Advices for tourists

  France is ranked by the first ones in the top of vacation destinations in Europe - check vacation rentals.

  For those who want to learn more about this dreaming land of vacations, we present some information to familiarize yourself with your future host for your ideal escapes.

  France is a country located in Western Europe – Metropolitan France, that includes too, various islands and territories located in other parts of the planet that are called “Over the seas France”.

  Among the major European countries, France is the oldest state built around a royal domain, initially organized around Île-de-France, region whose capital is Paris.

  A large part of French territory < Metropolitan France > is in Western Europe, the other part consists in territories of North America, Caribbean, South America, western and southern Indian Ocean, north and south Pacific Ocean and Antarctica( this sovereignty is exercised within the Antarctic Treaty).

  Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Channel and North Sea and from the Alps and the Rhine River to the Atlantic Ocean.

  France is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra and Spain.

  France has borders with Brazil, Suriname and an embodied border with Netherlands Antilles, in Saint Martin.

  France possesses a wide variety of terrain, from plains in the north and west of the country, the southern mountain ranges (Pyrenees) and southeast (the Alps), the latter including the highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc ( 4810 meters). There are mountainous regions such as the Massif Central and Vosges Mountains and large pools of rivers like the Loire, Rhone, Garonne and Seine.

  Relief: Variable- arranged in step: a high region, the French Central Massif and the Alps surrounded in west and south by the highlands and then to the periphery, plains forming a large amphitheatre. To the east there are the Maritimes Alps, Cotic Alps, Savoy Alps and Jura Mountains. 

  At Spanish border there are the Pyrenees, massive, tall, with strong glacial traces. To the south lies the French Massif Central, to the N and NE, the Vosges the Ardennes massifs. 

  The main rivers are: the Oise Seine, Loire, Rhine, Rhone and the Gironde.

  The most famous mountains in Europe and in France, the Alps are in the east of France and they are as an arc of 350km with the convexity to the west. Their maximum altitude exceeds 4000m (Mont Blanc 4807m). Erosion related to freezing – defrosting cycle, caused and continues to create, slopes, valleys and glacial, large cones of dejection. 

  French Alps are grouped in: northern Alps  and southern Alps.

  Pyrenees, a mountainous, massive region with heights over 3000m. They extend on about 400 km from east to west.     They are fragmented by deep valleys allowing the communication between France and Spain.

  Climate: In France there are several climatic zones, ranging from the north to the south as follows:

 - In the northwest temperate maritime climate prevails, with mild winters and cool summers, rainfall is evenly distributed over the months.

 - In the centre of the country, the climate is temperate transition, with cold winters and hot summers.

 - Mediterranean subtropical climate on the Southern coast of the country

 - temperate alpine in the mountainous region  at heights over 1,500 meters due to the mountains.

  French Beaches:

  If you want to spend the summer in France and you love the sea and the sun, then one of the following  destinations could be what you are looking for:

  - Cannes is one of the most beautiful beaches of France and of the world.

  - Beach at Nice: is famous for the beach covered with numerous small pebbles instead of sand.

  - Menton Beach is ideal for family vacations and is suitable for children.

  - Monaco is a magnet for tourists keen on gambling, casinos and offers a very interesting and active nightlife.

  - ST. Jean de Luz Beach: located just south of Biarritz, in St. Jean de Luz, it is separated by a stone wall by the town. So the beach is protected from urban congestion, is very clean and offers a pleasant atmosphere of peace and relaxation.

  French cuisine is for many people the main reason or one of the most important reasons for choosing France as a vacation destination.

  Inseparable from the French culture, the French cuisine is cradle of the culinary art and a paradise for chefs. His fame, known throughout the world, makes that almost any French people, no matter the education or the social environment can be able to discuss culinary topics. 

  The kitchen is an irreplaceable element of daily life of any French people and it is not just a coincidence that the French have created the art of knowing how to live.

  In southern France they cook with olive oil and Cozla oil (that contains omega 3). The permanent hot climate leads to a healthy cuisine, based on many vegetables. Almost every meal is eaten here green beans, cooked in different ways: salad, garnish. For dessert, they have  the famous cheese (camembert, bleu d'Auvergne, brie, goat cheese, etc). France is world champion in terms of cheese, with its 480 varieties.

  Transportation:

  If you want to spend a holiday in France it is very important to know something about the way of access to the country and within it.

  Transport infrastructure is well developed with a large number of miles of railway, highway and roads and over 400 airports.

  France has 478 airports of which 176 are paved runways, the biggest being Charles de Gaulle International Airport near Paris.

  The road network has over 890,000 km of public roads, the most paved. The motorway network has over 10,000 km, most of them with tax, some of them being operated by private companies. 

  There is also a well developed network of national roads  30,000km  linking the main cities.

  Many cities have suburban trains and metro systems, one of some of them being automated VAL type.

  Also in big cities tram began to be increasingly more present, after the 1960s when most of the lines were put out of operation.

  Until the nineteenth century was highly developed river transport. There still are more than 14,000 km of canals and navigable rivers, of which 6,000 km are very dense navigate. There are many ports; Le Havre, Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux and Marseille are among the most important; visit vacation in Europe and choose other holiday destination as you desire with your partner.