France - overview
France is a land of unimaginable beauty,
and is synonymous with style. Each area looks
different, feels different, has its own style
of architecture and food and often its own
dialect. From the wide, tree-lined boulevards
of its sophisticated and exciting capital
city Paris to the Gothic cathedrals of the
north, the breathtaking Loire Valley castles
and chateaux, the Roman monuments of the
south and the glittering Cote d’Azur with
its air of faded grandeur and romance, it
is not hard to see why France has enchanted
generations of visitors.
Paris is the economic, artistic, historic,
and cultural capital of France. It is also
deeply traditional, almost village-like and
in parts, a dilapidated metropolis, which
houses around 2 million people. The river
Seine bisects the city, the Right Bank is
home to the grand boulevards and most monumental
buildings, many dating from Haussmann's nineteenth-century
redevelopment. The Left Bank has a noticeably
different feel, it has an atmosphere of Bohemian,
dissident, intellectual connotations, and
it shows in Paris' best range of bars and
restaurants. The Eiffel Tower is Paris’
most famous and instantly recognizable landmark.
The Champs-Elysees is the city’s most well-known
boulevard. Elegant and broad, it links Place
de la Concorde with the Arc de Triomphe.
Known as the 'gastronomic capital of France',
Lyons has a wealth of beautiful architecture,
superb museums, fantastic parks and fine
wine. The young at heart may prefer Marseille,
a one-of-a-kind city quite unlike any other
in France. Colourful, bustling and sophisticated
it's not surprising it is referred to as
the New Orleans of France. A visit to the
birthplace of modern tourism, Nice, is a
must, with it's Mediterranean beaches and
world-class entertainment plus the very best
in sports and leisure activities. |
