The French Property Exhibition takes place at Olympia, London, on 18-20 September. Among its organisers are our friends at French Property News magazine, where you can see major features every month about French Connections properties and owners.
Are you dreaming of buying in France? The organisers point out that now could be the ideal time to make the dream a reality. A weak euro combined with the low mortgage rates that are still available in France has contributed to the creation of ‘perfect conditions’ for buying a property across the Channel. The euro exchange rate recently hit a seven-year high, while French mortgage rates have dropped to new all-time lows.
The exhibition brings together estate agents and experts from the legal, financial, currency exchange and removals worlds, with informative seminars on tax, pensions, the buying process and much more.
But you don’t have to wait until then to start your research and property hunting – our Property for Sale pages where you can search for an abundance of properties for sale across France for all budgets and browse fantastic guides full of useful advice for buyers and sellers.
Burgundy, our region of the month, lies at the heart of France and is often said also to be at the heart of French cuisine. Many traditional French dishes such as coq au vin, beef bourguignon and escargots all come from Burgundy.
Whilst the region is known for its prestigious gastronomy, rich history and many castles, Burgundy is of course most famous for its rich red wines – not to forget some pretty decent whites! Here, gentle rolling hillsides are covered with vineyards and September is a great month to explore them as it marks the beginning of the grape harvest season in France.
The French grape harvest or vendage is always cause for revelry, ritual and celebration – but especially so in Burgundy. In September, you could easily bounce around the many wine related festivals, from the Jazz and Wine Festival of Burgundy in Beaune, from 17th to 19th, to the Heralding of the Harvest in Saint Emillion, from 19th to 20th and the Fête des Fromages Nuits St. Georges, also held on 19th and 20th.
The Marché aux Vins in the centre of Beaune, next to the Hotel-Dieu, is an excellent introduction to the best wines of the region. There you can taste the famous names from Meursault to Puligny-Montrachet at your leisure. The Marché aux Vins is open every day and the visit and tasting costs 10 euros per person.
Wine has shaped Burgundy's way of life for centuries and its wine making tradition goes back to the monks of Cluny and Citeaux. Chablis, in the Yonne, is the first of the great Burgundy whites and the Auxerrois wine route curves and winds through mediaeval villages surrounded by their vines, with whole communities devoted to its production.
The countryside of the Cote d'Or is marked by an endless patchwork of carefully tended vines and you can follow the Route des Vins and sample and buy.
Southern Burgundy is still wine country and Tournus makes an ideal base for visiting the Chalonnais and Maconnais vineyards and exploring. Don’t forget to check out the fragrant white Pouilly- Fuissé here.
We have beautiful self-catering cottages and luxury gites to book as your holiday home base for exploring Burgundy, or you could stay in an authentic auberge or chateau for a true taste of the traditional wine estate way of life.
It’s that time of year again. The time when France invites you to get out and enjoy a memorable experience shared with fellow lovers of life, music, art, culture and artefacts. Here are our picks of some of the best coming up in the next few weeks:
Jazz in Marciac, July 27 to August 22
This celebration of swing at Marciac, in the Gers region of south west France, has become one of the most important summer festivals in Europe and is the major date for August, with visitors coming from around the world. In fact, the festival has become a model for rural development centred on a cultural happening. So what is the festival's magic formula? The secret lies in the programme which brings together both jazz legends and hugely talented up and coming musicians.
Lavender, wine and opera festivals in Provence throughout August
Most famous in Provence are the theatre festival of Avignon , often compared to the Edinburgh Festival, and the opera festival in Orange, the Chorégies, held in the Ancient Theatre on summer evenings. The performances are held in places where history has left its mark such as the Palace of the Popes and the Ancient Theatre of Orange.
The sweet scent of freshly cut lavender permeates the Lavender Festivals in Sault and Valréas. Wine is celebrated in all four corners of the Vaucluse and the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France, includins Roussillon and Gordes provide a natural setting for music festivals.
Vineyards, wine and walks in the Loire, September 5 and 6
Choose one of 15 wine tasting tours and stroll from cellar to cellar in the Loire Valley with winemakers who unveil the secrets behind their expertise. Loire Valley wine tours at AOC Vouvray, Chinon, Touraine-azay-le-rideau and Saint-nicolas-de-bourgueil vineyards.
Lille Flea-Market, September 5 and 6
Bargain hunting on a grand scale at the Braderie de Lille, the biggest flea-market in Europe and is one of the most popular events on the French calendar. Enjoy your day at the market by hunting for the perfect item, getting some great bargains and of course immersing yourself in local culture. The event always creates festive ambiance as two to three million visitors take over the streets of Lille, with music and countless activities and events taking place from Saturday at 3pm to Sunday at 11pm.
We have great accommodation and places to stay close to all these venues, whether you choose to go to festive France for a fortnight, a week or just a weekend.
More people from Britain are going to France to stock up on wine and other drinks, as the savings are now greater than they have ever been.
This is due to a potent mix of rising liquor duties in the UK and a weakening euro giving better exchange rates. According to a recent report in the Daily Telegraph, it’s a combination that has ushered in the “new age of the booze cruise”.
The newspaper also points out that tax on wine is an astonishing eight times higher in Britain than in France, and the gap has widened over the past few years.
There are no limits on the quantity you bring in as long as you don’t intend to sell the wine and no import tax is due on alcohol brought in from France, providing it is for personal use, which includes large purchases for weddings, events and parties. With savings of around £4 on an average priced quality wine and £12.50 on a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne, there’s plenty to celebrate.
Don’t forget that you can book ferry and Eurostar crossings on our travel pages – and why not make your booze cruise into a French mini-break? If you’re shopping at the Calais hypermarkets, visit the Cote d’Opale, the Boulogne aquarium and pretty inland towns like Ardres with its lovely lake.
We have a range of accommodation in the Nord-Pas de Calais and Normandy as well as in the Champagne area and all the wine regions of France. With this year’s harvest time approaching in the vineyards, the next few weeks are great for a visit. Salut!
Charente, our region of the month for August, is a land of sunshine, cognac, sunflowers and vineyards. Located in south west France and part of the Poitou-Charentes area, the region is named after the Charente river and offers a peaceful unspoilt landscape of rolling hills dotted with church spires, pretty medieval villages, forests, rivers, ponds and lakes.
This means that, although there is no coastline, there are plenty of places to swim, making it ideal for a family summer holiday. The French are expert at creating attractive beaches with amenities at inland rivers and lakes – and Charente is no exception, as there are plenty of plans d’eau, aquatic centres and outdoor pools.
Spend all day swimming and sunbathing at the beach at Aubeterre sur Dronne beside the Dronne river; take the children to the Nautilis Aquatic Centre at St Yrieux sure Charente, where they can ride the water slides and play to their heart’s content. For a quiet day out, you may choose the beautiful lakeside beach at Le Gours. Details and photos of these and many more are on the Charente tourism website – just follow the link below.
The Charente is also a land of Festivals. All year, it moves, swings dances, draws, plays and sings… Among the more unusual are the Festivals Nuits Romans, when the most beautiful Roman churches are brought to life with street art, fire and music, all summer until 5th September.
Angouleme, the region’s second city holds the Circuit International des Remparts 18 to 20 September, when it is transformed in the style of Le mans to create a city curcuit for elegant legendary vintage racing cars including Aston Martin, MG, Bugatti, Porsche and Lotus.
The famous city of Cognac, shown in the above photo, celebrates exuberantly with the Coupe de Chauffe 4th to 6th September, when the streets are alive with music, dance and celebration – all completely free.
And, of course, all through the year you can tour factories where Cognac brandy is made and take wine tours and tastings. There is even an informative Cognac museum and another devoted to the arts celebrating the famous drink. An interesting attrraction on a totally different theme is the Memorial of Resistance at Chasseneuil-sur-Bonnieure, very informative about the scale and nature of wartime resistance in France.
We have a beautiful selection of great value accommodation at farmhouses, watermills, country cottages and gites, so check out our Charente listings and Info guide now for your last minute summer holiday or next trip to France!
Take advantage of late sunshine, quieter roads and the chance for a bargain by booking a last minute trip to France. Here are just some of the great special deals our owners are offering right now. Be quick!
A beautiful self-catering four bedroom farmhouse with a pool in Charente-Maritime with special offer for late August, perfect for a late family holiday. A larger farmouse in Maine et Loire sleeps up to 16 and has a special offer for late September, so perfect for a group of friends.
In the less well known peaceful, green region of Haute-Vienne, Limousin, pay just £500 a week in late August for a luxury holiday cottage sleeping up to six people and set in forty acres of land.
Get 12 days for the price of seven in September at an idyllic three bedroom converted 17th century stone barn with breathtaking panoramic views and a private pool. The house is situated in the South of France in the foothills of Le Canigou, the sacred mountain of the Catalans, and above the valley of the River Têt.
In Morbihan, Brittany a charming two bedroom stone cottage has 15% off during September – perfect for a couple looking to explore this lovely area close to cross-Channel ports.
Finally there’s a chance to grab the last of the summer wine with £100 off for the last week in August at a charming house in walled garden set in the heart of Sancerre, the ancient walled town set high on a hill in one of the Loire’s best loved wine growing regions.
Check out all these and more in our Special Offers and Last minute deals.
It’s peak time for summer holidays in France. Have you ever dreamed of buying a French property for your own holidays that would help pay for itself through holiday lets?
For many people this combination of lifestyle enhancement with financial investment seems ideal – and if you are thinking about taking the plunge, then the good news is that this can be a really good time to buy.
Savings are attracting a pretty poor return at present and properties in France are relatively good value, so there’s the chance to grab a bargain and get more for your money than in Britain. Also, sterling is stronger against the euro, so exchange rates are good – and there’s the possibility of rate fixing if you plan to purchase property.
If you buy judiciously, market professionally, set realistic prices and offer attractive facilities then it is definitely possible to attract rental bookings sufficient to offset running costs and make a small profit.
Renovation is pricey these days so it’s better value to buy a finished property which may even have a letting history. Choose a location that’s accessible by air or road and not too far from restaurants and shops. Look for a property with ‘kerb appeal’ that’s in a peaceful spot with a good view and get a feel for the local community. In France, a small rural town might actually offer more of what you’d expect from ‘village life’.
When setting your budget, don’t forget to allow for buying expenses, furnishing and equipping the property and marketing online to advertise the holiday home and draw in business. Check out our comprehensive Buying Guide.
We have hundreds of properties listed in the ‘Property for Sale’ section of our website, from a house ready to move into at just £35,000 to some stunning chateaux and wine domaines for a little over £1 million – and plenty in between. Our photo shows one example near the beautiful village of Najac. Often owners are selling direct, which saves on agency fees. You can search by area, size and price to help narrow things down!