Gilded Parisian streets, the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysses, tiny French villages, heart-stoppingly beautiful mountains, fashionable beaches, the cheeses, fine wine and smoke wafting from a Gauloise cigarette in a tiny cafe. The only thing that has changed in centuries is that smoking is now banned in public places.
The world's favourite destination sells the good life and seekers of that good life land on cheap flights to France every day. Whether it be to Brittany in the west, a region of small fishing villages and sandy bays, or to the lavender fields of the South, Mont Blanc, St Tropez or Paris, France has something for everyone.
Each region has a distinctive feel, dialect, cuisine and, more than likely, its own cheese. The food alone is a great reason to visit France. There is nothing better than crusty bread, cheese and wine, although the artfully made confections in patisseries around the country look almost too good to eat.
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France is roughly divided into four climatic zones. The South enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. Paris, the north of the country and the central regions have hot summers and cold winters. The Alsace, Lorraine, Rhone corridor and the mountains have a semi-continental climate: winters are very cold, with lots of snow in the mountains, but summers are hot. Finally, the area west of Bayonne and Lille has an oceanic and humid climate with cooler summers.
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There really is no bad time to take cheap flights to France, but the best time to go really depends on what you want to do when you get there.
Peak Season:
Mid-May to September (particularly July and August), the end of October, Christmas, February, and Easter are the high season times in France. These basically cover the school holidays when the French holiday and tourists from around Europe descend on the country too.
Off Season:
November–February is the low season in the cities and at the beaches, however this is high season for skiers and snowboarders.
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The major cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nice and Strasbourg have excellent public transportation systems. Underground rail, suburban rail, buses and, in some cities, trams, make getting around a breeze.
Air France, the flag carrier, links Paris to most of the big French cities. easyJet, the UK budget airline, offers flights from Paris to Marseille, Nice and Toulouse.
France has a superb rail network. The National Railway Society (SNCF) runs the railroads. The high-speed TGV - speeds reach more than 550kph - makes travel between some cities faster and easier than flying. While the railway network runs to every corner of France, most routes radiate from Paris and there are few cross-country routes and services. Bus services augment the train services especially in rural areas.
Renting a car especially if outside the major cities is probably the best idea. Beware of driving in the bigger cities, roads are often congested and finding parking can be a nightmare.
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- Paris is a pricey city, but if timed properly travellers could pack a spare suitcase on their cheap flights to France and save big. The post-Christmas sales start in the middle of January (also the tourist off-season). The department stores on Boulevard Haussmann offer mark downs of between 20 and 70 per cent.
- The Musee de la Resistance in Lyon, France's second city, commemorates the resistance to Nazi occupation. The museum is located in the former offices of the Gestapo and Klaus Barbie and houses exhibits and documents related to the Resistance.
- Bordeaux is home to Vinexpo – the largest exhibition on wine and spirits in the world. An annual event, it takes place in the Bordeaux-Lac exhibition centre. Its location is no accident. Bordeaux is the capital of the one of the world’s biggest producers of wine.
- If you want to visit Cannes but can't afford the A-list prices, consider travelling in the off season. Avoid the weeks around the film festival and August too - this is when most French people take their vacation. The weather is wonderful year round so you have a good chance of catching some sunshine even in October.
The city of Nantes has several museums, one of the best known is the one dedicated to Jules Verne, the Nantes-native who wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days. There is also the Natural History Museum, Dobree museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the Museum of printing.
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Paris Charles de Gaulle International (CDG) The airport is 23km north east of Paris.
Paris Orly (ORY) The airport is 14km south of Paris.
Saint Exupéry International Airport (LYS) The airport is situated 24km east of
Lyon.
Strasbourg (SXB) The airport is 14km southwest of Strasbourg.
Marseille (MRS) The airport is located 24km north of Marseille and 26km (16 miles) south of Aix-en-Provence.
Nice (NCE) The airport is situated 6km west of Nice.
Bordeaux (BOD) The airport is located 13km west of Bordeaux.
Toulouse (TLS) The airport is located 8km northwest of Toulouse.
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Visitors, other than EEA state members, are advised to hold a return or onward ticket, documents for next destination and proof of financial means. The borderless region known as the Schengen area includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. All these countries issue a standard Schengen visa that has a multiple entry option that allows the holder to travel freely within the borders of all.
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Canadians must hold a passport for entry to France. A visa is not required for stays of up to three months.
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