous incumbent, Gilbert Vahé, who held the post for 35 years, and says he’ll watch and learn for the first 12 months. Only then will he make his mark.

Whatever happens, Giverny is bound to remain a sumptuous visual experience — and the perfect start to a weekend in eastern Normandy.

Visiting Guidelines

Monet’s house and gardens (00 33-2 32 51 28 21, fondation-monet.fr; £7) are open daily, 9.30am-6pm, from April 1 to November 1. They get 500,000 visitors each year. Coach parties and school groups are the bane of weekdays — avoid them by going between noon and 2pm, or after 4pm. These are good times to aim for at the weekend, too, along with 9am-10am.

Every month is different -  September is for sunflowers, dahlias and asters; hold on till early May for deep beds of tulips. Whenever you go, it will be pulsating with colour. Ignore the house, by the way — it wasn’t built for the volumes of people trooping through it, and there are no Monet paintings inside.

Weekend Wandering

Plan to see the garden twice, once in the afternoon and once at 9am next day. This will allow you to enjoy it as Monet would have, appreciating the changes in light and atmosphere. When you’re done, check out the Musée des Impressionnismes next door, currently showing works by Monet, Manet and Degas (02 32 51 94 65, mdig.fr; £5.70).

A few miles north of Giverny lies Les Andelys. Home to a beautifully preserved medieval church and square, it’s overlooked by the Château Gaillard (open daily except Tuesday, April 2-November 6, 10am-1pm and 2pm-6pm; £2.80). Built at vast expense by Richard the Lion­heart, it sits on the edge of a sweeping escarpment above the Seine.

Beyond the pretty village of Lyons-la-Forêt, you’ll find Le Jardin Plume (02 35 23 00 01, lejardinplume.com; open May 11-October 30, 2pm-6pm on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 10am-noon on Wednesday and Saturday; £6). Horticulturists have been drooling over its mix of modern planting and old-school layout for years. It’s Priest’s favourite garden in the area, so may offer clues as to how Giverny might evolve.

How To Get There

Paris is only about 50 miles from Giverny, so it’s really easy to get to – just scan through the web for cheap flights to Paris, then pick up a train or coach to Giverny and visual heaven follows!

With panoramic-view bars and midnight kisses by the Seine the French capital is in its element once night has fallen.

Here we explore some of the wonderful things to do when night falls in Paris.

As the days begin to shorten but the temperatures remain comfortable it is an ideal time to shop around online and book flights to experience Paris by night.

Stroll Montmartre at night, when the deserted cobbled streets look like film sets. For quiet, head down Rue des Saules to the Clos de Montmartre vineyard , the only vineyard left in Paris, before ambling to Sacré-Coeur for vistas over the sleeping city. At the bottom of the steps, pace Rue Yvonne le Tac towards Rue des Abbesses where a cluster of bars pour post-midnight drinks.

Get to the Centre Pompidou at 6.30pm to admire modern art by Matisse and Miró. Then, before the gallery closes (9pm), take the transparent escalators up to the industrial-chic restaurant Georges, to watch the sun set over Paris’s rooftops, Martini in hand. You’ll have to fight trendy crowds for a table, and service can be escargot-slow (look out for the model-like hostesses dressed in cocktail-dress finery). But it’s pure panorama drama, inside and out.

Cosy up in the Hôtel Concorde La Fayette’s panoramic bar. From this 33-storey perch you can sip fizz and enjoy the city shining like a fairy-lit toy-town. Look out for the Eiffel Tower – every hour between dusk and 1am, its filigree girders illuminate the night sky with a brief twinkle.

The most atmospheric view of the Seine? From a boat! Book a champagne-dinner cruise, departing from the foot of the Eiffel Tower (up until 10.30pm) with Bateaux-Parisiens then watch the best show in town unfurl just beyond your table.

La Belle Hortense bar in the Marais district (31 Rue Vieille du Temple, 4th; www.cafeine.com) attracts wine-loving night owls with endless shelves of literature and wine, served until 2am. Prop yourself up at the bar for a chat about Baudelaire, or opt for the cosier back section, where you can savour a glass of Bordeaux in peace.

Catch the last lift (10.30pm) up the Eiffel Tower www.tour-eiffel.fr – and dine beforehand at the Michelin-starred Jules Verne restaurant on the second floor.You’ll need to book several weeks in advance, but it’s a do-before-you-die sensation.

For the brave try hiring a 1955-style Vespa from Left Bank Scooters www.leftbank scooters.com (£80 a day, delivered to your hotel) and trace the riverside roads from the Eiffel Tower, past Invalides and the Louvre to Notre-Dame. One bike holds two – so you can cling to each other in the night air.

Current online offers include flights to Paris from as little as £30 departing from various UK airports.

Paris City Holiday Break For Family Adventures

Paris has a reputation for being expensive and sophisticated. Well, it can be, but you don’t have to spend a lot  to enjoy yourself – it can also be family friendly, and there are some real gems to enjoy alongside the well known sights of the tourist trail. If you are travelling with young children, here are several suggestions that you might want to check out – some of the lesser well known Garden and Theme Parks. They’re affordable, straightforward to get to and will keep youngsters as well as the adults happy! Paris City Breaks have never looked as appealling to families with young children.

La Mer De Sable

La Mer De Sable was the first theme park in France and amazingly, it still holds its own. It’s built on a geological site and has natural sand banks and lots of activites. Children love it. Its spacious, safe, and it isn’t quite on the tourist route. The free parking, very reasonable prices and no queuing makes this a great place to visit – just make sure you know about the parks strong western theme! There are cowboy shows, a Pirate Boat, horse shows, Railroad Rides, and the desert and jungle areas to explore. It’s about 40 minutes outside Paris and its open from 10.00am – 6.00pm until September 23rd, before it winds up for the season.

The Park Floral

This park is great – it’s relaxing!  There are waterlily ponds full of flowers, and a mini golf course which has all the key monuments of France to knock a golf ball around. It’s pretty and well kept, and oddl,  not many people seem to visit, so you should be able to explore and try out the golf in relative peace.

Jardin d’Acclimatation

This park area in Paris has got to be one of the great open spaces in the city – there are 49 acres of pure fun! You get there from Porte Maillot Metro Station, and the park has its own little train which trundles into the park and around the grounds. There are dozens of activities and thing to see here,  including an Aviary, giant flower showers in the water park and carousel horses, that travel on a track – remember the Mary Poppins film? There are workshops for children, and while they go off to do theatre or singing, adults can go and take part in cookery lessons, belly dancing or chocolate making. The cafes can be rather expensive, so you can always add to the days enjoyment with a proper Parisian picnic. You can go on a boat on the Enchanted River, use the open air pools, visit the Hall of Mirrors or try out the enormous Carousel Swing Ride. You buy as many activity tickets as you want, and its open every day – since its unlikely you’ll get through everything in a day, so you can always persuade the young members of your party a return trip, on the understanding that you get to do a few of the things you want to do….a boat ride on Sienne, a visit to the Sacre Coeur, the Eiffel Tower, The Lourvre, Cartiers Jewellery Shop……or combine the two with a trip to Tuilleries Gardens, near the Eiffel Tower, where there is a huge Carousel and Ferris wheel as part of the summer garden Funfair. Its open until the 3rd week of August.

Paris can get hot in August, and traditionally it’s the quiet time of year, when many Parisians wind down and take their annual holidays.  Paris is always hugely enjoyable, regardless of when you go – so find your local tourist office when you arrive, and check out what’s available in the district you’re staying in. If its too hot too walk, check out where you can book in for a Sedgeway Tour of the city.  You won’t have to travel far or spend a fortune to have a great time.

France – A Hop, Skip and Ferry Away

France boasts a wide range of top holiday destinations and its so easy to get to; planes and trains are quick – but you’ll a choice of savings with cheap Dover to Calais ferries and then you can drive through France and enjoy a visit to some of Europes most iconic cultural centres – namely Paris, Strasbourg or Toulouse. You might like to stay at a beach or  ski resort or take in the country’s many fascinating gardens; you’ll simply be spoilt for choice. In today’s blog post, here are just five of France’s most amazing holiday destinations.

Paris

Situated on the river Seine in the Ile-de-France region, the nation’s capital offers so many more attractions and things to do than those that you might’ve seen in the tourist brochure.

Whilst the traditional star attractions of the city such as the Eiffel Tower, Musee du Louvre and Les Invalides are knock out places to visit,  there is also no shortage of less talked-about sights, such as the Musee Grevin Waxwork Museum and the contemporary art centre, The Palais de Tokyo.

French Riviera

If your tastes lean more towards summer relaxation than the bigger cities allow, then consider a visit to the Cote d’Azur, or the French Riviera, on the country’s southeast coast.

Stretching for some 560 miles, this popular coastline takes in larger settlements such as Nice, in addition to smaller resorts such as Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Juan-les-Pins.

Amiens

Amiens has to be worth a visit merely for its jaw-dropping 13^th century Gothic cathedral, which is actually the country’s tallest complete cathedral and was listed as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

The cathedral is far from the only star attraction of Amiens, which is also well worth a visit for the nearby Battle of the Somme memorials and the former house of the pioneer of science fiction writer, Jules Verne.

Lyon

Having been one of France’s economic powerhouses for many centuries now, Lyon also has plenty to offer as far as historical and architectural landmarks are concerned. These range from the medieval Cathedral of St. John to the much more recently renovated Opera Nouvel. The city is also home to a variety of beautiful parks and gardens.

Strasbourg

The official seat of the European Parliament is situated so close to the German border that it even has a Germanic name, but of perhaps greater interest to tourists will be its historic city centre that led to it being classified as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

France has great food and wine, and the countryside is stunning – so along with the city sights, its a must see place!

A Summer City With Style

Summer in Montpellier is a little known treat. If you have never considered a trip to this beautiful place – here’s a few ideas to whet your appetite. With a cheap flight in hand, you’ll be enjoying your break, in fabulously elegant surroundings within a few hours of take-off.

Things To See and Do

The Old Town in Montpellier is crammed full of tiny, secretive restaurants, little jewellery bars where the style is ethnic and eclectic. There are beautiful old townhouses, cooler than cool music venues and open squares that can discovered off the labyrinth of passages and alleyways.  It has a live wire feel to it, and its infective. If you go to the old centre in the Antigone district of the city, you’ll see an amazing array of architectural styles, leading you into the somewhat surprising district of Odysseum, where you can test out climbing walls – there’s ice skating on offer too, as well as a bowling alley.

Leaving earthy pleasures behind you can make your way back to Place de la Comedie, a large and decidedly sumptuous walkway, lined with marvellous boutiques and coffee bars. Or try the recently refurbished Musee’ Fabre for a look at its excellent European art collection.

The Tour de la Babote, is a worth seeing. It’s a large corner tower, built in medieval times, and the name babota means insect larvae or chrysalis. Perhaps it reflects the towers building style. Places of interest also include the Montpellier Medical School, which is based in an old Monastery; founded in 1220;  its acknowledged as being one of the old medical schools ever known. Rabelais studied here in the middle ages!

Another beauty spot is the Botanical Garden, originally designed and planted in the late 15^th Century.

Evening Time

Fine dining opportunities abound, there are fabulous restaurants overlooking the River Lez or if you want something a little more gusty, go for one of the local eateries such as La Tomate, where you’ll be scurrying for a seat but enjoying great value food.  Taken your dance shoes? Step out to the latest disco grooves at the Panama but if you just want to watch,  enjoy the spectacle of the International Dance Festival held in Montpelier from June 22 – July 7, which is followed by their respected classical music festival.

Swimming In The Sea

Take your bathing suit with you because six miles from Montpellier is the seaside – go south and keep going until you hit the water – the coastline is low-key,  pleasant and clean, so if you want a change from the charged atmosphere of Montpelier, head for the waves and the wide open stretches of beach.

Montpellier is a thriving city with a real buzz – it feels alive with culture, fun and the pleasures of summer living. You can easily get there from major UK cities, so check out the cheap flights available and indulge yourself in a cosmopolitan and exciting city!