France Attractions

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.

For years I had thought about traveling to France, using a car hire service and touring the battlefields of the First World War. My family like many in Britain lost loved ones in this senseless power struggle which is why my advice to anyone would be to visit the battlefields and cemeteries to get an idea of the sheer scale of the slaughter that occurred ninety years ago. The best way to do this is to hire a car and tour at your own rate, there are many organized tours of the sites but if you are after a truly unique experience, car hire is the way to go.

One major reason you should hire a car is because you may have to go to a specific cemetery. It is always worth doing the research before you embark on your trip to France; finding the names of your family members and locating which of the cemeteries they are lying in will save time and effort. It is always revealing to research your ancestors and find out a little about their last moments, in many cases, harrowing tales of comradeship and pointless death become apparent.

If you had any relatives who were at the battle of the Somme, there is little doubt that they lay in France. The battlefield itself now has a chilling memorial to the hundreds of thousands who lost their lives. The use of a hire car is especially useful here as it allows the traveller to navigate this area of France with ease; if taking elderly relatives it is a necessity to use car hire services as mobility issues can arise without your own transport.

A sense of eerie massacre surrounds these battlefields; it may not sound like the best idea of a family holiday to France but in my opinion it is vital to teach children about this period. Maybe extremely young children may not enjoy traveling around in a hire car visiting what must be seen as just fields with slabs in, but older children should definitely be involved. If the younger generations do not realize the sacrifices that were made in order for them to live freely, by their own ancestors, the world will go to rack and ruin.

With so many lives lost in the conflict it is a poignant reminder of how violent the world can be. It has been sixty years since the last major world war so younger generations have no idea of how much families once had to sacrifice. Some families lost all of their male members and it is crucial to recognize this fact. A hire car tour of the battlefields is perfect way to illustrate the point.

Traveling to France and finding the final resting place of an ancestor is a humbling experience for all who undertake it. But you do not have to solely spend your time delving into this morbidity. The use of a hire car allows tourists to visit some of the quintessential villages of France. With their quiet village life, they offer a great chance to relax, and of course like much of France, the cuisine is something to savor.

Making a trip to the battlefields of France is a great educational trip and if timed well can coincide with children's school syllabuses. This added education can help students get a feel for the subject in a physical way and add an element away from the textbook. Most teachers will advocate the benefits of this type of learning and raising your own children's grades must be what all parents would like.

I myself have used hire car services and toured the French battlefields and found my ancestor's graves; although it is seemingly a rather morbid experience it is well worth undertaking. Reminding ourselves of the sacrifices of past generations is an educational element that should be a part of everyone's learning.