Hotels, Self-Catering B&B Apartments, Gites and other
Accommodation in France by Region
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France
is divided into 27 administrative regions, 22 of which are in mainland
France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial
collectivity but is considered a region in popular usage. Each region
has its own distinctive character, cuisine, customs and traditions
and many have ancient regional languages and dialects.
Listed below, alphabetically
by region, are those of mainland France followed by links to hotels
and holiday accommodation in that region.
Map of
France Copyright © 2008 John Moss, Papillon Graphics.
See
also:
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Alsace
Alsace
is the fifth smallest region in France and had an estimated
population of just over 1.8 million in 2008. It is located
on France's eastern border and on the west bank of the upper
Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. Its capital and
largest city is Strasbourg, which is the base of many international
organisations, making it politically one of the most important
regions in the EU. Frequently mentioned in conjunction with
Lorraine, because German possession of Alsace-Lorraine from
1871–1918, which was contested in the 19th and 20th
centuries and changed possession four times between France
and Germany. Alsace is famous for its vineyards, the large
number of picturesque villages and old cities, as well as
many fine churches and castles.
Aquitaine
Aquitaine
is located in the south-western part of France, along the
Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees bordering Spain. It has
5 departments: Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques,
Landes and Gironde. Bordeaux is the capital of the region
and is the world's major wine industry capital - classified
"City of Art and History". The city has been inscribed
on UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding
urban and architectural ensemble". Both red and
white wines are made in Bordeaux. Red Bordeaux is called
"claret" in the United Kingdom.
Auvergne
Auvergne
is an historic province in south central France, originally
the feudal domain of the Counts of Auvergne. The capital
of the region is Clermont-Ferrand, a large urban and industrialised
city. Otherwise the region is predominantly
agricultural with tourism slowly becoming more important.
Auvergnat, an old dialect of the Occitan language,
is still spoken there. Aubrac oxen, a rare breed, are raised
in the Aubrac hills. Composer Joseph Canteloube based his
"Songs of the Auvergne", his popular piece
for voice and orchestra, on folk music and songs from the
Auvergne region.
Basse
Normandie / Lower Normandy
Lower
Normandy (or in French: Basse-Normaundie) was created
in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower
Normandy and Upper Normandy. The region includes three departments,
Calvados, Manche and Orne. As well as French, Normandy has
its own regional language, Norman. It is still in use today
especially in and around the Cotentin Peninsular. Famous
for its D Day beaches and recent history, with several major
Allied Military Cemeteries. The western part of the region
is mainly agricultural, though iron ore is mined near Caen.
Tourism is also a major industry. The region has direct
ferry links to England via the port of Cherbourg and Caen
Ouistreham.
Bourgogne
/ Burgundy
Burgundy
(or in French: Bourgogne) is one of the great historic
regions of France. In the Middle Ages, it was the great
dukedom which covered a large part of central eastern France,
and half of modern day Switzerland. The historic and modern
capital of the Burgundy region is Dijon, a thriving administrative
and cultural centre, best known by the British for its mustard,
but which is also a major communications and freight-distribution
hub. The world-famous Burgundy vineyards mostly cover a
narrow strip of land running south from Dijon, on the western
fringe of the Saône plain. Beaujolais is a famous
variety of Burgundy wine.
Bretagne
/ Brittany
Brittany
(or in French: Bretagne), occupies a large peninsula
in the northwest of the country, lying between the English
Channel to the north and the Bay of Biscay to the south.
Its capital city is Rennes. Brittany is home to many megalithic
monuments which are scattered across the peninsula. The
largest alignments are near Carnac. Besides its numerous
intact manors and châteaux, Brittany has several old
fortified town including the walled city of Saint-Malo.
Centre
The
Centre region of France is located towards the Northwest
of the actual centre of the country, around the Loire Valley.
Its capital is Orléans, although its largest city
is Tours. Centre contains the famous châteaux of the
Loire Valley, and its accompanying rich fertile vineyards,
which attract many tourists to the region. The region was
named on account of its central location in France, though
it has been proposed to rename it Val de Loire (Loire
Valley), which would give more character to the name of
the region, in keeping with the gentle and refined lifestyle,
wine, the mild and temperate climate.
Champagne-Ardenne
The
Champagne-Ardenne region is located in the northeast of
the country, bordering Belgium, and is famous for its sparkling
white wine (champagne). Its rivers include the Seine, the
Marne, the Meuse and the Aisne. Tourists often visit Champagne
because of its history and its world-famous wines. However,
the region offers a rich cultural heritage and its cuisine,
not least of which is Ardenne pâté. Main destinations
are Troyes, Langres, Châlons-en-Champagne, Épernay,
Reims and Colombey-les-deux-Églises. The region also
contains some magnificent forests and lakes where one can
enjoy hiking and water sports.
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté,
a former "Free County" of Burgundy, is an administrative
region in eastern France, composed of four departments.
The principal cities are the capital Besançon, Belfort,
and Montbéliard. The Jura mountains are a popular
cross-country skiing area and there are many nature trails
on the more gentle slopes for hiking and rambling. The Doubs
and Loue valleys, with their timbered houses perched on
stilts in the river, and the high valley of Ain, are popular
visitor areas. The Région des Lacs is a land of gorges
and waterfalls dotted with tiny villages, and lakes that
are perfect for swimming in the warmer months.
Haute
Normandie / Upper Normandy
Upper
Normandy (or in French: Haute-Normandie) was created
in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and
Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and
Upper Normandy. Rouen is the regional capital, historically
important with many fine churches and buildings, including
the tallest cathedral tower in France. However, the region's
largest city, in terms of metropolitan population, is Le
Havre. Normandy is a significant cider-producing region,
and also produces calvados, a distilled cider or apple brandy.
Other activities of economic importance are dairy produce,
flax, horse breeding, fishing, seafood, and tourism.
Ile
de France / Paris
Île-de-France
(literally translated as Isle of France) is the wealthiest
and most populated region in France, composed mostly of
the Paris metropolitan area, with around 11¾ million
inhabitants. The region is still popularly referred to by
French people as the Région Parisienne (the
Paris Region) or simply by the initials "RP".
At the 1999 census, 88% of Île-de-France's population
lived in the Paris inner urban area. Economically, Île-de-France
is the world's fourth and Europe's first wealthiest and
largest regional economy. Paris, particularly, apart from
being the nation's capital and centre of government, is
a major tourist centre.
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
was formerly part the province of Languedoc which extended
over the Midi-Pyrénées region, including the
old capital of Languedoc Toulouse. The region is dominated
by vineyards, three times the combined area of the vineyards
in Bordeaux. Vineyards originally developed around two towns:
Béziers and Narbonne. The Mediterranean climate and
plentiful land with soil ranging from rocky sand to thick
clay was very suitable for the production of wine, and it
is estimated that one in ten bottles of the world's wine
was produced in this region during the 20th century. Other
major towns are Montpellier, Nîmes, Béziers
and Alès.
Limousin
The
Limousin region has as its capital the historical city of
Limoges, the largest city of the province. It is an essentially
rural region, renowned for some of the best beef farming
in the world, herds of Limousin cattle are a common sight
in the region. In addition to cattle, the region is also
a major timber producing area. It is also famed for its
French Oak orchards, so prized for its distinct characters
and flavours in wine fermentation that only vintner Rémy
Martin has exclusive rights to their oak orchards. Limoges
was once a major industrial city, world-famous for its porcelain.
Nowadays known as a leader and innovator in electric equipment
factories.
Loire
(Pays de la Loire)
Pays
de la Loire (literally translated "lands of the
Loire") is somewhat misleading as a placename,
as the majority of the famous châteaux of the Loire
Valley are actually located in the Centre region, and not
inside Pays de la Loire, despite the confusing name. The
region, however, has many great monuments and castles, as
in Angers, Laval, Mayenne and the Nantes. Nantes is the
capital city of the Pays de la Loire region and Loire-Atlantique
département. Historically it belonged to the province
of Brittany, and culturally remains strongly identified
with it. In 2004, Time magazine described Nantes
as "the most liveable city in Europe".
Lorraine
The
administrative region of Lorraine has two cities of equal
importance - Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the
official capital since that is where the regional parliament
is situated. Lorraine is the only French region to have
borders with three other countries: Belgium, Luxembourg
and Germany, and also borders the French regions of Franche-Comté,
Alsace, and Champagne-Ardenne. The location of Lorraine
led to it being seen as a strategic asset and as the crossroads
of four nations, it had a very important role in European
affairs. Potatoes and smoked bacon are traditional ingredients
of Lorraine cuisine, used in various traditional dishes
of the region, including the famous 'quiche lorraine'.
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées
has no historical or geographical unity. It is one of the
regions of France created artificially in the late 20th
century to serve as a hinterland and zone of influence for
its capital, Toulouse. While Toulouse itself is a densely
populated area, the rest of the region is sparsely populated,
having among the lowest population densities in western
Europe. The region has the largest number of farms of all
France. Tourism is also an important source of incomes for
the region, partly due to a sunny climate and the presence
of the Pyrénées. It is well known for its
gastronomy and quality of life. Aside of casual tourism
the small town of Lourdes, because of religious pilgrimage,
it is France's second largest tourist destination and has
more hotels than any other city but Paris.
Nord-Pas
de Calais
Nord-Pas
de Calais was once part of the Netherlands, within the Low
Countries, and gradually became part of France between 1477
and 1678. It is a densely populated region, having some
four million inhabitants. Its administrative centre and
largest city is Lille. The second largest city is Calais,
which serves as a major continental transportation hub with
Dover in Great Britain across the English Channel, the White
Cliffs of Dover being visible from Calais on a clear day.
Other major towns include Dunkirk, Boulogne, Arras, Cambrai
and Saint-Omer.
Picardie
/ Picardy
Picardy
(or in French: Picardie) is an historical province
in the north of France whose ancient capital and largest
city is Amiens. The historical province of Picardy stretched
from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme
department and the north of the Aisne department. The province
of Artois (Arras area) separated Picardy from French Flanders.
The region of Picardy has a strong and proud cultural heritage
that includes some of the most outstanding Gothic cathedrals
at Amiens, Beauvais and Saint-Quentin, as well as distinctive
local cuisine and locally brewed beers. Within the region
lie the Great War battlefields of the Somme and numerous
Allied War Cemeteries.
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes
is a region in central western France comprising four departments:
Charente, Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sèvres and Vienne.
The regional capital is Poitiers, whose centre is picturesque
with ancient streets with remains of historical architecture,
especially from the Romanesque period. Poitou is believed
to be the region of origin of most of the Acadian and Cajun
populations of North America: settlements having been founded
in New Brunswick, Louisiana, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island, the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec, Maine and Newfoundland
- their ancestors emigrated from the region in the 17th
and 18th centuries. La Rochelle is a major regional seaport
and the nearby Vendee department is a major tourist destination
with long sandy beaches.
Provence-Alpes-Cote
d'Azur
The
department of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur encompasses six
departments in south-eastern France, bounded to the east
by the Italian border, to the south by the Mediterranean
Sea and by the principality of Monaco, to the north by Rhône-Alpes,
and to the west by Languedoc-Roussillon, with the Rhône
river marking its westernmost border. A popular tourist
destination for its warm Mediterranean climate and local
colour, as well as historic towns like Aix, Marseilles,
Nice, Avignon, Cannes and St Tropez. There is a main French
naval base at Toulon. The town of Grasse is also a world-famous
manufacturer of perfumes.
Rhone-Alpes
The
department of Rhône-Alpes is located on the eastern
border of France, towards the south. Named after the Rhône
River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is
the second largest metropolitan area in France and Rhône-Alpes
has the sixth largest economy of any European region. The
central part of the region comprises the river valleys of
the Rhône and the Saône, whose confluence is
at Lyon. Other major cities of the region are Grenoble and
Saint-Étienne.
See
also:
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Much
of the textual material used on this web page was sourced at Wikipedia
(www.wikipedia.org). Consequently, while every effort
has been made in compiling the information contained on this page,
Papillon Graphics makes no guarantee as to the accuracy,
currency or authenticity of entries, nor of the quality of service
offered by companies listed herein.
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