Review of French Tourism for 2011

2011 has been a successful year for French Tourism, with increases in numbers of tourists visiting various historic and cultural sites.(http://www.francesoir.fr/actualite/societe/patrimoine-le-chateau-de-chambord-veut-defier-le-mont-saint-michel-171817.html)
Mont Saint-Michel again reported the greatest number of visitors with about 3,000,000 visiting the fabulous site in the famous Bay of Mont Saint-Michel.  However a competitor site which hopes to catch up by 2019 is the famous château de Chambord  in the Loire, which had an increase of 50,000 visitors for 2011 year to hit a record of 780,000.

The Ministry of Culture also announced good results regarding attendance of museums, which grew 5% in 2011 with a total of 27 million !
the Museum of the Louvre, had 8.8 million, an increase for the fourth consecutive year. It is ahead of the Palace of Versailles (more than 6 million), the Pompidou Centre (3.6 million, an increase of 15%!) and the musée d'Orsay (3.1 million).

Where did you visit this year ? And can you recommend anywhere either on this list or some hidden gems that are not usually mentioned ? We certainly love the theme park Puy du Fou which is listed as having over a million visitors a year.

The most popular theme park is still the two Disneyland, Paris parcs which receive 14.5 million visitors a year and the Parc based around the French character Astérix, Parc Astérix near Paris which has 1.6 million visitors a year ! The Futuroscope theme park at Poitiers has 1.6 million visitors a year.

And of course we cant forget The Eiffel Tower in Paris which has 6.8 million paying visitors a year although I am sure a lot more who just go along to take a photograph !
Another popular sites to give a try is the La Villette science museum in Paris which has around 3 million visitors.
Go Back to Best French Campsites

How to Change Stations in Paris

France has an excellent, fast train service, with the TGV "Trains a Grand Vitesse" (literally very fast trains !) which can take you from the North to the South of France in 3 hours in comfort. A definite alternative to air travel or taking your own car to your campsite for your camping holiday !

If you need to change trains in Paris then this website has some excellent information :
http://www.greentraveller.co.uk/blog/french-connections-how-change-stations-paris

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Famille Plus - Family Friendly French Holidays

Some villages and towns in France which have been certified as Family Friendly are awarded the description "Famille Plus". This indicates that there are family friendly facilities or entertainments offered. For example ski resorts are assessed to see if they offer family friendly runs etc. There is loads of information at http://www.familleplus.fr/le-label/liste-des-stations?bouton=&type-destination=

The villages and towns are classified as either "By the Sea" (Mer) "Countryside" (Nature), "in the Mountains" (Montagne) or "Town" (Ville). There is also a map of France with the various villages marked so you can find out the locations of the family friendly towns visit in the area you would like to visit.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Top 40 Tourist Attractions in France !

Here are the top 40 tourist attractions in France along with annual visitor numbers to each. How many have you been to ? I have been to Notre Dame, the Sacré-Cœur and the Orsay museum in Paris, I've seen the Eiffel Tower although didnt go up it and been to Monte Carlo, Saint-Malo, the Pilat dune and Mont-Saint-Michel. So I've only another 32 to go ! What about you ?
1 Fontainebleau Forest and Castle 13 (million visitors)
2 Disneyland Paris 12,6
3 Notre Dame de Paris - Cathedral 12
4 Flea Market - Saint-Ouen 11
5 Château de Versailles Gardens 7
6 Georges-Pompidou center 5,9
7 Eiffel tower 5,72
8 Louvre museum 5,175
9 Sacré-Cœur basilica 5
10 Notre-Dame de Lourdes sanctuary 5
11 Saint-Cloud national domain 4
12 Monte-Carlo rock 4
13 City of the sciences in La Villette 3,5
14 La Rochelle old city harbor 3
15 Château in Versailles 2,9
16 Futuroscope in Poitiers 2,9
17 Island of Oléron 2,5
18 Mont-Saint-Michel site 2,5
19 Baux-de-Provence village 2,5
20 Étretat cliffs 2,5
21 Borély park (botanical gardens) Marseille 2,44
22 Orsay museum (Paris) 2,33
23 Aquaboulevard park (Paris) 2,2
24 Miraculous Medal (Paris) 2,2
25 Riquewihr village 2,1
26 Island of Ré 2
27 Honfleur harbour 2
28 Saint-Malo citadel 2
29 Astérix park (Plailly) 1,9
30 Pyrénées national park 1,8
31 Père-Lachaise cemetery 1,75
32 Notre Dame-de-la-Garde basilica 1,5
33 Strasbourg Cathedral 1,5
34 Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral 1,5
35 Pilat dune 1,4
36 Marineland park (Antibes) 1,2
37 Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière basilica 1,2
38 Reims cathedral 1,2
39 Gard bridge 1,2
40 Gordes village 1,2

Go Back to Best French Campsites

French Christmas Markets

The French Christmas markets are listed at http://www.christmasmarkets.com/France.html

or if you cant make it abroad at the moment why not see if there is a French or Continental market taking place near you in the UK. http://www.christmasmarkets.com/UK.html

Go Back to Best French Campsites

The France Show 2011

If you would like a "Taste of France" during the UK winter then why not visit The France Show at Earl's Court, London from 14th to 16th January 2011.

There will be exhibitors showing the best of French travel, holidays and food. And if you are thinking about buying Property in France you can find out more here.
http://www.thefranceshow.com/
 
Go Back to Best French Campsites

Beautiful Villages France Travel App

The Beautiful Villages France app for iphone looks like a must-have if you are planning on holidaying in France next year. It uses GPS to pinpoint where you are as you drive around and alerts you if there are any particularly nice villages nearby to visit. What a great idea !http://www.easytravelapps.com/beautiful_villages_france.html

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Touring by Car in France

There is an interesting website at http://www.auto-tour.eu/index.html

This seems to be for tours in classic or vintage cars but as there is a photograph of a "normal" car at the top, I suspect you can book on the tours with an ordinary car as well. There is also an opportunity for classic car clubs to book some of the tours.

Even if you are not planning on going on a car touring holiday, there is loads of interesting information about the local areas on the website.

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Velib Bike Network in Central Paris

You might like to try out the excellent Velib bike network in Central Paris if you are visiting Paris this year. There are over 230 miles of cycle lanes in Paris. For more information have a look at their website at http://www.blogger.com/www.velib.paris.fr

Have any of you tried this and how did you get on ? We'd love to hear whether it all went smoothly ! (not intended as a pun!)
Go Back to Best French Campsites

Loire à Vélo Cycling Route

"Loire à vélo" has excellent information about cycle routes on the Loire as well as very reasonably priced organised trips, including a 3 day cycle tour of vineyards which sounds great ! It also has information about cycle friendly campsites and hotels which welcome cyclists and help with things like storage facilities.

http://www.cycling-loire.com/Default.aspx?base

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Hidden Lake Under Mont Blanc to be Drained !

I'd heard about the hidden lake that had accumulated under a glacier at Mont Blanc. The good news is that it sounds like they are going to try and drain it. Very interesting news if you are holidaying or planning to holiday in that area of the Alps. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11080827

Go Back to Best French Campsites

Le Quinze Aout

The traditional month of French holidays ends today and is commonly known as "Le Quinze Aout" or Assumption Day. This religious festival finishes the tradional month long French holidays which start on Bastille Day, the 14th July.

To hear a little more of the history of this festival and how it is often celebrated with fireworks, please listen to Lisa Jardine's "Point of View" piece from Radio 4 which can be accessed from this webpage :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10963263

Go Back to Best French Campsites