France
Sea Zest à la Française
Famous for her historical attractions, cuisine and unique culture, France offers a variety of faces in her inland waterways as well as its northern and southern shores. The south coast of France stretches from Spain in the west to the Italian border in the east. Here you can enjoy fancy and luxurious port cities such as Nice and St. Tropez, and also visit small fishing villages.
Travelling in France through the inland channels and rivers that go right to the heart of the country, from its villages to many vineyards, is a wonderful option to familiarize with traditional France. In volcanic, mountainous Corsica you’ll discover the unspoiled Mediterranean nature, in Brittany (Bretagne) you can visit Celtic villages, while the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel will show you the wild side of the Atlantic.
Getting the Inside Track…
The Inland Waterways
Charter options are available in the rivers and artificial channels of the French mainland. If you take this route you can go from vineyards to historic cities and towns down to the heart of France. This is a special cruise where you will salute the day through castles built in the Middle Ages, and feel you’re travelling in time.
Canal du Midi is France’s largest and most popular waterway route. It runs for 241 kilometers through Southern France and is listed among UNESCO World Heritages. Throughout your journey you can watch the famous white horses of the Camargue region, the migrating herons and witness wild life in Europe, and also visit Toulouse, nick-named ‘the Pink City’ for its tile-red buildings; the Minervois vineyards; a spectacular Medieval castle in Carcassonne -a town surrounded by historic walls-, among many other timeless beauties.
Another remarkable route for those who have a taste for good wines and the traditional French culture is the Canal du Nivernais in Burgundy. Auxerre is arguably the most attractive region in this route, with its famous cathedral and authentic villages. The Burgundy and Loire Channels, and the River Yonne also offer magnificent views with chateaus, cathedrals and a wonderful nature. Lot Valley, Brittany, Saone River, Southwest France and the Alsace-Lorraine region are some of the other places you can discover through channels…
The French Marinas
With Côte d’Azur and the Atlantic coast, a 3.427-kilometer-long coastal strip in total, France is a great maritime country hosting a variety of moorage options from superyacht marinas to small marinas. Boat owners and charter clients have countless alternatives to find the service they desire in all shores of France.
You can find information on the services of the marinas in France in GotoSailing.com’s MapGuide. Here you can also see the sailing distances to the nearest marinas.
Heart of the Art of Cooking…
French gastronomy took its place on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. This culinary tradition comes to the fore with its artistic aspects in addition to the exquisite tastes. Cheese, wine and butter have an important place in French cuisine. But French gastronomy also greatly changes among regions. While cured meat and game gain prominence in Champagne and Alsace-Lorraine dishes, for example, the Atlantic coast is famous for is fish and seafood recipes. You may consider your own taste while planning your route: which sort of gastronomy experience is more appealing to you?
Extraordinary restaurants where every dish is a work of art, famous bistros especially in Lyon, more than a thousand kinds of French cheeses, different tastes and savours of wine from each and every region of the country… France offers a culinary experience which would take a lifetime to discover.
Marinas
GotoSailing MapGuide®
Coasts of Azure Blue – the French Riviera
‘When I realized that every morning I would see this light again, I couldn’t believe how lucky I was,’ said Matisse for the French Riviera, also called Côte d’Azur: the sky-blue coast. A Mecca for artists, actors and actresses, and the jet-set since the 1950s, the French Riviera encompasses very different panoramas as well as lifestyles in its 300-kilometer-long shoreline. While Cannes, Nice, St. Tropez and Monaco offer a luxurious life, it is also possible to discover small fishing villages, and enjoy the spectacular view of the rocky coasts both from the sea and the land. La Croisette Boulevard, acclaimed with its palm trees, and of course Monaco, the second smallest country in the world after Vatican, are among the best places to experience the luxury of Côte d’Azur. The sharp shores carved out of limestone in Calanques and the famous ‘golden island’, Ile d’Or, a symbol of the French Riviera with its castle and amazing waters, are among the places you mustn’t miss.
Côte d’Azur also host some of the most important events in the world, such as the Monaco Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival, Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and Top Marques Monaco. If your holiday coincides with one, get ready to have another experience you’ll remember for a lifetime.
The Scented Isle, the Beautiful Isle…
Corsica
Situated to the southeast of mainland France, Corsica is the fourth largest island of the Mediterranean, and also the most mountainous place in the region, as it was formed through strong volcanic eruptions. Described as ‘a mountain in the sea’ by French writer Guy de Maupassant, the island is also called the ‘scented isle’ because of the herbal fragrances created by its extraordinarily rich flora. Another nick name of the island is ‘kalliste,’ coined by the Greek –themselves famous with the beauty of their islands-, this name means ‘the beautiful island.’
Corsica is separated from the Sardinia island through the Bonifacio Strait in the south. The island’s capital Ajaccio is
Napoleon’s hometown. Corsica is a good destination for cultural and historical tourism, in addition to its natural beauty with about 200 stunning bays and beaches. Corsica’s highest point is the 2,706-meter-high Mount Sinto and most of the other mountains also higher than 2,000 meters. Corsica’s mountainous terrain is covered with thick forests, clear rivers run through them, and panoramic walking and climbing routes add to the appeal of the island.
You can’t miss La Scandola Natural Reserve lying on the western shores – this is a place you can only reach by boat. La Scandola has many cliffs and caves, islets, bays, crimson rocks and sandy beaches – a truly extraordinary terrain. And then there is Bonifacio… Its limestone rocks are worn away by the waves and winds, forming sharp façade. The city rests on top of this and as you would expect, it has an astonishing view.
Winds and Weather in France
Sea conditions in France vary from one region to the other. While the English Channel and the Biscay Bay in the North have much harsher conditions, the southern coast is mild. The prevailing winds in France are tramontana and mistral. Both come from the north, crossing mountains and plains, the main difference between them is their course. Blowing down from the Pyrenees, tramontana is stronger but mistral winds are also never to be underestimated. Although mistral is primarily a wintery wind, it can also blow during the summer and reach as far as Corsica.
In Côte d’Azur, France’s most popular sailing holiday destination, May, June, September and October are perfect months for sailing. July and August might be less windy but this is still a good time as the weather is never too hot. While the temperatures rarely rise above 30 C, Côte d’Azur weather is pleasantly warm to have a holiday until mid-October.
Sea water temperatures are around 23-24 C in July and August, with an average of 22,3 C in September and 19,6 C in October.