With almost 80 million tourists from abroad each year, France is the most popular tourist destination in the world. This large country – 674,800 square kilometres to be precise – is so diverse that it is the ideal place to choose for a touring holiday.
France has ski resorts, inland lake and river resorts, miles and miles of relaxing, sandy Mediterranean beaches, and also miles and miles of wild Atlantic beaches if you’d prefer. Paris, the most romantic – and most visited – city in the world, is an undoubted attraction but it is only one of the many historic and beautiful places you can visit in France. With 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites spread throughout the country there is plenty to see and do throughout every part of this amazing country.
It is, technically, possible to tour France using public transport. However, travelling by train and bus can be expensive and it also means that you are forced to follow someone else’s timetable. If you are planning to tour France, without doubt the most economical and versatile way to do this is to hire a car. You’ll find both reliable local companies and global firms like Alamo offering car rental in most city centre and airports across France. Once you have your own transport you can make your own timetable and route maps. This will allow you to both visit sites that are world famous as well as discovering some gems of your own.
Nobody wants to spend their holiday just driving, so probably the best advice when planning your touring holiday in France is to think about what you and your family would enjoy and then plan your route accordingly. Are you mainly interested in hobnobbing with the rich and famous along the Cote d’Azure? Or perhaps you are interested in modern history and want to visit first hand the many WWII sites – including the D-Day beaches – in Northern France?
Then again you could explore some of those UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the walled city of Carcassonne. You may already be familiar with this beautiful and dramatic city from the many novels in which it appears or, indeed from its appearance in the movie Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. But do you know that Carcassonne is one of the largest walled cities in the world? Or anything of it’s dramatic, and bloody, history?
Another option is to get away from it all and visit some of the sleepy French villages along the famous El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. In 804, Guilhem, a relative of Charlemagne and Commander in his army, founded a monastery in a remote steep-sided gorge in the Hérault region. Guilhem retired to the monastery himself in 806. This monastery and the beautiful village of Saint Guilhem le Désert that adjoins it, is a stop on the Camino route and well worth a visit.
No matter what is to your taste, if you are interested in a holiday full of variety then touring is the ideal type of holiday for you and France is the ideal country.
