France - The Facts

Size: 212,935 square miles (551,499sq km)
Capital: Paris
Language: French
Currency: Euro
Weather: Subtropical around the Med, much the same as English weather in the north

France - Attracations

Paris

Has a lot to live up to. For a long time it's been seen as the place for romance, art, good food and sophistication - a great place to wander round and chance across things or sit in a café watching the world go by. For culture vultures a city pass, La Carte, gives free admission to around 60 museums. If you just want to concentrate on the famous sights your list should include the Louvre (cheap entry after 3pm), the Eiffel Tower, the Georges Pompidou Centre of Modern Art, Notre Dame, Montmartre with its romantic reputation as a place of starving artists and the church of Sacre Coeur. The Latin Quarter is a student area with good galleries, bookshops and bars. Disneyland Paris, a mere 20 miles away, is a complete contrast.

National parks

For an escape to the mountains, head for one of the four national or regional parks - Vanoise, Ecrins, Queyras or Vercors. All offer excellent walking with marked routes, mountain refuges and huts. The Grande Traversée des Alpes, crosses all the major massifs from St-Gingolph on Lake Geneva to Nice although most people just do sections of it.
One of the most popular mountain towns is Chamonix surrounded by spectacular needle shaped peaks and close to Mont Blanc. The Aigulle du Midi with its stupendous views from the top can be reached by cable car. Many lift operate all year round and are used by hikers, mountain bikers and summer skiers. The Pyrénées National Park on the Spanish border is one of the few places in western Europe where brown bears survive, although it's extremely unlikely you'll see one.

The coast

There's lots of different coastal scenery and resorts to choose from. Some of the most famous are on the south coast, but places like Cannes and St Tropez are crowded, and expensive, the best beaches are often private. The further west you go on this coast the better the beaches get. Marseille the biggest city on the south coast, has a reputation for lawlessness and racism but can be an exciting place to visit. If you want space, sand and surf head for the Atlantic coast. Biarritz is fashionable, La Rochelle is pretty and the Emerald Coast region of northern Brittany has lots of excellent beaches.

Corsica

A wild and beautiful island 100 miles off the south coast, its white city of Ajaccio was the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. This is a place of mountains, beaches, dramatic coastline and distinctive Corsican culture. The interior, known as the maquis, is a mountain wilderness.

Champagne

If you like the bubbly stuff, a visit to the Champagne region is a must. Epernay has 72 miles of caves or underground galleries beneath the city where wine used to make champagne is stored. Many producers offer tastings.

France - Activities

Hiking There are thousands of miles of marked trails in France and an extensive network of huts. Some of the most popular hiking and climbing areas are in the Alps and Pyrenees with numerous long distance routes. Many of the ski resorts run lifts for hikers in the summer making it easy to start high.

Skiing

The French have invested hugely in high, purpose-built resorts which range from the relatively stylish to the offensively ugly. However they do offer excellent skiing as their altitude generally ensures reliable snow cover. Some, like Tignes, offer all year round glacier skiing. What they lack in charm they make up for in convenience and variety. Many have a massive number of interlinked runs with skiing back to the door of your apartment a common feature. There are also lots of smaller and prettier resorts dotted throughout the Alps and Pyrenees.

Canal cruising

France has an extensive canal and navigable river network and holiday barges are widely available for rent. The Canal du Midi links the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and is a great way to traverse the country. The Marne-Strasbourg canal goes through the vineyards of Champagne and the Burgundy Canal is wine lovers delight.

Cycling

Many towns and cities have traffic free paths and going by bike can be much more stress free than other forms of transport. Cycle paths pistes cyclables are also common all the way down the Atlantic Coast. In all there are over 17,000 miles of marked cycle routes in the country - a combination of traffic free tracks and quiet roads. Bikes can be hired in most towns and from many railway stations.

Horseriding

The Camargue is a favourite destination for those wanting a horsey holiday with excellent beaches to gallop along. Many other parts of the country have stables from which horses can be hired and many offer lessons for novices.

Skating

The Friday Night Skate in Paris was the start of the city skate craze that's spread across Europe. It regularly attracts a crowd of 12,000 and has had as many as 28,000. It leaves the Montparnasse Railway Station, complete with a roller-blade national police unit at 10pm and returns there three hours later. But be warned, you have to be good to survive unscathed!

France - Entertainment

French night life centres round cafes and bars, between which there's a very hazy distinction. Most double up as both. In Paris the best venues are on the Rue Oberkampf and Ménilmontant. The biggest and busiest are Café Charbon and the Mécano Bar. The Latin quarter is still a favourite with students, try Le Piano Vache.

New Year's Eve is celebrated by a crowd of thousands along the Champs-Elysées.

The International Giant Sand Sculpture Festival takes place in the small town of Hardelot, north of Lille during May and June and attracts competitors from all over the world. Competitors from Canada, China, USA and Singapore, amongst others, to compete for the coveted prize money. The contest is judged by the mayor of the town.

The Waiters' Race in June sees 500 Parisian waiters and waitresses complete with fully laden trays belting through the streets. Breakages mean disqualification.

The country's biggest Pig Festival is held in Trie sur Baïse on the second Sunday of August. You can watch them race, enter the piggy costume competition or eat them. The highlight of the day is the national pig imitation competition (La Pourcailhade).

Bastille Day on the 14 July commemorates the uprising that was the start of the French Revolution. It's the country's most important holiday, celebrated with parades, balls, fireworks and parties. Not to be missed are the are the fireman's balls, held in the streets around fire stations.