The complete guide to France

Simple and cheap to get to, inexpensive when you’re there and with a multitude of great sights and wonderful food it really is a holiday paradise.

Millions of us still choose to take the ferry over to France. Understandable really, as modern ferries are more like cruise ships than the ferries of old and offer top-quality dining and on-board facilities. 

Strong competition has also kept prices keen, with travellers reaping the benefits.

Brittany Ferries (www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) sail from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth to Cherbourg, Caen, Roscoff and St Malo from just £62 each way for a car plus two adults.

SeaFrance (www.seafrance. com) run between Dover and Calais with fares starting at £25 each way, while P&O Ferries (www.poferries.com) have fast crossings on the shortest Dover to Calais route. They offer fantastic discounts for booking in advance and have introduced their ‘Best Fare Sailings’ scheme with trips over the Channel for as little as £30 each way.

LD Lines (www.ldlines.co.uk) have a series of special offers on for summer crossings. You can travel with them from Newhaven to Dieppe from £37.50 each way including a car and two adults. Taking your car on the train is another great way to reach France, with speedy check-ins and a Channel crossing of little more than half an hour.

Eurotunnel (www.eurotunnel.com) have great offers with prices starting at £44 per car return and for

bookings in March and April they will throw in a free one-day Adult Park Hopper ticket to Disneyland® Resort Paris. 

Self-drive holidays give you the chance to see this wonderful country at your own pace and to roam wherever you fancy.

Taking the car also allows you to bring as much luggage as you like –perfect for camping trips. Camping in France is great – the sites are cheap, well maintained, perfect for kids to explore and offer high-quality accommodation in both luxury tents or mobile homes. 

In Picardy, Normandy and Brittany the sites are perfectly situated for the ferry ports and have wonderful sandy beaches. But whether you want to explore the wine regions of Burgundy or Champagne, soak up the sun on the Mediterranean coastline, chill out in Provence or thrill the kids at Disneyland Paris, you will find a campsite to meet your requirements.

 Matthews Holidays (www.matthewsfrance.co.uk) specialise in mobile home holidays to France, and have campsites in Brittany, the Vendee and Southern France.

They have teamed up with Brittany Ferries to offer great packages with prices from £429 for two weeks in June, including a highspeed ferry crossing.

Check out Carisma Holidays (www.carisma.co.uk) who specialise in camping holidays in France in luxury mobile homes on small French campsites on superb, sandy,  private beaches in Brittany, Vendee, Bordeaux & Biarritz. 

They have a children’s club on every campsite. A week’s holiday with Carisma starts at £399 and that includes ferry crossings, accommodation and gas and electricity charges.

Check out Eurocamp (www.eurocamp.co.uk) and Keycamp (www.keycamp.co.uk) who both have parks sprinkled all over France from the Cote d’Azur in the south to Picardy in the north. Book before the end of this month and you can save up to 40 per cent on the price of an Easter break with Eurocamp.

 At Keycamp all kids go free and you can also get up to seven extra nights free when you book a break of more than 14 days.