THE CLIMATE OF FRANCE

France is continental in temperature and has four climate zones. France experiences the cool ocean winds from the west, temperate Mediterranean winds in the south and the mountain winds of the Alps and the Pyrenees from the south-west and east. No matter what your temperature preferences are on a holiday, you will be able to find a region of France, during the calendar year, which meets your needs.

Western France is cool in temperature with average rainfalls and summers with cool temperatures, think of Bordeaux. Central France, think of Bourges, Tours and Lyon experience the extremes in temperatures of cold, dry winters and hot, dry summers. The Mediterranean cities of Nice, Cannes, and Marseille are seaside with temperate winters and hot, humid summers. The mountains of the Alps and the Pyrenees are covered with snow throughout the year with snowfalls for up to six months in the year.

PLANNING YOUR HOLIDAY

To get the most out of your holiday, it is best to start planning early. Depending on where you want to go and the time of year you want to be there. You will need to start planning one year ahead of time if your dream is the ultimate skiing holiday or similarly if you want to be on the Mediterranean during French school holidays in July and August.

If you have less time to organize your holiday, there will be trade offs in what time of the year you travel, where you stay, and if you can receive the early payment discounts you can get on tours and packages.

If you are planning a short holiday, then you will also want to start planning early, especially if this is your first vacation in France. It is not a good use of your holiday time to be sitting in tour agents trying to organize your next day of activities when you could have bought the tours on-line before your departure from your country. Explore on-line and see what you can find, you will be pleasantly surprised on how much is on offer and how easy it is to arrange.

If you are having a longer vacation, then you may want to economize on your accommodation costs. Why not book your villa on-line in the French country side, or your beach side apartment.