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| France Travel News | France Travel and Vacation News Blog
Great French escapes
2008-9-05 5:49pm
VICTORIA-BASED Outdoor Travel is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one deal on seven-day hotel-barge cruises in France in October. M.S.Anacoluthe will head out from Paris to explore the rivers and canals of Picardy, stopping to visit Claude Monet's garden at Giverny and other sites made famous by his fellow impressionists. From $2735 for two people, a saving of $2735; flights extra. Includes guided sightseeing by coach and all on-board meals with wine. M.S.Anacoluthe is said to combine the comforts of a small ocean liner with the charm of a river steamer. It has a piano bar, exercise room and outdoor hot tub. More: 1800 331 582; www.outdoortravel.com.au.
Early discounts: Trafalgar has a 10 per cent discount on trips in its Europe and Britain 2009 Summer Preview brochure. Early bookings lock in the price plus there's an additional 5 per cent off for people who have not previously travelled with Trafalgar. Bookings must be made, with a $500 deposit, by the end of September. Options include the eight-day Treasures of France tour, usually from $2035, now from $1831, land only, a saving of more than $200. The trip explores the picturesque northwest of France, including Rouen, Bayeux, the D-Day landing beaches and Mont St Michel. Includes transport, airport transfers, sightseeing, breakfasts and some other meals. More: www.trafalgar.net.au/Europe.
New Travel Survey Finds French Tourists Are Booking The Most Hotel Rooms In The U.S.
2008-8-13 10:10am
With the euro and other foreign currencies trading favorably against the dollar, this summer is a good time for international tourists to visit the U.S. So who's coming to America?
Recently, Booking.com www.booking.com - the Amsterdam-based international online hotel reservation service that is part of priceline.com (PCLN:
priceline com inc com new
News, chart, profile, more
PCLN 100.82, -1.82, -1.8%) - surveyed over 10,000 U.S. hotel reservations made by international tourists for this summer to find out which countries were generating the most bookings to the U.S. Booking.com operates in over 65 countries around the world and offers its services in 18 languages.
Air France considers high-speed rail routes
2008-7-04 5:26pm
Air France is holding talks about a joint venture that could see some of its short-haul flights switched to rail and increase competition for continental Europe's mainly state-owned high-speed train operators.
The move could mark the beginning of a decline in short-haul air travel on routes such as ParisFrankfurt, which now enjoy good high-speed rail links. High-speed rail has already nearly eliminated air travel on some European routes, such as Paris-Brussels.
The French flag carrier, part of Air France-KLM, is holding discussions with Paris-based Veolia Transport, part of the Veolia Environnement group.
Chinese tourists boycott France
2008-6-25 8:37am
They are the summer darlings of every top Parisian department store: Chinese tourists who save on hotel costs to lavish their savings on French fashion, perfume and designer labels they cannot buy at home.
But this year Paris's boutiques and tour firms have become the latest casualties of the diplomatic row surrounding the Olympic torch protests, as Chinese tourists boycott France as a holiday destination after warnings that it is unpatriotic.
Advice to Chinese tourists to stay away from France after pro-Tibet protests in Paris has been circulating on Chinese-language websites and has resulted in cancellations that tour operators in France say could lead to a 50% drop in business.
Sleepwalking in Paris
2008-6-11 7:36am
Marie Shek sits in a little office in a luxury apartment in Paris listening to the Israeli radio station FM 88 and making last-minute corrections to the catalog of the exhibition she is now curating. In another week, it will be sent to print, and she has to do the final proofreading. Doesn't she get lost in this huge apartment? "I do," she answered with a smile, "but I find refuge here, with my good friends" - namely, the many works of art and art books that fill the room.
Shek, 51, a curator and lecturer in art and a mother of two, came to Paris two years ago with her husband, Israeli Ambassador to France Danny Shek. This was the seventh time she has packed her bags and started over. In her eyes, the repeated uprootings have some advantages. And she has not had to pay for her spouse's success: In every country she has come to, she has advanced her career.
Côte d'Azur: A hideaway that's heaven-scent
2008-5-27 8:28pm
Piling up the hills above Cannes, Grasse is famous for its perfume industry – and I now know why. Its calming fragrances were clearly invented to soothe visitors trying to negotiate the city’s convoluted one-way system, which winds around its historic houses, millionaire holiday homes and garish hypermarkets like a devilish game of snakes-and-ladders.
Being August it was indeed hot, and the roads do get horribly clogged at times – but regular visitors know how to deal with all this.
First of all, it is crucial to book the right property. We were lucky to find a period house with commanding views over Grasse and the shimmering coast beyond.
Family Adventure Holidays in France
2008-5-14 9:23am
You can also choose from activities such as canoeing and rafting in the Ardeche; canyoning, tubing, and mountaineering in the Alps; horse riding in Brittany; paragliding and climbing in the Pyrenees. Or why not go to Chamonix, which is a real mountain town, full of history and popular for skiing holidays. It also provides amazing summer mountaineering, and with the diverse terrain, it is mostly suited to the experienced for some of the world's best winter riding.
Why not visit the Gorge d'Ardeche, known as the Grand Canyon of Europe. As the river winds its way past steep canyon walls and towering cliffs, it creates the ideal location for canoeing, climbing, and walking - for both the experienced and the novice alike.
AAA International Travel Forecast, Summer 2008
2008-5-06 9:20am
US travel giant AAA reported Friday that 25.1 million Americans are expected to be traveling internationally this summer, an increase over last summer's 24.5 million despite aweak US dollar; the increase is partially attributed to the fact that more Americans now have passports, thanks to new passport rules for Mexico and Canada travel. Spending by Americans in other countries this summer will increase 5.7 percent to $30.7 billion primarily thanks to the weakness of the US dollar, which creates a poor exchange rate, and inflation.
The number of American travelers to China is expected to increase by 13.4 percent (573,000 American travelers) and to India by 13.1 percent (227,000). Visits to France will increase 6.7 percent, and Ireland, Italy and Germany will see small jumps. The largest volume of US international travel will be to Mexico.
Follow the valley of the Seine
2008-4-23 1:15pm
The river Seine loops its way through fields of grain, orchards, marshland, peat bogs and forests from Paris to the coast at Le Havre. This historic waterway is dotted with ancient towns, chateaux and monasteries.
With the Eurostar delivering passengers to Paris faster than ever, an exploration of Haute Normandie is a rewarding short-trip for visitors who want to see more of France but only have time to travel a few days from the capital.
Eurostar Passenger Numbers Up
2008-4-14 10:07pm
t seems that train travel is back in vogue, with Eurostar announcing its best ever results for the first quarter of 2008.
The train operator said that sales were up 25.2% to £178.4 million for the first three months of the year, with passenger numbers up by 21%.
Some 2.17 million passengers boarded Eurostar trains from January to March this year.
Demand has been up since the firm introduced new low-cost fares from 68 towns and cities across the country.
Paris perfect for solo trip
2008-4-05 10:13pm
In the Paris Metro, for example, only the larger stations have escalators and not all the way from the platform to the sidewalk. Use the helpful packing tips in the guidebooks and on the Internet to pare down.
A good place to stay. With the assistance of a friend with a travel agency I located a modest hotel in Paris. In Avignon, I chose a hotel recommended by Rick Steves. I found my hotel in Nice on the Internet. In each place, I fared equally well.
Relying on the kindness of strangers. From the moment I hit the sidewalk outside the airport, I began receiving help from others and very soon, to my surprise, giving it as well.
Travel authors from france
2008-3-24 12:49am
Hi, its Tam Tree, hope you like the France travel news blog.
I look for travel authors from France to help me coverage the areas of Chamonix, Provence and Cannes .
Please send email if you like to participated in this effort. Thanks !
tamtree@gmail.com
Ryanair brings budget air travel to France
2008-3-22 4:49pm
Ryanair, Europe's most successful low-cost airline, is going nose to nose with Europe's largest and most successful high-speed railway system.
The Irish-based airline announced yesterday that it was starting cheap flights in May from Beauvais airport, 50 miles north-west of Paris, to Marseilles. Ryanair will also try to break into the German domestic market for the first time with flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.
The French internal travel market has proved a difficult hunting ground for cut-price airlines, faced with the dominance of the national carrier, Air France, and, above all, with the success of the TGV – the high-speed rail services run by the state-owned SNCF.
Finnish culture is going to be on display in France
2008-3-18 8:04pm
This extensive cultural drive under the 100% Finlande banner really only starts from the beginning of April, but things got going two weeks early on March 13th, when three works by contemporary composer Kaija Saariaho were performed at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.
The concert saw the first performance of Saariaho’s Mirage, for soprano, cello and orchestra, featuring Karita Mattila and cellist Anssi Karttunen, and two other pieces - Notes on Light (2006) for cello and orchestra and Orion (2002) for large orchestra. The works were performed by the Orchestre de Paris under conductor Christoph Eschenbach.
Weston French students ‘travel’ to France
2008-3-13 6:47pm
Each student must plan a trip to Paris and another town in France. They go online to research plane tickets, accommodations and other details necessary for their trip.
As with any trip, the students have a budget they must stay within. When planning their five-day itinerary, they need to take into account the realities of time lost during intercontinental travel.
The students have gone online to French real estate and vacation sites to research vacation house rentals that meet the needs of their family. They had to pick a house, write a letter to the owner to inquire about availability, and a letter to their parent(s) telling them why they selected the house they did and specifically how it met their families’ needs. In hope of doing a house swap (to save money on the rental), students gave virtual tours of their own houses as well.
Land of a thousand chateaux
2008-3-08 9:54pm
he Loire Valley is carpeted with fertile fields, crisscrossed by rivers, and studded with hundreds of chateaux in all shapes and sizes. Medieval castles are here because the Loire was strategically important during the Hundred Years' War (when France and England battled through the 14th and 15th centuries). During the Renaissance, pleasure palaces replaced fortified castles as the Loire became fashionable among the Parisian rich and royal.
The valley of a thousand chateaux is also the home to many good wines. As you travel through the Loire, look for "Degustation" (tasting) signs. Inquire at tourist centers for winery tour and tasting information. The towns of Vouvray and Chinon have many proud and hospitable family wineries.
'A digital-age fairytale in Paris'
2008-3-03 3:45pm
Travel writing is a broad church. On its pews gather Bill Bryson, Redmond O'Hanlon and Bruce Chatwin (his notebook filled with imaginative fancies). In its chancel, hymns are sung to the humanity of Colin Thubron, the esprit of Nicolas Bouvier and the erudite historical narratives of William Dalrymple. Its young bloods – including Philip Marsden, Sara Wheeler, Jason Elliot and Rory Stewart – pray alongside its dead champions: Freya Stark, Gertrude Bell and Roger Deakin. Suddenly a cheeky, young Francophile wheels a pram into the nave, startling the congregation with a digital-age fairytale set in Paris.
'Unexpected France' from Travel and Leisure
2008-2-26 11:28am
"Unexpected France" includes chapters on "Biking Through Versailles," "Glories of the Loire," and a section on Aveyron, which the book describes as a "sparsely populated, often-overlooked" part of Southern France with beautiful landscapes, medieval villages and good food and lodging. Highlights of the area include the centuries-old pilgrims' trail through France to the Pyrenees mountain passes crossing over into northwestern Spain, where medieval Christians hoped to find their salvation at the shrine of St. James in Santiago (Spanish for St. James) de Compostela.
Taking the whole family to the south of France
2008-2-22 9:48pm
On the 90-minute car journey west towards Montpellier, along the extensive and well-maintained motorway network, the wind drops and the landscape reveals its parched beauty. The air conditioning is turned up a notch or two: this may be France during a generally ropey summer but the climate here remains defiantly Mediterranean.
There is another pleasant surprise at the toll booth. The attendant is friendly and attentive, much more so than I imagine his British counterpart would be were toll booths a widespread fixture of UK motoring.
French Burgundy river cruise
2008-2-17 11:22pm
This is a delightful cruise along the bucolic River Saône and it is the perfect way to experience historic riverside towns, tranquil rural scenery, great company and to indulge in exceptional Burgundy wines.
The cruise route is from St Jean de Losne (near Dijon) to Lyon or the reverse, passing through idyllic countryside and mooring in delightful riverside towns steeped in history. The itinerary is a wine lovers dream as we pass along all of the major wine growing areas of Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Chalonnais, Maconnais and Beaujolais.
There are many places of interest along the route including Dijon, Beaune and Lyon. Lyon is France’s second city and its hands-down gourmet capital.
France: Air traffice controllers continue strike
2008-2-14 6:52am
The strikes led to 50% of flight from Orly airport being cancelled with many others suffering delays of up to five hours. Marseille, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse airports were forced to cancel flights to Orly knowing that they would not be able to land. The Airport at Roissy was largely unaffected.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) strike observance on Wednesday was at roughly the same level as the previous day with 38% at Athis-Mons, 45% at Orly and 5% at Roissy joining the strikes. It is being estimated that 2000 passengers are being left stranded a day at a cost of one million euros.
Faster trains and smoke-free dining in France
2008-2-08 5:19pm
Like all of Europe, France has some changes in store for visitors in 2008 -- starting at the top. France's newly elected president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and recently appointed prime minister, Francois Fillon, appear to be America-friendly, so we can expect no more cries for Freedom Fries from people who don't get out much.
France unveils its latest high speed train
2008-2-04 9:20pm
At that pace, the Eurostar from London to Paris would take 1h 42mins instead of the 2h 15mins the new high-speed service takes.
A spokesman for London and Continental Railways, which made the HighSpeed 1 line between London St Pancras and the British end of the Channel tunnel, said the faster trains were an exciting prospect for European rail travel - particularly after EU railways are liberalised in 2010.
All Marine grapplers take on world's finest in France
2008-2-01 12:33pm
The tournament featured what is called pull-through bracketing; a single elimination format that allows for wrestlers whose first loss comes to an eventual finalist to compete for third place against the others in his bracket who lost to that same finalist.
Meet Breaking Away Bicycle Tours
2008-1-28 5:56am
Soon after I’d fallen in love with Italy (ie: Italian women), it was clear that I had to see the Giro d’Italia up close. So in 1994 I joined Breaking Away Bicycle Tours to see my first Giro. They've been doin' it right for almost 25 years, so I talked with founder Greg Hogan about what makes them so good.
France 2008: activities and special interests
2008-1-21 7:09am
Andante Travels (01722 713800, www.andantetravels.co.uk) runs academic-led, archaeological and ancient history tours that are also very much enjoyed. French trips (several with train travel from the UK) explore Dordogne cave art, megaliths in Brittany, and Roman Provence.
The best new French holiday ideas
2008-1-13 12:22am
Great news for surf-lovers: easyJet (www.easyjet.com) is starting a new route from Bristol to Biarritz, providing a useful link between the Atlantic beaches of North Devon and Cornwall and the crashing waves of the Basque coastline. There will be four flights a week, starting in April. Stay at the renovated Sofitel Thalassa Miramar, which draws on Biarritz’s spa heritage to offer a mind-boggling programme of thalassotherapy treatments and therapies to soothe your wave-bashed limbs. Doubles from about £120 a night, room-only,
Rail travel up as more Brits take train to Europe
2008-1-07 4:12pm
Fancy giving it a try - then how about hitting the tracks to Florence to try some camping Italy style? Depart from St Pancras for Paris, before changing and heading out to Italy and the glorious Tuscan hills, where the stunning Norcenni Girasole Club campsite awaits.
Set in the heart of the Chianti region, just 28 miles from Florence and an hour’s drive from Siena, Norcenni is as popular a choice for gourmets as it is culture vultures, and offers a wide range of facilities including superb water park, gym, sauna, wine tasting, cookery classes, volleyball and tennis.
Mobile access for Air France passengers
2008-1-01 6:51am
The controversial Mobile OnAir system will allow passengers aboard one of the airline's Airbus A318 planes to send and receive SMS and MMS messages as well as using Internet services.
During the second phase of the trial, passengers will also be allowed to make and receive phone calls - though the French national carrier has emphasised its commitment to ensuring a balance is struck between convenience and customer well-being.
France-Canada travel market gets boost with partnership between Air Canada, Corsairfly and Nouvelles Frontières
2007-12-25 8:38pm
Air Canada and Corsairfly today announced a commercial partnership that will strategically strengthen their respective positions in the travel market between France and Canada. The commercial partnership provides for reciprocal codesharing on each carrier's France-Canada flights, streamlined access to Air Canada's network for Corsairfly customers, and enhanced presence in the French market for Air Canada as a preferred carrier through the Nouvelles Frontières Group that owns France's largest travel agency network. It is estimated that approximately one million passengers travel each year between the two countries.
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