"June is bustin' out all over
All over the meadow and the hill!
Buds're bustin' outa bushes
And the rompin' river pushes
Ev'ry little wheel that wheels beside the mill!
Rail Europe, the experts in European rail tickets and passes and our rail travel partner, is currently offering savings of up to 75% on journeys to the South of France this summer.
Routes covered by the offer include Brussels and Lille to Lyon, Bordeaux, Perpignan, Nice, Toulouse, Montpellier and Avignon, with standard class fares starting at £32.50 one way from Lille or £36 one way from Brussels. First class tickets are also included in the offer, with fares starting at £41.50 from Lille and £50.50 from Brussels.
Travelling via Brussels and Lille offers the additional benefit that onward services usually depart from the same station as trains arriving from the UK, avoiding the need to negotiate the Paris Metro.
The offer will be available to book until Saturday 5 June, for travel between Friday 25 May and Saturday 30 June, making it perfect for anyone wanting a quick get-away for some summer sun or to make the most of the long Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend.
Tickets at the offer prices will be limited so travellers are advised to book early through our one-stop link to Rail Europe to avoid disappointment.
Because we love France, we're always keen to pass on our enthusiasm and knowledge for all the varied parts of this amazing country. Our focus this month is the region of Champagne-Ardenne and Marne, best known as home of the golden bubbles that just burst with the mood of fun and celebration, but also home to some stunning lakes, forests and rolling country views.
Activity holidays have become very popular among visitors to France, not least because many take several breaks a year and are looking for a new experience each time. This is a great time of year for all sorts of activities in France from arts, crafts and photography to French language, from golf, fishing or cycling to therapies and relaxation. The weather is warming up, the countryside is fresh and beautiful and the evenings are long.
An activity holiday is so easy at a gite or self-catering house, where all members of the group can mix and match the way they spend their days with flexibility. Many breaks are offered by owners who started with a desire to pass on their own passion or hobby. As an owner of French holiday let, what could you do?
That’s the question asked in the May-June issue of Britmag, the popular magazine aimed at British residents in North West France and among the answers is advice from our own Glynis Shaw, joint MD of French Connections.
Glynis gives her own five top tips for running successful activity holidays in the article, which also features French Connections auberge Le Mesnil at Creances, Normandy. Here, owners Jan and Dave Tarbuck offer B&B along with painting holidays. The tutor is Joe Cousin (shown in our photo), a well known local artist whose paintings have been purchased by the Beckhams, Caron Keating and members of the Arsenal and Chelsea football teams.
Britmag is available at French supermarkets with a press section and at “Marchands de journaux” in towns with substantial British populations in Basse-Normandie, Brittany and the Pays de la Loire.
May is a wonderful month of the year with days getting longer and the warmer weather slowly showing signs of new life in the gardens and countryside around us. I think it is fair to say that most of us feel better when new life is evolving and the promise of longer, warmer days are ahead. France is truly beautiful in May and it is one of the best months to have a well earned holiday if you are lucky enough to get away. With the weather being not too hot and not too cold, it is ideal for a change of scenery and a complete pick-me-up after the long winter months.
This year, most schools are timing half-term holiday to coincide with the Royal Jubilee in early June - which is a fantastic time to be in France! Lots of families are planning to hop across the channel, but that doesn't mean it's too late to make a booking. In fact, there are some particularly mouthwatering holiday homes not only still available but offering great discounts for weeks throughout May and June, so it's well worth taking a look at our Special Offer pages.
If you don't want to travel too far, La Riviere is a two bedroom apartment in a historic riverside building at St Lormel in Brittany's Cotes-d'Armor. It's elegantly furnished with all mod cons, on the doorstep of shops, restaurants and a play park and just a few minutes drive to no fewer than eleven sandy beaches and coves so typical of this beautiful coastline. Remaining weeks in June are on offer at just £339 a week for up to five people.
In the sunny and ever popular Lot-et-Garonne, La Croix de Loubas is a complex of three traditional stone houses that sleep ten, eight and six people and can be rented together or separately. There's an acre of garden with play area and swimming pool and the village of Penne d'Agenais is very close by, with the attractive town of Villeneuve sure Lot also easily accessible. The offer is a 20% discount in May and June.
Charente-Maritime is both popular and accessible and here you can stay at Maison Poirier, a 200 year old beautifully renovated cottage with pastel washed walls and blue shutters. It's at the heart of the Cognac and Pineau producing region, in a small hamlet close to the village of Migron. There are three large bedrooms sleeping eight in all along with two bathrooms and, outside, a swimming pool and lots to keep youngsters happily occupied. A 25% discount is on offer for remaining weeks in June.
There are even more ideas available for the exact dates you want at our last minute bookings
Want to try a new part of France this year, away from the tourist hotspots but with plenty to do and see? Well, here's a hot tip - plan a visit to the Ardèche. You'll get a taste of the real France and discover one of the country's most varied regions.
Where exactly is the Ardèche? Well it lies just south of the centre of France and has borders with Languedoc, the Auvergne and Provence in the south, where the weather is about as warm and sunny as Provence itself. The landscape is abundant with rivers, mountains and green forests so it's great country for walking, canoeing and communing with nature.
Read more: Discover the Ardèche for rivers, mountains, nature and culture