About-France.com

A guide to France

About-France.com - the France information and tourism portal . A discovery of France, its people, and the French way of life.

Paris, the Pont Neuf over the Seine
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The regions of France
A-Z dictionary of France
Maps of France
France facts and figures
Climate and weather
Doctors and emergencies
The Tour de France 2010
School holiday calendars 2010, 2011
2010 Holiday planner
►► Main travel pages
Preparing a trip
Routes south from Calais
Driving in France - road travel
Route map & distance calculator
French rail travel
Ferries & flights to France
Visiting Paris
Winter sports in France
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►►Leisure and tourism
Tourist attractions in France
The towns & cities of France
France for music lovers: festivals, places, events
Wild France - France's "great outdoors"
Guide to French wines
Food & eating in France
The markets of France
Hiking - long distance footpaths
Opening and closing
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►►Tourist accommodation
Guide to French hotels
Staying in Paris
Self-catering gites in France
Chambres d'hôtes (B&B) in France
Camping in France, 2010
►►Life & living in France
Living in France
Moving to France
Finding a job & working in France
Shopping in France
Studying & learning French in France
Schools & education in France
The French language - an overview
The French press - daily newspapers
More....

La Baguette
Baguettes - France's emblematic bread. The delicious baguette is an icon of this country famed for its "gastronomy" and good food......


Mont St Michel - Brittany
Mont Saint Michel - Brittany






An introduction to France - 2010
Plan a holiday in France, a business trip, or just discover the country through the pages of this online guide, packed with clear and practical information about France. About-France.com is a site for travellers and tourists, as well as for students and anyone wanting to learn about France.
Site search: click here to search About-France.com

Snails egg caviar ......
Although the product was first introduced in the 1960s, it was not until 2007 that production of a new French speciality began in earnest. Three years later, snails egg caviar - caviar d'escargot - has made its début in top delicatessen shops worldwide, including Hédiard in Paris, Harrods in London, or La Grande Epicerie in Brussels. And it is being offered in some of the world's top restaurants, even in the USA. Several hundred kilograms of snails egg caviar are now produced in France, and at € 1500 a kilo, it's a lucrative market. But at that price, don't expect to find it in the local supermarché any time soon.
Map of France
New and News
Holidays in France 2010 - tips and suggestions: the FAQs

Here are a few tips and suggestions for anyone planning a trip to France in 2010, or even just looking into the possibility of doing so.

Can I afford a holiday in France?
Answer; if you can afford a holiday anywhere in Europe, you can afford one in France, as long as you work within your budget. If in doubt, avoid expensive hotels and tourist traps, try alternative solutions. If visiting Paris, check out our budget Paris tips.

What are the alternative solutions to expensive hotels?
Answer: Well of course, there are cheap hotels (not always much fun for a stay of more than one or two nights); but how about trying a gite (a holiday cottage), or B&B or camping. All of these types of accommodation are plentiful in France.

What are the cheapest places in France?
Answer: Generally speaking, rural areas are cheaper than the seaside, and cheaper than big towns. Among the cheaper regions of France are Auvergne, Limousin and Franche-Comté. These are very attractive regions with hills and mountains.
In north-eastern France, the regions of Lorraine and Champagne are reputed to be the cheapest of all for holidaymakers.

When is the best time to visit France?
Answer: if you're not bound by children, May, June and September are best, as you can usually get better rates in hotels and holiday rentals, and the tourist attractions are less crowded. Avoid the French school holiday periods. But take care: some attractions do not open, or open for shorter hours, outside the main tourist months.

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Latest new pages and info on About-France.com.

France in Brief: France - a modern European state and a republic, is one of the world's major economies. France has a population of slightly over 60 million, approximately equal to that of the United Kingdom; but in terms of surface area, France is twice the size of the UK. The capital and the nation's largest city is Paris. The official language is French, though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making a comeback.
Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively, into 22 regions, and 96 counties, known as departments. France's currency is the Euro, and most garages, hotels and shops in France accept credit cards, though may not always accept swipe cards without a microchip. The cost of living in France is fairly similar to neighbouring countries, though some things (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in Paris can be expensive - as can staying on the Riviera, particularly during the peak tourist periods.. On the other hand, fruit, wine, travel, hotels and restaurants tend to be cheaper than they are in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural areas, and there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps

One of the oldest nations in Europe, France - which the Romans called Gaul - is also a country with a very rich cultural and environmental heritage. The climate in France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole a bit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain . Don't expect to find summer in winter in the South of France!

The spirit of France....
Citroen 2CV - Photo by P Dinnen - licence CCLike any country, France is "different"; it's a special place, with its ways, its quirks, its wonderful variety, its joie-de-vivre and its bureaucracy. Depending on circumstances, life in France can be anything from incredibly relaxed to frustratingly rigid. Stereotypes die hard; there is still a comic-book stereotype image of the Frenchman dressed in a striped tee-shirt and beret, smoking a Gauloise, and carrying a string of onions round his neck; or else driving a Citroën 2CV to market, with two chickens and a rabbit on the back seat. But it is doubtful if this stereotype still exists anywhere; perhaps just here and there, but without the onions, and certainly not in modern urban France. And the iconic 2CV or "Deux-chevaux" is today a rare site on French roads.
Even so, rural France is still home to a dwindling generation of traditional country folk, living life as it used to be; and the heritage and traditions of the past are being carefully preserved and even reactivated by younger generations, often fugitives from city-life. The old France is still alive and well, in its own way, and still to be found in its villages and markets, traditions and regional specialities, such as the vast and very varied choice of French cheeses. And of course, it is true that the French eat snails - and very good they are too, as long as they have been properly prepared by the chef, in a delicious sauce of garlic, parsley and butter.... More about that on the wining and dining in France page.

Bread and wine
In spite of the great variety to be found in France, some things like the "baguette", the famous French bread stick, change little from one region to another; you'll find baguettes of all qualities in all regions, varying from the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. Yet a fresh baguette, coming warm from a traditional bakery, is surely one of the most delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! There are many different types of French bread, but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to the local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holiday in France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the bread-counter in a supermarket! Indeed, the pre-frozen "fresh-baked" bread counters in supermarkets are not even allowed, by law, to call themselves "boulangeries".
Then there's wine.France is one of the world's great wine producing countries, and a country with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds to light fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including "grey wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). The About-France.com French wines pages are there to help you learn about the wines of France; Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are just the tip of the iceberg; our wine guide takes you through these and all the other wine regions of France.

Planning a trip to France: France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you have all the time in the world, you may not need to plan your holiday in France, you can just wander along at your own leisurely pace, and it will be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive or fly to France, you may find it useful to check out our words of warning tips on booking your travel to France.
About-France.com provides information to help you choose a destination, or travel through France, check your route through France, discover the things to visit in France and its regions, hire a car, find a place to stay, for example a holiday cottage, or a place to study French, and much more. There's even a page on medical cover for your stay in France, and what to do if you get taken ill or have an accident, as well as some advice and information for people interested in buying property in France.

City-breaks and short trips: Paris
Paris is Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way to discover France for the first time... or the second, or the third... Paris is a city that people easily fall in love with, and with city-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or London, thanks to Eurostar, Paris is just a short train ride away, and a real break; it has masses of opportunities for cultural tourism, with some of the world's finest museums and monuments; it is one of the world's great shopping cities, and also arguably the finest city in Europe, a place where you can easily spend days just walking around, savouring the atmosphere, enjoying the life. But don't be caught out by France's closing hours and public holidays.
About-France.com provides information on Paris tourist attractions including things to do for free, Paris visitor passes and tips on how to save money during your stay. And staying in a hotel in Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank But, as they say in the rest of France, Paris is Paris, it is not the whole of France. So what about the rest of France?

The rest of France - summer or winter - a wealth of experiences to choose from.
One of the largest countries in Western Europe, France is also the most varied in terms of scenery and climate. From Brittany to Provence, the Auvergne , the Loire Valley, the Dordogne or the Alps, Burgundy to the Languedoc , Poitou-Charentes or Aquitaine and the Pyrenees, each region is special, each is a holiday in itself. It is also a country with over 2000 miles of beaches and seashores, plenty of space for even the most demanding of holidaymakers! So what are you waiting for? Click the regions tab above to learn more about the different regions of Fance.

CLOSED TODAY ......... British and American tourists in France are sometimes surprised to find themselves faced with closed doors, on reaching a museum or a famous monument. So it is not a bad idea, before visiting France, to learn what is closed in France, and when? On Sundays, public holidays and holiday periods in general, shops, museums, businesses and public services may be closed. Museums are often closed on Tuesdays. See the About-France.com guide to Public holidays, Sundays and other holidays for more information.

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