France

Whether it’s a year in Provence, a weekend in Paris, or a fortnight in the Pyrenees, France is just waiting to be discovered.
France is synonymous with style. From the wide, tree-lined boulevards of its sophisticated and exciting capital city to the breathtaking Loire Valley castles and the glittering Cote d’Azur with its air of faded grandeur and romance, it is not hard to see why France has enchanted generations of visitors.

The largest country in Western Europe and home to 58.3 million people, France stretches from the rolling plains of the north to the jagged ridges of the Pyrenees, and from the wild Brittany coastline to the clear, blue lakes and snowy heights of the Alps. France was the founder of modern Republican government in the 18th century after three centuries of being ruled by a nobility who spent vast amounts of money on sumptuous glittering castles and playboy-like lifestyles. Let France assault your senses – walk the windswept beaches of Normandy and picture the D-Day landings, take in the style and glamour of Paris, admire the icy heights of Mont Blanc, and immerse yourself in the smell of lavender and the spectacular light and colour of Provence.

France is easy to travel around. Restaurants and hotels proliferate, the lower-budget ones being much cheaper than is most other developed western European countries. Train services are admirably efficient, as is the road network - especially the (toll-paying) autoroutes - and cyclists are much admired and encouraged. Information is highly organized and available from tourist offices across the country, as well as from specialist organizations for walkers, cyclists, campers and so on.