France Attractions

Loire-Atlantique was associated with Brittany for long time so the region has its influence on culture as well as atmosphere. Loire-Atlantique is the seaward region in north-east region of France. It has wide range of landscapes, wide sand beaches and ancient forests that attract the tourist to spend their holidays while enjoying water sports and beach walk. One can learn about the history of the region with fine chateau, castles and modern defensive systems. One can investigate about the lost stations while walking on the coastal paths. The Loire-Atlantique is a very popular region of France for holiday rentals with a wide choice of rental properties with places to see and things for all the family to sample and do.

The fine beaches of the region have rocky outcrops and secluded sandy bays that are perfect for water sports. The wide sandy beaches attract both locals and visitors for sailing, windsurfing and kite-boarding. One can see equipment hire stations and schools on the beaches for providing assistance to the tourists. The rich fishing heritage in Loire-Atlantique give great opportunity to the tourists to enjoy both deep sea and fresh water fishing. One can enjoy the Canal Boat Trips in the 'Canal de Nantes' that was constructed by Napoleon during war. One can then stop off at Blain castle and see the art museum there. The adventure loving people will have great fun during these trips. The city offer different activities for the tourists like canoeing in the Vallee du Don and playing golf in any of the department's 9 courses.

The Loire-Atlantique has golf courses on the windswept coastline, in the undulating hills and in the woodland forests of the interior region. The golfers can enjoy and move around the region during the stay in Loire-Atlantique accommodation. There are both 18-hole courses and a 9-hole course that are set amongst chestnut and oak woods. The local markets of the region give the experience of the hustle and bustle of a typical French provincial market. The local producers and artisans of various products sell their wares to both local people and to the inevitable tourist.

The markets at La Roche-Bernard on Thursday, Guerande on Saturday and Penestin on Sunday are more popular. Take your local produce back to the gite or have lovely picnic in beautiful surroundings of this area of France. The children can enjoy different things in the region like children aquariums at Vannes and at Le Croisic with a walkthrough perspex tunnel. One can enjoy the wildlife at Branfere, a lovely park where animals roam freely or at Planete Sauvage which is a safari park. The tourists can enjoy their holiday in Nantes, a friendly capital city on the way to Loire-Atlantique. The glorious parks, magnificent restaurants and fantastic shopping markets can be enjoyed within the city. It is a unique city center that has Art-Nouveau squares, churches, museums and chic bars.

The Historical Nantes can be seen at the Cathedrale St-Pierre et St-Paul where one can see sculpted Gothic portals and Renaissance tomb of Francois II. Clisson is a town with distinctly Italian feel with Neo-Classical villas which was restored after the Vendee Wars. One can also discover the colorful flowerbeds, fountains and California redwoods in botanical gardens at Nantes. So come to Loire-Atlantique where along with sightseeing one can do so many activities like swimming, canoeing, golfing and shopping. Families come to the Loire-Atlantique region of France to rent villas and gites and use it as a base to explore this beautiful diverse region of France.

So you're going to France for your next vacation. You have picked a location, organised your travel, and booked your accommodation. That is the easy part of the "where" and the "how." The trickiest part of planning and enjoying your holiday comes next when you need to tackle the "what" issue. That is what are you going to see and what are you going to do. Please do not even think the word "everything".

Tourists often mistakenly schedule every hour of every day in advance to ensure they see every French chateau, abbey and vineyard. If this is your inclination our advice is don't go. You will be as stressed as if you never left work so you might as well stay there and earn more money.

If you go with a to-do list of "famous sights," you will come home with a lot of beautiful pictures but with no real emotional connection to where you have been. You will look photos of various chateaux and not be able to distinguish which one was which. Your holiday will be one chateau blur. You'll have spent your entire time hurtling from one famous chateau or abbey or rather than soaking up the significance of that chateau, abbey you toured in a nanosecond.

Please do not be a speed tourist forever intent and acting possessed determined to get yet another tick in a box on their must see list. Never see more than two chateaux in a day and do not do more than three days of your vacation (ideally spaced out) chateaux hopping.

You probably selected France as your destination in order to escape the hurried pace of your normal live. So what you need to do is to slow down a bit and enjoy life at another pace. This way you can return home feeling rested and rejuvenated. Remember you are on holiday and you are not trying to set any records. Leisurely drink in the scenery and the culture and sample some of the acclaimed local wine whilst enjoying a picnic.

If you are renting a chateau or a villa, set aside some time to just hang out there and relax. Often you see groups of families who rent a chateau or a villa together busy traipsing all over the countryside ticking all of the boxes on someone's overly optimised list of must see sites and must do activities. Some poor person got the task and wanted to make sure no one could later complain that they missed something.

Always remember most people travel to France for the experience that is unique and totally different from their everyday American English, or Antipodean existence. Find yourself a little cafe, bistro, or a pub. Sit down. Order something. Listen to the locals chatting. Talk to a stranger even if it is in Franglais. Smell that freshly baked bread. Savour that glass of wine. Relax you are on holiday. And if you miss something important - no problem. It is the perfect excuse to come back again for another relaxing holiday another time.

Make reference to France travel and the name Paris comes up right away. Paris is known to the rest of the world for its world renowned Eiffel tower. The tower was built between 1887 and 1889 and became today one of the most recognizable monuments in France as well as an international symbol that attracts people from all around the world to Paris. Located near the Seine river, which is considered to be the lifeline of the city of Paris, the Eiffel tower was built by a French engineer called Gustave Eiffel, which explains why the tower was given the Eiffel name.

The tower was built a century after the French revolution in order to celebrate the centenary of this important historical milestone and the ideals of the French Revolution liberty, equality and fraternity. French history indicates that the tower was inaugurated on the 31st of march 1889 and opened to the public on May, 6th of the same year. However, it is the Eiffel tower that symbolizes Paris as a tourist destination in modern times. The construction of the tower had indeed met with a stiff resistance from the intellectuals as well as the regular Frenchman during its beginnings. 

A number of French leaders and citizens questioned the judgment of the people who had thought of the idea of the tower in the creation period, calling it an eyesore and a misuse of public finances and wealth. Of those protestors, the world renowned writer Guy de Maupassant is thought to have eaten at one specific restaurant everyday, as he claimed this restaurant was the only restaurant in Paris that spared him the painful sight of the tower! The tower, a milestone for France travelers was the tallest structure in the world at the time of its construction and measures approximately 300 meters high and inclues 3 stories. Highest structure in Paris, the Eiffel tower is the second highest structure in France.

The French authorities in charge of maintaining the tower provide a useful website that can attest to be a blessing for travelers from other countries. The website gives accurate rates for sightseeing and also provides the history of the construction of the tower. Distinct rates exist for adults and children as well as exclusive concessions that are available for the disabled.

Like the varying degree of passionate travelers of France, the rates for the elevators vary as one rises up the tower. The standard rates for adults for the first story are in the 40 euros while the 2nd floor can be assessed at a rate in the seventy euros for adults. The top level, which is a visual delight of Paris can be reached by elevator at a rate of about 100 euros. The tower is fully equipped with facilities that can help the disabled access to its height and share the beauty of the city of Paris. 

Lifts and turnstiles are easily available that can help people with reduced mobility access the tower. For a summary of a visit to the Eiffel tower make sure to stop at Altitude 95, the restaurant located on the first level of the Eiffel tower. Needless to say that France travel remains incomplete without touring this historical beauty. We wish you a visit that just soars with fun!

One of my favorite past times is to go mountain biking down countryside trails and travel long distances from one town to another. For me this is an enjoyable form of keeping fit and you have the added benefit of appreciating the scenery. Mountain biking does not necessarily have to be enjoyed in your own home territory and one can be involved with mountain biking abroad. Places like France, Italy, Spain, Africa and Australia.

Mountain biking in France is more popular than any other destination because of the smooth and challenging trails that make biking here more fun. The French Alps is famous for holding the popular Tour de France biking event, whereby thousands of spectators come from all over the world and support the contenders. The Alps is also popular with skiing holidays and professional skiing competitions, which has placed the French Alps as one of the top destinations for activity holidays.

The Tour de France has helped to keep the Alps to maintain its reputation for being one of the best experience mountain biking in France as a whole. The first Tour de France event began in 1903 and is structured so it is partaken in stages rather than one long marathon. History will reveal that the Tour de France was largely influenced and inspired by the popular sporting magazine in France, called Le Velo. Like most sporting magazines, this focused on sporting events but also included politic and current affairs in France.

Le Velo was produced and published to symbolise the innocence of Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused and found guilty of selling secrets to the Germans. There was a large division between the people of France, with one side favoring his innocence and the other believing he was guilty. Some of the advertisers were against what Le Velo stood and were very much against the support of Dreyfus's innocence. Those that withdrew their advertising later published their own rival magazine.

L'Auto was established and to promote it the Tour de France began. This was also a publicity spectacle to rival Le Velo and their event, Paris-Brest et retour organized by editor Pierre Gifford. Originally, the race was discussed to be a five weeklong tour, however with only 15 entrants this was then reduced down to just 19 days. Cycling journalist Geo Lefevre and Editor Henri Desgrange announced the event on January 19th of 1903 - thus born a new trend of mountain biking in France.

The public were caught and drawn in by the event, from the growing number of entrants (who were offered a daily allowance) and the entertainment attractions (some amateur and unemployed entertainers). The tour was split into stages of riding 400km, this saw the riders riding into the night, which captured the spectators attention. After the event, the magazine sales went from 25,000 copies sold to 65,000. By 1933 when the Tour had finished Desgrange had received a record of 854,000.

L'Auto magazine was not a direct predecessor to the now popular magazine L'Equipe, but was a spiritual figure and influence to the current organizers of the Tour. This is not directly organized by L'Equipe but is run by its owners called Societe du Tour de France. To this day this is an event which has grown on a massive scale over the years. This has influenced much of France to see many holidaymakers take part in mountain biking in places like the French Alps, but also open up other events like the Tour such as Giro d'Italia based in Italy and Vuelta a Espana based in Spain.

When it comes to tourist destinations, France is among the top countries in the world, a position it has enjoyed for years, stretching back really into centuries. The combination of arts, history, natural beauty, and climate make France one of the most interesting places in the world. Add to that the country’s reputation as a place for great romance (including the most romantic city in the world in Paris) and the security most developed countries of the Western world enjoy, and it is easy to see why tourists flock to the country every year. As you might guess, there is a lot to do throughout France, but here is a list of the five things that seem to be on every tourist’s agenda.

Cities: The big pull in terms of French tourism is the unique and ancient culture that can be found in the cities around the country. Paris is of course preeminent among the cities of France. As the capital, it is home to rich storehouses of information about France and the French people, from ancient to current times. All of the cities of France have a certain degree of romance about them, but it is Paris where lovers worldwide dream of going together. Paris has seen many important architectural designs commemorating great developments in the Western world, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Other cities around France that are popular with tourists include Nice, Orleans, and Avignon.

Museums: Paris is also home to one of the most important buildings in the art world in the Louvre museum. This museum is one of the largest centers of art display in the world, and houses pieces famous the world over such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. The national Museum of Natural History is also located in Paris. For military history buffs, the museums of the army and navy include some of the most important pieces in the development of the western world, including the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Wine Tours: France, of course, is well known for its production of some of the world’s finest wines and champagnes. It should come as no surprise in this age where wine tasting and collecting has become a hugely popular hobby that the wineries and vineyards of France have experienced a growth in terms of popularity among tourists. Thus, the countryside has become as much of an integral part of France’s tourist economy as the cities have always been. There are vineyards located all over France, with some of the most popular located in the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine.

Skiing: Skiing became a big draw for tourists in France when the government began to promote the activity in the French Alps in the 1960s. Since then, the skiing along one of the most famous mountain ranges in the worlds has extended so much that the country can boast some of the world’s longest ski trails.

The Beach: The French Riviera stretches along the southern border of the country where it borders the Mediterranean Sea. The whole area is known for its luxurious beaches and its mild weather in both winter and summer. One of the most popular sites here includes Menton, which holds an annual festival celebrating the citrus fruits which grow in the area.