France Attractions

Everyone who visits France talks about the exquisite beauty of the country. From the charming smaller villages around Alsace and Provence, to the culture and bustle of Paris, France’s aesthetics cannot be called into question. It’s no surprise then that compiling a list of the most beautiful golf courses in France was pretty easy – narrowing it down to the best 10 was the hard part!

So here they are: the top 10 most beautiful golf courses in France:

Belle Dune, Northern France

One of the most beautiful golf courses in Europe, let alone France, you can tell that Belle Dune has been designed as much for its visual appeal as for the good game of golf the course provides. During your game, the course requires you to stroll thorough one of the largest nature reserves in Europe, and despite the longish walks between holes and the sometimes unforgiving holes that make bogeys common when the coastal winds strike, it’s impossible not to wander the fairways and greens with a big smile on your face.

Champ de Bataille, Normandy

The stunning ancient forests surrounding Champ de Bataille temporarily blind you to the fact that this course plays a damn fine game of golf. Amid the fauna and flora to admire, there is a mix of 18 varied and entertaining holes with lush fairways and protected greens. When taking a golf break in France, this is an absolute must for the player with an eye for beauty, or just an eye for a tremendous course!

Val Andre, Brittany

When you arrive to tee off at Val Andre for the first time, it is easy to find yourself distracted by the beauty of the surroundings. Set against amazing land and seascapes, and with beaches and cliffs in the distance, it’s important to keep one eye on your game, because the winds and tricky greens can get the better of even the most seasoned golfer.

Les Bordes, Loire

Les Bordes needs no introduction. It’s consistently ranked among the best in Europe and will provide a challenge to any golfer who chooses to visit (the record for the course is a single stroke under par) as well as provide a tranquil setting to get away from it all. The surroundings of the course are idyllic countryside and provide some splendid woodland walks and exploration once the golf shoes are off – if you can pull yourself away from the greens and fairways! A must for any golf break in France.

Fontainebleau, South of Paris

This is an immaculately-kept golf course, probably due in no small part to its private, exclusive membership (but our clients are welcomed with open arms). The raised tees offer incredible views of the surrounding forest, which is the largest in France. For me, the highlight has to be on the 9th fairway, where everything is how the perfect golf course should look – velvet greens, ancient woodland and deep bunkers lining carpet-like fairways…All combining to present a real challenge.

Seignosse, South West France

Very much the pick of the South Western France golf courses, the hilly terrains and raised tees offer some amazing views – and not just of the delightfully contoured fairways. With the course just a couple of miles inland off the Atlantic you can be sure of some mesmerising sights – take your camera for the Tiger Tee on the 11th hole.

Evian, Alps

Everything about this golf course screams beauty; from the delightful layout to the well-kept fairways and greens and log-cabin clubhouse. If you can tear yourself away from the delights of the Par 72 course, there are some splendid views of Lake Leman. Host to the world’s richest tournament for ladies, it is no surprise that the Evian Masters course attracts keen golfers as well as well-to-do holiday golfers from the neighbouring Royal Evian Hotel.

Correncon, Alps

Set 1200 feet up in the Vercors Massif and bordering Europe’s largest nature reserve, it’s little wonder this is one of the most beautiful golf courses in France! Simply put, mountain scenery does not come more spectacular than this and, although the course may prove a little easy for scratch golfers, a stroll along a course carved into such impressive mountain forest surroundings is treat enough in itself.

Gassin, Provence

It’s fitting that one of the most attractive areas of France now has a golf course to match. Golf du Gassin opened in 2005 and has already established itself as one of the better golf courses France has to offer. Set in a listed and protected environment, the natural aesthetics surrounding the course are simply stunning. Designed by Gary Player and Robert Trent Jones, they have made a great golf course in very picturesque surroundings.

Taulane, Provence

This is my personal pick of the bunch – the most beautiful golf course in France. The mountain backdrop provides an unrivalled sense of seclusion and even a bad swing day is a great golf day! The course is excellent too – another Gary Player design – quite easy to walk, a real pleasure and testing challenge to play and a lovely lunch with a glass or two of Rose on the terrace rounds off the perfect golfing experience. With so many beautiful courses, it’s no wonder that golf breaks in France are still our No. 1. In fact, just reading over my list has got me digging out my suitcase!

France is a very popular holiday destination but there are very many aspects to the type of holiday you could choose. There's the holiday where you pack the kids and all your belongings into a taxi, drag it all onto a ferry or train, arrive in France hot and stressed, take another taxi to your hotel in the centre of Paris that you've paid an extortionate fee for, unpack and try to pacify the kids. You then spend the next fortnight experiencing the delights of modern Parisian public transport. Jostling along with all the other holiday makers as well as commuters, you're only other option is taxi cab but this can get expensive. You rush from one sight that you just have to see to another, trying to cram in as much as possible.

At the end of the two weeks you can safely claim to have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and inspected the Mona Lisa in the Louvre Museum among other expected things to have done in France. You've met numerous English people who don't actually live that far from you in Britain and sampled the delights of the French interpretation of English food. You arrive home as exhausted and stressed as before you left. Alternatively, you could try this. Using car hire in France, take a leisurely drive down to Provence, in the South of France. Rent out a private cottage in a sleepy little village where the kids have unlimited space and fresh air. Get up when you're ready and indulge in a laid back breakfast of local fayre.

Warm croissants, fresh butter, local speciality cheeses and pastries along with honey, fruits and deli meats can all be purchased from your local village shop. This area of France is known for its outdoor markets which serve as much as a social function as a place to buy things. Life is taken at a relaxed pace and afternoon siestas are still observed between 12.30pm and 2.30. Hill top towns are best reached with car hire and here you will get ample chance to mix with the friendly locals and get a real taste of the simple French life rather than the slices of what is portrayed to holiday makers.

If this is a little too laid back for your tastes, take your hire car and make the most of all France has to offer. By all means, visit Paris to see the famous landmarks but stop along the way. Visit the innumerable flea markets in Lille, Northern France and test your knowledge of antiques, maybe picking up a bargain or two. If your taste is history and castles, drive you hire car to the Loire Valley, just south of Paris, where there are over 120 chateaux open to the public. There is the Burgundy region of France to satisfy the taste buds of wine enthusiasts everywhere with its abundance of vineyards. Wine tasting is an essential part of holidaying in France. Wine tasting is essential, full stop!

A drive to Limoges will be well worth the fee of car hire in France by itself. Birthplace of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, take a stroll through the city streets and imagine what life would have been like for him there. Look around and take a guess at what would have inspired Renoir to produce some of his paintings. Pick up some perfectly different souvenirs in the form of the famous porcelain that comes from this area of France. For botanical enthusiasts, try Montpellier in the South of France. The country's first botanical garden was planted here in 1593. The University of Montpellier was the study place of famous prophesier Nostradamus.

However you wish to spend your holiday in France, car hire is a great way to get around. It puts you in charge of your own itinerary and allows you to savour all the aspects of France that you would miss out on if you sat in Paris for two weeks.