France
France is indeed beautiful – from its Côte d’Azur beaches and Loire château to vintage wines and gourmet food. It’s the largest country in Western Europe so there’s a province for everyone and a city for every taste. The Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, the Pyrenées forming a border with Spain, the Alps shared with Italy and Switzerland, and rivers including the legendary Loire and Rhine, ensure stunning landscapes.
From this land have risen historical figures such as Joan of Arc, Napoléon and the Sun King, Louis XIV. France breathes history but bursts with artistic accomplishment too – stand and feel the magic of scenes captured by renowned painters such as Monet, Cézanne and Picasso. The land too has given us Champagne and burgundy wines, truffles and Camembert. Markets overflow with glowing peaches and cherries, and chefs transform this bounty into haute cuisine.
Paris, the city of light and the French capital is, its residents believe, the heart of France. With the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River, who can blame them for being biased? But follow the French into the countryside and you’ll find a different world of stone villages, fields of lavender, vineyards and seaside playgrounds of the rich and famous.
