Vacances France

From glamorous cities to pristine skiing slopes to relaxing country sides, France really does have it all. In France you can find medieval castles and cathedrals, museums and world-famous collections, fascinating UNESCO world heritage sites and tantalizing cuisine and wines.

Paris is a popular destination for visitors to France. It is a thriving city with a rich and extensive history. It has enough attractions to keep any visitor to the city busy for a long stay. Among its many major attractions are the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower. Cannes, Nice and Lyon are also attractive and worthwhile cities to visit.

The Rhone-Alps region is famous for the recreational activities that it offers to visitors. It offers beautiful skiing destinations, hiking, river rafting and other fun outdoor activities. It is a region with breath-taking natural beauty and sites.

France boasts a number of beautiful beaches. French beaches are known around the world for their liberal views of bathing attire. Topless or nude beaches are not uncommon along the Mediterranean coast and Corsica Island.

Disneyland Paris adds to the attraction of the country for family holidays. Wine tasting in the Beaune Region is a relaxing and enjoyable experience. These two examples of activities to do in France, illustrate the point that there truly is something in France for everyone, of any age or background.

There are many feasible ways to get around France anything from hiking to flying will do the job, depending on where you want to go. A scenic, leisurely and somewhat luxurious way to travel is by waterway. France has an extensive network of canals and rivers, bordered by picturesque views and world heritage sites. This is a slower, more relaxing way to travel for those who have the time. The trains are comfortable and punctual, with many intercity connections, as well as bus-train connections. There are domestic flights to many locations in France with shuttle services that can take you to the center of the city that you land in. These are quick and simple ways to travel around the country.

France offers a large variety of accommodation options for the traveler. You can choose from one to four star luxury hotels, campsites, tourist apartments, furnished accommodation, guest houses, holiday villages or even monasteries. There are approximately 17,500 hotels, inns and motels in France so there is a lot to choose from. The hotels can be chosen according to price, services and location. There are also many hotel chains available. France offers over 9,000 fully equipped campsites, rating from 0 to 4*. There are also 2,300 farm campsites.

Paris, Cannes and Nice boast many five star and five star luxury hotels. Cannes is famous for its luxury beach resorts that attract celebrities from around the globe. There are many hotel and travel packages available for many of the major cities in France.



Posted by Sam Daniels

Belgium’s former world cycling champion, Tom Boonen, has been forced out of this year’s Tour de France.

The rider was barred after it was revealed that he had tested positive for cocaine use outside of competition in May.

So drugs are yet again making the headlines of cycling’s annual “jewel in the crown” and it has not even started. It does not get underway until July 5.

There again drugs and cycling seem to be two words that are almost synonymous in a sport that is riddled with doping scandals.

The winners of the last two Tours, Spain’s Alberto Contador in 2008 and US rider Floyd Landis in 2007 – have both been at the centre of doping allegations.

Indeed last year’s event overall degenerated into what was termed a “Tour de Frauds” with several top riders forced to drop out during the race after failing controls.

Organisers of the Tour seem to make an annual effort to clean up what is considered by many to be the sport’s showpiece but clearly face an uphill battle.

Reacting quickly to the news of Boonen’s positive test for cocaine, the Tour’s general race director Christian Prudhomme said the actions of the rider had brought disgrace upon cycling and the Tour itself.

And he is not kidding. Boonen is yet another high profile rider to make the headlines for the wrong reasons. He was world champion in 2005, took last year’s green jersey as the best sprinter on the Tour and just last April won the prestigious Paris-Roubaix race when he beat Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland in a sprint finish.

While Boonen might be out of this year’s race his team, Quickstep, will still take part.

It is perhaps it’s a little hard to believe that Proudhomme actually thought and apparently still thinks the sport’s image hadn’t been tarnished almost beyond repair.

News of yet another drugs scandal, albeit outside of competition and therefore under the circumstances not considered performance enhancing, will hardly rock the nation or the sport.

Officially even though cocaine is classed as a stimulant, it is only considered a prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency if taken during competition.

The Tour’s organisers and the sport’s governing body, ICU, defend themselves, claiming the very tests they carry out prove how much more of an effort they are making to rid the sport of its shame.

This year’s 21-stage Tour de France will get rolling on July 5 from Brest in western France. Unusually there will be no prologue, but in keeping with tradition the race will wind its way around the country before ending up in the nation’s Capital, Paris, on July 27. There it’ll be a race to the end passing the Eiffel Tower before a last sprint up the world famous Champs Elysees to cross the finish line.

Of course whether it will be free from further unwelcome revelations is a matter of conjecture, but it is a fair bet that drugs will in some way be making the headlines yet again before, during and probably after the event.



Posted by Sam Daniels

The Louvre is one of the greatest museums in the world with great paintings like the Mona Lisa and Raft of Medusa.

Posted by Sam Daniels