Story: France villa holidays

France is one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Whether it's the chic boutiques of Paris, the sandy beaches of the South of France, skiing in the Alps or a wine tasting tour, France has it all!

Cote d'Azur villa holidays
For years, this area has been the place where swarms of celebrities and the rich and famous have taken their holidays. But don't let this deter you from visiting this beautiful part of France as there are plenty of decent hotels, villas and campsites to suit everyone who is drawn to the beautiful coastline, towns, villages and crystal clear seas.

Cannes, Monaco and St Tropez, with it's harbour lined with luxury yachts, are of course, famous for their glitz and glamour and great people watching, but for something a little more relaxing, head to the market town of Antibes, Fréjus or St Raphael. To the west of St Tropez, you can also find hidden coves and unspoilt coastline, a world away from hustle and bustle and an ideal location for a relaxing villa holiday.

The capital of the region is Nice with plenty of shops, excellent restaurants and again, a great coastline. Alternatively, the old port town of Marseille will make an interesting visit where you can try the town's regional dish of authentic bouillabaisse.

Villas in The French Alps
This is Europe's largest mountain range and one of France's most popular tourist resorts. The range spreads across France, Switzerland and Italy with the tallest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc, standing proud. With breathtaking scenery and over seventy ski resorts including Chamonix and Meribel, it attracts thousands of skiers and snowboarders year after year. However, there are lots of activities to do throughout all seasons such as hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and caving.

Burgundy villa holidays
The capital of burgundy for is famed for its old renaissance buildings and named after its mustard - Dijon. Burgundy is perfect for a self-catering villa holiday as its rich cuisine and gastronomic delights are hugely popular with both tourists and locals alike. The famous dish of beef bourguignon made with red wine and good quality beef comes from this area, along with one of the most famous of French dishes - snails!

Popular activities in Burgundy include walking and cycling - there are lots of cycle paths and off-road trails through the wine regions of Cote d'Or where you can stop off for a spot of wine tasting along the way.

Brittany villa holidays
The town of Rennes is the capital of Brittany and a popular holiday destination for both French and foreign holiday makers, The other towns in the region, such as St Malo with its ancient city walls plus the coastal towns of Dinard, Dinan and Quimper are all ideal locations for a French villa holiday. Almost a quarter of France's total coastline is in the Brittany area, which is scattered with pretty harbours, wide sandy beaches and rocky cliffs. Head inland from the coast to find contrasting but equally beautiful scenery including moorland, lakes, woodland and fields - perfect for country walks.

Villa holidays in Aquitaine (Dordogne)
The capital of this area is Bordeaux with the vast vineyards producing world renowned wines. A wine tour or two is a must if you take a villa holiday in this area, but there are plenty of other things to enjoy too with the region's 180miles of sandy beaches, fresh water lakes and pine forests.

From your villa you can explore the beautiful Dordogne Valley, known to the French as 'Perigord' and divided into four areas - Black, Purple, Green and White.

The Black Perigord, taking its name from the colour of the oak trees, is the most popular area with its stunning rivers, pretty stone villages, amazing chateaux and prehistoric caves. The Purple Perigord is named after the vineyards that sweep across the hillside, the Green Perigord takes its name from the surrounding emerald forests and the White Perigord is named after the grey and white limestone present in the area.

Normandy villa holidays
With beaches famous for the D-Day landings, the varying Normandy coastline attracts thousands of visitors each year. Seaside resorts of Trouville and Deauville are also very popular, as are the pretty towns of Honfleur and Barfleur along with the many pleasant villages that are dotted along the banks of the River Seine.

This area is great for art and history lovers as the home of the Bayeux tapestry depicting William the Conqueror's victory at Hastings and the Musée American in Giverney contains numerous works by American Impressionist painters.

Villa holidays in the loire valley
The whole Loire Valley has been named a World Heritage site with a huge amount of places to visit scattered along the Loire River including castles, mansions, palaces and fortresses. You probably won't be able to see everything during one trip as the river stretches for 628 miles, so it's easy to see why tourists return here time and time again for a weekend break or an extended holiday.