A Mini Guide to France
Located in Western Europe, France is the most popular tourist destination in the world. It is estimated that almost 80 million people visited France in 2008 alone. Some of the most famous attractions within Europe are located within France such as Mont St Michael, the Eiffel Tower, and the many stunning examples of mediaeval and renaissance castles in the Loire Valley.
France is also a gifted with some of the best skiing on the globe in the Alps and with some of the finest beaches along the French Riviera and the Cote d'Azur. It's easy to see that this diversity has been a major influence upon the success of France as a tourist destination; no other European nation seems to offer such an array of world-class vacation options in a single package.
To the south lays the Mediterranean Sea, which defines the French Riviera along with the small principality of Monaco. In the West can be found at the Atlantic coastline and to the north the English Channel meaning France is water locked on three of its four sides. The low lands of France had been formed by four river basins, the River Garonne and the River Loire flow west, and the River Seine in the North, with the River Rhône flowing down from Lake Geneva into the Mediterranean Sea.
In many ways France is a country defined by water, its major industry and agriculture has been shaped by these rivers and the coast line.
There are several key areas or provinces within France, each of which seems to exhibit a character all of its own. Dordogne in the South West is famed for its mediaeval towns and castles, and it also contains some of the most prolific prehistoric park to be found anywhere on the globe. Provence is one of the major tourist destinations within France, benefiting from an excellent all-round climate.
Normandy is often named the garden of France, the landscape features opencast is picturesque villages, along with impressive examples of Renaissance architecture. Brittany is steeped in myths and legend, predominantly spread along the coastline featuring cliff tops and hidden coves, Brittany leaves an impression of ruggedness and long history.
Of course we cannot speak about France without speaking about Paris. The capital of France often named the City of Light; it sits upon by the shores of the River Seine and provides a fascinating glimpse into French culture. Originally constructed by the Romans it was redeveloped by Clovis of the Franks into something similar to the Paris we see today. Paris receives more than 30 million tourists each year, attracted by Paris's reputation as a city full of art, romance and sophistication. In 1889 the Eiffel Tower was constructed to the universal exhibition, and to this day remains one of the most visited attractions in Paris.
There are two more equally spectacular sights that every visitor to Paris should not miss, these being the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame Cathedral. These three landmarks define the shape of tourism within Paris and form a trinity of unique architectural constructions unlike anything else to be found in the world.
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Alsace
Alsace is one of the smallest regions of France and is close to the border with Switzerland. Remarkably it has the only airport in the world which serves three different countries at the same time, Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg airport.
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Aquitaine
Aquitaine is a region in the south west of France which has borders with the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Pyrenees Mountains. Within Aquitaine there are numerous departments including Dordogne, Landes and Gironde. See them all with car hire Aquitaine.
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Auvergne
Auvergne is situated in the centre of France. It is part of the prefecture of Clermont Ferrand and has various departments including Allier, Haute Loire and Puy-de-Dome. The region contains many dormant volcanoes.
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Basse Normandie
Basse Normandie has been known as Lower Normandy since 1956 when the region was divided in two. Located in the north of France it overlooks the Channel between England and France.
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Haute Normandy
Haute Normandy or Upper Normandy is the location of an important France port Le Havre. It also contains the Seine Maritime department. Car hire is a good way to travel as the weather can be windy.
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Brittany
Brittany is located in the north of France and was previously both a Kingdom and a Duchy. As one of the six Celtic nations and given its proximity to the United Kingdom across the Channel, it is no wonder that Brittany is often called Little Britain.
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Burgundy
Burgundy is a large region more or less in the centre of France. It is famous for its wine production. Both red and white wines are made there. Auxerre is one of the main cities within the Burgundy region which it part of the Dijon prefecture.
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Centre
The Centre region of France is, unsurprisingly, in the middle of the country. The largest city in the region is Tours and the Centre region also forms around the Loire Valley. See it all with car hire Centre.
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Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is a historical region of France in which the main languages used to be Catalan and Occitan. Languedoc-Roussillon is in the south of France and has a Mediterranean coastline.
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Limousin
Limousin is a rural region in the centre of France which is known for producing some of the best beef in the country. Limousin experiences hot summers and cold winters so car hire Limousin keeps you comfortable.
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Lorraine
Lorraine is a region in the north east of France which contains the cities of Metz and Nancy. We also have cars for hire at Lorraine airport. It contains departments including Meuse, Moselle and Vosges.
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Monaco
Monaco is an independent municipality within France. Monaco is the name of the country and the only city within the principality. It hosts the Monaco Grand Prix and has a reputation for being a playground of the rich and famous.
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Poitou Charentes
Located in the centre west region of France, Poitou Charentes has the city of Poitiers at it capital. Some of the departments are Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux Sevres and Vienne.
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Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region is in the south east of France and has borders with the Mediterranean Sea. This is an exceptionally beautiful part of France and with car hire Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur you can see the French Riviera or drive to the nearby Alps Mountains.
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Picardy
Picardy is located in the north of France. It is made up of the departments of Oise Aisne and the Somme. The latter is where one of the bloodiest battles of World War One was fought in France. Many veterans rent car hire Picardy to reconnect with their past.
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Rhone Alpes
The Rhone Alpes region is defined by the large River Rhone and the Alps Mountains which create the eastern border of France with Switzerland and Italy. Rhone Alpes is in the south east of France and its capital Lyon is the second largest city of France.
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Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais is one of the French regions. It is right at the northernmost tip of France at the border with Belgium so if you want to make a cross border journey with car hire Nord-Pas-de-Calais just let us know.
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Ile-de-France
Ile-de-France is a northern central region of France. It most famously contains Paris, a great and romantic city. Aside from the City of Light, Ile-de-France is one of the richest and most populated parts of Europe.
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Corsica
Corsica is one of the regions of France so we offer car hire Corsica from this idyllic Mediterranean island. Corsica is the birthplace of the general Napoleon so it is interesting to visit and see his ancestral home.
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Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 26 regions of France and it was created relatively recently in the 20th century. As such it is part of some historical regions like Anjou and Maine.
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Midi Pyrenees
Midi-Pyrenees is one of the largest regions in France and as its name suggests it borders the Pyrenees Mountains at the boundary with Spain. Like Pays de la Loire it is an artificially created region.
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