Area 3: North eastern France in brief:
From Picardy to Alsace,
or from the English Channel to the Rhine
North
Eastern France is not well known as a tourist region; but it is a
region certainly worth considering for short break holidays from
south-east England or Belgium. Thanks to the Channel Tunnel, you can
leave work in the London area, escape from the M25, and two to three
hours later find yourself in the deep rolling countryside of the "Pas de Calais" department. From Brussels, it's even nearer.
The north-western part of North East France is undulating country, with
small towns, lots of rivers, and plenty of attractive countryside. The
central part of the region is flatter and, near the Belgian border,
partly industrial. Yet this is a region with plenty of history - some
magnificent cathedrals and impressive monuments from the two world
wars. It also includes the Champagne-Ardenne region, round the historic city of Rheims, with its famous vineyards and wine cellars.
The real north east corner of France includes the regions of Alsace and Lorraine.
This is an attractive region with plenty of large coniferous forests on
and near the Vosges mountains (which are quite similar to the Black
Forest in Germany).
The southern part of Lorraine is extremely
rural, with rolling hills and lots of old small towns that look as if
time has passed them by. Property in this part of France can be very
cheap.
Alsace, lying between the Vosges and the Rhine, is a very
distinct region, with its hills, its vineyards and its steep-roofed
half-timbered houses, painted in many colours. The Alsace capital Strasbourg
is seat of the European Parliament. Historically Alsace was a
German-speaking region, and the culture and traditional architecture of
the region have more in common with the German tradition than with
France.
Main cities:
Lille, Dunkerque, Arras, Valenciennes, Strasbourg, Rheims, Nancy, Metz
Going further: (more detailed information, including major tourist attractions)
Accommodation:
Photo credit: Alecs-y. Metz cathedral. Licence GNU
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