Visit France - French Riviera Vacations

Why don't you choose from the great variety of French Riviera vacations the next time you are thinking about where to go for a well earned break. Thousands of tourists have flocked to the French Riviera for many years as it was one of the first European tourist destinations. This gives it that feel of being well established, with attractive towns and villages that have been around for decades or centuries, and have real character compared with many of the purpose built resorts with their predictable concrete apartment blocks. Depending on your preferences choose, Antibes or Frejus; Cannes or Nice; or even St Tropez if you can afford it. Or one of the smaller towns or villages a short drive from the Mediterranean - you won't be disappointed.

Maybe you think it's a long way to travel for a beach holiday, (depending on where you're starting out from!) but there are many reasons why French Riviera vacations are continuing to be popular despite competition from newer resorts in Europe and around the world. So here are five reasons to visit the French Riviera for you to think about when choosing your next vacation.

First, the climate is ideal for a summer vacation. I have visited some other resort areas in Europe in the height of the summer and it simply has been too hot! In Spain last year, when visiting, we had temperatures of 108F, 42C, which meant that you couldn't do much at all at times. This was away from the coast, where it was cooler, but when temperatures reach these levels, you have to think carefully about any activity and it can interfere with vacation activities. Quite honestly, it's dangerously hot!

Top temperatures for Nice on the French Riviera reach 82F, 28C, in the summer, with the average being a little cooler. This makes for a very pleasant vacation. Add to that an average of ten hours sunshine each day in the summer, and very little rain, and vacations on the French Riviera usually enjoy a great climate. Do be aware though that the Mediterranean experiences warm, wet winters and the rainfall increases quite dramatically through the autumn months. So if you're going to the French Riviera I suggest you go in the summer for warm dry weather.

Second, although this is obviously a French speaking area, English/American is spoken in many, many places. In fact you will see English on a large number of street signs, shop signs, just about all menus and tourist information. It is undoubtedly the second language. The main reason for this is the length of time the English, and other English speakers have been visiting the French Riviera to enjoy the climate mentioned above. Long before long or short haul airlines offered regular affordable flights, wealthy tourists from the UK would use their cars or the train to make French Riviera vacations a possibility. Plus it is now so well established that in some areas it is almost the first language. It can be a real struggle to practise your French, even if you want to, because once the waitress or whoever, realises you are a tourist they will switch straight to English/American.

Third, the towns and villages are so varied, that there is a resort to suit the French Riviera vacation dreams of everybody. From the almost exclusive resort of St Tropez, through the more cosmopolitan Nice and Cannes, to smaller places like Frejus, there is such a choice. If you want a beach side luxury hotel serving familiar international cuisine, you will find it. Or if it's a smaller traditional French hotel with a local menu, you won't have to look far. There are plenty of budget motels for those looking to spend as little as possible. We had one of our best vacations in a trailer/caravan/mobile home (call it what you will!) just outside Antibes, which is another great little resort with a superb beach, a fascinating marina and like most French towns, an interesting market.

And also, move away from the coast a little and there is just as good a selection of accommodation for French Riviera vacations, in less busy towns and villages, often at more affordable prices. Not that the French Riviera is overly expensive but in peak season the hotels will charge what they can get away with!

Fourth, visit the French Riviera, and you don't have to stay in France. You can visit Monaco, another home of the rich and famous, which is well worth a visit just to soak up the atmosphere perhaps, or to walk the famous Grand Prix circuit. Go a little further and you can cross the border into Italy and enjoy another culture and way of life for a few hours or days if you have the time.

And fifth, consider a French Riviera vacation for your next trip, simply because it's France! In France you will experience wonderful food - fresh bread and cheeses that cannot be bettered, great French wine, a fascinating culture, history, amazing châteaux and other architecture, and in my experience, friendly people. It's all there and to be enjoyed if you find some time to visit the French Riviera

The weather, the language, resorts, Monaco and Italy, and French life; five reasons to seriously consider. After you have had an opportunity to go over these reasons, perhaps you will agree that French Riviera vacations are to be seriously considered when looking at the possibilities for your next European trip!