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 :
Best French Campsites

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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Things to do in the Camargue Area of France

The Camargue is our favourite place in France. I only visited it for a day but it completely captivated me. We had a ride on the white horses, arranged just as we were passing which was fantastic. And then stopped for lunch in Saintes Maries de la Mer. The Camargue is a triangular area of Provence with the town of Arles to the north and the Rhone delta to the east. It is made up of wetlands, pastures, dunes and salt flats. Part of it was designated a nature reserve in 1927 and in 1970 the area was granted National Park status.      

Many of the tourists come to see the famous Camargue horses, and the flamingos which are the symbol of the Camargue National Park.  You can also see the distinctive Camargue Cattle which are black with long horns and are tended by French "cowboys" called "les gardiens", who ride the white camargue horses. It is possible to go for a ride on these horses.

 There are three major towns in the Camargue :

• Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (population 2,000)
• Aigues Mortes (population 6,000)
• and Arles (population 55,000).

The main road through the Camargue goes from Arles to the north to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a lovely village on the Meditteranean to the south. If you are here in May you can see the traditional and colourful Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Gypsy festival & pilgrimage which is one of the major Provence events. Every year the Roma celebrate and worship their patron saint, Saint Sarah in the coastal village of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue region.

Port Camargue
You can explore this area and see the extensive area of marinas and yachts.

Arles
Bulls have roamed the marshes of the Camargue since antiquity and form part of daily life in this region. You can go and watch the traditional "Feria Corridas" or bullfighting in the Roman arena of Arles, which take place from Easter up to the end of September each year. Before the Feria, you can view the bulls in the "Espace Toro", and you will be able to find out more about bullfighting traditions in the south of France, Provence region. (Bulls are not killed in bull fights in France).   

Orange
The Roman Theatre in Orange is a fantastic building to visit. It has a 65 m long stage and still has some of the original accoustic wall. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman Theatre was no longer used as a place for entertainment. Restoration only began in the early 1800's. The use of the Roman Theatre as a stage for lyrical and musical performances became prevalent in 1971. All of the world's great lyrical artists have performed there.

Seaquarium Le Grau du Roi (5km)
An aquarium with different sections including seal and dolphin shows and a touch pool as well as Mediterranean and tropical fish.

Aqualand Cap d'Agde

If you have younger children or teenagers with you who would like to have a day in a water park then the excellent Aqualand Cap d'Agde is well worth a visit. This is a large waterpark with an excellent selection of pools and slides. Suitable for toddlers and teenagers. It has over 20 attractions on 4 hectares of beaches and waterslides to suit the whole family. It is quite expensive but it is a fun day out. Mind you if you are like me and you would be too scared to go on any of the flumes etc then it is a bit much having to pay the full adult fee !

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A Room with a View - or...a Caravan with a View or a Mobile Home with a View ?

Les Criques de Porteils, Collioure

When you book a camping holiday abroad it can be difficult to visualise exactly what view you are going to get from your mobile home, tent or caravan. You can arrive at your campsite and if you have booked with Keycamp or Eurocamp or similar companies often you end up following your rep - who is often on a bicycle ! - and you await with trepidation to find out which part of the campste you are going to spend the two weeks of your summer holiday !

However wiser travellers get booked up well in advance and if you want to guarantee that you will have a fantastic Sea View or Lake View from your holiday mobile home or caravan then this is entirely possible to do.

Eurocamp and Keycamp allow you to book certain zones in some of their campsites and some of these zones offer a view.

We can recommend one in France on the Mediterranean, one in Spain also on the Meditteranean and one on Lake Garda in Italy.

Les Criques de Porteils, Collioure

In France near the border with Spain you will find the small Les Criques de Porteils Campsite overlooking the Meditteranean Sea.

This site has numerous sea view plots to either take your own caravan or tent or you can book a mobile home with Eurocamp by clicking here.

Nestled on the rocky coves that typify this small corner of France, this terraced Castels parc has direct access to several small pebble beaches. Criques de Porteils is ideal for a quiet family holiday or couples seeking a cultural retreat from the hustle and bustle of the nearby resorts of Argelès Plage, which is a short drive away.

Read our review of this site on Best French Campsites at http://www.bestfrenchcampsites.com/campsites/collioure/lescriquesdeporteils.html.

Cala Gogo, Playa d'Aro, Costa Brava, Spain

Cala Gogo in Spain has a Beach Zone that is bookable. Eurocamp don't guarantee a view from every mobile home on the Beach Zone though but if you can manage to book one like the one photographed here then surely that is a dream holiday !

Click here to view the Cala Gogo campsite with Eurocamp. 

Camping Eden Lake Garda

In Italy you can visit the popular Lake Garda area and why not make sure you have a view of the Lake by booking one of the mobile homes with a view at Camping Eden on the Western side of the Lake. 






You can also read our review of this site at http://www.bestitaliancampsites.com/italiancampsites/campingeden/campingeden.html.



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Euros - Here to Stay ?

Well after this weeks deliberations between various European Leaders, it looks like we will be continuing to use Euros while on holiday in Europe. If you havent used Euros before then they may take a little time to get used to !

There are Euro bank notes which come in

• 500E (500 Euros)     
• 200E
• 100E
• 50E
• 20E
• 10E and
• 5E denominations.

There are also coins, which can be

• 2E  or
• 1E 

And you can also get Cents which are worth less that a Euro. 100Cents equal 1Euro. There are 50Cent, 20Cent, 10Cent, 5Cent, 2Cent and 1Cent coins.
So for example something might cost 1E 50 which means 1 Euro 50 Cents.

Below are photographs of the various types of money to get used to. The actual designs on each Euro are designed to reflect the different countries of Europe so you may find that your Euro is not actually a French one, but they can be used in any European countries which have the Euro as a currency.

The most likely paper money you will come across will be the 50E, 20E, 10E and 5E notes :

 

2E and 1E will be found as coins : 

And finally the small fry ! A Euro is made up of 100 Cents so you might find the following in your change :

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