The South of France has miles of beautiful Mediterranean coastline, with a good mix of both sandy and pebbly beaches and some of the clearest, bluest waters in Europe. This area is also known for its glamorous lifestyle, and this combined with the beautiful scenery and reliable sunny climate makes it a wonderful destination for that special holiday. The stylish French Riviera and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions are particularly popular, and accommodation can be very expensive in the high season. The beaches in these areas are sandy and well looked after, but you may need to pay a small fee to access them, and some private beaches are restricted, meaning that the main beaches can get very crowded on busy days.

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A good choice for those on a strict budget, or those who just want a bit more peace and quiet, is the Languedoc region, which is just along the coast towards Spain. This has more pebbly and rocky shorelines than the French Riviera, and so has always been a little less popular. Accommodation is more affordable here, but in some places it can be a little shabby so check hotel reviews carefully before booking. The main bonus of staying in Languedoc is that Spain is only a short drive away, and this gives you the excellent opportunity to visit this country for day trips, and enjoy its own unique culture that is quite different from France, despite their proximity.

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It is easy to travel down to the South of France, either by car, plane or train, and if you are travelling from the UK you can get the Eurostar train service that will take you directly from London to Paris, where you can then catch the high speed TGV service to take you straight down to Marseille. It is also easy to book hire cars in France if you feel like driving, and the road infrastructure is some of the best in the world with smooth, well-maintained surfaces and efficient traffic control systems. You may want to avoid travelling through the larger cities such as Paris though, as these can be heavy congested throughout the day and difficult to navigate. When you are hiring a car in France it is important to remember that you will need your drivers license and a valid credit card to make the booking, and hire car companies will not accept cash bookings alone, even if you go into the hire shop in person. Make sure you check all of the excess payments carefully as well, as some hire car companies can charge a lot of money (up to 900 Euros) for even minor damage like chipped wing mirrors or cracked headlamps.

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