Books for Teenagers on Holiday in France

How to keep teenagers amused on holiday ? Why not start stocking up now on some great summer reads. It can be difficult to find any books that teenage boys will love and its difficult to find something a bit different for girls to read. Well here are some books to hook them. Code Name Verity - a book for anyone really but if its being read by teenage girls then they can finally have a heroine to look up to. Here is a link to the traditional book and the e-book :

                                         

And here are some favourites which boys will enjoy and I suspect girls will too :
The Gone Series by Michael Grant :

                                       

Hunger Games - the book of the film that is out at the moment :

                                      

The Name of this Book is Secret - first book of a series by "Pseudonymous Bosch" - a humorous series for younger teenagers.

                                      

A book about a 14 year old lawyer Theodore Boone from the Classic storyteller John Grisham.

                                      

And a big favourite certainly with teenage boys is the Cherub series. What a hit this series has become and the author has an interesting story to tell. He decided to write a book for his nephew as there seemed to be no decent books around for boys to enjoy. Well he's certainly managed it with this series. Every teenage boy I know who has read this series has become addicted to it, although I must warn you that you might want to check the content of some of the later ones.
                                     

So now you dont need to worry. Never again on a camping holiday will you hear the refrain : "I'm bored, there's nothing to do !"

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Puy du Fou voted Best Theme Park in the World !

Tbe French theme Park Puy du Fou has been voted "Best Theme Park in the World" at the Thea Award Ceremony of the "International Asssociation of Amusement Parks and Attractions" in Los Angeles.

The Vendée park, between La-Roche-sur-Yon and Angers, was chosen ahead of 700 parks and shows in 40 countries to receive the Thea Award at a ceremony in Los Angeles. This fantastic historical theme park tells the history of the Vendeen region through a series of arena shows where visitors can watch performances starring Roman gladiators, swashbuckling musketeers, marauding Vikings and fantastic swooping birds.

We all had a different favourite show but they are all fantastic and well rehearsed. There is a new show this year to celebrate the parc's 35th Anniversary and I believe this show will feature acrobatics on horseback !  There is also, of course, the famous night show at the park, which features numerous horses and a cast of hundreds.

We loved this park and visited from the La Garangeoire campsite in the Vendee - an easy hour's drive away. You can also visit from the Loire campsites that feature on our website at :

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Win a Family Set of Tickets for the Caravan & Motorhome Show, Romsey

We have a family set of 6 tickets to give away to the Caravan & Motorhome Show at Broadlands, Romsey (near Southampton).

The show runs from Saturday 7th April to Monday 9th March 2012 and is a great chance to have a look round the latest models of caravans and motorhomes. If you are thinking of buying a motorhome or caravan then nothing beats actually sitting in one to get an idea of the space and equipment they contain. Much more sensible than looking at a diagram !

Its also a chance to buy accessories and see all that is new in gadgets and gizmos, so its useful for tent campers too !

In addition there may be a chance to buy second hand motorhomes and caravans.
If you would like to enter then please add a comment to this blogpost or find us on Facebook at Best French Campsites and enter the competition there. Closing Date is the 26th March. Good luck !

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See Paris by Bike !

Here is a whole new way to experience Paris. You can make use of the new Velib' bike hire service in Paris. It is one of the biggest bike hire services in the World, with over 20,000 bikes available for hire. There are various "Velib" hire sites throughout the city. You can hire a bike for a reasonable price at one site and leave the bike at another. A daily ticket is only 1.70€ and you can use Vélib’ as often as you want during 24 hours! The 30 first minutes of each trip are always free of charge. It's only 8 € for a 7-day ticket to use Vélib’ as often as you want during 7 consecutive days! Again, the 30 first minutes of each trip are always free of charge. (For more information : https://aboen-paris.cyclocity.fr/)

To find out about possible cycle routes in and around Paris then you might want to get this a fantastic guide book :

It tells you routes to use in and around Paris, a description of things you might see and it also has handy sections about the parts of a bike and also about the law with regards to cycling in France.

We have recommended a campsite right in the centre of Paris, on an island on the Seine, so if you really want to explore Paris that might be ideal - have a look at our website to find out some more :
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Triumph at Oscars for French Films including The Artist

The French Film The Artist has won Best Film and Jean Dujardin has won Best Actor at the Oscars - Well done !

Hugo, which is set in Paris, has also won in 5 categories and Midnight in Paris has won Best Screenplay. So a definite French feel to the winners, which are listed in full at :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16700124


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Win Tickets to the Caravan & Motorhome Show, Exeter, March 16th - 18th 2012

We have a family set of 6 tickets to give away to the South West Caravan & Motorhome Show at Exeter, Westpoint Arena. (40 mins from Plymouth, Less than an hour from Bristol !)

The show runs from Friday 16th to Sunday 18th March 2012 9.30 - 4.30 pm and is a great chance to have a look round caravans and motorhomes. If you are thinking of buying a motorhome or caravan then nothing beats actually sitting in one to get an idea of the space and equipment they contain. Much more sensible than looking at a diagram !

Its also a chance to buy accessories and see all that is new in gadgets and gizmos, so its useful for tent campers too !

In addition there is a chance to buy second hand motorhomes and caravans.
If you would like to enter then please add a comment to this blogpost or find us on Facebook at Best French Campsites and enter the competition there. Closing Date is the 1st March. Good luck !

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Update on the Film "The Artist" and the Oscars

Update - 20th February

After further success at the Baftas and Madrid film festivals, The Artist has been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars on 26th February : The Artist is nominated alongside The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse

Which ones have you seen - who do you think will win ? I have read "The Help" and enjoyed that although am reluctant to go to see the film as I enjoyed the book ..... And War Horse is a classic although I think I enjoyed the stage show more.

Our other blog article about "the Artist" is at http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.blogspot.com/2012/01/french-film-artist-wins-at-golden.html

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Win Tickets for the Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show at the SECC

If you live in Scotland or the North of England why not make a date to come along to the Scottish Caravan and Outdoor Leisure Show, Scotland's only dedicated event for caravanners and those who love the outdoor life. The show will take place at the SECC, Glasgow from 2-5 February 2012.
We have two tickets to give away so either add a comment to this email with your email address or find us on Facebook or Twitter (@frenchcampsites) and enter the competition there.

This fantastic show will once again occupy all 5 halls within the SECC, providing the perfect place to see the latest Caravans, Motorhomes, Holiday Homes, Accessories, Marine Products and Camping Products etc.

If you are thinking of buying a motorhome or caravan this is an ideal place to come along and actually sit in them and see what you think. Ideally come on one of the weekdays rather than the weekend. If you are coming from the rest of Scotland or the North of England, you will find that the SECC is very easy to get to, being just off the M8 and the Kingston Bridge in the Centre of Glasgow.

There are lots of accommodation choices in the area, either in Central Glasgow or why not take a break out in the suburbs such as one of the Travel Inns in Bearsden/Milngavie, where you can spend a pleasant evening and eat in one of the local restaurants. I can recommend the West Highland Gate Beefeater, Las Ramblas Tapas Restaurant in Bearsden or Massimo's in Bearsden or one of numerous country pubs such as the Old Mill in Killearn or the Beech Trees at Strathblane. So why not make a holiday of your trip to one of the first Caravan shows of the season !
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French Film The Artist wins at Golden Globes

The French Film, The Artist, has deservedly won a Golden Globe award ! The male lead, Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where the film premiered. The film was nominated for six Golden Globes, the most of any film from 2011, and won three, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

One of a few great French films from 2011, (others include Intouchables (The Untouchables) and The Well Digger's Daughter), The Artist is set in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932, just as the era of silent movies is ending.

The film is filmed entirely in black and white and largely without speech, this modern film made in the style of a silent movie with all the plot conveyed purely in facial expression and body language ! The two lead actors were unknown to me but they manage this wonderfully. The plot revolves around the male lead, a silent movie icon (played by Jean Dujardin) whose career is dwindling with the advent of the new talking films and the female lead  (Bérénice Bejo) who is an up and coming talking movie star. The film is romantic and a delight and I think it is one of 2011's  "must see" films !
The film is directed by Michel Hazanavicius and was released in UK cinemas with a PG rating on 20 November 2011 and the DVD has still to be released.


Have you seen it - did you enjoy it ?

Update - 20th February - After further success at the Baftas and Madrid film festivals, The Artist has been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars on 26th February : The Artist is nominated alongside The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse

Which ones have you seen - who do you think will win ? I have read "The Help" and enjoyed that although am reluctant to go to see the film as I enjoyed the book ..... And War Horse is a classic although I think I enjoyed the stage show more.

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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.
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