First of all we would like to wish you a wonderful New Year and many happy holidays in France!  The France For Families team were extremely fortunate in 2004 to be able to visit numerous regions including Lot et Garonne, Normandy, Loire, Charente-Maritime and the Pyrénées as well as enjoying several day trips.  Many of the attractions we visited are now included in the website.  As we came to the end of 2004 we reflected on an amazing year - France For Families launched in May 2004 and by the end of the year we had received more than 30,000 visitors as well as achieving top rankings on a number of the major serach engines (just try searching for "France For Families" on Yahoo!).  We have exciting plans to expand the site in 2005 and will be very grateful for any recommendations you may be able to share with us.

Love Skiing?
It’s not too late to book a 2005 skiing holiday.  You should be able to get availability most weeks.  Don’t forget that Easter is early this year so the snow will still be quite good in many resorts even over the Easter holiday.  Try contacting the resort's Office de Tourisme for details of late availability.  If you’re looking for advice on good family resorts or how to save money on your skiing holiday then France For Families is the place to look!

For an up to date weather report on your destination the BBC have a good skiing weather information service and for travel advice don’t forget the Bison Futé site and Michelin’s excellent site for route planning.  You can expect delays most weekends in February when heading south or for the Alps.  The worst blackspots are usually where the A26 joins the A5 south of Troyes and on the Autoroutes around Dijon and Lyon.  For an easier journey why not try travelling overnight – you can still book a stay at one of the many budget hotels/motels along the popular routes where you can arrive late and leave early.

Booking your summer holiday?
France For Families now offers a wide choice of gites in the Dordogne and Brittany as well as a choice of campsites in the Dordogne.  You can book direct with the owner. There is still good availability on many of them and you will find a wide range of prices to suit all budgets.  On the website you will also find advice on booking your travel (train, ferry, air, car hire….) as well as important items such as travel insurance.

And if you’re not sure where to go, don’t forget that we have detailed tourist advice on almost all the major holiday destinations in France including Brittany, Charente-Maritime, Côte d’Azur, Eastern France, Languedoc, Loire, Lot et Garonne, Normandy, Paris, Provence and the Pyrénées.

Low cost accommodation in French cities
New to France For Families is the Citadines Aparthotel chain.  This chain offers Aparthotels in many of France’s major cities. If you would like to visit Paris (say) but are put off by the high prices of hotels (which invariably are only on a room basis) then why not try out this chain. They offer excellent self-catering facilities in either studios for up to 2 people or apartments for up to 6 people.

French School Holidays
To help you planning your holidays we include here the dates of the French school holidays which are organised by zone:

Driving in France – update
Be warned – the French police are increasingly clamping down on illegal driving practices.  You need to be more careful than ever about speeding, especially in the final miles before the tolls at Calais on the A26 and Boulogne on the A16.  The gendarmerie sit a few miles back from the tolls with their speed trap and then casually pick you up at the péage booths – a nasty surprise to end your vacation!  Mobile phones are coming under increased scrutiny as well – naturally it is illegal to use them whilst driving, but we have even heard of cases where people have been prosecuted for using them whilst stationary in traffic jams!

Using Trains in France
A recent holiday in Normandy gave our family the opportunity to travel by train to Paris for the day. This alleviated any need to take the car into central Paris where parking (and traffic) is difficult. All planning was effortlessly done prior to leaving the UK, thanks to the excellent SNCF website that enables you to book journeys on-line and even have your tickets sent to you in the UK. We found that ticket prices are remarkably reasonable for travelling within France with great bargains to be had  - even using the TGV. 

All that remains is once again to wish you a happy and prosperous 2005 and an enjoyable vacation in La Belle France!

From all of us at France For Families.