Holidays in France

wendyf_3

Wonder if anyone can help?

This summer we fancy visiting France, not fussy where, maybe South of Normandy area, but not Paris. But not sure where to start!
Travel agents that we normally use deal with package holidays to Spain etc so of no use to us.
We are a young couple, travelling from Glasgow and would ideally fly and stay in a hotel for around a week. Fancy sitting somewhere drinking wine and watching the world go by!
Does anyone have any ideas how to go about this or suggestions on where to go.

Thanks
xx

hagar

Fantastic little fishing port called Port en Bessin-not sure how easy to fly to. Totally unspoilt and hardly any Brits.! There is an ex-fishermans hostel on the seafront with a first floor rest. specializing in seafood-again cant remember what its called.Alternatively move to Briitany and rent a tent with Sandpiper Holidays-small family run company with a great site near Carnac called Les Moustoirs. Also ,Bayeux is a lovely place,but a bit more touristy.

kdee_2

It's difficult really unless you are going to hire a car. France isn't really geared up for the "transfer" from the airport style hol unless it's Paris, and you don't want to go there.
We went to Tours last year and stayed in an amazing gite nearby. Tours is great, very cosmopolitan, 100's of pavement restaurants and of course you are in Chateaux country. Again though, you'd really need a car to explore this.
Anyway, here is the gite website and I know Ryanair do flights into Tours so that could be a starting point.

http://www.gites-de-france.fr/eng/index.htm

Also, just a small point, our gite was advertised in an English brochure for £3,000 for 2 weeks for the time that we were there last year, (I've even deducted the crossing off that!) and we paid £1100 by booking through the official website for gites de France!!!!

welshcake

Depends where you can fly to, but I love Provence/ Avignon and Lacanau/ Arcachon (Bordeaux airport). Wasn't that impressed by the riviera but it is worth a visit, especially if you can do a day trip to Monaco, a fascinating place. I prefer the beaches in the north of France, but then you don't get the weather. Cities wise -

welshcake

... (accidentally submitted, am new to this!) Bordeaux is a good choice - excellent shopping (Rue St Catherine is the largest pedestrianised outdoor shopping street in Europe), beaches quite near by and friendly people, great weather, fairly cheap, great wine and food...

mssjab

Anywhere from the Loire Valley to the South would suit me.
My personal preference is the Cote d'Azur - Cannes, Juan les Pins, Antibes, Biot, Nice, fantastic Monaco and, perhaps, St.Tropez (and I could go on, and on ....)

You'll definately need a car although the views from the train on the coast railway have to be seen to be believed.

Forget a hotel - have a look at https://www.easycottages.co.uk for some accommodation ideas

Lucie_2

I would have a look on sky scanner to see where you can fly to from Glasgow & make plans from there. I would imagine you could get to Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Nice for starters on a no-frills airline.
Then go here for car hire

wendyf_3

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We are checking them out just now.
Tours and Bordeaux sound ideal for us.
Any more info let me know.
xx

Al_Mac

wendyf wrote:

Bordeaux sound ideal for us.

Friends bought a Chateau here last years, with several Gites, I haven't been yet, SWMBO and the little Mac's have. Would highly recommend it. They were the subject of a program callled moving day, when they went as well.

www.gurat.co.uk

nikkig_3

My boyfriend and I have just booked 10 days travelling around France. We are flying to Bordeaux to start with 2 days there (used Martins flight checker for this), then on to Biarritz for 2 days, then 2 days in Pau to see a bit of the Tour de France and then a night near Toulouse from where we will fly easy jet to paris to spend the weekend and see the end of the race and then a one way back to Robin Hood. The whole lot has worked out at about £1000 with the car hire. It is so much easier now with the budget airlines, and I have found some good tips on this site re the booking of single seats being cheaper at times than booking 2 seats together etc.

Polly

I've booked a gite in Berville sur Mer in Normandy for 3 weeks in July that I found on https://www.topsun.co.uk. Think I got a good deal at £620 for a six person thatched cottage. Getting there on the ferry cost more than the house. Anyone know the area? Its 10km from the town of Honfleur.