Get out and about

1. Holiday for free and join World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms – work half a day, and earn your food and board. The afternoons are your own!

2. Play golf – the courses are emptier than in Britain ones and the clubs make their mission to find the best chefs in the area, making the 19th hole a gastronomic heaven.

3. Look for local festivals going on, and you’ll be treated to great entertainment, usually for free. June is the best time for musos as the Fête de la Musique kicks off nationwide.

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4. Make the tourist office your first stop, you’ll get a free map and you can invest in the museum passes on offer in most towns. For one ticket price, you’ll get access to all the attractions and maybe even the transport system. Nantes has a great one on offer.

5. Discover these 151 beautiful villages that are renowned for their heritage, aesthetics and character - well worth a detour.

6. Follow the dedicated cycle routes known as the Voies Vertes for smooth, traffic-free bike rides.

7. Avoid the busy coastal beaches and head inland. Some of France’s best beaches are next to lakes or rivers. Lake Annecy is hard to beat.

8. Attend a "son et lumiere" (sound and light show) at one of the magnificent Loire châteaux.

9. Walk a Grand Randonnée (GR) trail. They are France’s most beautiful walks, waymarked by red and white stripes painted on rocks, trees, walls and posts.

Accommodation

10. Hike to the Refuge de Sarenne in the beautiful resort of Alpe d’Huez and be impressed by Catherine and Fabrice’s chalet, with all its eco features.

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