Even though the summer sun has gone, you’ll still find a range of fantastic activities on a holiday to France. Whether you choose shopping, eating and drinking, soaking up culture or taking part in more active pursuits, Autumn holidays in France have something for everyone. And to help inspire you we have compiled a list of five fantastic activities that will chase those seasonal blues away!
Strasbourg Christmas Market is the perfect way to embrace Autumn and the coming winter months. As the largest Christmas market in France it has everything you might expect…and maybe a little bit more! Set in the beautiful old quarter of the city, the market takes place in the square under the stunning backdrop of Notre Dame Cathedral and continues down the surrounding streets and squares. Visitors can warm themselves with mulled wine, gingerbread and sausages, before browsing a range of beautifully made festive arts and crafts. And to help get you in the mood there is a live choral accompaniment singing beautiful festive arrangements. The market starts on the first of November and runs throughout the remainder of 2009.
Paris already attracts fans of culture thanks to its history of embracing the arts. But it takes thing a little further in September with the opening of the Paris Autumn Festival. Running until December, the annual festival is an open celebration of contemporary arts and showcases the most exciting theatre, dance, music, cinema and literature from all over the world. But even if you wouldn’t really consider yourself a fan of the arts, the city looks beautiful in the Autumn light and the crowds drawn to the festival really add to the city’s vibrant atmosphere.
The varied landscape of Normandy has always provided a wealth of choice for holiday makers and the same goes for its produce. Visitors to the region in Autumn will be met with a huge selection of food festivals offering the finest local produce, including apple and cider, wild mushrooms, black pudding, shrimp, scallops, herring and the mysterious sounding ‘Belly Festival’ – perhaps a result of over-indulgence! As well as sampling the foods, many of the festivals have activities, workshop and talks where they discuss the produce and its part in the history of Normandy.
One of the benefits of the colder weather is the beginning of winter sports season. Due to its high altitude, Tignes ski resort in the magnificent crested peaks of the Savoie Alps opens for business earlier than most. Snow is guaranteed all year round which is a huge attraction for ski and snowboard fans but if you fancy some other sporting options, there is a swimming pool, a bowling alley, husky drawn sleigh rides and ice climbing amongst other activities, all easily accessible from the resort. However, if your idea of a holiday involves less physical exertion then there is also a cinema, a range of shops, a weekly street market and a selection of fantastic restaurants that are perfect for apres-ski, or apres-whatever you like!
For many a celebration causes the opening of a bottle of wine, in the Beaujolais region of France however, the opening of a bottle of wine is the celebration. At midnight on the third Thursday of November, the annual release of Beaujolais Noveau is celebrated with a number of festivals throughout the region. And when you consider that the Beaujolais region runs from Burgundy to Lyons, that’s a lot of celebrating! In Beaujeu, the region’s capital, the festivities begin early in the evening with wine tasting and a tour, leading up to the wine’s release at midnight. In Lyon, the region’s biggest city, the event is marked by fireworks, live music and two days of wine tasting. So regardless of where you choose to celebrate the wine’s arrival, make sure you bring plenty of paracetamol to mark its departure!
Rent a holiday cottage in England where there are so many treasures to be explored, your holiday possibilities are endless. Head to the coast for the perfect beach holiday; perhaps in Devon or Cornwall, or while away your days in the pretty villages and friendly pubs of the Cotswolds.
