France Attractions

Traditions hotels may be great for some but not all travelers. If you are looking for a quaint or more intimate rural kind of experience, a bed and breakfast option might be perfect for you. In France bed and breakfast establishments are called chamber d'hotes. Because they include a more personable approach, chambre d'hote lodging is commonly available in smaller towns and rural areas.

Depending upon the department and the local regulations, hosts can offer five or six bedrooms. Some chamber d'hotes have rooms suitable for disabled guests and others have no handicapped lodging available whatsoever.

Unlike a regular hotel, a bed & breakfast or chambre d'hote has fewer rooms and is usually run by a single person or family. Instead of a large building, a bed & breakfast or chambre d'hote usually is a large house with rooms converted for visitors or a smaller building with simple rooms. Not all chamber d'hotes are small or larger houses. The other extreme of the range is the large renaissance chateau with a maximum of six rooms available to hire. These chateau chambre d'hotes are a hybrid of a typical chambre d'hote and a dirty big chateau hotel but without the sixty guests. What is common amongst the range available is the homey appeal of a chambre d'hote as opposed to a regular hotel.

As the name implies, a bed & breakfast is not usually a place that you will lounge in all day. Most are located in tourist areas handy for local attractions. They attract guests who want to visit the local interests but who prefer a more homely environment to a hotel room. The chambre d'hotes scattered throughout the Loire Valley are usually handy for visiting the historic chateaux and vineyards. The one hundred mile stretch from Orleans to Tours has the highest concentration of historic chateaux to visit. The Kings and Queens of France literally chateau hopped along the Loire River with their three thousand strong royal court and their furniture in tow.

Chambre d'hotes are usually a place to sleep and to eat in the morning. Check-in is usually during the late afternoon. Breakfast is a lovely meal prepared especially for guests; sometimes a continental breakfast with home made jams and freshly baked croissants and other pastries, seasonal fruit and cheese and charcuterie. It depends on the particular chambre d'hote where you stay.

Most people stay at a chambre d'hote or French bed & breakfast for a short time. There is no hard rule that says you cannot spend your entire two-week vacation there. Some bed & breakfasts have great tours, games traditional and electronic, pool, and other activities for guests and children to enjoy. Generally the larger the establishment and the range of activities on offer the longer you can envisage staying for a vacation. The premises may be ideal for hiring exclusively with friends and family for a long vacation.

No matter what bed & breakfast you choose, try to find one that fits your specific needs. Do your homework. Some do not accept families with children under a certain age. Others specifically have rooms only for single traveler. Enquire which languages are spoken by the hosts. Chambre d'hote or Bed & breakfast options are extremely varied, so hunt around until you find the perfect one for you vacation.

The Herault is a spectacular Department in the Languedoc Region of France. It gets it's name from the beautiful River Herault, which meanders through it. The French, when it comes to where they would most like to live, permanent or retirement, opt for the Herault, it's their favorite location in all of France! Many buy homes in the area and house prices are rising steadly. Lots of foreigners have also discovered this and bought vacation or permanent homes in this tranquil area, where the main concern of the day can often be "what will I do today?" The pace is slower, the food healthier, life expectancy is longer, the worries are less...yes it's tough.

Real estate prices are still pretty reasonable, in the Languedoc region, making it a good time to buy. You can choose from a chalet, apartment, village/town house, or luxury villa with swimming pool. Prices vary, depending on how close to the sea or a particular town or village. Each village or town has Estate Agent's Offices (Immobiliers) with plenty of photos in their windows, call in and have a chat, more than likely they'll show you properties that same day. When buying real estate in France you can save paying the agents fee's. Just travel around and find properties being sold privately by their owners. In most cases you will see a hand written sign saying "A Vendre". If you have the time, travel from town to village looking for your potential dream home, if possible staying overnight, meeting the locals and experiencing the place.

It's easy to understand why the Herault is so popular. Montpellier is the major city in this department, with it's international airport and first class train service, this beautiful historical and modern city, offers an abundance of places to see and things to do, it's a great base and starting point to commence your exploration of the area, be it by car or rail. The major towns and villages of Beziers, Marseillan, Sete, Agde, Meze, Pezenas and lots more, each with their own unique style and character are all within an hours journey by rail or car.

You can experience the breath taking landscape of small villages nestled and embraced by dramatic mountains and vineyards. Take a stroll along the many rivers and canals, relax on the banks of the Canal du Midi watching the colorful barges quietly float by. Let the day drift along, picnicking on the shores of serene lakes. The Herault Department is well known for its miles and miles of clean, sandy, sun drenched Mediterranean beaches. With over 300 days of sunshine per year it's a magnet for holiday makers, especially the French themselves, (need I say more?)

Every village and town in the Herault has at least one market a week, selling breads, cheeses, meats, fish and vegetables along with clothes, bric a brac and the kitchen sink. They are lively and colorful events with plenty of bargains. No matter how small the village or town you're in, you'll find copious amounts of shopping malls, nearby or a short distance away. For the young and not so young, there's plenty of things to keep you occupied. 

Theme and safari parks, water sports, cycling/walking trails, museums, galleries, golf, tours, bullfighting and the best cuisine and wines in the world. Visit some super ancient castles, forts and chateaux, marvel at the original roman viaducts bridges and towers, still in a state of great preservation. Walking around the villages your sense of smell will be charged by the local cuisine...bon appetite. The Herault in the South of France is certainly well worth a visit and is definitely a great place to buy a home!

Dunkerque is the northernmost French ferry port, only six miles from the border of Belgium. The third largest harbour in France, Dunkerque is popular with surfers, windsurfers and kayakers. Less touristy than some of the other French ports, Dunkerque is mostly industrial, producing a substantial portion of France's oil and steel products.

South of Dunkerque is the port of Calais. Calais is one of the oldest and most popular ports for ferries to France via the English Channel. Only one hour and fifteen minutes from the port of Dover, Calais is also the closest port to the U.K. Like most of the towns on France's west coast, partially demolished and restored medieval buildings and permanent reminders of World War II abound. Calais is also a gateway to many small and fascinating French towns.

Another popular and well-established ferry port in France is Boulogne. Also reputed to be the largest fishing seaport in France, Boulogne has a great selection of seafood restaurants to choose from. Preserved and renovated, Boulogne's old walled medieval town contains churches, museums, palaces and restaurants just waiting to be explored. Outside the fortressed town, the Nausicaa Aquariium hosts a wide variety of marine exhibitions and activities to educate and entertain visitors of all ages. For those who prefer to just lounge in the sun, there are miles of long wide sandy beaches.

Once a popular seaside resort, Dieppe is one of the more attractive ports accessible by ferry. Less industrial than some of the other coastal towns in France, Dieppe is known for its delicious scallops and a great Saturday morning market. High chalk cliffs and pebbly beaches enhance the appeal of this small medieval town.

Further south along the coast is the city of Le Havre, which sustained the heaviest damage of any port in Europe during World War II. Reinforced concrete was the primary material used in Le Havre's restoration, which occurred from 1946 to 1964. Architect Auguste Perret single-handedly planned and organized this colossal task, which resulted in a fascinating and visually compelling mixture of medieval architecture and thoroughly modern structural design that is internationally renowned.

Another interesting place to visit if you're traveling by ferry to France is Cherbourg. The largest aquarium in Europe, containing 500,000 liters of seawater, can be found at La Cite de la Mer in Cherbourg. One can also visit Le Redoutable, which is the very first French nuclear submarine and also the largest submarine in the world that can be visited by sightseers. Cherbourg is also the home of a luxury umbrella factory, and those fortunate enough might catch a glimpse of them being wind-tested at nearby beaches.

Popular for both day trips and longer holidays, St. Malo can be found further south. Once legendary for corsair, pirates and privateers, St. Malo is now known for its great beaches and resorts. Those planning to visit St. Malo during the summer must be sure to make hotel reservations way in advance.

If war-struck and restored medieval churches and palaces, World War II relics and memorabilia, and aquariums are a bit overwhelming, then Roscoff might be just the place to go. As the southernmost and quietest ferry port on the French coast, Roscoff is best known for quiet nature walks and relaxation. Most of the harbor traffic consists of boats for fishing and for seaweed harvesting. As with most of the French coastal towns, restaurants in Roscoff are known for their seafood. Roscoff has sometimes been called "The Seaweed Capital of the World". This is because of the massive amount of seaweed harvested in Roscoff and the numerous and diverse uses the inhabitants have discovered for it.

The great selection, availability and affordability of ferries to France ensure that surfers, scientists, beach bums, historians, and seafood gourmets will never lack places to explore and enjoy on the other side of the English Channel.