Now is the time to make sure your property is well displayed online to attract holiday-makers for 2016.
Signing up with French Connections is simple – and to make it even easier we are offering an early Christmas present of 25% discount on any advertisement that goes live before 30 November 2015.
This includes owners new to us and existing owners who add a new property on the site. The offer applies to rental and for sale advertisements and on all of our great value packages.
Thousands of satisfied advertisers and property owners have advertised with us. We only feature France, so our visitors are more relevant and more likely to enquire – and they trust our brand.
Advertising packages are for a whole year, with no commission charges. Adverts include a description, photos, map, places of interest, activities, availability calendar and link to your own website. There are also optional upgrades to display extra photographs, host video tours, run special offers and feature in promotions.
Our customer service is excellent – we are readily available to answer queries and make a point of supporting owners in achieving their aims.
To claim your discount, got to Advertise with Us and register in the Owners Area. Then let us know your new property reference number by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will apply a 25% discount voucher. You can pay through the Owners Area or by phone if you prefer at 01580 819303.
Anyone remotely interested in football will know that, after some exciting qualifying matches recently, the Euro 2016 championship will be held in France next summer, from 10 June to 10 July. Matches will be at several venues around the country, with the final in Paris.
Tickets will go on sale after the finals draw on 12 December, giving you time to find accommodation. Hotels will be busy – and probably expensive - so why not look for one of our friendly B&Bs or self catering holiday lets in your chosen regions?
As a reminder, the countries that have already qualified are: France (as hosts), England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Italy, Spain, Germany,Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovakia, Poland, Switzerland, Romania, Austria, Russia, Croatia, Portugal, Albania, Iceland.
The venues for matches will be:
Parc des Princes, Paris
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
Stade des Lumières, Lyon
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille
Matmut Atlantique, Bordeaux
Stadium Municipal, Toulouse
Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens
Allianz Riviera, Nice
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne
Fixture dates are:
Group stage: 10-22 June
Round-of-16: 25-27 June
Quarter-finals: 30 June-3 July
Semi-finals: 6-7 July
Final: 10 July
With warm sunshine flooding the hills, pastures, lakes and beaches of France, this is the perfect time for an Autumn getaway to enjoy the relaxing peace and quiet of late season destinations. And the bonus of great value accommodation in both countryside and cities!
Of course, Paris in the sunshine is hard to resist – but try other beautiful cities in France for a long weekend or mid-week break. Romance is in the air in Annecy in the Haute-Savoie, with clear air, lakeside strolls and mountain views, also in Carcassonne, where winding medeival lanes take you on a trip back in time.
Hop on a train to visit sunny Avignon, the city of the popes, Bordeaux for the wine harvest or Tours for the Loire chateaux. For history there is Chartres, while for glamour and beaches, Nice is hard to beat.
At French Connections, you can find your destination, choose your accommodation, book your ferry, train or plane and even tick off travel insurance and currency exchange. Start with our complete guide to the best City Breaks in France.
For a family break at half-term in late October, the iconic Disneyland Paris is perfect. Why not plan a holiday combining the charms of Disneyland with a taste of the enticing land of France by renting a holiday home nearby? Get special offers, holiday rentals, hotels and more in our guide to Disneyland Paris.
Families will also enjoy a city break or a relaxing stay in the French countryside. Check out our special offers and late deals to snap up a beautiful farmhouse or villa for a fraction of the summer cost and enjoy outdoor activities and eating out in typically French local towns, with the advantage of the excellent euro exchange rate.
France is not only for holidays! A number of our owners offer long winter lets at their properties with rental by the month at very favourable rates.
Long winter lets can run from one month right up to six months. Most property owners offer lets from November up to late February or March, depending partly on the region and local weather.
Maybe you fancy escaping the British winter and are drawn to southern regions of France where temperatures are generally higher and there is more light and sunshine. Or perhaps you want to get away for a sabbatical and do that writing, photography or meditation you’ve been promising yourself.
If you’re thinking of buying in France, a winter rental is a great way to be on the spot for viewing properties when they come on the market, get to know the region and way of life and improve your spoken French.
Families thinking of emigrating often want to do the very sensible thing of ‘try before you buy’. Many even put their children into French schools for a while and really get a true taste of the lifestyle.
Our ‘Long Winter Lets’ pages list a range of attractive properties whose owners offer this service. Most invite you to get in touch to discuss rates, so use their weekly rental quoted as simply a guide to where they sit in the market. If the Provencale apartments in our photo have started you dreaming, why not check out our long winter lets right now?
Our latest competition offers you the chance to win an April or May week at the picturesque Domaine de Barthe, an ancient wine domain near Carcassonne in the heart of the wine regions of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Owners Mark and Nicole Adams have tastefully restored four former workers’ cottages to create beautiful self-catering gites. There’s a large swimming pool with terrace in a sheltered walled garden, spacious games barn, giant outdoor chess and a full size covered Petanque court.
In association with FrenchEntree Magazine, we’re inviting you to enter to win one week’s stay for up to four people in the prestigious Alaric Cottage, opened just last year and pictured above. (Travel is not included).
The cottage has a large lounge with separate dining kitchen and a feature spiral staircase leads to one double and one twin bedroom, both en suite. Outside, the cottage has its own patio and BBQ area.
The beautiful Canal du Midi is very close, as are the wine regions of Minervois and Corbiere. In 15 minutes you can drive to Carcassonne’s famous mediaeval walled city and in 40 minutes to the Mediterranean coast.
The beautiful, unspoilt region of the Hautes-Alpes is perfect for those who like their winter sports or mountain holiday in an authentic traditional village with chalets, snowy pastures and sleigh rides, all surrounded by breath taking natural scenery.
Hautes-Alpes is our region of the month and it lies between Grenoble and the Italian border. Here, the sun shines for 300 days a year and the terrain includes spectacularly high peaks perfect for all types of skiing – even parachute skiing.
There’s a wide variety of winter sports activities on offer, with cross country skiing, ice climbing, snowshoeing and the exhilarating sport of ski jöring, which involves being pulled on skis by a horse. Those who like their Alpine holidays less strenuous can bask in the warmth of thermal springs.
The region boasts two conservation areas - the enchanting Écrins National Park, with its rivers and lakes, and the Queyras Regional Nature Park, with panoramic views of peaks and glaciers. Main towns are Gap and Briancon, a picturesque delight of steep, narrow streets, tall church spires and a dramatic river bridge.
For summer mountain holidays, this is an equally extraordinary destination where fields of lavender wave in the breeze below the year-round snow and the ice of glaciers. Beautiful valleys provide the perfect venue to get away from it all and, whether for skiing or summer, you can choose from our great accommodation options of chalets, apartments and cottages.
The Chateau de Bussas at St Jean du Gard, near Ales in the South of France, is ID 36 on our site. This means that owner Meg Campbell runs one of the first ever holiday properties to join us back in 1996 when Glynis and Michael started French Connections. We really value our team’s personal knowledge and connection to many of our holiday rentals and their owners – and we’re proud and pleased that the chateau is still going stronger than ever.
This beautiful rural gem is set in its own 200 acres of spectacular scenery. The Château dates back to 1197 and today its medieval courtyard provides entry to four individual comfortable apartments for self-catering holidays. The Bread Oven House and the newly converted Clede, both on the edge of the chateau, each provide accommodation for two. Walkers, writers, painters and poets have all enjoyed the inspiration of Bussas. There is a games room, swimming pool, barbecue, childrens’ play area and a river for swimming and fishing.
Meg has obviously seen many changes over the years, but she has held fast to the idea of excellent customer service for visitors. Here are some of her principles:
1.We have a really friendly French couple who have lived on-site as caretakers for 25 years and our guests love them. It helps to keep the ambiance French rather than British.
2. We advertise online but still insist on telephone contact with possible guests to ensure the personal touch.
3. We’re in the Cevennes National Park and I encourage guests to enjoy the stunning views, bird watching and walks. Mountain biking, canoeing, horse riding and tennis are all available locally.
3. I keep our rates at excellent value and would never ask guests to pay extra for bed linen and towels.
4. We create a homely, personal feel with books and pictures so that visitors feel like welcome guests in our home.
5. We move with the times to match the standard of peoples’ own homes and expectations. I aim to make the chateau look modern and comfortable with good facilities but still in keeping with the period character.