A family holiday in France can mean anything from sailing on the Brittany coast to exploring the dazzling Côte d’Azur.
There are great stretches of wonderfully accessible wilderness, vast natural parks and entire mysterious regions to discover. And, even if you get no further than Paris, you’re in good company: it’s one of the world’s most-visited cities.
There are direct flights from the UK to 17 French airports.
France is the largest country in western Europe and one of the least densely populated.
France has five mountain ranges including the Rhône Alps and the Pyrenees. The Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts offer a host of seaside options, and the Côte d’Azur has year-round sunshine.
France has seven domestic national parks and you can visit more than 40 chateaux in the Loire Valley alone.
Les Trois Vallées in the French Alps is the world’s largest ski area.
You can cycle almost anywhere on the country’s 1,000,000km road network.
Paris offers a vast swathe of historic monuments, and France as a whole has a total of 42 World Heritage sites, including Mont Saint-Michel and the medieval walled city Carcassonne.
Public transport is excellent and well-explained in major cities. Several now have bike-hire schemes, too.
Driving is the best way to see the French countryside. Only use autoroutes if you’re in a hurry, although the toll prices vary and can be expensive.
There are fast rail services across the entire country, but don’t expect too many scenic journeys – France is big enough to keep trains away from pretty places.