If you are looking to explore the delights of what France has to offer, but don’t have endless amounts of cash to spend, then you should try and spend as much time as possible in the planning stages of your trip to ensure you can get lots of cheap hotels and trips. There are flights available from all over the world to Paris, some of which involve a Heathrow Airport transfer.

The best way to get around once you are in France if you are on your own is by the train. Again, if you plan your journey well, you can buy advance tickets for the train which work out very cheap. If you were travelling with a larger group, car hire might be a better option as you can always split the cost of petrol, and this does give you a little more freedom. To get a full picture of what France has to offer, I would advise going on a full trip from Paris right down to the south coast. There are many different sides to the French life, and they are all worth visiting.

To write about all the wonders of Paris would take too long, but just trust me when I say that if you visit France, you cannot miss out on a few days there! Travelling down from Paris, you will find a very old and beautiful area full of natural charm, fantastic scenery and old Chateauxs. The centre of France is an old farming and wine area, that has many cultural sites to experience. As you get further south, the temperature hots up, and the people and cities begin to change. Life on the south coast is a lot easier going, and there are some absolutely great places to visit down there. You can find many cheap and good hostels in all areas, and they will give you a real feel for the local life in each area.

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If you prefer to drive rather than sit on a train in ease and comfort, then the Eurotunnel terminal just outside Folkestone in Kent is easily accessible from London, just over one hour’s drive away. From there it takes just one half hour to pass underneath the English Channel and to emerge in northern France. The Eurotunnel base in France is just on the outskirts of Calais, the closest point to Britain, right next to a major shopping centre which boasts many French shops such as the massive hypermarket Carrefour, as well as recognisable British outlets such as Marks and Spencer and Oddbins.

From northern France, wide, smooth and well-signposted motorways will help you reach any destination within the country. For us southerners, it could hardly be easier.

But for the northerners and Scots amongst us, fear not. You can get to all areas south of Calais in several different ways. By train or by coach you can get to London or Folkestone to pick up the cross-Channel trains. Or, if you prefer the quicker method of travel by modern airplanes, you can fly south, use a heathrow airport transfer and fly on to your destination in France.

it is sad that so many Brits arrive in northern France only to immediately head south

I always think it is sad that so many Brits arrive in northern France only to immediately head south. There is so much to see around Calais and Boulogne. Calais boasts some beautiful, sandy beaches, while Boulogne has a fascinating medieval centre, complete with castle and turrets.

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The city of Dijon is famous in France for its mustard but there is much more to the city than its excellent condiment. Dijon offers the tourist vineyards, shopping, and a past full of history. Halfway between the city of Paris and the Swiss border is the city of Dijon. If you want to visit the city coming from Paris you could always choose to rent 4X4 cars for a comfortable drive. There are several beautiful places that you can see in this city.

The Palace of the Dukes of Dijon: The glory of this place is the Good Phillips Tower that is in the middle of the town. The tower is 46 metres tall and reveals the majesty and power of the Dukes of Burgundy. The tower view is simply magnificent; it allows you to see cathedrals, church spires, and dazzling copper domes.

Chapels and Spires: The Chapel of Elected Representative was constructed between 1738 and 1739. This chapel contains lavishly fashioned walls. The city is also famously known as the town of a hundred spires because there are so many churches and convents in Dijon.

There also is a lot of amazing shopping in Dijo: You can visit the La Toison d’Or and the Galeries Lafayette for branded goods. There you can also find some French cafes, patisseries, boutiques and chocolate shops.

Dijon Vineyards: France is of course famous for its wine and the town of Dijon is centrally located in some of the best Burgundy vineyards. Those who love wine must visit the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot to taste some of the finest wines in the world.

So, you must have had the great tasting Dijon mustard however the Dijon town is made up of much more than that. So come and enjoy the great French town of Dijon.

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Everyone has heard of the town of Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire region, mainly because of the annual road race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This famous race tests the endurance and durability of both the cars and the teams of drivers, and takes place over a 24-hour period on the Circuit de la Sarthe track, a racing circuit that includes several stretches of normally public roads that are closed to the public during the race.

However there is much more to Le Mans than just a racetrack, and it is a pity that many visitors drawn to watch the motorcar or motorbike racing do not explore further into the city.

The wide boulevards of the modern town give way to a charming, old medieval city centre, complete with town walls, cobbled streets, narrow lanes and old buildings. Some parts of the city are even older, with remains of a Roman wall and Roman baths still visible.

As throughout France, the quality of the restaurants is high, with the town priding itself on its specialty regional dishes, particularly a potted pork dish and a vegetable salad incorporating celeriac. Some of the nicest restaurants are squeezed into the small historic buildings in the old town, adding to their character.

A splendid cathedral overlooks part of the town, and in summer a special son-et-lumiere show is put on at several points around the old city.

An excellent train service means that the city can be reached from all over France, and for visitors coming by car, the approach roads are good: wide and not over-crowded. Parking is easy, although cars can not enter parts of the old city, but there are usually plenty of spaces just outside the old walls. And, as in many towns, there is a possibility that electric cars and hybrid cars might soon be able to park for free.

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If you want to visit a place and also experience the festivities that are hosted there, then Nice is ideal. The Nice Jazz festival is held in the summer months. It is conducted in the end of July. Thousands of tourists from around the world make their way to Nice during this festival. The event was started in the 1940s in the famous venue of Parc de Cimiez. If you are an admirer of Jazz music then you should not miss such a festival.

Nice has a range of good stores that can slake the thirst of the shopaholics. These stores offer a variety of souvenirs, clothes and other commodities. France is known for wine and designer clothes. It has quite a number of stores that sell branded outfits and beverages. Besides this the place offers a variety of spices, blossoms, dried lavender, cutlery and olive oil. Nice also has some flea markets that you can visit to get good deals on your purchases.

The place is particularly known for its beautiful beaches. The beaches are full of pebbles and there are great hotels where you can stay. The place has both free and paid beaches. In the free ones you don’t have to pay an entry fee and in the paid ones there are tickets to be bought to get an entry. The private beaches will provide you canopies and cabanas that you can use in the day time by paying for them. Besides this, there are stores in private beaches where you can buy beach wears, sunglasses and souvenirs. You should book in advance for accommodation and flights to make your trip to Nice economic. In fact, keep scouting the internet for travel deals, you might just get accommodation that would cost lesser than what is handed out as asbestos compensation.

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The French countryside lends itself quite nicely to exploration using some unusual methods of transport! Don’t feel that you always have to jump in the car or onto the train if you fancy seeing some of the surrounding area – show a little imagination and investigate what other options you have.
A pleasant, leisurely way to enjoy the scenery, and have some fun at the same time, is on horseback. There are equestrian centres throughout rural France, many of which run organised pony treks to particularly pleasant viewpoints, tourist attractions or just a great spot for a picnic! If you’re experienced enough, some centres will allow you to “rent” their horses for the day and you can choose where you go. Just make sure you have horse insurance in case of any injuries…
Cycling is a national pastime in France – you just have to keep your eyes peeled to spot crowds of middle-aged men in Lycra speeding along the country roads. Because of the huge numbers of cyclists in France it is one of the safest places to get in the saddle, as drivers here are certainly more bicycle-aware the those behind the wheel in the UK. Many cities have networks of cycle paths and even the smallest towns will have a bicycle hire shop.
If you’d prefer not to work up too much of a sweat on your holidays, then one of the most relaxing ways I’ve ever toured France is on canal boat. It’s not a cheap holiday, but is certainly one you’ll never forget. The first time we fell asleep with the water lapping up against the hull, right next to our heads, was one of the most pleasurable night’s sleep I’ve ever had! Once you’ve got the hang of steering – which isn’t that complicated anyway – these pretty boats move at a slow enough pace that you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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I was a very lucky kid. Both my parents were teachers. At first glance, that might not make me so lucky, but because they were teachers they also had really long holidays in the summer. So every July, pretty much the second we broke up from school, we’d be in the car, heading to the nearest port to take the ferry to the continent. Then we’d spend the entire six-week break travelling round France, first with our regular tents, then later with our caravan.
There’s probably not a region of France I haven’t been to at some point. I loved Brittany, but Dad was never keen because the weather could be a bit unpredictable and he was a total sun worshipper. I also loved the holiday we spent some time in the Dordogne, at a campsite right by the rushing river itself. My Mum hated that place as it was infested with the usual large insects that congregate wherever heat and water mix!
But the south of France, along the Cote d’Azur, was one area we could all agree on, and subsequently from the age of seven until I turned 18, we would get off the ferry in the north and set off straight away on the long drive to the Med, the first sight of that beautiful sea, always as blue as a Pantone mug set, meant our holiday proper was beginning.
Most people think of the South of France as being exclusive and expensive, somewhere only the celebs can afford to hang out. Not if you’re camping! We definitely figured out how to do glam on a budget. Just because we were staying in a crappy tent didn’t mean we couldn’t go and hang out in Cannes or Monaco, watching the rich guests arrive at the posh hotels in their sports cars.

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French cuisine dominates the world of food. The dishes that France has produced remain imperative to this day, and form a sort of foundations beneath the tottering tower of world cuisine. It is almost like the roux to Europe’s wider velouté. The world still respects French cooking, even if up-and-coming countries like, ahem, England are starting to overtake in terms of international acceptance.

Some things are sold in France that are rarely eaten elsewhere. Word on the ‘rue’ is that the French started eating these peculiar things – rats, squirrels, and snails spring to mind – when the city of Paris (France’s capital) was under siege.

Some would argue that nothing good can come of war. I’d argue that cooked snails in garlic butter are definitely a good thing. Dipping some warm French bread into the garlic butter afterwards is enough to make me awkwardly start talking about home insurance ni over an otherwise reasonably civilised if disjointed discourse about French cuisine and its historical significance.

I do think, though, that garlic and butter are over used in French cooking. Clearly, garlic butter itself is one of the greatest things on the planet. And yes, putting the two together in almost any dish will produce glorious flavours. Still, it isn’t a particularly subtle flavour. The combination is rich and generally overpowers even the stodgiest or most flavoursome meals. It is a cop out, like mayonnaise. It is almost cheating.

I have vowed to use more parsley. The French use parsley – often, of course, in conjunction with garlic and butter. And shallots – to flavour seafood to great effect.

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Honda is one of the most reputable car manufacturing companies in the world. I have to start by saying that I have owned several Honda vehicles and that each one of them has been very reliable. However, when I heard about the new Honda Jazz Hybrid I did have my concerns initially about the vehicle.

After all, hybrids are very new on the market. Should I really purchase a vehicle simply because it is friendly for the environment? Well, before I purchased the vehicle I wanted to ensure that it would be able to stand up to my day to day usage. I do drive quite often so I wanted to be sure that the range of the vehicle would not be so small that I could not make a trip. Also, I wanted to be assured that the vehicle would have a long lifespan. I hope that my vehicle purchases last decades.

The new Jazz Hybrid features a hybrid electric engine. This means that while the petrol engine is used to start the vehicle, an electric engine also assists in vehicle movement. The best advantage of the Honda Jazz Hybrid is that the vehicle is rated as getting anywhere from 71 to 90 miles per gallon. The Honda Jazz Hybrid is going to be the most fuel efficient vehicle launched by Honda to date. Long story short, I got it, I love it, and am currently making my way down to the south of France in a ride that is so smooth it’s untrue.

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From London to Paris, all of Europe has watched with great interest as this story unfolded:
The case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky that has been shaking Russia for several months has finally been concluded and decided. The Western media along with Russian activists have paid great deal of time and effort to properly analyse the case as this has been a highly contraversial occasion. The Russian businessman have been convicted of stealing from his own oil company and still many have no doubts that he has not committed anything but being improper for the political parties and namely the political leader of Russia - the ex president Vladimir Putin.

The case has been read in front of a crowded Moscow court where many people from the media, political life and activists have been present. This case was proclaimed to be one of the most important cases after the ages of Soviet Russia as it would display the impartiality of the judiciary in the country and would put forward the justice delivering process rather than the political ambitions and powers of the rulers. However, after the verdict has been read, many would doubt any of these as the Russian businessman along with his partner Lebedev received six more years in prison.

Some tend to believe that the president elections would be quite a dangerous occasion for Khodorkovsky to be out of prison. His grown popularity and the symbol of a proper man and a good businessman for the population might provoke some unseen political career by the businessman. This might have been the fears of the ruling politicians that might have seen some quite powerful and remarkably decent opponent. And no matter his conviction and guilty verdict, Khodorkovsky remains some of the most influential figures in the Russian society in the past year and would be mentioned in the legal textbooks in the country. Some joke that a person should not even book the cheapest flights to Russia - making business there might lead to the same consequences for anyone not ’good’enough for the ruling politicians.

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