Holidays and accommodation

• France offers accommodation for every taste and budget, from tents to luxury hotels. Hotels are classified in six categories, graded by étoile, star - 1*, 2*, 3*, 4* and luxury 4*L at the top end. The star rating is less often an indication of quality, but instead assesses the capacity and the facilities available, such as the size of the bedroom and whether there's a lift or restaurant. Most hotels in France offer breakfast, although it's often worth asking if it's included in the price - C'est compris, le petit déjeuner ?



• If you're on a tight budget, you'll find small, one or two-star family-run hotels in every town or village. You can book une pension, a room with full board, or une demi-pension, half-board. In country areas you will come across chambres d'hôte, bed and breakfast accommodation in someone's house, château or farm. They offer more character and better value for money than an equivalently priced hotel and often traditional home-cooking. Tourist offices will have lists of chambres d'hôte in their area. You'll also find many Auberges de Jeunesse, youth hostels, which are open to members of international Youth Hostel associations.



• An alternative to the hostel is the gîte or gîte d'étape. They're less formal than hostels and are primarily aimed at hikers, providing bunk beds and basic kitchen and washing facilities. You could also try un refuge, a basic hut or cabin if you're walking in the mountainous regions of France. These tend to be run by the national park authorities or the Club Alpin Français. They're open throughout the year and typically offer bunk beds, mattresses and blankets, but rarely sheets. In the more popular ones there are restaurant facilities.



• France is one of the most popular countries in the world for self-catering holidays and offers more than 11,000 campings, campsites, graded from one to four stars for comfort and facilities. Even one or two star sites will always have toilets, a public phone and running water, and the best value sites are usually at le camping municipal, the local town campsite. Some sites only accept visitors with un carnet camping, a camping pass, which you can get in the UK from the AA and RAC. Les aires naturelles, environmental campsites, are another popular option where the facilities are less important than contact with nature. As a rule le camping sauvage, camping rough, should be avoided - always ask permission before pitching your tent on someone's land. Camping is also not allowed on beaches or roadsides.



• With around 4,000 Offices du Tourisme, tourist offices, nationwide, you'll find one in practically every French town and many villages. Sometimes called Syndicats d'Initiative, they're a valuable resource for specific local information, including lists of hotels and restaurants, transport timetables, leisure activities and car and bike rental. They also often issue free maps and lists of festivals and events and will often help you make bookings.



• Not wanting to miss out on a good thing, the French themselves generally choose to holiday in their own country and 9 out of 10 French holidaymakers stay in France, heading for the coast or countryside. Peak holiday times are concentrated around the ski season when there's a mass exodus to les stations de ski, ski resorts, in the Alps, and around les grandes vacances, the main holiday season during late July and August. This is when everyone wisely leaves the sweltering cities for the countryside. If you can, try and avoid travelling at weekends during les grands départs, the peak holiday period in mid-July and at the beginning and end of August, as roads and motorways are always packed.

Links
Cybevasion - Guide des Hôtels en France - features a clickable map showing details of regions, departments and departmental capitals. In French and English.

Paris Tourist Office - a comprehensive list of hotels in Paris and the Paris region, including furnished apartments, boarding houses and bed and breakfasts. In English.

Gîtes de France - A government-funded agency which promotes and manages a range of chambres d'hôtes and gîtes.