- 400th birthday of the funding of Quebec by Samuel de Champlain.
- Feb. 1 : A new law will ban smoking in bars, restaurants and cafes.
- Feb 11 : 150th birthday of the apparitions in Lourdes. Website
- July 12 : Soccer match France-Brazil at the Stade de France in Paris.
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-From July 5 to July 27 : 95th Tour de France Website.
The first three stages will start in Brittany.
Which Region to choose for your visit?
France is not only Paris and Cannes !
north west France
for exemple, is very rich in tourism, with 3 main regions not far from Paris :
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-Normandy : with the Mont-Saint-Michel, the D-Day beaches, Sainte-Thérèse of Lisieux, great food, wonderfull villages and landscapes, or the extremly wealthy city of Deauville.
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-Pays-de-Loire : with its Loire Valley castles and the french history attraction park Le-Puy-du-Fou.
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-Brittany : It’s not the most known place of France, cause there is no huge monument, BUT, it’s supposed to be the most beautifull part of the country. English or German tourists agree, and french often vacation there. Brittany is a keltic region. The main attractions are the beautifull little fishing ports. The most known places are Saint-Malo, Carnac for its keltic monuments, Pont-Aven for the painter Gauguin, the enclosed churches of the north, the city of Quimper, and of course the forest of Merlin and the knights of the round table : Brocéliande.
Atlantic COAST
We already spoke of le Puy-du-Fou in the north. The vendean coast, and around Bordeaux, are appreciated by a popular tourism, for campings... Bordeaux is THE typical, classical (and so beautifull) french city. Also known for its wines, of course. Close to Spain, the Pays Basque is appreciated for its surf spots, and also for the traditions and foods of the Pyrénées mountains.
CENTRAL France
Dordogne (east of Bordeaux), or Ardèche
(south of Lyon), are the favorites spots of the nature lovers in
France. These areas are very sunny by summer, and the rivers great for
swimming. The city of Lyon is very beautifull, and known for its Bouchons Lyonnais, restaurants where you can eat excellent Bistro cuisine.
South West
Toulouse, “the pink city” is known for its high quality of life, its food and rugby. On the Mediterranean, Carcassonne is a wonderfull medieval city to visit. The port of Collioure and the cathares castles are a must. You can visit Barcelona in Spain at the same time.
South East
Yes, Cannes is there ! But stop also in the “port of the stars”, Saint-Tropez, or visit the picareque coast of the Calanques de Cassis (close to Marseille). Another worth while visit is the wild landscapes of Camargue, and, to the north, you can visit Roman Provence
with the cities of Avignon (the French Vatican), Orange, Arles or
Beaux-de-Provence, and of course the beautifull Pont-du-Gard (roman
bridge) all worth a stop.
