Regions to visit
11 October 2007
Paris
I thought of Paris as a beauty spot on the face of the earth
James Weldon Johnson
Paris lives up to all its hype with élan and ease. Central Paris is a joy to behold , easy to navigate and it is quite impossible to be bored. It has a glut of museums, art galleries, bookshops, every modern convenience and all the latest in entertainment. Your days can be planned entirely according to your individual taste – visit the finest medieval European tapestries in the Cluny Museum, Napoleons tomb in the Hôtel des Invalides and the Eiffel Tower on the Left bank or stroll down the Champs-Élysées and visit the Palais du Louvre on the Right bank. Les Halles is surrounded by restaurants serving every culinary wish and all budgets. The surreal Montmarte and Sacré-Coeur of Toulouse-Lautrec is not all that far from the City of Science and Technology (one of the latest attractions)
The Cote d'Azur
The French Mediterranean coast contained within the département of the Alpes-Maritimes between Cassis and Menton, south of the Alps, including Cannes, Nice, Antibes and the country of Monaco. During July and August tourists including artists and the rich and famous arrive from around the world to enjoy the wonderful weather and beautiful scenery. To mirror the variety found in the rest of France the coast has a multiple personalities. From small, exclusive resorts like Napoule Plage to affordable resort towns such as Beaulieu and Menton.
Antibes has lovely beaches while Cannes and Nice are better known for their celebrity quotient.
There is no deal breaker in the Côte d’Azur whether you yearn for historic sites or modern amusement, want to walk a gorge or ski an alp, need a luxury châteaux or a comfortable and affordable hotel – the French riviera will deliver.
Provence
The colours and flavours of Provence are legendary. Its earlier inhabitants are marked by monuments, art, places of worship and even a Roman ampitheater. Marseille is France’s premier commercial port and it delivers fantastic food and a diverse cosmopolitan society. Home to the bustard and nightjars Provence is also known for a trio of food grown on its soil and featured in its cooking. Olive Oil, tomatoes and garlic.
Corsica
The birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte this island is so small it is referred to as a ‘mountain in the sea’. Corsica has forests, granite, snow, perfect beaches and majestic mountains. If that is not enough already the climate is almost perfect and you can participate in water activities all year long. Corsicans like their food hot and the chestnut flavoured ham is a speciality.