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Baguettes - France's emblematic bread. The delicious baguette is an icon of this country famed for its "gastronomy" and good food...... |
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| An introduction to France - 2010
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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
► City of Albi wins UNESCO world heritage status...
Albi,
a small city on the banks of the Tarn in southwest France, has joined
the prestigious list of UNESCO's "World Heritage Sites". Located some
fifty miles northeast of Toulouse, Albi boasts a unique mediaeval
redbrick cathedral, an old town with overtones of Tuscany, and a fine
museum devoted to the town's most famous son the 19th century artist
Toulouse-Lautrec. See guide to Midi-Pyrenees region.
Parliamentary expenses scandals hit France
French
junior minister Christian Blanc is under intense fire for having
purchased €12,000 worth of cigars at the the taxpayer's expense in just
six months. And in a move to cut wasteful public expenditure, President
Sarkozy has cancelled this year's Presidential Garden Party, a saving
of € 700,000.
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Weather news: August 2010.
France is enjoying a summer of mixed weather: Temperatures of up to
40°C were recorded in July. The weather forecast for August is for a
short thundery period followed by a long spell of hot sunny
weather.
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Autumn and winter in France After
the long warm sunny days of Summer, Autumn (the Fall, for Americans)
and Winter offer plenty of opportunities for discovering France - for
those who are free to travel when they want or are visiting France on
business or for professional reasons.
Autumn is a
great time to visit France, specially the first half of the season,
when the weather is traditionally quite dry, and the warmth of Summer
days still lingers on. In tourist areas, the most remarkable thing
about France in the Autumn is the absence of tourists. Outside urban
areas, where hotels may get busy
with business clientele, accommodation is easy to find. In tourist
areas, many hotels close down at the start of September, but there are
always some that stay open to catch the few passing tourists.
In low-lying parts of the south of France, September and
October can still offer hot days with daytime temperatures peaking at
over 30°Celsius; in the higher mountain areas too, warm days are quite
common during this period, but night-time temperatures tend to be
considerably cooler. In the plains and valleys of southern
France, Autum colours do not really begin to change the look of the
landscape until the end of October or the start of November; in
the hills and mountains, leaves may begin to turn colour and fall a bit
earlier, depending on the altitude and the onset of the first frosts.
In the northern half of France, September is
normally a very pleasant month, but days can turn chilly and damp by
mid October - depending on the climatic conditions.
November is not a particularly good time for visiting France. While the southern regions may remain bright and sunny, grey skies normally predominate in the north; and wherever you are in France, November days are short.
As for winter, there is very little tourist activity in France, except in Paris, in the Alps, and in the Riviera.
With its concentration of tourist attractions, Paris is a magnet for
tourists in all seasons; there is always something to see and lots to
do in Paris, whatever the time of year, whatever the weather. The
Alps - and other high mountain areas - have their peak tourist
season in the wintern months, thanks to winter sports; and France
offers a wealth of opportunities for some of the best skiing in Europe.
Finally, and as it has been doing for almost two hundred years now, the
Riviera attracts visitors in the winter months on account of its
sunshine and mild climate. In the area round Nice, Spring is usually
very much in the air from early February onwards, at a time when much
of the rest of France is often under snow, rain or leaden skies.
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| Some new pages and info on About-France.com.
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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. Click here for advice about currency exchange. 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 trapsOne 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....
 Like
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. | To contact About-France.com, send an email to info "at" about-france.com |
Copyright notice: Website and text © About-France.com 2003 - 2010 except where otherwise indicated.
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