France Travel News

The side of France most tourists don’t see

2011-05-04T21:41:00.000+03:00

PARIS — Women in flowered robes and matching head coverings stroll past stalls stocked with Algerian spices, Moroccan olives and Tunisian pastries.

The glass cases at Au Royaume De L’ Oriental display coloured sweets made with nuts and honey. A woman fills crepes with a spicy vegetable combo while we settle in over glasses of mint tea.

Thirty minutes from central Paris on Metro Line 13, France meets Africa in the northeastern suburb of Saint-Denis.

Tourists are few, not unusual given that many Parisians associate this area with riots and car burnings that made headlines in 2005.

Most of the rioting, in fact, happened elsewhere in Seine-Saint-Denis, a larger area that includes several towns, or communes as they’re called, including Saint-Denis. By day at least, Saint-Denis itself has the feel of a French village, albeit one with a population of immigrants struggling with poverty and high unemployment.

France roundup-Bordeaux target title at fortress home

2009-05-22T19:12:00.000+03:00

PARIS, May 22 (Reuters) - Brief news from Ligue 1 before this weekend's matches:

* Playing at home against AS Monaco should help Girondins Bordeaux clinch their first title since 1999 on Saturday as they are unbeaten in the 32 games they have played at their Chaban-Delmas stadium since Oct. 7 2007.

This season they have recorded 13 wins and five draws and won 44 points from their 18 home games, while second-placed Olympique Marseille have taken 32 and Olympique Lyon 35.

The Aquitaine side will be crowned champions if they win and Marseille lose or draw at Nancy. If Bordeaux get a draw, a Marseille defeat would hand them the title.

Travel Guide -- Paris, France

2009-04-15T19:11:00.000+03:00

Direct travel from London to the south of France

2009-04-03T19:41:00.000+03:00

Eurostar will be introducing a direct service between London and the south of France for the first time this summer.

Starting on 11 July 2009 and running until 12 September 2009, passengers will be able to travel direct from London St Pancras International to Avignon Centre.

Travel Q & A: Studying French in France

2009-03-03T14:54:00.000+02:00

I'm studying French and would like to go to France on a tour that focuses on learning and practicing language skills. Are there tour companies that offer this?

Certainement. (But you probably know that word already.) Offerings range from intensive school settings to tours that mesh language classes with cultural itineraries. The French Government Tourist Office, Maison de la France, has worked with these three companies and recommends all of them, says spokeswoman Katherine I. Johnstone:

Souffle: This company oversees 19 language schools spread across France, giving you options from the Loire Valley to Normandy to Alsace. They are open year-round, and you may attend courses as short as one week. Your lodging at some schools might be with a local family; other campuses offer dorms or hotel rooms. Prices and class offerings range wildly; click on "Announcements" on the Web site, www.souffle.asso.fr, to find discounts and new itineraries (like ones that combines French lessons in the morning with culinary lessons or nine holes of golf in the afternoon).

Paris perfect for solo trip

2009-02-20T22:37:00.000+02:00

What is your image of the solo traveller in Europe? Probably, it's a twentysomething wearing jeans and a backpack. Or maybe a suited business guy with a laptop. Well, why not a late middle-aged woman in Tilley travel clothes with a wheeled suitcase? Hey, that's me in France!

When it comes to vacations, I have a lifetime of baggage with no weight constraints. I moved from Ontario to Calgary in my early twenties leaving my family behind. No one warned me that I would spend almost all my vacations, for years to come, travelling back to Ontario to visit them.

When I finally accumulated enough to organize the trip to Europe that I missed in my 20s, travelling on my own agenda was a big factor in planning.

Air France KLM set for take off in 2009

2009-02-11T13:13:00.000+02:00

The fact that Romania is one of the most profitable, and an important market for large carriers is proven by the appointment as local managers of very important persons inside the airline companies. “The operators have a special approach for Romanian market: they appoint people with the ability to understand the local market, with expertise and who make strong recommendations inside the group. For example Malev, which grew significantly since Madalina Cretu took office, Austrian Airline, whose local operations are headed by Heirich Vystoupil, or even Lufthansa under the management of Stefan Versemann”, Dobrescu added.

In order to achieve this year’s objectives, a 5% growth, Air France KLM brings more news. “Together with Tarom, we will launch the first daily flight from Bucharest to Amsterdam, and will be included in the summer timetable. This decision was made given the fact that no less than 80% of the passengers travelling on this route continue their travel, Amsterdam being a transfer point easy to transit.

Still in code share with Tarom, Air France will increase frequency of Bucharest-Paris in 2009. Air France is currently operating five daily flights from Bucharest to Paris (three operated by Air France and two by the national company).

Premier leads push for visa-free travel in the European Union

2008-10-30T12:35:00.001+02:00

Premier Ewart Brown has called for Bermudian passports to be accepted in Europe in the same way as British passports.

He made the point when he chaired an Overseas Territory Consultative Council (OTCC) session yesterday on visa-free travel for British Overseas Territory Countries' (BOTC) passport holders.

According to a statement from press secretary Glenn Jones, the Premier made a presentation with the objective of alleviating what he described as a "disconnect throughout the European Union on how to handle Bermuda passport holders".

Dr. Brown said: "If Bermudians are British citizens their passports should be accepted anywhere in the European Union just as British passports are. Right now that is not the case.

Great French escapes

2008-09-05T20:49:00.000+03:00

VICTORIA-BASED Outdoor Travel is offering a two-for-the-price-of-one deal on seven-day hotel-barge cruises in France in October. M.S.Anacoluthe will head out from Paris to explore the rivers and canals of Picardy, stopping to visit Claude Monet's garden at Giverny and other sites made famous by his fellow impressionists. From $2735 for two people, a saving of $2735; flights extra. Includes guided sightseeing by coach and all on-board meals with wine. M.S.Anacoluthe is said to combine the comforts of a small ocean liner with the charm of a river steamer. It has a piano bar, exercise room and outdoor hot tub. More: 1800 331 582; www.outdoortravel.com.au.

Early discounts: Trafalgar has a 10 per cent discount on trips in its Europe and Britain 2009 Summer Preview brochure. Early bookings lock in the price plus there's an additional 5 per cent off for people who have not previously travelled with Trafalgar. Bookings must be made, with a $500 deposit, by the end of September. Options include the eight-day Treasures of France tour, usually from $2035, now from $1831, land only, a saving of more than $200. The trip explores the picturesque northwest of France, including Rouen, Bayeux, the D-Day landing beaches and Mont St Michel. Includes transport, airport transfers, sightseeing, breakfasts and some other meals. More: www.trafalgar.net.au/Europe.

New Travel Survey Finds French Tourists Are Booking The Most Hotel Rooms In The U.S.

2008-08-13T13:10:00.000+03:00

With the euro and other foreign currencies trading favorably against the dollar, this summer is a good time for international tourists to visit the U.S. So who's coming to America?
Recently, Booking.com www.booking.com - the Amsterdam-based international online hotel reservation service that is part of priceline.com (PCLN:
priceline com inc com new
News, chart, profile, more

PCLN 100.82, -1.82, -1.8%) - surveyed over 10,000 U.S. hotel reservations made by international tourists for this summer to find out which countries were generating the most bookings to the U.S. Booking.com operates in over 65 countries around the world and offers its services in 18 languages.

Air France considers high-speed rail routes

2008-07-04T20:26:00.000+03:00

Air France is holding talks about a joint venture that could see some of its short-haul flights switched to rail and increase competition for continental Europe's mainly state-owned high-speed train operators.

The move could mark the beginning of a decline in short-haul air travel on routes such as ParisFrankfurt, which now enjoy good high-speed rail links. High-speed rail has already nearly eliminated air travel on some European routes, such as Paris-Brussels.

The French flag carrier, part of Air France-KLM, is holding discussions with Paris-based Veolia Transport, part of the Veolia Environnement group.

Chinese tourists boycott France

2008-06-25T11:37:00.000+03:00

They are the summer darlings of every top Parisian department store: Chinese tourists who save on hotel costs to lavish their savings on French fashion, perfume and designer labels they cannot buy at home.

But this year Paris's boutiques and tour firms have become the latest casualties of the diplomatic row surrounding the Olympic torch protests, as Chinese tourists boycott France as a holiday destination after warnings that it is unpatriotic.

Advice to Chinese tourists to stay away from France after pro-Tibet protests in Paris has been circulating on Chinese-language websites and has resulted in cancellations that tour operators in France say could lead to a 50% drop in business.

Sleepwalking in Paris

2008-06-11T10:36:00.001+03:00

Marie Shek sits in a little office in a luxury apartment in Paris listening to the Israeli radio station FM 88 and making last-minute corrections to the catalog of the exhibition she is now curating. In another week, it will be sent to print, and she has to do the final proofreading. Doesn't she get lost in this huge apartment? "I do," she answered with a smile, "but I find refuge here, with my good friends" - namely, the many works of art and art books that fill the room.

Shek, 51, a curator and lecturer in art and a mother of two, came to Paris two years ago with her husband, Israeli Ambassador to France Danny Shek. This was the seventh time she has packed her bags and started over. In her eyes, the repeated uprootings have some advantages. And she has not had to pay for her spouse's success: In every country she has come to, she has advanced her career.

Côte d'Azur: A hideaway that's heaven-scent

2008-05-27T23:28:00.000+03:00

Piling up the hills above Cannes, Grasse is famous for its perfume industry – and I now know why. Its calming fragrances were clearly invented to soothe visitors trying to negotiate the city’s convoluted one-way system, which winds around its historic houses, millionaire holiday homes and garish hypermarkets like a devilish game of snakes-and-ladders.

Being August it was indeed hot, and the roads do get horribly clogged at times – but regular visitors know how to deal with all this.

First of all, it is crucial to book the right property. We were lucky to find a period house with commanding views over Grasse and the shimmering coast beyond.

Family Adventure Holidays in France

2008-05-14T12:23:00.000+03:00

You can also choose from activities such as canoeing and rafting in the Ardeche; canyoning, tubing, and mountaineering in the Alps; horse riding in Brittany; paragliding and climbing in the Pyrenees. Or why not go to Chamonix, which is a real mountain town, full of history and popular for skiing holidays. It also provides amazing summer mountaineering, and with the diverse terrain, it is mostly suited to the experienced for some of the world's best winter riding.

Why not visit the Gorge d'Ardeche, known as the Grand Canyon of Europe. As the river winds its way past steep canyon walls and towering cliffs, it creates the ideal location for canoeing, climbing, and walking - for both the experienced and the novice alike.

AAA International Travel Forecast, Summer 2008

2008-05-06T12:20:00.000+03:00

US travel giant AAA reported Friday that 25.1 million Americans are expected to be traveling internationally this summer, an increase over last summer's 24.5 million despite aweak US dollar; the increase is partially attributed to the fact that more Americans now have passports, thanks to new passport rules for Mexico and Canada travel. Spending by Americans in other countries this summer will increase 5.7 percent to $30.7 billion primarily thanks to the weakness of the US dollar, which creates a poor exchange rate, and inflation.

The number of American travelers to China is expected to increase by 13.4 percent (573,000 American travelers) and to India by 13.1 percent (227,000). Visits to France will increase 6.7 percent, and Ireland, Italy and Germany will see small jumps. The largest volume of US international travel will be to Mexico.

Follow the valley of the Seine

2008-04-23T16:15:00.000+03:00

The river Seine loops its way through fields of grain, orchards, marshland, peat bogs and forests from Paris to the coast at Le Havre. This historic waterway is dotted with ancient towns, chateaux and monasteries.

With the Eurostar delivering passengers to Paris faster than ever, an exploration of Haute Normandie is a rewarding short-trip for visitors who want to see more of France but only have time to travel a few days from the capital.

Eurostar Passenger Numbers Up

2008-04-15T01:07:00.001+03:00

t seems that train travel is back in vogue, with Eurostar announcing its best ever results for the first quarter of 2008.

The train operator said that sales were up 25.2% to £178.4 million for the first three months of the year, with passenger numbers up by 21%.

Some 2.17 million passengers boarded Eurostar trains from January to March this year.

Demand has been up since the firm introduced new low-cost fares from 68 towns and cities across the country.

Paris perfect for solo trip

2008-04-06T01:13:00.000+03:00

In the Paris Metro, for example, only the larger stations have escalators and not all the way from the platform to the sidewalk. Use the helpful packing tips in the guidebooks and on the Internet to pare down.

A good place to stay. With the assistance of a friend with a travel agency I located a modest hotel in Paris. In Avignon, I chose a hotel recommended by Rick Steves. I found my hotel in Nice on the Internet. In each place, I fared equally well.

Relying on the kindness of strangers. From the moment I hit the sidewalk outside the airport, I began receiving help from others and very soon, to my surprise, giving it as well.

Travel authors from france

2008-03-24T02:49:00.002+02:00

Hi, its Tam Tree, hope you like the France travel news blog.

I look for travel authors from France to help me coverage the areas of Chamonix, Provence and Cannes .

Please send email if you like to participated in this effort. Thanks !

tamtree@gmail.com

Ryanair brings budget air travel to France

2008-03-22T18:49:00.000+02:00

Ryanair, Europe's most successful low-cost airline, is going nose to nose with Europe's largest and most successful high-speed railway system.

The Irish-based airline announced yesterday that it was starting cheap flights in May from Beauvais airport, 50 miles north-west of Paris, to Marseilles. Ryanair will also try to break into the German domestic market for the first time with flights between Frankfurt and Berlin.

The French internal travel market has proved a difficult hunting ground for cut-price airlines, faced with the dominance of the national carrier, Air France, and, above all, with the success of the TGV – the high-speed rail services run by the state-owned SNCF.

Finnish culture is going to be on display in France

2008-03-18T22:04:00.000+02:00

This extensive cultural drive under the 100% Finlande banner really only starts from the beginning of April, but things got going two weeks early on March 13th, when three works by contemporary composer Kaija Saariaho were performed at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.

The concert saw the first performance of Saariaho’s Mirage, for soprano, cello and orchestra, featuring Karita Mattila and cellist Anssi Karttunen, and two other pieces - Notes on Light (2006) for cello and orchestra and Orion (2002) for large orchestra. The works were performed by the Orchestre de Paris under conductor Christoph Eschenbach.

Weston French students ‘travel’ to France

2008-03-13T20:47:00.000+02:00

Each student must plan a trip to Paris and another town in France. They go online to research plane tickets, accommodations and other details necessary for their trip.

As with any trip, the students have a budget they must stay within. When planning their five-day itinerary, they need to take into account the realities of time lost during intercontinental travel.

The students have gone online to French real estate and vacation sites to research vacation house rentals that meet the needs of their family. They had to pick a house, write a letter to the owner to inquire about availability, and a letter to their parent(s) telling them why they selected the house they did and specifically how it met their families’ needs. In hope of doing a house swap (to save money on the rental), students gave virtual tours of their own houses as well.

Land of a thousand chateaux

2008-03-08T23:54:00.000+02:00

he Loire Valley is carpeted with fertile fields, crisscrossed by rivers, and studded with hundreds of chateaux in all shapes and sizes. Medieval castles are here because the Loire was strategically important during the Hundred Years' War (when France and England battled through the 14th and 15th centuries). During the Renaissance, pleasure palaces replaced fortified castles as the Loire became fashionable among the Parisian rich and royal.

The valley of a thousand chateaux is also the home to many good wines. As you travel through the Loire, look for "Degustation" (tasting) signs. Inquire at tourist centers for winery tour and tasting information. The towns of Vouvray and Chinon have many proud and hospitable family wineries.

'A digital-age fairytale in Paris'

2008-03-03T17:45:00.001+02:00

Travel writing is a broad church. On its pews gather Bill Bryson, Redmond O'Hanlon and Bruce Chatwin (his notebook filled with imaginative fancies). In its chancel, hymns are sung to the humanity of Colin Thubron, the esprit of Nicolas Bouvier and the erudite historical narratives of William Dalrymple. Its young bloods – including Philip Marsden, Sara Wheeler, Jason Elliot and Rory Stewart – pray alongside its dead champions: Freya Stark, Gertrude Bell and Roger Deakin. Suddenly a cheeky, young Francophile wheels a pram into the nave, startling the congregation with a digital-age fairytale set in Paris.