A quality guest house in the Loire Valley
Perfectly located in a little hamlet just 6kms from Chinon, this Swiss-owned accommodation has to be your first choice if you have any interest at all in the Loire Valley wines. Why? Well, your b&b hosts have some excellent contacts in the area and can arrange vineyard visits and wine tastings for you with an English-speaking guide. What an opportunity to stock up on wines for the festive season!  The accommodation does evening meals and has five beautiful guest rooms for you to choose rooms, now at very interesting tariffs which have been reduced by 8%!  Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Charming B&B accommodation near Cognac in the Poitou-Charentes region
I love French farmhouse b&b accommodation and this one is a typical example. The property dates back to the 18th century and has bags of character. It is only 10 minutes from Cognac (make sure you visit the distilleries!) and 15 minutes from Saintes, in a wonderfully peaceful setting.  They do evening meals and there is tons for you to do in the immediate area, including walks and bike rides and with their already very competitive rates reduced even more, what better time to arrange your short break to what is known to be the sunniest corner of France.   Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

A bit of rustic luxury near Anduze and Nimes
If you are hankering after a spot of South of France sun and warmth then this lovely hotel/auberge near Anduze, West of Nimes in Languedoc-Roussillon could be the place for your Spring break. They have reduced their low season tariffs (valid to the end of March) and now offer very competitive rates for their very characterful guest rooms and suites. There is a bar-lounge, a tea room  a superb restaurant and a midday ‘snack’ eatery on site and tons to do in the surrounding area – this is the doorstep to the Cevennes National Park after all! Go on treat yourself.  Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Burgundy;
This quality guest house bed and breakfast accommodation NW of Beaune in Burgundy is offering a fantastic 20% off the total holiday cost between 10 November and the end of March (excludes the Christmas and New Year holidays). Here’s a thought …. the accommodation is just 15 minutes from the A6 autoroute and is perfectly placed for a stopover en route to your ski holiday in the French Alps. Why not make the stopover part of your holiday and stay for a few days on the way out or on the way back? Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

The Loire Valley
Treat yourself to a chateau experience and take advantage of the ’3 nights for the price of 2′ offer across all rooms during November only, at this quality establishment which is located between Tours and Amboise in the Loire Valley. A 5 hour drive from Calais or 2.5 hrs from Caen in Normandy, the chateau is set in 80 acres of parkland which is just stunning at this time of year as the colours change. So if you are looking for a short break or wish to celebrate a special occasion, this is the spot for you.  Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Poitou-Charentes
Further south, in the heart of Cognac and Pineau country, this Anglo-Dutch bed and breakfast accommodation is offering a year round ‘stay 4 nights for the price of 3′ deal – great value! This area is blessed with more days of sunshine than any other region of France and is therefore a great autumn destination. There is loads to do in the area besides visiting the vineyards tasting wine, Pineau and Cognac as you go – horseriding, cycling, walking are all available locally. Situated just 90 minutes from la Rochelle, Bordeaux, Poitiers and Limoges airports, check out those cheap flights to France now!  Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Chateau gardens in Brittany
Near Fougeres south of Avranches in Brittany, this chateau is set in the middle of 20 hectares of gardens comprising of 24 themed gardens – a horticulturalist’s dream! The gardens are open to the public every day from 1 November to 15 March. You will visit, amongst others, the 1001 nights garden, inspired by the Moorish water gardens, then a garden in which you will find some 320 varieties of camellia including the delicately-scented autumn and winter flowering camellia sasanqua which flowers through to January and then the four seasons garden which is made up of four flower beds, each evoking a season.  Luxurious guest rooms are offered in the chateau on a bed and breakfast basis. Most of the rooms have stunning views across the gardens and peace and quiet are assured – b&b guests at the chateau enjoy free access to the gardens. Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

The gardens of the Chateau de Fontainebleau
The 130 hectare parkland which makes up the gardens of the Chateau de Fontainebleau just to the south of Paris are free and well worth a visit. The landscaped English-style garden is planted with rare trees and scattered with statues. It also has an artificial river running through it and is quite stunning in autumn.

For your stay in the area, just 15 minutes from Fontainebleau, we can highly recommend this family-owned chateau which is also perfectly situated for visiting Paris and for Orly Airport. It is set on the banks of the River Seine in the midst of a 5 acre park and French formal garden, worth visiting in itself. There is also a superb 18 hole golf course nearby. What more could you want! Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

The vineyards
But the most special place of them all to be in the autumn is amongst the vineyards where, as far as the eye can see you will be treated to a riot of colour ranging from burnt orange to rich red – truely a feast for the eyes and a sight you simply have to see at least once in your life

The Languedoc region of the South of France not only produces (in my humble opinion) some of the most delicious and best value wines in France but it is also a region of easy access (cheap flights from the UK into Carcassonne, Perpignan and Montpellier) and contrasting scenery. There is something for everybody here from the Mediterranean beaches to the ‘Montagnes Noires’, a mecca for the outdoor enthusiast. As a base, I would suggest this perfectly situated English-owned village b&b guest house from where you can borrow bikes to cycle through the vineyards. Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Take a look at our accommodation selections in Burgundy, in Champagne, in the Loire Valley and in the SW of France for other vineyard accommodation possibilities

 Click here or on the photo below to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Fuel
The price of petrol and diesel is quite frankly ridiculous on both sides of the Channel at the moment, but, at the time of writing, I can assure you that it is cheaper to buy fuel in France than in the UK. But if possible, avoid filling up at the autoroute service stations where a hefty premium is charged. Instead, look for the major supermarket chains such as Leclerc, Auchan, Carrefour etc which are often easily accessible from autoroutes which pass near major cities. Their fuel may be up to €0.20/litre cheaper than at motorway service stations which can add up to quite a saving over long distances. The French government has also very helpfully produced an immensely useful website which tells you where you can buy the cheapest fuel locally. Bookmark it now!

Eating out
Lunchtime is when you will find the best deals at restaurants in France. Look for the ‘formule diner’ which will be a set menu of 3 courses for a fixed price which is often under €10.00! Bread and a jug of water will be included. For evening dining, check out the website The Fork which allows you to book online at around 5,000 French restaurants, many of which offer interesting reductions to subscribers. The restaurants are all across France and generally of a good standard. Site registration is free.  I think I may sign up myself!

Shopping
If you are self-catering and are on a tight budget, stock up on staple items at Lidle, Aldi, Netto or Leader Price which offer substantial savings on many products when compared to the main supermarkets. For example, you can buy a 2L bottle of spring water from Aldi for €0.17 whereas a 1.5L bottle from Carrefour may cost €0.40! For fresh fruit and veg, make sure you find out when your local market takes place (the French Market Days website is invaluable for this) where you can buy direct from the producer at the best prices. Look for local wine too and take along your plastic water bottle to fill up direct from the vat in the back of the producer’s van! At €2.00/ltr or less, you could make big savings in the course of a week and it’s usually very drinkable!

Things to do and see for free
All over France, you can find activities and things to do that are cheap or completely free. This website  has a pretty comprehensive run down of the best and there is also the Paris museum pass which is well worth getting if you have some time to spend in the city.

Let’s start on the west coast of France, with a product that most probably won’t have occurred to you but that you simply must try.

Salt
Surprised? You will be! If all you have ever known is the harsh table salt that is commonly bought in UK supermarkets then you are in for a treat. The salt marshes of the Ile de Guérande and of the Ile de Noirmoutier produce some of the most delicately flavoured salt that you can buy. You didn’t know salt actually has a flavour, did you… try the fleur de sel de Guérande and you will never go back to ordinary table salt, I can promise you. The good news is that it can be bought in any supermarket, either ready milled or in granules. Add it to your shopping list now!

Cheese
Heading inland, you will arrive at the Auvergne region, home to some of France’s most delicious cheeses such as Bleu d’Auvergne. On the 20 and 21 August this year, the village of Riom-es-Montagnes in the Cantal department is holding it’s annual ‘Fête’ in celebration of this locally produced cheese. You can find the full programme on this site but suffice it to say that the weekend will include plenty of eating and drinking, music and shows.

If you are in the area, make sure you try the other cheeses that are produced locally such as Cantal Entre Deux and also the deliciously creamy blue cheese Fourme d’Ambert. To guide you, the area has a waymarked ‘Route des Fromages AOP d’Auvergne’ along which you can stop at the producers, taste the various cheeses and buy direct. Fantastic!

Tomatoes
Just to the east of Tours in the Loire Valley, you will find the Chateau de la Bourdaisiere. The chateau is proud to house the largest collection of tomatoes (650 varieties!) in the world. You can read all about it on this page, but if you are in the area  on the 10 and 11 September, be sure to pop along to the Festival des Tomates et des Saveurs which will take place at the chateau. You are sure to come away from it with a whole new perspective on tomatoes!