Self catering
Closing date: 26th August 2020
Breakfast • Flights inc
Closing date: 17th September 2020
Breakfast • Flights inc
Closing date: 21st August 2020
Closing date: 28th August 2020
Full-board • Eurostar inc
Closing date: 20th August 2020
Breakfast • Cruise
Books inspired by France
Our hand-picked selection of books to get you in the mood to travel
Irène Némirovsky
A poignant two-part novel about French society at the point of the German invasion of WW2. Originally intended as 4 parts, the author's untimely death in Auschwitz in 1942 prevented the rest from being written. This was discovered and published 65 years later and is now hailed as a masterpiece.
Sarah Turnbull
The author met "a very French Frenchman" whilst backpacking around Europe, accepted an invitation to spend a week with him, and never left. This is a perceptive and humorous book about the culture clashes and paradoxes of starting a new life in France.
Stephen Clarke
A humorous bestselling novel about what the French are really like from the point of view of an Englishman who moves to Paris to start a new job.
Edward Rutherfurd
An epic novel following four families over hundreds of years: bound by forbidden loves and marriages of convenience; dogged by vengeance and murderous secrets; torn apart by the irreconcilable differences of birth and faith, and brought together by the tumultuous history of their city. A book which bursts to life in the intrigue, corruption and glory of its people.
Chosen by Stuart
Peter Mayle
The now-classic "upping roots" book about Mayle and his wife who bought a 200 year-old French farmhouse to begin a new life. This book was one of the first of its kind and follows the hilarious and unexpected, but ultimately enchanting, escapades that followed.
James Baldwin
David meets Giovanni in a bar in Paris and they're drawn into an intense love affair that David can't fully acknowledge. His girlfriend returns from abroad forcing difficult, life-altering decisions and desperate consequences.
When to visit
August
August is a wonderful month to visit France. Sunflower and lavender fields bloom, grapes slowly ripen on the vine and the whole country is basked in glorious golden sunshine.
France Blog posts
From the UK's most popular travel bloggers
15th July 2020 by Stoked to Travel
30 of the best places to visit in the South of FranceThe South of France, stretching from the Spanish border to the Italian border, alongside the Mediterranean Sea is a gorgeous part of Europe to visit for a summer holiday. From the glitzy towns of Cannes, St Tropez, Nice and the mini-country of Monaco making up the area known as the French Riviera, to the historical and cultural gems of Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon, the South of France is a truly beautiful corner of the world....
6th July 2020 by ScribbleStu
A Lille trip by EurostarLocated in France’s northern Hauts-de-France region, close to the Belgian border, Lille is a surprisingly short journey from the UK. It’s a great destination for a quick and hassle-free mini-break, or as a way of getting those travel juices flowing again after lockdown. Getting there. There are indirect flights with various airlines but it’s much better news if you live close enough to a Eurostar station: at just an hour and 26 minutes from London, the journey to Lille is direct and...
10th May 2020 by ScribbleStu
5 top things to do in BordeauxSituated at the very heart of French wine culture, the city has a long and varied history, beautiful buildings, stunning old town and is a great place for a short trip or cultured weekend away. I spent 5 nights in Bordeaux at the height of summer and here are some of my top things to see and do. 1. Try some wine. I was actually quite surprised by the city’s lack of visual references to its relationship with wine. Maybe I was missing something, or perhaps it’s because the French aren’t so...
6th April 2020 by Budget Traveller
I lost my heart & passport in NiceI’m leaving Nice this time with my passport. My heart feels older but lighter as I head to the airport. I look out of my airplane window , the most glorious sunset you could imagine, set against the betwitching, blue waters that the Med is famed for. I feel a tinge of sadness as my plane spreads it’s big fat wings and tears into the stratosphere, leaving Nice just a glorious twinkle in the corner of my eye. Time changes everything. It’s been 8 years since I was last in Nice. I roam the...
9th August 2019 by ScribbleStu
Climbing the tallest sand dune in EuropePart of what I love about travelling is the random inspiration you can get from some of the most unlikely places… Sitting in my local barber’s having my hair cut some time ago, I happened to mention that I’d just booked to stay in Bordeaux… it turns out that the guy who owns the barber’s has family with a house in the same area. After a brief conversation, I left with a hand-scribbled list of things to see and do along with a dashing new haircut (even if I do say so myself!)...
8th August 2019 by ScribbleStu
Why you should visit Bergerac in the South of FranceI’ve just got back from a couple of weeks in the swelteringly sunny South of France. The main reason for the trip was to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday: he hired an enormous château near to Agen and invited his friends and family to stay and party with him for a few days. Flights: I chose Ryanair flights out to Toulouse from London Stansted, flying with lots of my partner’s family. And then British Airways flights for just him and myself back to London City Airport from...
8th July 2019 by While I'm Young
Love music festivals? You need to go to Garorock In France!In the midst of the record-breaking heatwave that hit France in late June, I flew out to the south west of the country with a bag full of sun lotion and glitter. I had been invited to attend a music festival called Garorock, as a guest of Ryanair and Bergerac Airport. The French music festival takes place from 27th – 30th June in Marmande, which is a short drive from Bergerac Airport. Garorock has been running for 23 years and started out with a couple of bands playing in someone’s...
