Franche-Comté is a land of water, forests of pine and spruce and unspoilt wide open spaces and is a favourite of those who enjoy nature, outdoor sports and activities. The countryside is the result of a perfect harmony between man, nature and the soil.

The region is renowned for its cheeses and a wide variety of good quality delicatessen products. Smoked on farms in a tuyé (a large smoking chimney) these delicatessen exhale an array of varied flavours including pine and juniper. Franche-Comté and Jura also produces local wines, brandies and a traditional local apéritif: the anis from Pontarlier.

Franche-Comté is the historical meeting point of numerous influences. Because of its location, it has aroused, on several occasions, the envy of neighbouring states. From the Roman empire to Louis XVI armies, from the Spanish to the Dukes of Würtemberg, each of them left their mark.
The very name Franche-Comté did not come into being until the end of the 14th century. It was not until 1678 that Louis XIV gained control of the Comté from the Hapsburgs, established the eastern frontier between France and Switzerland, and subsequently ratified his conquest by the Treaty of Nijmegen.

As a result of all this strife, Franche-Comté remains a frontier country, one well supplied with castles and fortified towns. Some are embellished with fortifications others little, half-forgotten places, bask quietly in the afterglow of peaceful days.

Besançon, the regional capital, dates back to Roman times. It is the largest in the region and one of the finest provincial cities in France. On an escarpment high above a tight loop in the river Doubs, which served as a moat, Besançon occupied a strategic site. There was a wall and an Alban citadel across the neck of land to complete the fortifications. Modern Besançon has spread out far beyond the old town up on the cliffs.

Dole occupies a pleasant location on the right bank of the Doubs. Much of the old, medieval town centre, which clusters closely around the Church of Notre-Dame, is a maze of narrow, cobbled streets and ancient leaning buildings best explored on foot.

As one of the richest regions of France, the historic towns and villages of Burgundy are the product of many centuries of civilization. It's a region known the world over as the producer of some of the finest wines and food available anywhere on this planet. Travelling through Burgundy is a unique experience in what many centuries of civilization can produce.

Burgundy spans a watershed. The Saône River runs south to the Mediterranean; the Yonne flows north to join the Seine. In addition, canals link the main cities and towns. A boat ride along Burgundy's waterways makes a truly delightful way to float through history.

The Canal de Bourgogne is the most popular waterway in France for leisure cruising extending over 150 miles through the vineyards, towns and villages of this beautiful region.
Towns like Escommes, Dijon, Seurre, Digoin, and St Léger are all perfect stepping off points for your

Burgundy adventure aboard Fleur de Lys, Amaryllis or Hirondelle.
The wines of Burgundy are a never-ending story. Their presence is written large on every page of the golden book of Burgundian history. They are the soul of Burgundy. But more than that, they lie at the heart of a regional economy which over the years has grown in step with the ever-growing renown of Burgundy's wines. They have their honored place in the cellars and at the tables of wine-lovers the world over.

Today the vineyards of Burgundy cover an area of some 23,000 hectares, divided into five main growing-areas. From north to south they are: Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Maconnais; and finally, to the West the vineyards of Pouilly-sur-Loire and Pouilly-Fumé.
Discover the vineyards of Burgundy

The region is also dotted with impressive castles, many of which are open to visitors. Many are 'châteaux forts' when defence was a priority. Others reflect the Renaissance period where style was a more important priority. 'La Rochepot' is definitely in the defensive league though its marvelous Burgundian roof illustrates that even in medieval times a little style was not out of place. Châteauneuf is more forbidding.

High on a hillside overlooking what is now the Autoroute A6 to Paris and the Burgundy canal, you can still feel that somebody is watching you from the ramparts, just checking that your intentions are friendly!

Rising in the Swiss Alps and flowing through Lake Leman the River Rhône then crosses into France where it gives its name to the "Rhône-Alpes" region. Between Savoie and Lyon the Rhône meanders through tamer landscapes until, powered up by the Saône, it becomes the serious river to reach the final stretch known as the Côtes du Rhône.

The river, now wide and strong, pulls all the attention southward, where the sky, for the first time, anticipates the heat of southern France.

Descending the Rhône Valley becomes incrementally more sensuous. But there is more here for the senses than a gastronomic binge. Twenty miles south of Lyon, Vienne shows little sign of its Roman past. Yet here was one of the largest theatres of Roman Gaul, as well as a temple specializing in orgiastic celebrations of the goddess Cybele.

The Rhône Valley allowed the Romans to penetrate the heart of the Continent, and so permanently acquaint the dour north with licentious Mediterranean habits. The Rhône is also the alimentary canal of France, figuratively and actually.

The types of countryside, the micro-climates and the crops along the river's course give the region its distinctive character. One crop is omnipresent - the vine. From almost all points along the river's course, hills and mountains are in view.
The life of the uplands has been shaped by the grazing of herds and flocks, and by the slow rhythm of hill farming with its cheese-making and seasonal transhumance. On the fertile flood-plains however, the growing of fruit and vegetables is an activity which is more closely connected with the valley towns and their populations.

With its feet in the Mediterranean and its head in the Alps, the region has an extensive palette of colourful landscapes. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, a welcoming land of sunshine and easy living has always attracted large numbers of artists, from Van Gogh to Picas via Marcel Pagnol, Auguste Renoir and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Its light is exceptionally bright, and its landscapes are wonderfully varied: from rocky inlets with their parasol pines and turquoise water to the Camargue plain, from the Vaucluse vineyards to the summits of the southernmost Alps or the plateaux of Haute-Provence with their scents of thyme and lavender.
This historic region was a major crossroads for different civilisations, and has a wealth of sites which are worth the journey in themselves: Avignon, the home of the popes from 1309-77, and its Palais des Popes; Arles whose amphitheatre is one of the finest preserved examples from the Roman world; Orange where the spirit of ancient Rome can still be felt.

Just south of Arles is the meeting place of the Rhône and the Mediterranean. A natural and protected park of 85,000ha, the Camargue is composed of vast plains of wetlands, ponds and rice paddies all watched over carefully by its natural inhabitants the pink flamingoes, herons and cormorants. Wild Camargue remains with its gypsies, cattle breeding and the Camargue cowboys on their white horses.


Local red wines include such prestigious names as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas in the Avignon area, as well as the lighter Côtes du Lubéron north of Aix.

Stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, the man-made waterways of the Canal du Midi and the Canal Latéral à la Garonne form France's longest navigable artificial waterway. Together they are called the Canal Des Deux Mers.
Started in 1666 and built by as many as 12,000 men, crossing rivers, tunnelling through hills, it runs 235 kilometres and requires over 100 locks. It is a love-affair of man, nature, and engineering.
The canal was created by Pierre-Paul Riquet, the salt-tax farmer for Languedoc who wanted to join the economies of the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. He sacrificed everything to make sure of its completion - even using his daughters' dowries for the cause.
Plane trees and poplars line the banks of the Canal du Midi against the hot summer sunshine. For people in search of calm and peaceful time, this is great place for a relaxing vacation. From the handsome city of Toulouse to the port of Sète, the canal cuts through Southern France.

Villages and towns reaped profit from its golden days shown by the grand homes and châteaux that brace the waters edge. Cruise past the thriving town of Beziers famous for bullfights in the summer, on past the incredible 13th century Etang de Montady, with nearby Roman oppidum.
Visit the wonderful covered market at Narbonne, a lively Mediterranean city playing an important role as a wine-producing centre. Tour Europe’s largest medieval fortress at Carcassonne and admire the intricate fortifications of the two castellated walls about a mile in circumference. The views from the battlements towards the Pyrenées are stunning.
West from Toulouse the canal becomes the Canal Latéral à la Garonne, passing through Moissac, Agen and Castets-en Dorthe ending at the beautiful city of Bordeaux, founded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC. The old town, with its elegant 18th century mansions lining the river, houses the 18th century Grand Théâtre, one of the finest in France.
The Bordelais is a 1000 sq km area around the city of Bordeaux and is one of France's largest wine-producing regions. Bordeaux has over 5,000 chateaux-properties where grapes are raised and wine produced.