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.
_____________________________________________
Make sure you have a valid EHIC card when travelling in France or other EU Countries
It
appears that only 50 per cent of Britons hold one of these European Health Insurance
Cards. You should have one if you are on holiday or on business. It ensures that
a British citizen receives the same level of health care as the citizen of the
country you are visiting. If you have one of these cards, they will have an expiry
date and they can be renewed six months before they expire. More information can
be found at www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
or www.dh.gov.uk/travellers
or by phoning 0845 606 2030 or +44 (0) 20 7210 4850
_____________________________________________
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
French Tourist Office for France tourism the authority on FRANCE TRAVEL and FRANCE
TOURISM
Visit
their site HERE
______________________________________________________
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
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If
you own your own home (either holiday or permanent residence) in France or Corsica
you can arrange Property insurance via
Insurance
policies written in English
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Landlords Association NLA in
the UK and
Riviera
Business Club RBC in the Côte d'Azur
France
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