France Travel Guide, climate:Best: March-June, Sept, early-Oct for sightseeing. Jan-March for wintersports.Worst: July, Aug. The country is packed with foreign and local tourists, while some services in Paris - even museums and restaurants - are closed.Dec-Feb can be bitterly cold in mountain areas and in the north including Paris.Length of stay:Minimum worthwhile travel, not incl. flights: Paris and île de France [a short excursion] - 4 days. Weekend trips to just Paris are good too.Recommended: At least 2 weeks to take in Paris, and some country/mountain/beach activities, but you'll need months to discover how diverse the country's attractions are.France Festivals guide:Apart from Bastille Day and Assumption of the Virgin Mary [Aug 15th], which are celebrated nationwide, there are regional folk festivals and arts festivals, as well as Catholic events throughout the country, especially around July. Most of the events involve food, wine and extreme dyspepsia.Jan. 1st: Grand Parade Paris, twinned event with London for New Year celebrations. Massive and colourful.Feb-March: Mardi Gras Nice [more info and picture], one of the biggest and the most original carnivals in the world, a two week event with colourful parades, street parties, fireworks, and monster illuminations. mid May: Cannes Film Festival - No need to be a celebrity to enjoy Europe's high profile film fiesta. Loads of public screenings are available, as well as a small chance of bumping into stars. No better place for people watching.mid May/mid Oct: Gypsy Festival [Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in Provence], a gypsy gathering; historic, unique and kaleidoscopic.June: International Music Festival [Strasbourg in Alsace, the North], contemporary music.July 14th: Bastille Day [nationwide], France's biggest street festival, with parties, parades and fireworks to remember the French Revolution.July: Tour de France, a three-week cycling race for 3,500km [2000 miles] over the country [route changes annually]. The world's most famous French sporting event. mid July-mid Aug: Festival d'Avignon [Avignon]- a dynamic and diverse Arts festival, boasting over 50 official productions and many more fringes. For classical music, try Festival International d'Art Lyrique in Aix-en-Provence in July, too.early Aug: Festival Interceltique [Lorient in Brittany], a worthy folk event [Celtic music and culture].Oct: Jazz Festival [Nancy], one of the country's best jazz events.For some precise dates see: European Festivalsor Arts Festivals.Cuisine Guide:Traditional French cuisine of the protein-covered-with-rich sauce kind has been top of the gastronomic world since Romans travelled there to eat wild boar with cranberries in 34AD. But it's finally out of fashion - too heavy, too fattening, too taste-limited, but...[more info and picture]Shopping Guide:Pricewise France is not so brilliant due to the €uro's strength, but French style and taste is still irresistible.If designer labels are not your thing, try French eccentricity at smaller boutiques in trendy areas, or cheap chic stuff at flea-markets. Bargain shopping for any French products at huge malls in places such as Calais or Lille is very popular [with mainly British travellers].Visiting local open-air food markets for regional cheese, pastries and wine, especially in Provence, is a fun way to make lunch.
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