FRANCE
is a very popular country for many holidaymakers that is that
is fondly revisited year after year. It is very easy to get
to either by air, sea, the channel tunnel or road. There are
now more than 6,000 kms of motorways covering the country
and connecting to other European motorway networks. It is
the largest country in western Europe after Russia and Germany.
The country is some 550,000 square kilometres in size.
It
can offer a wide variety of holidays to suit all tastes. It
has coastlines bordering the Channel, the North Sea, the Atlantic
Ocean and the Mediterranean. There are the mountain ranges
- the Alps, the Pyrenees and the attrractive valleys of the
rivers Loire, Rhone and Dordogne and of course the medieval
villages, castles and picturesque countryside of Brittany,
Normandy, Provence, the Dordogne and the French Riviera(Cote
d'Azur). Architectural and interest abounds through out the
country and there are many festivals.
The
French are noted for their love of good food and wines. You
will normally eat well wherever you go and will find the regional
speciality dishes well worth sampling.
The
South of France, like some of its Mediterranean
neighbours is a sunshine refuge during the depths of winter.
Here you can enjoy excellent temperatures and look up to the
snow covered Alps that are only a short drive away from Monaco,
Nice & Cannes.
It
is the only country in Europe that experiences three disticnt
climates - continental - maritime and Mediterranean.
The
country itself is known officially as the French Republic.
It is divided into 26 administrative régions: 22 are
in metropolitan France (21 are on the continental part of
metropolitan France) the other one is the "territorial collectivity"
of Corse, on the island of Corsica.
The régions are further subdivided into 100 départements.
The departments are numbered (mainly alphabetically) and this
number is used, for instance, in postal codes and vehicle
number plates. The departments are further subdivided into
342 arrondissements .See Departments and Regions in France
CLICK HERE
Paris
is the capital and largest city of France. It is also the
capital of the Île-de-France région which encompasses Paris
and its suburbs.
Other
Cities and Major towns:
Lyon is the third largest city and situated in the
east and located between Paris and Marseille.
Lille is a city in north eastern France on the Deûle
River. It is the capital of the Nord-Pas de Calais région
and is also the préfecture (capital) of the Nord département.
It is situated very close to the Belgian border.
Reims is is in north is often considered the capital
of Champagne. It is very close to another Champagne town —
Epernay.
Rouen
is the capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France, and
the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région.
Bordeaux
is a port city in the south-west and is the capital of the
Aquitaine région, as well as the préfecture (administrative
capital) of the Gironde département. Its inhabitants are called
Bordelais. The name Bordeaux and wine are very much associated
and it has been produced in the area the eighth century.
Nice (with the city name also as Nissa in Italian and
street names in two languages because of its proximity to
Italy on the Mediterranean coast,. It is a major tourist centrer
and a leading resort on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur).
See Fact File Nice Click
Here
Rennes is in the north west, in the east of Brittany.
It is the capital of the Bretagne région, as well as the préfecture
of the Ille-et-Vilaine département.
Marseille is France's largest commercial port and the
largest in the Mediterranean. It is the second largest city
in France and the third metropolitan area.
Grenoble is situated at the foot of the Alps, at the
confluence of the Drac into the Isère River. It is in south-east
France in the Rhône-Alpes région, Grenoble is the préfecture
(capital) of the département of Isère.
Le Havre is in Normandy in northern France on the English
Channel, at the mouth of the Seine.It was the port-of-call
for French ocean liners making the Transatlantic crossing
(cf Cruise ship). Le Havre is known as "La Porte Océane".
It is the second largest city in Normandy after Rouen.It
is the second largest exporting port in France.
Metz in the North-East and is the capital of the Lorraine
région and of the département of Moselle (57). It is located
at the by the Moselle and the Seille.
Toulon
is a city in the south of France. It has a large military
harbour on the Mediterranean coast with a major French naval
base. It is located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur région.
it is is the préfecture (capital) of the Var département,
in the former province of Provence.
France
is a founder member of the EU — European Union (formerly
the EEC — European Economic Union)
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Corsica:
(La Corse) has
breath taking secenery,fabulous winding roads, glorious beaches
and some 1000 km of dramatic coastlines. It is described as
the "Isle of Beauty". It is in the Tyrrhenian Sea in in the
western Mediterranean — 160 kms south west of the French Riviera
and 14 km the north of Sardinia and 82 kms west of the coast
of Tuscany. There are many direct flights and you can take
the car ferry from Nice, Marseille, Toulon or from Genoa,
Livorno & Savona or via Sardinia.
The
island is has a wealth of history and the cusine is excellent.
Administratively, it forms two Départements and one Region
of France. Haute Corse is to the north and its capital is
Bastia. To the south is Corse du Sud with its capital in Ajaccio,
which is also the regional capital and is the seat of the
regional government — the Collectivité Territoriale de Corse
(CTC). Thus Corsica is in the EU and the currency is the Euro.
French is the official language, but a large number of Corscians
speak Corsican.
The
climate is a Mediterranean climate at coastal levels, but
once you climb up into hills it becomes much cooler. (It goes
up to approximately 9,000 feet from sea level). Summers are
long — May to October and winters much colder with snow on
the mountain peaks.Monte Cinto 2706m and Monte San Petrone
1767m.
The
principal towns are: Ajaccio (where Napoleon was
born in 1769) It is Corsica's largest town and the administrative
centre and is on the west side. There are excellent shopping
facilities and plents of places for eating and drinking. There
is the Musée Fesch that has the most important collection
of Italian in France.
Bonifacio
It is on the southern tip of the Island and the closest
town to Sardinia. A very picturesque town that is perched
up high above the sea on white limestone cliffs. The towns
has plenty of shady narrow streets and squares. There is a
natural harbour — ideal for yachts from all over the Mediterranean.
Calvi
The town is located on a sweeping bay, fringed by the
Balagne hills. It has a marina that is perfect for stopping
at a local café and watching life going buy whilst enjoying
a drink or two. The town has a maze of closely woven streets
leading up to the citadel. There is a wide sandy beach offering
watersports.
Porto
Vecchio
is a charming town with a maze of narrow streets with smart
shops, restaurants and bars.It is described as a sophisticated
resort with some excellent beaches.It is located in the south
east of the island Sartene Is high up in the hills and a few
miles inland on the west side a short drive from Propriano
on the coast to the north. Excellent selection of restaurants
there to choose from.
Other
towns: Porto — on the west, Bastia — in
the north east, Cargese on the west coast and Aléria
on the east coast.
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Currency
in France and Corsica: Euro - (€)
Electricity
Voltage: 240 v - European 2 prong round plug. 
Telephone
Country Code: +33
Emergency
Telephone number: pan-EU Emergency 112 Can
be used in all EU Countries and it can be dialled from
a locked mobile or a mobile with no sim card.
Other
Emergency telephone numbers:
15
SAMU - Ambulance Urgencies médicales des grandes agglomerations
17
Police - Secours ou gendarmarie
18
Fire
- Pompier -incendies et urgences médicales
Public
Holidays in France - There are eleven jours feriés
New
years day (Jour de l'an) - January 1, Easter
Monday (Pâques lundi), Labour
Day (Fête du premier mai) - 1st May, Victory
in Europe 1945(Fête de la Victoire 1945; Fête du huitième
mai) - 8th May, Ascension
Day (Thursday), Pentecost,
July
14 - Bastille Day(Fête nationale), August
15 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assomption), November
1st -All Saints Day (La Toussaint), November
11 -Armistice Day 1918 (Jour d'armistice) and December
25 - Christmas Day (Noël)
Telephones
in France - Mobile phones
- All mobile phones start with 06. Calling a mobile from a
land line can be very expensive. If you are visting France
for a while instead of relying on your home country mobile
you can buy a "nomad" Pay as you go sim card. You
will need a French address.
Landline
phones - The
French telephone network is run by France Telecom. Peak hour
(heures pleines) rates run from 8am - 7pm Mon-Fri. The weekends,
national holidays & hours between 7pm & 8am are classed
as off peak (heures creuses).
Driving: Drive
on the RIGHT
See
Driving in France and Corsica
Population
of France in 2006:
60,656,178 Land Area: 547,030 Km2
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Want
to know what is going on in France? Visit
Tips and Topics in France
As
you will certainly need Travel Insurance for your holiday
in France and Corsica and will most likely be renting a car
click on a logo below for more information
If
you own your own home (either holiday or permanent residence)
in France or Corsica you can arrange Property insurance via
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Tips
For Travellers: November 2006 - New EU hand baggage restrictions
The
European Union has adopted new security rules that restrict
the quantity of liquids, gels and pastes passengers may
carry in their cabin baggage, effective immediately
The
new rules apply to all passengers travelling from any
EU airport and it’s important to familiarise yourself
with these new regulations.
-
All liquid containers must be carried in a separate clear
plastic, zip-top or re-sealable bag that does not exceed
20 cm x 20 cm or one litre capacity.
- All
items must fit in the bag comfortably and the bag must
be completely sealed
- There
is a limit of one transparent re-sealable plastic bag
per person.
- At
the airport security search, the plastic bag must be removed
from the cabin bag and x-ray screened separately.
- Liquids
must be held in individual containers not exceeding 100ml
(approximately 4 fl. Oz) and may include - Shampoo, Suntan
lotions, Toothpaste, Hair gel, hair spray, Perfumes, Liquid
or aerosol deodorants, Cosmetics, Water and other drinks,
Soups,Syrups, Any other item of similar consistency
There
are two exceptions to the rules:
- Baby
food needed during the flight
- Medicines
needed during the flight
Exempt
items must also be placed in a separate transparent re-sealable
bag and presented separately at the passenger security screening
area.
The
above information New EU hand baggage restrictions is supplied
by a third party and jml Property Services do not take any
responsibility to its accuracy ©jmlpropertyservices
11/06
What
happens when you purchase a bottle of whisky, gin
or wine in a local supermarket and want to bring it
into an airport in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland?
All
liquid items over 100ml purchased in an EU country
cannot be carried as hand luggage through the security
search area. only liquids that have been purchased
airside at another EU airport, or on board an aircraft
operated by an EU carrier may be carried as hand luggage.
You will need to show proof of purchase to demonstrate
this, the airport or airline will pack these items
in tamper evident bags and the receipt would be placed
in the bag as proof of purchase.
Special
information for transit/transfer passengers
If
your journey involves changing flights at any EU airport,
special restrictions apply. You may only take liquid
items (for example duty free) through the security
search point at your connecting airport if:
Liquid
items in excess of 100ml purchased from other airports
or on board other airlines may only be carried as
hold baggage on the connecting flight.
-
The
member states of the European Union are:
Austria,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
The
above information supplied byThe Department for Transport
-UK and jml Property Services do not take any responsibility
to its accuracy ©jmlpropertyservices
07/07
jml
Property Services are members of The British Chamber of Commerce
– Cote d’Azur – France The
National Federation of Residential Landlords, National
Landlords Association in the UK
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Advertise
your Holiday Home Property in France or Corsica FREE
on this site (plus cotedazurrental.com
[South of France Properties only] and euro-villalocation.com
[French language site] when you advertise it on jmlvillas.com
for only £11.75 / €15.57
per year -
CLICK HERE for Details
Binging
your pet to France from the UK or Ireland or taking it to
one of those countries? Click
Here
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of buying a property in France? Click
here
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