One of the great delights of France as a holiday destination is the constant parade of festivals, fairs and events. Here are three of the biggest that you can join in this April – but don’t forget that every region of France has its own timetable of local events.
Our owners have great local knowledge, so if you’re booking accommodation be sure to ask the owner what’s on during your visit. You might be pleasantly surprised!
The Paris Marathon is run on 12th April, starting on the Champs-Élysées and boasting as much excitement and bonhomie as the London version. Want to take in some sightseeing as well? If you’ve already explored all the familiar sites like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame, then visit the Rodin Museum and Galeries Lafayette Department Store where the architecture as beautifully French as the stylish goods on offer.
The Etauliers Asparagus Festival is held on 25-26th April. Etauliers is in south west France – north of Bordeaux and this very French event, which attracts 12,000 visitors, brings together each year 60 gourmet exhibitors and includes concerts, asparagus and wine tastings, workshops, tours of the asparagus cooperative, and a giant asparagus omelette.
Bourges Spring Music festival takes place 25 to 29th April in the Loire Valley town. Every form of music from rap to opera, the world’s most famous artists and the most promising young talent. You’ll find them all here. The festivities explode from midday to dawn in ten concert halls which are adapted to every type of music and audience. The 60 or so concerts present over 200 artists. The venues, for audiences of between 300 and 6500, are under cover and heated. All are in the vicinity of the town centre, with its stalls, bars, restaurants, attractions and three free outdoor stages where groups perform all day long.
Our latest competition with FrenchEntree magazine offers you the chance to win a week’s stay in June or September for up to four people at Le Manoir de La Foye in sunny Charente Maritime countryside.
Once a cognac distillery, La Foye now has five charming gites surrounded by gardens with mature trees, a walnut orchard and swimming pool. The lucky winner can choose La Ferme or another gite, depending on preference and availability. (Travel is not included).
Nick and Chania Coveyduck have renovated their gites to a high standard whilst retaining original charm and atmosphere. Now they enjoy welcoming guests and their aim is to provide year-round comfort and relaxation with a swimming pool, hot tub, shared summer kitchen, laundry room, table tennis and entertainment room. See more photos and details at the link below.
Visitors to La Foye can visit vineyards and the Forest of Aulnay, explore famous Cognac distilleries, take a day out at Atlantic beaches, charming seaside towns or Green Venice with its maze of ancient canals. They also enjoy savouring the local cognac, Pineau, seafood, cheese and friendly people in this tranquil, unspoilt area.
To enter the competition, click here to visit the FrenchEntree website.
A week at La Mirande farmhouse cottage in the beautiful Ardèche was the prize in a recent competition that we ran together with French Entrée magazine.
The winner, Lyn West, is from Woodford Green in London and her reaction was first disbelief then great excitement:
“I’m absolutely thrilled and over the moon to have received a phone call this morning from French Connections letting me know I am the winner of their recent competition for a week’s stay at La Mirande in the Ardèche. This is a trip made for us. My husband instantly relaxes as soon as he arrives in France.
“Having never visited the region before we are so looking forward to exploring its history, beauty & charm. Visits to Gorge de l’Ardèche, the Roman Pont du Gard and Arles look to be a must for us alongside many visits I'm sure to the local town of Privas.”
Also included in the prize is a welcome dinner cooked by friendly owner Gray Veredon, accompanied by local wines and cheese from the neighbouring farm. Gray, a former director of ballet at Lyon, now offers bed and breakfast in the stylish farmhouse along with optional evening meals. Our photo shows the view from the garden across to the Alps.
Easter is fast approaching – and if you’re looking for a late deal, then France is a really attractive, value for money option. Our owners are still offering gites, chateaux, villas and B&B for Easter week 4th to 11th April, so you can still grab a beautiful property in a fabulous location.
Late availability B&B starts at just £47 per night for a double room and you can rent a charming self-catering cottage or apartment for two to four people from only £160 for the week. Among our special offers, owners are offering 20% and even 50% discounts for April weeks.
Add to this the euro-sterling exchange rate, now at its best for seven years at nearly 1.4 euros to the pound, making it cheaper to buy petrol and eat out, and there really is no excuse for staying home this Easter!
Why not try a new part of France this Spring? Timeless countryside, wide open beaches, rolling hills, dramatic mountains, rivers, lakes and waterways, historic towns, medeival villages are all yours to discover by day, with top notch food and wine to savour when the sun goes down.
In the south of France, along the coast of the magical Mediterranean, it’s time to celebrate Spring. Biggest and most exuberant of all celebrations is the carnival in Nice on the Cote d’Azur. Here, the processions of elaborate floats work their way up to a crescendo of gigantic decorations on the Place Masséna.
These massive, colourful parades take place day and night, with entertainment provided by over 1,000 musicians and dancers from around the world. This year, Nice carnival continues until 1st March and on Saturday 21st and 28th February there is a flower parade in the afternoon and a Carnival Parade of Lights in the evening.
Menton is also on the Cote d’Azur, close to Monte Carlo, and the Menton Lemon festival continues until 4 March, with fabulous displays of citrus fruits and flowers.
The medeival village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup lies between the mountains and the sea and hosts a charming Violet festival on 21st and 22 February, celebrating the village’s role as a centre of cultivation of the beautiful, perfumed flowers.
Fluffly yellow Mimosa flowers are gorgeous, bright symbols of spring in warmer climes. Bormes-les-Mimosas, situated between Hyeres and Saint Tropez, holds a Grand Mimosa procession on 22nd February, and from here you can drive the mimosa route between the Maures mountains and the sea.
We’ve a range of gorgeous apartments and Provencal villas to rent in and around these towns and villages, for spring, summer and autumn holidays and fun short breaks beside the blue Mediterranean. Where will you stay for the flowers, floats and sunshine?
Spring is the perfect time for a visit to Champagne country in France. The easy four hour drive from Calais makes this an ideal region for a short break of indulgence in golden bubbles, gourmet food and glorious countryside.
This month, we’re focusing on Aube, in the southwest corner of Champagne-Ardenne. Just imagine a landscape of gentle hills and valleys, lakes and forest, smothered in millions of vines burgeoning with luscious champagne grapes whose wine growing owners welcome visitors.
In this charming and relaxing pocket-sized paradise you’ll find half-timbered ancient towns and villages where fabulous food, local wines and a really French way of life reign supreme. Top day out tip - it’s just an hour and a half to Paris.
The best way to learn about champagne is to drive along the impressive Route Touristique du Champagne. This takes you through the south eastern area of Aube between Bar sur Seine and Bar sur Aube. Local tourist offices supply lists of wine growers and champagne cellars that are open to the public and owners organise tours explaining what makes champagne produced in this region so special. (Leave plenty of room in the boot for bottles!)
Troyes (the capital of the department) lies conveniently in the heart of Aube en Champagne, so a visit to this lovely medieval town of timber-frame houses, narrow streets and a beautifully preserved historical centre is a must.
We have a great selection of both B&B and self-catering accommodation in Aube, including lakeside cottages, Maisons de Maitre and gorgeous farmhouses.
Holidays in France just got cheaper for anyone living in Britain as the exchange rate for the Pound Sterling to Euro climbed to a 7-year high today.
Using our currency comparison tool (see link below), today’s best rate offers 1.3224 euros to £1, so £500 buys 661.2 euros. Order a three-course set menu meal for 20 euros at a delightful French bistro and at that rate you would be paying the equivalent of just over £15.
The difference in the amount of spending money you’re likely to need for food and drink, petrol, activities and fun shopping is obvious. Even accommodation is cheaper right now if priced in euros. But one happy fact remains exactly the same – and that is the excellent value of B&Bs and holiday rentals in France, regardless of exchange rates.
We have a great choice of countryside B&Bs with comfortable double rooms from as little as £37 per night – all offering a richer, more authentic experience than budget travel hotels. If you prefer a luxury self-contained one-bedroom gite with kitchen, that can be booked for around £45 per night.
A week’s holiday in one of the two bedroom self-catering cottages on offer from our owners starts at only £165 per week. For a family of four, that’s just £6 each per night! Even a luxury villa with fantastic facilities and a private swimming pool costs a lot less than the equivalent in Spain and other European destinations. Bonnes vacances!