• This topic has 40 replies, 20 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by juan.
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  • France for a cheap holiday?
  • Pieface
    Full Member

    Is it possible in the current climate? The choices are to get the ferry to Dunkirk / Calais then drive to Brittany (or would it be cheaper to get the ferry to Cherbourg / St. Malo). Otherwise are there any nice 'beach' holiday destinations near Dunkirk.

    The alternative is Scotland / Devon at the beginning of July.

    Having never been to France in the last 15 years I've no idea about where to go, and only have a month or 2 to plan it. Any thoughts on my holiday plans much appreciated.

    doug_basqueMTB.com
    Full Member

    I was up in St Malo the other day. It's very nice along the coast around there. I wouldn't say it's cheap though. I find France quite expensive, especially for eating and drinking. I was in Brest (honestly) and it's got a great coastline and looked surprisingly good for a bit of biking… There were no big hills but it all sort of rolled. Brest itself is a bit funny, really nice and affluent areas but the centre just felt a bit like one of those flats that old people have lived in until they died.

    faint
    Free Member

    All but 2 of our family holidays have been in campsites in France (Eurocamp etc.) and I can't really fault them. Tend to go to Calais and spread out from there. Bonne Anse Plage (Vendee) last year not the best beach but could cycle everywhere. It will be different than 15 years ago, it gets busy. We tend to use supermarkets rather then eat out to keep costs down. I'd watch your mileage driving to Brittany as some places on the Vendee are nearer

    edit: meaning get ferry to Calais and drive on from there

    Jackass123456789
    Free Member

    We used the Brittany Ferries website and booked to go in July, be careful as they classed all of July as peak although we go just before the school holidays. We paid £950 for 4 adults and 1 child which is the ferry and accomdation for the week including a cabin on the night crossing (coming back is during the day). £250 each I didn't think was too bad.

    ianv
    Free Member

    I have never been but I understand that the cote opale just west of calais is really nice.

    personally I dont find france cheap though even at E1.5 back in the day and I reckon somewhere like dumfries and Galloway would be better value (weather permitting)

    stevomcd
    Free Member

    Food = cheap, beer = expensive, wine = cheap, bike bits = is there an "assume the position" smily?

    The pound/euro exchange rate is currently the best it's been in about 2 years, so that helps.

    pistonbroke
    Free Member

    For the ferry try Norfolk Line, if you have a month or 2's notice it is very cheap, I booked 2 of us plus a VW T4 camper return in July for £29, food on the boat is not bad either.

    Mackem
    Full Member

    French cheap restaurants are rank. The food in the supermarkets is cheap and excellent though. Always found the area round Calais (not Calais itself though) very nice with decent riding.

    Take the tunnel, fast and cheap.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    bike bits = is there an "assume the position" smily?

    The front end would resemble this 😯

    doug_basqueMTB.com
    Full Member

    Having said Mackem, I was introduced to the delights of the crepes and cider in that region of France. About €12 for a glass of the 2nd best cider in Europe and a three course meal consisting of things stuffed into crepes. It was awesome and probably the only good, cheap meal I've ever had in France 🙂

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    We had some fantastic holidays staying on beach campsites down the west coast (La Rochelle area), you can book a tent ie Eurocamp. Also nice around Nantes if you don't want a massive drive.

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    I have always wondered what La Rochelle is like as according to my Tricolore French text book at school all French teenagers like there, ride mopeds and play table football.

    Eurocamp is not a bad idea. I wanted to take my family to France this summer but with camping equipment and all the stuff a toddler needs I would have had to leave my bike at home.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Babyfoot, Mister P.

    Dont forget that all French schoolkids must wear either trackie bottoms or Adidas Stabil trainers.

    Anyway, Cote Opale? Does anybody actually stop there on the way through or is it only full of day tripping pensioners? Looks nice, but cant say that I've ever stopped there meself.

    missingfrontallobe
    Free Member

    I'll go against the flow here:

    Eurocamp – very expensive for what it is. It's a tent or a mobile home the likes of Haven use – and charge a lot less for.

    Cote Opale (west of Calais) superb beaches, but I'd hazard a guess at not that great for cycling -terrain quite rolling but not interesting. Also possibly expensive as the area includes Le Touquet, which is the area that Parisians tend to go to for short breaks and weekends, so accomodation, eateries etc tend to be a premium. We went to the area at easter a couple of years ago, and the roads were very busy locally in the Le Touquet area even so early in the season.

    For a sunny beach type holiday then I'd suggest Charente Maritime (department just south of Vendee). Better weather, maybe slightly less busy than Vendee. It does have good beaches, just need to look for them (St Georges des Didonnes, a few km south of Royan, is a cracking golden sand beach) and often gets the right winds for kite surfing etc.

    Ferry crossing wise, anywhere in western france is best done with a longer crossing, Portsmouth Caen is a good one, not cheap but dover-cal will usually mean an extra overnight stay thrown in somewhere in the journey.

    France has become generally more expensive in the last 3 years, even fuel, despite their lower taxes, isn't going to be much cheaper than here, soemthing that needs to be factored in. Given an option use the autoroutes, direct, fast, less congested than UK motorways, tolls are not that expensive.

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    I just gave eurocamp as an example, I have no experience of them.

    MisterP. My dad had a trailer tent, but I think Eurocamp type tents are a bit more like chalets under canvas. It was 20 years ago, but we all still agree that it was the best family holiday we had (my parents retired to La Rochelle a few years ago)

    The west coast is completely flat aswell

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    RE: Ferries.

    What ferry you use depends on where you live and where you are heading. If you live in Kent then no matter, Dover e.t.c is the better port to head to. If you live in Plymouth and are heading to Brest the ferry to Roscoff ma be more expensive but you have to balance the added fuel + time of driving all the way east and all the way west again. If you live in Manchester than not too much in it but Portsmouth is slightly less mileage and avoids having ot go round London how much is that worth to you?, unless you want to head for Normandy then it's the Kent ports again. My girlfriends, best mates dad drives from Stirling every year to the south of France with a caravan, they go Portsmouth – S.T Marlo because there is a slow overnight crossing that means he can sleep for 6-7 hoursish on the ferry. Saves money on a night in a hotel, then can continue driving. So best ferry option depends on several factors.

    Last time I was over there diesel was a little cheaper than here but not massively so.

    France is no more expensive than the UK at worst and cheaper for many things but it's not cheap like going to parts of Spain or many other holiday destinations. Food is clearly excellent and much better priced than in the uk. Eat out for lunch, not for dinner. Lunch offer much better value, quite often a set menu. Went with the girlfriend two years ago and where we where they did MASSIVE bowel of chips + muscles for €7-8, for €20 a fruits of the sea mix for two to share, never had it but it was huge! very good quality. Look at the cost of decent sea food in the uk and guess the price of these dishes would be closer to double. A diffrent region might be big on beef dishes e.t.c

    snowslave
    Full Member

    You eat muscles???

    TheLittlestHobo
    Free Member

    Just booked 8 nights in Luxury 2 bed lodge (Log cabin esque thingy) with ferry travel included on a lovely looking french resort 1hr from paris.

    £1163 all in. Well pleased with that and the sister in law has booked the same for her family.

    As i have the Vito dualiner my i will be able to bring everything including the kitchen sink with me and the kids will love all the activities. We have been pricing up all inc holidays to Majorca etc and were looking at £2.5k -£3k for similar levels of comfort.

    Looking forward to it now 🙂

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    I went down to a place near Beziers for a couple of weeks. Cap De Agde I think it was.

    Nice beaches, cheap good wine, great seafood, some places to avoid as they were a bit naaf (thiink blackpool in the sun) but otherwise a really nice holiday. Lots of stuff for the kids to do too.

    http://www.languedoc-france.info/

    tron
    Free Member

    We went last year, took a tent and just drove around looking for campsites. No trouble getting a pitch, and this was August.

    It's not super cheap (you could do all inc. in the Canaries for less I reckon), but you are actually in a nice place, eating nice food and drinking nice wine, rather than watching the X-factor on plastic patio furniture.

    Found food to be very good, even in the cheaper restaurants we went to.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    some places to avoid as they were a bit naaf

    Cap d'Agde has,dare I say it,a reputation for what goes on just off the beaches. It isnt where I would take my family, but then I'm 3/4 of an hour up the road.

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    I know about that but took steps to avoid those beaches. We were actually in a placed called Seriginan which was OK.

    Not the best bit of france I've been to but still OK and the house we rented was cheap.

    Was very impressed by a dessert I had in a place called The Refinery in Beziers.

    juan
    Free Member

    France is no more expensive than the UK at worst and cheaper for many things but it's not cheap like going to parts of Spain or many other holiday destinations. Food is clearly excellent and much better priced than in the uk. Eat out for lunch, not for dinner. Lunch offer much better value, quite often a set menu.

    Agree to most of the previous. However I find that quality have gone down a lot in the past 5 years. I can't comment on the cote d'Opale. I went to Dieppe (ferry from Newhaven) and it's a nice little town with plenty to visit around.
    La Rochelle is quite nice but will look pretty different to a brit (small town shop closed for lunch etc etc).

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Serignan

    The beach resorts are pretty featureless along that bit of the coast (well any where between Leucate and Marseille actually) but inland is very nice.
    Although some of the villages have more retired english than villagers, theres even a cricket club out somewhere around there, not really my tasse de thé.

    B.A.Nana
    Free Member

    shops closed for lunch

    Tell me about it!, everything is closed for lunch, and on Saturday afternoons and Sundays and monday mornings and friday afternoons. Trying to build my dad a car port was a nightmare. Mr Brickolage was more closed than open.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    shops closed for lunch

    Normal in France, even in city centres.
    Sunday opening is nonexistant, shops are only allowed 5 times in the year by law, usually the sales and the run up to xmas.

    juan
    Free Member

    ocrider well depends where really here everything is open. Even some supermarket are opened on sundays 🙁

    ocrider
    Full Member

    Yeah, but thats the Cote d'Azur, about as French as Paris! 😛

    geoffj
    Full Member

    Its not going to be as cheap as Scotland or Devon.

    I looked into it this year. First 2 weeks in July in a static caravan in St Cast (just West of St Malo) was £1,300. + Ferry, + higher food costs (in supermarket and restaurants) + bits you forget about like travel and breakdown insurance and the number just don't work.

    In contrast, I've booked the same 2 weeks in a caravan in St Davids, Pembrokeshire for £800. Over 2 weeks, I reckon it'll be about £1,000 cheaper, taking into account spending money, to go there instead of Brittany.

    Would prefer France really, but I can nearly buy a new Heckler frame with the savings 😆

    ianv
    Free Member

    A holiday in the south of france is never going to be too cheap. £70 ish tolls,1000miles +petrol, ferry etc. If you want decent weather though you will have to pay for it.

    I am really unconvinced by the comments about cheap food etc. Table wine is cheaper and as good in Aldi, food is comparable IME and eating out can be shocking (28 euros for a lasagne in Perpignan!)

    geoffj
    Full Member

    I am really unconvinced by the comments about cheap food etc. Table wine is cheaper and as good in Aldi, food is comparable IME and eating out can be shocking (28 euros for a lasagne in Perpignan!)

    I concur. Even cheap places for lunch were charging 10 euros a pop for a sandwich + frite type meal last summer.

    juan
    Free Member

    You guys need to look harder.
    In Nice I can get a meal at the baker for about 7€ including a nice sandwich, a canned drink and a dessert.
    And I am talking about probably the best baker in Nice ar at least one making the top 5.
    28 will get me a whole meal with drinks and coffee. Try to get out of the known street/areas. There is much to be found.

    Mackem
    Full Member

    I wouldnt say 28 euros was cheap.I can get a 3 course meal, including bottle of wine for 8.5 euros.

    ianv
    Free Member

    "In Nice I can get a meal at the baker for about 7€ including a nice sandwich, a canned drink and a dessert" Way cheaper in Greggs!

    The inlaws are French and live near Perpignan, every time we go out for a meal I am shocked at the prices charged (much more expensive than a similar standard back home. They however are totally unconcerned, its normal. I am sure you can get a menu for under 10 Euros but it will usually be pretty rank.

    geoffj
    Full Member

    When you are on holiday, you don't want to spend your time trying to search out the most economical places to eat. You want to enjoy yourself and not be continually checking the menu prices before deciding if you want to eat in a certain restaurant – at least not every night for 2 weeks anyway.

    I'm sure there are cheaper places to eat, but I guess that they tend not to be in the places people want to be – near to the beach / mountains / galleries etc.

    The bottom line is that the pound is on its arse and until that recovers (and we suffer all the disadvantages associated with that), France aint going to be a cheap place for us to visit.

    juan
    Free Member

    Do you guys do some research before going to holidays?
    Before I came to the UK I got 3 guide with various recommendation.

    stevomcd
    Free Member

    Virtually everywhere in France you will find places doing 3-course lunch for about 13€ as this is the "lunch allowance" that many workers still get. Usually a set menu, but also usually pretty good!

    (There is a place right at the bottom of this trail which always has a set menu at this price at lunchtime – usually a mahoosive salad, then steak or similar with good cheese or creme brulée or something for dessert).

    Seriously, if you can't find lunch at that price in France, you're not trying!

    br
    Free Member

    I wouldnt say 28 euros was cheap.I can get a 3 course meal, including bottle of wine for 8.5 euros.

    Virtually everywhere in France you will find places doing 3-course lunch for about 13€ as this is the "lunch allowance" that many workers still get. Usually a set menu, but also usually pretty good!

    Maybe pre-Euro, but for me France is more expensive than the UK, for most things. Ok, so I've not been for 18 months, but for the 10 years previous I was working there at least once a month, if not ever week.

    After the Euro, the cost of eating/drinking went up seriously.

    +1 that lunch is better value than dinner

    stevomcd
    Free Member

    Maybe pre-Euro

    I live in France! I'm talking about right now.

    ocrider
    Full Member

    I live in France! I'm talking about right now.

    +1 from another resident in France.

    FYI, the french lowered VAT on served food to 5.5%, I have seen wines getting marked up a little in some places, but here in the Languedoc €16 gets you a good bottle still.

    I know of several places within 5 minutes walk of chez moi where I can get a €10 lunch on a weekday with choice of starter and main. Throw in a jug of wine and coffee and you still have change out of €15 to leave a tip.

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