Guide To Louvre
If you are visiting Paris there are so many attractions that are simply unmissable, with the Louvre arguably one of the city’s most famous attractions alongside the Eiffel Tower.
The Louvre is easily the most famous museum in Paris with its iconic glass pyramid located at the entrance. The Louvre serves as home to some of the world’s most famous artworks, including the Mona Lisa. Aside from that there are nearly 35,000 artifacts that are housed in the Louvre, everything from sculptures to pop culture and archaeological findings.
The best way to visit the Louvre is to purchase a combined ticker which enables access to the entire permanent collection housed at the museum as well as temporary exhibits. It is really worth hiring a guide because the museum is simply huge.
In the Sully Wing you will find work from Venus de Milo and in the Orangie you will find Monet. Your guide should be able to help you locate Delacroix, Titian and Rubens.
The Carousel du Louvre is located at the main entrance which is a shopping mall. There are famous gardens all around the museum, including the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume
One of the best things about the Louvre is you can take as many photos as you like for no cost, which is quite unusual for a museum of its kind. The Louvre has all the amenities that one needs for comfortable tour including floor plans, audio guides and media centre.
The Louvre first opened its doors in 1793 and receives roughly 8 million visitors every year. The easiest way to get there is by Metro with the nearest station Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre. If you prefer driving then there is parking available.
No visit to Paris is complete without at least a visit to the Louvre once.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Guide To South of France
St. Tropez is easily one of the most exclusive destinations for tourists on the French Riviera, which is located in Southern France, on the coast of Mediterranean.
With its proximity to Cannes, St. Tropez often serves as host for many celebrities, particularly just after the film festival has finished.
Tourists are attracted to St. Tropez because of its white sandy beaches, warm climate and pristine waters.
If you drive west you will find Toulon, which is a wine making town also renowned for its fishing industry and is just one of the many fabulous towns in the region worth visiting. Whatever your preference, whether it’s exploring or its beaches, there is something for everyone in the Riviera.
Another town worth visiting is Montpellier, which lies several kilometers inland and is France’s fastest growing city over the last twenty five years. This high flying city has lots to do, you could visit Saint Pierre Cathedral, which was built during the late sixteenth century. Alternatively a visit to the very impressive Muse Fabre is worth doing, and serves as home to a huge art collection.
Just a little outside of the city of Montepellier is Palavas les Flots, a small coastal town, which started its life as a small fishing village selling its catch to the citizens of Montpellier. This town was in fact responsible for opening up the coastal region to tourism during the early twentieth century when a train service to and from Montpellier began operations.
Cevennes National Park lies just to the north of Montpellier and is famous for its cave exploration, majestic mountains and a large arboretum. The South of France has plenty to offer everyone, and anyone who visits France should make an effort to visit.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Special Fares With P&0 To Celebrate New Ship – Offer Ends 14-02-12
P&O Ferries is launching its brand new ship named the Spirit of France, whose maiden service will commence on the 9th of March. To celebrate the launch, P&O Ferries have a fabulous offer or special fare for passengers who book travel with P&O on or before 14th February.
- Travel By Spirit of France or Spirit Or Spirit of Britain
- Book Journey Before 14th February 2012
- Travel date valid up to 13th February 2012
- Cost £30 / 39 euros any duration web far
- Terms and Conditions Apply
This means all you need to do is book a trip with P&O Ferries on or before 14th February, making sure you travel by either the Spirit of France or Britain, and ensure your travel date is on or before December 13th, and you can take advantage of these fabulous fares.
Hurry though, this deal expires on the 14th February
Click here to book P&O Ferries
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Guide To Gite’s
Gite mean holiday home in French, and since SeaFrance Ferries Dover Calais makes visiting the country so easy, we thought we would post a rough guide.
Gites tend to be located in more rural areas, and it is expected that the accommodation will be either a self catering cottage or villa. The word Gite historically refers to very simple accommodation used by shepherds and laborers, who used them to stay dry when it rained whilst they were working. Today these accommodations have been converted as popular tourist holiday homes.
Gites tend to be converted buildings on old farms, and this is the reason why they tend to display a wonderful French architectural style. These days, many of the buildings contain all the facilities that tourists expect from their holiday accommodations, and also tend to be located in very desirable locations for those travelers seeking a relaxing holiday. In most cases Gites are privately rented, and making use of the internet is the best way to find information regarding which would be most suitable for you.
The cost of renting a gite differs substantially from location to location. If you have a tight budget, finding simple accommodation with the most basic facilities is easy. If however luxury is more your style, finding a luxury villa with everything from high tech facilities to swimming pools is just as possible.
If you want your next holiday to France to have a bit more charm than it does when you stay at a regular holiday home, you should thing about renting a gite next time.
Click here to book online with SeaFrance
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Travel To Paris Brussels or Lille On Eurostar For As Little £59 – Offer Ends 23-01-12
Eurostar trains is running a fantastic deal during January for people who want to travel to Paris, Brussels or Lille between the 19th of January and 29rd March. All you need to do is book a ticket between the 13th and 23rd of January and you could travel to any one of those cities for as little as £59.00
- Book before 23rd January
- Paris Brussels or Lille
- Costs as little as £59.00
- Valid for travel between 19th Jan to 29th March
Hurry, this deal ends on January 23rd, so if you want to beat those post holidays by booking a short trip away, do it now
Click here to book with Eurostar trains
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
SeaFrance French Biking Vacation
With SeaFrance Ferries Dover Calais people can simply hop over the channel whenever they want for a family vacation. The most common one people take is a trip to Disneyland Paris, however that is hardly original given that France offers a much wider variety for those of you who want something a little more relaxing than the hustle and bustle of the land of Disney.
Whilst the kids might not exactly be jumping with joy at the thought of a nice summer vacation spent at a French countryside cottage, you can let them know there is lots of stuff to do. Southern France has a number of fabulous destinations including Cannes, St Tropez and Nice, all of which offer a great variety of both history and culture, whilst simultaneously being surrounded by gorgeous landscape that is begging for exploration.
Another option for families is to check out the great Southern French outdoors, you could rent bicycles for the entire family, which is a great way of reaching further into the countryside and seeing the beauty that France has to offer.
If you do decide that a biking holiday is a good idea, you could think about visiting Alpilles, which has lots of public bike paths nestled in the mountainous region. You could reduce the cost of the holiday by buying a mountain bike rather than renting.
The Southern French region is far more than simply beautiful countryside, you get to experience the relaxed way of life of the locals, and a culture that is easily delved into.
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Save Up To 15% On Travel To France And Spain With Brittany Ferries – Offer Ends 06-02-11
Brittany Ferries is currently running an amazing offer for those of you planning on taking a vacation to France or Spain at any time this year if you book your travel on or before 6th February 2012. You can use the opportunity to take a welcome break and have a fantastic summer holiday saving as much as 15% off the all inclusive self catering holiday price to France, and 10% off the all inclusive self catering price to Spain.
- France – Save 15% on the inclusive price of all self-catering holidays booked by the 6th February (for travel any time in 2012).
- Spain – Save 10% on the inclusive price of all self-catering holiday, plus children go free. (for travel any time in 2012).
Make sure you book your travel on or before 6th February, to take advantage of this fabulous discount, and remember, you can book your travel for any time in 2012 and you can still take advantage of these whopper discounts.
Click here to book with Brittany Ferries
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
France Becomes Attractive Destination To Invest In Property After Changes To Tax Code
With SeaFrance Ferries Dover Calais making it so easy to hop over the channel and visit France, it comes as no surprise that the Overseas Guide Company has seen a dramatic rise of a 200 per cent increase in sales for guide books which cover France.
The company expects the interest in France to only increase as a result of the economic problems that have struck other popular European destinations including Italy, Portugal, Spain and Greece.
France continues to remain one of the most robust economies in Europe, with the country exceeding economic growth forecasts during the third quarter of the year, leading many from Britain to start taking a serious look at investing in the country by means of a holiday home.
The editor of the guide has said, “President Sarkozy has recently announced that there will be a relief on tax for the wealthy in France and this will encourage wealthy people from the UK to move to the region.”
France’s wealth tax is now only extended to individuals whose net worth exceeds €1.3 million, and for those individuals whose wealth exceeds €3 million, the highest tax bracket now only stands at 0.5%, which implies that most individuals as a rule will now be better off. In contrast the opposite has happened in Spain, making it a far less attractive option for people to move to if they are wealthy.
It is also widely expected that France will change its capital gains tax rule, which will also benefit individuals who have made previous property investments in the country and sell their property within the next half decade, because the tax payable will now be reduced. For those that opt not to sell within the time frame, they are likely to pay more, but will be able to claim inflation as an offset against the tax payable
Click here to book online with SeaFrance
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
SeaFrance Guide To Lyons
SeaFrance Ferries Dover Calais is a great way to hop over the channel and visit some of the most wonderful cities in France. One city definitely worth checking out is Lyon, which lies in between Marseille and Paris. Lyon is located in France’s central eastern corner, and is well known for being an important business centre.
One thing people are probably not so aware of, is that Lyon is also known as the silk capital of the world. Lyon is well known for its gastronomic delights, and also serves as the home of many global institutions, such as Interpol.
Lyon plays host to a number of industries, and also offers some of the most famous tourist attractions in all of France, including a variety of monuments, buildings, churches, museums, gardens, parks and historic ruins. Lyon’s churches feature stunning architectural designs that make them very attractive to visit, and incorporate a mixture of both ancient and modern tastes.
If you are looking for something more atypical, there are a number of alternative spots that are worth visiting such as some of the many opera houses that dot the city. Lyon’s most recognizable monument is the Cathedral St-jean, which can viewed during a day out in the quaint and charming parks, that serve as beautiful areas to while away the time.
Every year on the 8th of December, Lyon celebrates the Festival of Light, which is a tourist and local favourite, and serves as a celebration of the city’s liberation from the plague by the Virgin Mary.
Another thing worth checking out is the Bouchons restaurants that offer some of the best food in all of France, alongside wine.
The city’s climate is a temperate on, which means that on any given day throughout the year, it can rain. This also means the temperature is generally pleasant year round, with the hottest months of the year occurring in the summer, which takes place between June and September. It almost never snows in Lyon, however it is much more likely to rain during the autumn months.
Transportation is pretty good, the city has a couple of railway stations, and a metro system, which makes use of trams, trains and buses. Bicycling is also an extremely popular way to get round the city.
Click here to book online with SeaFrance
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
SeaFrance Guide To French Beaches
The best thing about SeaFrance Ferries Dover Calais is you can hop over the channel and enjoy some of the length coastline that France can boast of. France has roughly 3,427 kilometres of coastline with a plethora of top class beaches that you can enjoy.
The vast majority of beaches in France are both soft and clean and provide excellent conditions for recreation such as sunbathing. French beaches are well known for offering a wide variety of thrilling water sports, with the vast majority having been developed with lots of amenities.
Despite all of that, there are some hazards that you should be careful to avoid. The Mediterranean Sea, particularly on the south coast offers some of the best beaches in France. The French Riviera or along the Cote d’Azur are the highest class beaches in France, which is really another way of saying they are extremely expensive, with St Tropez and Cannes being the most popular destinations for celebrities. If you want more affordable options, then you could try the beaches at Nice.
The Northern and Western French coast also has a number of long and secluded beaches, however they tend to be both colder and rougher, neither is the water as clear or as warm as it is on the cost of the Med. The Atlantic coast beaches tend to be far less crowded than the beaches on the Mediterranean coast, and they also provide ideal conditions for surfing. Beaches on the coast of Brittany and Corsica are well known for their stunning beaches. If nude beaches are your cup of tea, then you could try Cap d’Agde which adjoins Montpellier.
Some of the best beaches in France include La Rochelle, which is arguably the most beautiful seaside resort in all of France due to its miles of sandy beaches. La Baules is best describes as being a crescent shaped beach which is eight miles long, which is the longest sand stretch in Europe.
Click here to book online with SeaFrance
Please Note - All Prices Quoted Are Correct at Time of Posting
Keep Up to Date with the Latest Offers
Enter your email address for members' only special offers.
Featured Ad