Among all lovers and connoisseurs of quality holidays, one of the most popular destinations is tours to France. This multifaceted country is incredibly attractive both for beginners in terms of foreign holidays and for experienced travelers.

France fully satisfies the curiosity of sightseeing connoisseurs, replenishes the wardrobes of stylish fashionistas, and tempts gourmets with the splendor of its cuisine. Bustling cities, picturesque provinces and luxurious beaches - no one can resist such beauty and diversity!

So different and always beautiful

The starting point for most tours in France was and remains Paris. But having paid due attention to the capital with its brilliant shine, be sure to visit other big cities countries. By visiting the cities of Normandy - Rouen and Deauville, Etretat and Saint-Malo, you will get a complete impression of the culture, history and modernity of France.

You can enjoy the mild climate of the southern regions and watch the life of movie stars on the coast of Nice, Cannes, Marseille and Monaco. Tours to France, including visits to these cities, will appeal to connoisseurs of beauty and harmony. After all, every lover here beach holiday Hotels for every taste and budget open their doors.

French provinces - witnesses of centuries-old history

Traveling through various provinces with their unique attractions will allow you to plunge into the depths of the fascinating history of these places. And the tour operator in France VAND will help you with this.

Normandy, Brittany, Alsace and Lorraine, Corsica... - all of them are known to us from books and films. With VAND you can see with your own eyes the beauty of these provinces of France and, as if in a time machine, be transported to the distant past. You can trace almost all the milestones of European palace architecture by visiting the Castles of the Loire Valley.

Heady atmosphere

Burgundy, Bordeaux, Champagne, Cognac - the “fragrant” names of these regions and cities give rise in the minds of a sophisticated connoisseur to memories of the best French wines, famous brands of champagne and cognac. With the leading tour operator VAND, everyone has the opportunity to touch the mystery of the production of real wines and cognac, the likes of which cannot be found in any country in the world.

Cozy cafe on the streets with wicker furniture

Provence, warmed by the southern sun, appears warm, hospitable and generous to tourists. Lovely provincial towns are home to numerous gastronomic masterpieces that attract travelers from all over the world. Juicy fruits, real French cheeses, exquisite seafood, aromatic Provençal herbs - this unforgettable cocktail will not leave any gourmet indifferent.

Buying a trip to France and not visiting Provence is simply a crime for lovers of gastronomic tours who know a lot about truly good food.

Better than the mountains can only be the mountains of France

The blessed nature rewarded this hospitable country not only with its magnificent coastline, but also with one of the most picturesque mountain ranges. The French Alps offer a holiday to suit every taste.

Modern comfortable hotels in the ski resorts of France: Courchevel, Chamonix, Meribel, Les Menuires will be the ideal place to celebrate the New Year.

Finally, I’ll post photos from this year’s summer trip - " big Adventure in the southern provinces of France "with DSBW. Route: Nice - Avignon - Pont du Gard - Nimes - Carcassonne - Bordeaux - Cognac - Angouleme - Sarlas la Caneda - Rocamadour - Toulouse - Arles - Marseille - and another 4 days of rest in Nice. The tour is very interesting and beautiful, especially if you are interested in Roman architecture. Personally, I am more interested in the Black Virgin Marys - so for me this tour also turned out to be quite eventful and educational, although in some cities (I brought a list from Moscow where along the route I could see the Black Virgin Marys) Madonna) we had to look for them, and in some places there were some little adventures.

The main disadvantage is that we came at the worst possible time, late July - early August. It depends on you, but by the middle of the tour I was simply feeling ill from the heat (although a whole day of partying for fun in Bordeaux improved the situation somewhat). If interested, I can tell you about the organizer and the guide.

And the advantages... what can I say about them, they are all in the photographs.

Market in Nice

Panorama

Avignon. The square in front of the Papal Palace.

There was a theater festival in Avignon at that time, and throughout the central part artists gave their little performances

View of the Saint-Benezé bridge (pont d'Avignon from a song that every Frenchman allegedly knows; however, the motive is familiar even to me)

Pont du Gard is a stunning monument of Roman architecture...

And a little memory of our ancestors-tourists (note the date in this “Vasya was here”)

Gallery on the first level of the bridge. Here, it seems to me, the scale and power of the structure can be felt very well...

Roman Arena in Nîmes (1st half of the 1st century AD)

She's inside. You can walk around the entire amphitheater from the top, although you need appropriate physical conditions - you constantly have to climb considerable steps, up and down. But it's worth it!

And this is just my personal very strong impression. Something like a stone mound, and among the stones... faces. What does this mean - I don't know

Bordeaux, St. Andrew's Cathedral

Local entertainment is a fountain on the Garonne embankment. Just an area covered with a thin layer of water that barely covers your feet. Personally, I took off my shoes and frolicked. Local residents are clearly having fun with the same thing.

Of course, there are Roman ruins here too...

Triumphal Arch

And this is the statue in front of the building Faculty of Medicine. The students were clearly celebrating their graduation...

Sardia la Caneda. Foie gras production center, by the way! Therefore, the geese are honored and respected here.

In general, this is real medieval city with very narrow and very crooked streets, in which it is easy to get lost

And this is Rocamadour - a major European pilgrimage center, part of the Way of Santiago.

This is a castle and three churches, partly built on a small platform on a rock, partly carved right into this rock.

A winding road leads from the church up to the castle, symbolizing the way of the cross of Christ; Once upon a time, pilgrims walked it on their knees. And in one of the churches one of the Black Virgin Marys is kept

(sorry about the quality)
Toulouse. The city is pink! Once upon a time it was only possible to build here with brick; and now a house made of any material will certainly be painted or at least trimmed red or pink

Capitolium

Arles. There is a Roman amphitheater here too, but in some places it has been restored in our time

Van Gogh was once treated here

Marseilles.

Top with magnificent cathedral the city blesses Notre-Dame de la Garde

And in the cathedral itself there is a wonderful silver statue of the Virgin Mary

In the group of islands, the middle one (and the smallest) is the same island on which the Château d'If is located. Unfortunately, we didn't get it

Here’s a closer look at the castle (notre-Dame de la Garde can be seen behind it)

La Major Cathedral

We went to Grasse on our own while we lived in Nice for 4 days. Small cozy town, although crawling to it from the station (quite high up the mountain) is not so easy. There are also elegant streets there...

And those where Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, apparently, lay in wait for his victims

And this is a panorama of Cannes - we stopped by on the road from Grasse

And this is Monaco - Monte Carlo - another of our independent trips.

It's a shame you can't film in princely palace, although everything is clear - the palace is residential, and, standing on the gallery of the courtyard, you don’t know - what if the prince is personally watching you from the window of his wing? If you visit, be sure to take a tour! They give you headphones, there is a tour in Russian (and very good Russian), and I highly recommend seeing the palace itself. We also visited an exhibition dedicated to Princess Grazia Patricia - actress Grace Kelly. How local resident love their princely family! The English also love their queen, but they also make fun of her and scold her... And here - such touching love...

Princely Palace

"Changing of the Page Guard"

A piece of the Formula 1 track

And there are also these racing cars in the city

Famous Casino

A small educational program: Black Madonnas, Black Virgins, Vierges Noires are statues of the Mother of God made of black/dark material or painted black. Madonna has been revered at all times, and no one knows why her images were made black. I rummaged through a lot of things (although, unfortunately, I was only able to read articles written in Russian and English), as a result I discovered: serious researchers are quite cautious, with the reservations “it is likely that it could be”, they say that these are possibly remnants of Celtic cults - newly converted Catholics tried to cross their old beliefs and gods with the new religion; this is the most common version. The “obsessed” (Eco defined them very well) claim approximately the same thing, but categorically (somewhere I even came across the theory that some of these statues are former statues Isis and Osiris). Perhaps there is some truth in this - some statues are very far from traditional Catholic images and are more reminiscent of statues from Easter Island.

So here it is. I posted Notre-Dame de Rocamadour above. Here it is closer - it’s an ordinary postcard, I took the photo on the Internet

12th century, possibly 9th. One of the few surviving originals that are so old - most often I personally have come across either copies or simply newer statues.

This is Notre-Dame de la Daurade in Toulouse.

It is from 1806, made to replace the statue destroyed during the revolution, but it is very different from the original. She is considered the patroness of expectant mothers.

In Toulouse, according to my list, there should have been another statue, but some confusion arose with it. I was looking for Notre-Dame du Palais - a statue made of dark stone, which should now be located on the Jesuit Church. We found this church in the middle of the night... There is this statue there:

In principle, everything is correct - the stone is not that light.

And then on a tour we found this one:

It is located above the entrance to the Notre-Dame du Taur church and also fits the description in all respects (to be honest, it’s quite meager)). In short, I'm still at a loss. Until I get around to contacting the author of the list where I got the information from and asking for advice.

There was another statue in Arles, but, unfortunately, we didn’t see it - we didn’t have much time in the city, according to the program it was in the evening, and the church, which I suspected was the Black Virgin there))), was closed.

But we found the Black Virgin in Marseille - Notre-Dame de la Confession

It is in the basilica of the Abbey of Saint-Victor, wood, 13th century.

And finally - those same statues from Chartres Cathedral:

Notre-Dame de Sous-Terre

Notre-Dame du Pilier

(photo stolen from the official website of the cathedral)

Another Paris

This was my first trip to France. Gray and miserable - that’s my impression of Paris! Either my friend tricked me and brought me to a place other than Paris, or the emigrants changed the city beyond recognition. Although how do I know what he was like before my arrival?! I know Paris from Hugo’s stories and from the film “Amelie”. The French women also turned out to be different from those in the films. Ordinary ones, not Catherine Deneuve.

Provincials

I didn’t really see Paris; I didn’t go to the famous Moulin Rouge. We were taken to the provinces, the French track is boring and not brutal. There is no mystery in it, like ours, when you don’t know what awaits you. You drive too smoothly, you don’t feel the steering wheel. The idea came to do the Dakar here. Let them feel what real off-roading is like! The French are spoiled by good roads, quality wine and social benefits. We have developed immunity even to the apocalypse, so I glanced sarcastically at my guides.

We pass by French villages. Our guide says that the French themselves love the provinces, they are attached to their homes and neighbors. Oddly enough, he speaks of Paris casually, as if it were a bustling and dirty city. I agree with him. But I’m silent, the guide is already looking sideways in my direction. He is infuriated by my impeccable English and godless pronunciation of merci, excusez moi.

After a 7 hour flight and disappointment in Paris, I want to send a friend. He deprived me of a Thai massage and an all inclusive hotel. Mark saves him. He is the owner of a winery with bottomless barrels of red and white wine. Red wine with medium rare steak was a great end to the evening.

Morning in the village

Mornings in the French countryside are not like ours. There are no crowing roosters and, in principle, no living creatures. This makes me happy, no one wakes me up annoyingly. But I found it inconvenient to lie in bed when the owners were already working. They get up early. Mark rides a horse around 56 hectares of the farm - Domaine Sant-Anne. A car ride through a vineyard can ruin it. I join Mark and get on the wagon as his son talks about the family business.

Red, white and rosé, still, semi-sparkling and sparkling wines are produced under 60 different names, which vary in appearance from very dry to very sweet. Chenay Blanc grapes produce wines of four completely different types: dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling. These are traditions that arose under the influence of the whims of the local climate. This grape variety has excess natural acidity and, if it receives enough sunlight, a high sugar content. But, from a viticultural point of view, the Loire Valley is considered a northern region, and wine producers must take into account late frosts, cold winds and changeable weather in the summer. In sunny years, winemakers strive to produce the most full-bodied wines from sweet and savory grapes, but in other cases they can only make semi-sweet or dry wines. Species diversity is at the heart of Loire winemakers' predicament, because you can't build a reputation on inconsistency. With the exception of wines such as the best Savenniere, dry Chenay blanc wines are too often bodyless, coarse and sour. They by no means enhance the reputation of the Loire, but they are similar in characteristics to Champagne wines. And if still wines with such characteristics cause disappointment, then sparkling wines cause delight. It is not surprising that during the period of rapid development of the champagne trade in the 19th century. The production of sparkling wines began in Saumur. Today, the Loire enjoys the reputation of being the largest sparkling wine market outside of Champagne itself.

Spirit Hunter of Louis

My friend clearly liked it in France. What does free wine and pretty French women do! I was still thinking about a Thai massage and an ocean holiday until Mark suggested going to Chateau de Chambord. This is the kings' hunting lodge, where I suspect they took their girlfriends. Previously, tokalkas also bought houses with servants, holding dinner parties in castles, while the legal wife decided the fate of the people in Versailles. I was more interested in the legends about local ghosts. I don’t believe in them, but the French are sure that they are found here. Actually, that's why I went to Louis's hunting lodge. Now these same hunting lodges are being bought by our oligarchs.

I fell behind the guide and turned on my headphones for Russian-speaking tourists. Long introduction aside, the history of Chambord is interesting.

Chateau de Chambord is a citadel of medieval architecture. It was built by order of King Francis I in 1519 and served as a hunting lodge. King Francis spared no expense in building the castle; he was not embarrassed by his debt to Spain. He devoted all his efforts to engineers and workers to build his “house.” Moreover, he raised taxes on the church and forced his subjects to melt silver. The design of the building was developed by the Italian architect Domenico da Cortona, but they also say that Leonardo da Vinci had a hand in the work. It was he who suggested the elements for finishing the building. Leonardo da Vinci also designed the staircase in the castle. The central ladder is made with double spiral winding. There are a total of 77 staircases in the castle. They say that Francis specifically ordered the construction of many stairs so that his favorites would not collide with each other. Beautiful Constantinople with its many columns served as inspiration for the creation of the Chateau de Chambord.

Stinky cheese or fries

After a long excursion, I was attacked by a glutton. The French women who were leaving the castle helped me find the cafe. They turned out to be atypical Europeans; they knew where Kazakhstan and Astana were. The feeling of pride gave way to a moment of anger after the mention of Borat. They apparently expected me to wash my hands in the toilet, but I decided to disappoint them and behaved like an English dandy. In the cafe we ​​ordered oysters, I read somewhere that they have a positive effect on potency. I don’t know about the health benefits, but the taste is a nightmare! Nothing beats horse meat, oysters and frog legs! Send the brie cheese there, smelling like bachelor socks.

Regions of France – provincial magic perfection

Well, when the word “province” evokes only delight and a storm of emotions, your eyes run wide from tempting prospects, and your head is spinning with tempting possibilities! If you are experiencing something similar, you are probably planning a trip to France.

When planning to visit a European pearl that seems to have matured in the mother-of-pearl of neighboring countries, the first thing you need to decide is which of the 27 regions of France to go to and what type of vacation to choose for an unforgettable trip.

Would you like to spend a week in Paris, ride along the Golden Ring of France, listen to the Legends of Provence, go to railway tour to Cannes or visit Prague, Paris and Nice in one trip, "DVM" will help you decide on the direction and route.

Thanks to the diversity and richness tourism infrastructure, the diversity of climatic zones and landscapes, regardless of the time of year, a holiday in France will be excellent at any time of the year, whatever the purpose of your trip.

Sunbathe on the luxurious beaches of the Cote d'Azur or explore the underwater world off the coast of rocky Brittany, try your luck at the Monte Carlo casino or get acquainted with the collections of the Louvre, Versailles and the Mahe Foundation. Arrange yourself a sightseeing tour of the castles of the Loire, the center of Paris or the famous Russian cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve des Bois? Or maybe a healing tour to Evian with a world-famous mineral water or a trip to the waters in Vichy? But what about the Alpine “Three Valleys” with the ski resorts of Courchevel, Meribel, Saint-Martin?! And finally, we need to take the children to Disneyland and arrange a shopping tour of French boutiques...

Or stop racking your brains and create an individual tour to France visiting everyone interesting places, cities and provinces?

So that your visit to France brought maximum joy, impressions and benefits, "DVM" offers you informational reviews on French cities and provinces, thanks to which you can understand in which part of France you would be comfortable spending your vacation, vacation, business trip, family holiday or improve your health.

Regions or provinces of unitary France- these are its administrative-territorial units, subordinate to a unified state system of law, supreme authorities and the constitution. All 27 provinces (22 on the mainland and 5 overseas territories) receive a share of taxes and have their own budget, which is distributed among departments. So every province is almost small state with its capital, departments subordinate to it, rich cultural and political-economic life. At the same time, in any part of France there is uniform legislation, norms and standards that apply to the entire country. So in the country you can safely move from province to province, paying attention only to climatic features region and choosing types of recreation that are relevant during the season of your trip to France.

KMP Group – tour operator in France, having over 27 years of experience with this popular destination tourism.

We offer you a large selection of tours along this amazing country, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world. Today, France is the most visited country in the world by tourists. The number of tourists coming here is more than 86 million people a year. Rich story, special atmosphere and French sophisticated style are the main reasons for such popularity.

Besides, France is a country of high fashion, exclusive cuisine and winemaking. Once you visit Paris, Nice, Marseille, Lyon or Bordeaux, you will definitely want to come back here at least again.

Location and climate: The northern and western regions of France are occupied by low mountains and plains, the snowy Alps rise in the southeast, the center, east and southwest of the country are occupied by mountains. The geographical location of France allows tourists to visit completely different climatic and cultural characteristics regions. The southern Mediterranean regions - the Côte d'Azur, Provence and Occitania are one thing, and Norman, Brittany and the central regions of the country are quite another. And it’s very difficult to see all this within one tour of France! Each region is so unique and gives so many new emotions and impressions that any traveler wants to stay here longer. We will help you choose from this variety exactly those tours that will be most interesting to you.

Climate of France also varies significantly by region. In the central regions - sea, moderate and quite mild, which allows you to comfortably travel around the country practically all year round. Southern regions Mediterranean Sea are located in the subtropical zone. In the eastern regions of France the climate is continental. In January average temperature: 1-8°C, July average temperature: 17-24°C;

The most favorable time to visit Paris is May and September-October, the Riviera is September. Mountain areas have their own microclimate, characteristic of high-altitude areas. The best months to visit Corsica are May to June and September to October.

Capital: Paris

Time: Time in France is 2 hours behind Moscow

Currency: The national currency is the Euro

Official language: The main language of communication is French, but throughout France it is possible to communicate in English language. In addition, German is spoken in Alsace, and different provinces have their own dialects of French.

Tour operator in France KMP Group offers not only excursion tours, but also wine and wedding tours, with visits to ancient castle hotels, holidays on the beaches of the Cote d'Azur and much more.

Popular resorts

France is one of the first countries that people dream of as a travel destination. Holidays in France are magnificent palaces, and museums where the originals of the greatest works of art are stored, and streets that are described in the works of classics, and with which the most important events of European and world history are associated. These are the most prestigious ski resorts, and first-class seaside resorts on Cote d'Azur, where the most influential people in the world vacation. Holidays in France are a combination of modern French luxury, the charm of small cozy restaurants with gourmet cuisine and the modest French province.

When purchasing tours to France, most tourists first go to Paris. Take a walk through the streets of Montmartre, try real French coffee, sit and savor the wine, praised by many connoisseurs. You will definitely meet lovers on the numerous stairs and bridges of Paris - believe me, it is impossible not to fall in love here. There are more than 200 museums here, including the Louvre, the Picasso and Rodin museums and the Paris Wine Museum. The heart of Paris is the Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris, from which distances to other cities are measured.

When planning a trip to France, be sure to plan a visit to Disneyland Paris - this is a whole world of exciting adventures that will delight your children. You can’t get around all the attractions of this legendary Disneyland in a whole day.

You can also choose the Moulin Rouge, Crazy Horse or Lido cabaret. Or admire the views of the capital of France from Eiffel Tower, and then have dinner at the famous restaurant “Altitude 95” (“58 Tour Eiffel”), from the windows of which a beautiful panorama of the Seine and Trocadéro Square opens.

Tours to France are in great demand among tourists, most tourist routes invariably pass through this country. We have developed for you the most interesting routes and excursions to all the significant attractions of Paris and other regions. Choose the most suitable tour for you and call - we will be happy to help you visit the most alluring and romantic country in the world!