A WEEK OR 2 IN FRANCE
Holiday accommodation in France - book direct with the owners, for a week or 2, or more!

NORTH EAST FRANCE

Departments

  2 Aisne
  8 Ardennes
10 Aube
25 Doubs
39 Jura
51 Marne
52 Haut-Marne
54 Merthe-et-Moselle
55 Meuse
57 Moselle
59 Nord
60 Oise
62 Pas-de-Calais
67 Bas-Rhin
68 Haut-Rhin
70 Haute-Saône
80 Somme
88 Vosges
90 Territoire de Belfort (B)

Ile de France

75 Paris (I)
77 Seine-de-Marne
78 Yvelines
91 Essonne
92 Hauts-de-Seine (I)
93 Seine-St-Denis (I)
94 Val-de-Marne (I)
95 Val-d'Oise 		North East France

Click here for How to Get There

BoulogneNORD/PICARDY

Features - Sandy beaches and rolling plains of the Pas de Calais, the beautiful Somme Valley, ideal for walking and fishing, Flemish architecture and cuisine, picturesque countryside of forests, river valleys and green hills.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Lille, Calais, Le Touquet, Boulogne, Dunkerque, Amiens, Bauvais, Seulis, Noyan, Laon, Compiegne, Chantilly, Arras, Chateau le Pierrefonds.

Further Attractions - Parc Astérix theme park, fêtes and festivals, Nausicaa aquarium in Boulogne.
 

Formal gardenPARIS and ILE DE FRANCE

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Paris is rich in museums, art galleries, monuments and places to visit.  Amongst the most popular are the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Notre Dame, Pompidou Centre, Musée d'Orsay, Champs Elysées, Latin Quarter, Montmatre, Rodin Museum.  Apart from the excellent range of sites, Paris is famous as a centre for entertainment, shops and markets.

Further Attractions - Royal Palace and gardens at Versailles, Chateau and forest of Fontainebleau, Thoiry Safari Park, Disneyland.
 

CHAMPAGNE

Features - Wide open plains, oak forests, water meadows, lakes and streams.  Dramatic valleys, forests, hills and canal of the Ardennes and the famous Champagne vineyards.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Chalons-en-Champagne, Charleville-Mézieres, Chaumont, Epernay, Langres, Rheims, Recroi, Sedan and Troyes.

Further Attractions - Outdoor pursuits in the Ardennes, Champagne wine tours and winetastings.
 

Cheese shopALSACE and LORRAINE

Features - Charming medieval towns, excellent city museums and attractive cuisine.  Unspoilt gently rolling landscapes, citadels and relaxing spas of Lorraine, magnificent forests in the rugged Vosges, quaint villages and rich wines of Alsace.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Verdun, Toul, Metz, Nancy, Gérardmer, Guebwiller, Neuf-Brisach, Eguisheim, Colmar, Riquewihr, Chateau de Haut Koenigsbourg, Ribeauville, Selestat, Obernai, Strasbourg, Saverne, Betschdorf.

Further Attractions - Route du Vin - picturesque wine route, Bugatti motor museum at Molsheim.
 

FRANCHE-COMPTE

Features - Gently rolling farmland in the Saône valley, exceptional natural beauty of the high alpine landscape of forest, river, lakes and waterfalls, ideal for outdoor holidays.

Key Sights/Places to Visit - Cascades du Herisson, Dole, Arc-et-Senans, Champlitte, Besançon, Ornans, Belfort, Ronchamp.

Further Attractions - Arbois - famous for its wines including the sherry-like vin jaune.
 

REGIONAL temperatures - Average daily temp oC

North East

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
7 6 10 15 16 21 23 22 19 16 12 7
 

REGIONAL FOOD

Features - Picardy/Champagne - fruits de mer, herring, pork, lamb, root vegetables, potatoes.  Alsace Lorraine - charcuterie, sauerkraut, fish, noodles, foie gras.  Franche-Compté - smoked sausages, farmhouse cheeses, game, walnut oil, fish. 
Specialities -  Picardy/Champagne - moutarde de Meaux, trout Ardennaise, pork with apples and potatoes, Ardennes ham, carbonnade (beef stew), brioche.  Alsace Lorraine - quiche lorraine, zewelwai (onion quiche), choucroute Alsacienne (sauerkraut with frankfurter, pork bacon and potato), saucisse de Strasbourg, boudin blanc, pâté en croute, coq au riesling, potée lorraine (pork, bean and vegetable stew), baekenoffe (meat and potato casserole), totelots (hot noodle salad), spaetzli (noodle dumplings), tarte Alsacienne, madeleines, rum babas, macaroons.  Franche-Compté - fondue Franche-Compteois, poulet au Compte (chicken with cheese sauce), escalope de veau belle Comptoise (veal escalope with ham and cheese).
Cheeses - Brie, Brie de Meaux, Munster, Maroilles, Vieux Lilles, Dauphin, Rollot, Coulommiers, Mimolette, Chaource, Boursin, Gruyère, Emmental, Compté, Morbier, Bleu de Gex, Bleu de Sassenage.
Drinks - Both beer and wine!

REGIONAL WINE

Champagne wine region - since the 17th century no other wine has rivalled Champagne as the classic image of celebration and luxury.  Well known names include Bollinger, Krug, Louis Roederer, Veuve Clicquot, Charles Heidsieck, Taittinger, Laurent Perrier, Moet et Chandon.  The Regions - Champagne appellation, Vallée de la Marne, Montagne de Rheims, Côte des Blancs, Côte de Sezanne, Aube.  Main grape varieties - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay.  The marginal climate, chalky soils and east/north facing aspects create the finesse and help produce the relatively high acidity required for Champagne.

Alsace wine region - Alsace wines are known mainly by their grape variety and are typically aromatic, dry and full-bodied, mostly white.  Climate - fairly dry and warm, protected by the Vosges.  Well known wines include Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and also some sweet white wines.

Franche-Compté (Jura) wine region - lesser known reds, whites and rosés as well as sparkling wines.  Appellations include Côte de Jura, Arbois, Chateau Chalon, L'Etoile.  Vin jaune and vin de paille (yellow or golden in colour) also produced locally.

back to top
 

web services by Kaywebs