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Educational
France is an ideal country to visit for schools, families and anyone who wants to learn more about the historical past of Europe. Visit Arles where Van Gogh was inspired to paint 200 canvases in 15 months, marvel at the museums of Paris, walk though the small walled town of Vézelay, a heritage area and a site of pilgrimage in the 10th century or maybe visit one of the Renaissance Château’s in the Loire Valley. |
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The Caves of Lascaux Aquitaine
The caves of Lascaux were discovered by a group of teenagers out walking their dog in 1940. They are one the world's finest examples of prehistoric cave dwellings and their walls are adorned with colourful artworks painted by early man. |
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Technical Museums in Rhône-Alpes
Thanks to the strong legacy of its textile and paper industries, the Rhone Alpes region has an abundance of technical museums many of which reflect the diversity of the region’s skill base.
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Educational Experiences in Champagne
Champagne-Ardenne has a Cutlery Museum as well as a War & Peace Museum that tells the history of the area in the First and Second World Wars. The Domaine de Vendresse explains the history of cast-iron making and the secret universe of the region’s rivers – a typically eclectic mixture of subjects. |
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The Futuroscope Park in Poitou-Charentes
A gigantic sphere set against a sloping sheet of glass, a translucent cube jutting up from the ground, reflective organ pipes or crystals dividing up the sky with their mirrors are only some of the futuristic sights to see at Futuroscope. It is a futuristic universe, like a backdrop to a science fiction novel. |
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The Science and Technology Discovery Centre
Produced in collaboration with the Cité des Sciences de la Villette (La Villette Science Centre) in Paris, this science and technology discovery centre covers an area of more than 5000 m² and is chiefly aimed at children aged between 3 and 15.
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Museum of the Great War
It is within the calling of The Historial de la Grande Guerre to situate the specific nature of the bloodiest battle of the First World War in the overall context of the conflict. By way of comparison, the Battle of Verdun caused the lost (dead, wounded, missing) of 337,000 Germans and 362,000 Frenchmen. The losses at the Battle of the Somme totalled 400,000 for the British, 335,000 for the Germans and 200,000 for the French. The idea of creating a museum devoted to the 1914-1918 war originated with the Somme County Council in 1986. The project was envisioned in the context of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, which involved combatants from more than twenty nations of the world at that time. |
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Vulcania in Auvergne -The European Volcano Park
Thousands of years of volcanism have forged the landscape of Auvergne giving it the special strength and character that make it a unique place in Europe. |
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Cité des Sciences and de l'Industrie
The cite des sciences and de l'industrie is one of Europe's largest centre for the diffusion of science and technology which is suitable for all: school parties, senior citizens, young people, clubs and societies, etc. They've welcomed more than 3 million visitors in 2007. |
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Wartime Memorials
The clash of battles and cries of the wounded is replaced by the silence of remembrance. The memory of the wars of the 20th Century is one of the principal elements of the region’s identity. Although there are places where you are simply left to your imagination, others are intrinsically devoted to commemoration.
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The Bioscope in Alsace
An Innovative Leisure and Discovery Park. A cross between an amusement park and a scientific museum, the Bioscope is a completely new kind of leisure and discovery park, where visitors can learn more about the relationship between man and his environment. |
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Baroque Churches in Rhône-Alpes
During the 17th and 18th Century, the Counter Reformation brought about new ways of expressing one’s faith, both colourful and theatrical in style. The Savoyard valleys boast about 60 Baroque churches, brimming with golden cherubs and multi-coloured painted saints, with their massive shining reredos.
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Aeronautics in Midi-Pyrénées
From the airmail pioneers to the "Cité de l'Espace". Aeronautics and space research are the two great technological adventures of southwestern France. With Clément Ader, Mermoz and Saint-Exupéry on the one hand and Caravelles, the Concorde and Airbus aeroplanes on the other, legendary men and aeroplanes have punctuated the history of Toulouse.
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Living Memories of the Past in Poitou-Charentes
Historic museums of all differing types: comic books in Angoulême, automobile and motors in Châtellerault, marine in Rochefort, furniture and regional objects in Saintes or Niort, Beaux-Arts (fine arts) in Poitiers, La Rochelle, Niort, Saintes, Cognac, Angoulême., peasant traditions in Ranton , silver mines in Melle and more. |
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Museums in Rhône-Alpes
Only the Ile-de-France has more museums than the Rhone Alpes, which has over 200. From some of the finest art museums in Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble and Chambéry to excellent regional ethnographic museums. |
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Welcome aboard Planet NAUSICAA
Visit giant aquariums, discovery areas, attractions and animal reserves for an unforgettable deep sea adventure – a unique and inspiring opportunity to learn more about the magical world of marine life. |
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Poitou-Charentes: illustrious ambassadors
The history of Poitou-Charentes has been shaped by many notorious people: Charles Martel, Eleanor of Aquitaine, François I, Richelieu, Rabelais and Vauban. Each of these illustrious figures left his or her imprint on the region's history. |
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Puy du Fou®: Get ready for a journey through time!
Escape to the Grand Parc of the Puy du Fou® for an unforgettable trip with family or friends. Puy du Fou® is a whirlwind of extraordinary shows and a real breath of fresh air far from everyday hustle and bustle. Make the most of an exceptional entertainment program during the day, breath-taking shows at night, as well as 17 restaurants, a themed hotel and 45 hectares of pure green bliss. Days at Puy du Fou® are adventure and action-packed. Get ready for a journey through time! |
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Culture and History in Burgundy
There are sites to behold all over Burgundy including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, five villages listed as the 'prettiest villages of France' and a unique medieval building site. |
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Visit Chateau de Chenonceau
Chenonceau is, after Versailles, the most visited French castle. Aside from the visit to the castle, the chateau de Chenonceau provides a large range of activities and services like: a gastronomic restaurant l'Orangerie, a buffet restaurant, a tea room, the Ladies Galery (wax museum) and sailing in small boats during summer months. You can also discovery the vegetable garden, the 16th century farm and the flower workshop where incredible flower displays are created and displayed in the castle. |
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Know-how in Limousin
Prestige and Quality are the common factors in the know-how that you will come across in Limousin, whether it is in the field of the arts or in food and drink. |
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400,000 years of human presence
In the Dordogne, there are fifteen or so sites along the length of the Vézere Valley bearing testimony to the life of the tribes of hunters who lived there 400,000 years ago! |
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Not to be missed in Alsace
Very long and narrow and backing onto the Rhine, Alsace has seen its borders moved on many occasions. The ups and downs of history have caused it to hang on to a very strong regional tradition. This can be seen in its language, its folk traditions and its cuisine. Its countryside beckons the walker, with its hillsides streaked with vineyards in the Munster valley and the flower-decked valleys of the Florival.
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Not to be missed in Aquitaine
If you had to define this land by one word, il would be 'generous'. A generosity that can be seen in its variety of landscapes with hills, valleys, sandy moors and a coast that is almost wild. The Bordeaux vineyards, the Basque Country, the plateaux of Périgord... |
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Not to be missed in Rhône-Alpes
A great river and a chain of mountains give the region its name and create the pattern of life here. The Alps crowned by Mont Blanc provide a skiing area that is unique in the world. Hiking enthusiasts are becoming increasingly numerous in the summertime, walking the waymarked trails through the region's nature parks (La Vanoise, Les Ecrins, Les Bauges), and around the lakes (Lake Geneva, Annecy, Le Bourget). Nearer the Rhône, the Ardèche gorges are a paradise for canoeing. |
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Not to be missed in the Loire (western)
A land of water traversed by the Loire, the region is bathed in the north by the spray of the Atlantic Ocean. While Saint-Nazaire is an important merchant navy port, Nantes is the regional capital, and Saumur, Le Mans and Angers offer visitors a cultural heritage dominated by Gothic art and the Renaissance. |
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Not to be missed in Corsica
Mountains in the sea, pierced with torrents, Corsica, an island of rare beauty, has the full spectrum of landscapes. Dry in the south, it makes up for it with long beaches of white sand, where lazing around can be enhanced by sightseeing tours. |
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Not to be missed in Picardy
With its exceptionally rich architectural heritage, this province is a preserve of Gothic art. Famous for its cathedrals, it offers the discerning an opportunity to explore its towns and their medieval wonders. |
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Not to be missed in Champagne-Ardenne
The fruit of its vineyards is so famous that the first thing you think of in this region is a glass of champagne. You can of course begin the journey underground and visit the wine cellars. Reims, its magnificient cathedral or its museum of fine arts, should not make you forget the 'vine-growers' villages spread around the region. There is also the Ardennes with its wild forests, populated by roe deer and hares. |
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Not to be missed in Languedoc-Roussillon
The Mediterranean on one side, the eastern Pyrenees to the south and Lozère to the north, Languedoc-Roussillon takes pleasure in the contrats if its stepped relief. |
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Not to be missed in Paris
Some cities call to mind lovers, others architecture, yet others an intellectual, cultural or appealing popular atmosphere. Paris has all these faces, plus lots more to discover depending on your particular interest. |
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Not to be missed in Franche-Comté
This is a region with distinct faces. In the north, the valleys of the Haute-Saône which, from the Grays region to the Saône Vosges, passing through Vesoul, back onto the region of Belfort. Châteaux and churches give added attraction to its towns and villages, and a great many museums house specimens showing the traditional craftmanship related to wood, but also to clock making. |
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Not to be missed in Poitou-Charentes
The dispute between Ancient and Modern is not on the agenda in this region where the vestiges of the past are keyed neatly into an openness to the future. |
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Not to be missed in Auvergne
If it were possible, the best way to travel in this region would be on the back of a donkey, just as the writer Stevenson did. It is indeed probably the pleasantest way to see this land of volcanoes, fashioned by their eruptions. Inactive for centuries, they gave birth to a strange and majestic landscape. |
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Not to be missed in Brittany
A land of seafaring people, and the aspect that makes Brittany the daughter of Neptune. Its thousands of kilometres of coastline, from Cancale to Saint-Nazaire, give it a prodigiously varied relief, with the strange rocks of the Pink Granite coast and the idyllic beaches of the Morbihan following on from one another. |
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Lille in Nord-Pas-de-Calais
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Not to be missed in the French Riviera
It is the blue of the south that defines this land. Its climate is so mild, its nature so filled with flowers that thousands of years after the Romans, English aristocrats, fed up with the greyness, fell in love with it. Since then, the Côte d'Azur has been entirely given over to summer pleasures. |
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Not to be missed in Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Traditionally an industrial region, it has now turned to tourism, a natural choice in a landscape where forests predominate, and where the Opal Coast has a host of beaches dedicated to surfing, wind-surfing, water-skiing, and more. |
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Not to be missed in Lorraine
Bordered by the three countries, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, Lorraine is a strategic region which today exudes a peaceful charm. There is no shortage of reasons to explore it. For lovers of architecture and the arts, Mirecourt, Bar-le-Duc and Epinal possess many wonders. Enthusiasts for footpaths, will find routes dotted with lakes, forests and green valleys in the Lorraine Regional Park. Another excellent reason to come is for its springs and to stay in one of the well-known spa establishments in Contrexéville or Vittel, where the gastronomy is not to be outdone. |
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Not to be missed in Midi-Pyrénées
Few regions offer such a variety of landscapes, climates and architecture. This is because the region is huge, it runs from Aveyron to Gers and from Ariège to the edges of the Dordogne. |
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Not to be missed in Burgundy
From the vineyards of Chablis to those of the Mâconnais passing through the Côte de Beaune and Côtes de Nuits, from the luminous Loire Valley to the opulent Bresse region passing through the mysterious forests of the Morvan, Burgundy is beautiful in its natural state and in every season. |
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Not to be missed in the Loire (centre)
It is western Europe's last wild river, over 1,000 km long, that shapes the region : The Loire. On its banks the aristocracy built châteaux that are among the jewels of French architecture. Amboise, Chambord, Blois, Azay-le-Rideau are all extraordinary. |
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Not to be missed in Limousin
Nature lovers who like to punctuate their walks with seeing the old craft traditions develop an immediate attachment to this region. Green woods and forests, it is also criss-crossed by water, the Creuse, Vienne and Dordogne rivers... |
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Not to be missed in Normandy
Combining in the same land the pleasures of an extraordinary coastline and those of a green and blossoming countryside, Normandy is a very fortunate region. |
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Not to be missed in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Everything in this region sings, even the wind, when it is called the Mistral or the Tramontana. The great poets were able to convey its music, and painters from Cézanne to Picasso, captured its light. Provence is magical, it smells wonderfully of olive oil, lavender and thyme. |
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Not to be missed in Ile-de-France
Around Paris, Ile-de-France offers the joys of discovering both nature and culture. With 9 royal towns, 400 listed gardens and châteaux including 24 masterpieces of landscape art, medieval villages or Cistercian abbeys, the Ile-de-France region boasts a unique and fascinating heritage. |
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Hot Air Ballooning
Floating through the air in a hot air balloon is the perfect way to take in the scenery of the region. If you have a head for heights there is no more relaxing way to see the Burgundian countryside. |
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| News |
What's happening in France? |
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| 03/10/2008 Grasse's International Perfume museum reopens its doors |
After a four-year renovation project, Grasse's international perfume museum will reopen its door for business on 18 October.
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| 26/08/2008 Recharge your batteries in Brittany |
After the stress and rich food during the weeks leading up to Christmas, a 50 minute flight across the channel to Brittany situated on the west coast of France can restore your body and mind.
Leave all the stresses and strains behind and discover the mystical, heritage rich region of Brittany with its year round mild climate, listen to the sound of the ocean and breathe in the fresh, salty air for as little as £100 per person on half board including treatments and excluding flights
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| 14/12/2009 Summary of the national newspaper travel sections, 12&13 December |
Lots and lots of ski coverage, including discounting by some operators for Christmas weeks. Shopping trips to Lille, original weekend breaks and some ideas for New Year
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| 13/10/2009 Summary of the national travel sections, 3&4th October 2009 |
How to do Champagne properly, lots of ski coverage, fun holidays, vineyard stays and where to get the most expensive coffee in the world!
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| 28/09/2009 Summary of the weekend travel sections, 26th&27th September 2009 |
The real start of the ski coverage, chateaux stays, safari lodges in Normandy, Vespas in Paris, top chefs pick their best restaurants, sleek B&Bs, staying on a boat and more...
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| Festival Frictions |
| May (Annual) |
Dijon - Burgundy
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Dijon's Théâtre du Parvis showcases France's newest writing talent during its annual festival of cutting-edge performance.
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| Festival International de Musique de Besancon |
| September (annual) |
Besancon - Doubs
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Besancon's international music festival, which was created in 1948, is one of the oldest and most prestigious classical events.
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| Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show |
| September (Annual) |
Cannes - Vieux Port
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| The Cannes International Boat and Yacht Show drops anchor for its 30th successful year at the Vieux Port and Port Pierre Canto. For sailing enthusiasts this is one of the most comprehensive - not to mention glamorous - shows on the calendar, with more than 550 boats on the water and a further 250 on land. |
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| Furies Festival |
| June (Annual) |
Chalons-en-Champagne
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The Furies Festival is a circus and street theatre event that takes place each year throughout the town of Châlons-en-Champagne. Most of the performances on offer are premières, and companies come from all over the world to showcase their improvisation and creativity.
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| Basque Strongman Show |
| August (Annual) |
Saint Palais
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In common with other mountain peoples (like the Scots), the Basques have a potent tradition of demonstrating physical prowess. Here in Saint Palais you can see stone-lifting, a version of…
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Newsletter
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| Offers |
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NORMANDY SAFARI ADVENTURE, PERFECT AUTUM BREAK
Self catering Lodges (sleep 2 to 6) overlooking animals. Sept. 4 nts only £425 inc ferry.
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Canvas Holidays - September from £199 per party
Enjoy 7 nights in a mobile home from £199 per party - inlcuding your Dover to Calais ferry crossing.
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More Offers
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| Holiday Options |
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Accommodation
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Alan Rogers Guides & Travel
Pitch reservations & mobile home holidays across France & Spain. Pay at-the-gate prices, with a small, one-off admin fee and we'll organise it all for you. Free Child Places and Special Offers available. Alan Rogers Guides have been the market leading campsite guides since 1968. Also Camping Cheque programme (www.campingcheque.co.uk) for low season touring with savings up to 60%
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Mobile Homes in South Brittany
Pleasant parc, with pool including slide & kids club only 1000m to beach and near La Trinite sur Mer
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Campotel
KelAir Campotel operates a popular Family Holiday Programme to France, Italy & Spain. Only KelAir Campotel you will not pay for the extras. We provide decking, large gas BBB's, air conditioning where applicable as standard.
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The Ferry Travel Club
Excellent value 1 or 2 week holidays in bright modern fully equipped mobile homes. We offer 2 excellent sites, with all amenities including swimming pool, in the south of France
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Brittany Ferries Holidays
Great value chalet camping holidays in Brittany, Normandy, Loire, Poitou, Aquitaine, Languedoc etc
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Disneyland Paris with Adagio
PV-Holidays.com Adagio Val d'Europe the easiest way to save money on a self catered disney break
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