To readers old and new - welcome to the sixth issue of the France For Families newsletter!  The days are beginning to grow longer and at last it is starting to feel as if summer is on its way. Thoughts of holidays beckon and what better place to look for some new ideas than on the France For Families website which has seen lots of new content added including new and easier to read gite sections, a major overhaul of  Normandy and Nord Pas de Calais content, as well as a completely new section on the Alps.  We are sure you will find something to tempt you to visit La Belle France!

We’re celebrating...
France For Families is one year old this month. The concept was devised several years ago but required a huge amount of work to be ready for the launch in May 2004. Since then we’ve increased the content dramatically – there are now around 500 pages of information on almost every aspect of holidaying in France including advice on what to do in all the major regions. The website has received over 80,000 unique visits since it’s launch and is now averaging 12,000 new visitors every month. To celebrate our birthday, this month’s newsletter includes our first competition and a special offer on a new book for children on holiday in France.

Free Prize draw!    Free Prize draw!    Free Prize Draw!
This month we have two museum entrance tickets available in our first prize draw.  The free tickets can be used in any of 100 museums run by the Centre for National Monuments. These include the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame in Paris, the châteaux of Azay-le-Rideau and Chambord in the Loire, Le Mont St. Michel in Brittany,  Haut-Koenigsbourg castle in the Alsace and the Roman remains of Glanum in Provence.  Simply send an e-mail to enquiries@france4families.com telling us about your favourite holiday attraction in France - what and where it is, why you like it and why you think it is the best etc..  We're especially interested in why children will love the attraction.  We will select the best entries received by June 30th and publish the winners in our July newsletter.

Bonjour France Book - with a special offer for France For Families readers!
Published by Beautiful Books Ltd, this is the first in a planned series of travel books by The Young Travellers Club - a club designed specifically for children aged 7-12.  The book's aim is to be completely interactive, with games, phrase quizzes and activities all based on France. Its format is bright and colourful as well as hardwearing with a tough polypropelene outer cover. It is full of exciting things to do and look for, not only while travelling (often the boring bit of the holiday from the children's perspective), but also once settled at your holiday destination. We got our children to review the book. Here are some of their comments: "I really like this book, it is very colourful and the illustrations look good. This would be really fun to do and stop me getting bored in the car"; "It's full of lots of cool stuff and information"; "This book is great because you learn a lot in an un-boring way!"; "It's really easy to use because of the simple and easily understandable way it's set out"; "The activities look fun especially ones where you have to complete/do something like send a postcard back home or buy a baguette from the boulangerie"; "I like the fact that it has French words with English along-side. It will help me learn new French words".
The RRP of the book is £9.99 and it can be purchased from all good booksellers; however if you order it from Beautiful Books you can get it for £7.99 plus P&P. Better still, if you type in 'f4f' when the prompt for a Redemption code comes up, you will get a further £1.00 off!

Looking for a toddler friendly holiday in 2005?
If the thought of travelling abroad with small children fills you with horror then worry no more - the owners of the very successful La Cour Aux Bourgeois have recently launched a second destination aimed specifically at families with children under 5. Beautifully renovated, child-proofed as far as possible and equipped with everything you might possibly need.  Number Four is the perfect destination for both parents and small kids. In the heart of the Normandy countryside this idyllic rural retreat set in 17 hectares offers an authentic slice of french country life and with a pool, tennis court, bikes and playroom you may find it impossible to drag yourself away to explore the riches of Normandy further afield. To find out more visit www.frenchleave.com/numberfour.htm.

Up to date travel information and advice:
Update on ferry companies - the price war amongst the ferry companies continues - healthy competition is no bad thing for us the traveller, providing you are happy to be flexible in when you travel, as often the cheaper deals are only available at off peak times/dates.  Some of the latest offers to be had include Speed Ferries (Note - went into administration in November 2008) who have a 2 for 1 offer of a free return ticket, as well as bargain prices starting at £19.00 one way. FerrySale.Com are offering Seacat crossings starting from £58.00 return and Sea France single trip crossings start at £25.00.  Finally the Norfolk Line motorist only ferry service (no coach or foot passengers) between Dover and Dunkerque may be worth considering. A vehicle plus 9 passengers starts at £88.00 with some restrictions on the hour of travel.
Eurotunnel - following the changes to their fare structure, they have just launched a frequent travellers fare. Potential users of the scheme must pre-purchase 10 single journeys at £39.00 (total of £390.00) which are then valid for one year. See their website for further details.

Having said that healthy competition is no bad thing for the traveller, the pressure on profits on cross channel routes continues to have a downside - as we write this newsletter, the proposed Hoverspeed crossing from Newhaven to Dieppe which was due to commence from April 28th  has had to be abandoned.

Paris Attraction Information
Springtime is a great time to visit Paris.  Most of the attractions are fully open, the crowds aren't too bad and the weather is usually very clement!  So here are some new suggestions to get the best out of day trips or holiday to the capital city recently recommended by Dea Birkett in the Guardian newspaper as a Number One for Kids (where she also recommended France For Families as the site to go to for attraction information!).

New one day pass for Versailles
If you are planning a visit to the Château de Versailles you may be interested in the special new one day pass that has been introduced for visitors. This gives access to some areas that were not previously open to the public, including the Appartements des Mesdames, The King's bedroom and the Grand and Petit Trianon. In addition, during  high season certain gardens - The Grand Eaux Musicales and Coach Museum are also included in the price. From April -October inclusive the prices are €20 (adults) and €6 (children aged 10-17). At other times the prices €15 (adults) and €4 (children).

Multimedia Paris
Also in the Ile-de-France, in Paris itself you might like to do something a bit different and visit the Multimedia show - 'Paris Story'. This would probably appeal more to older children and their parents as while it does focus on the history of Paris from Roman times to the present day , the emphasis is on buildings and architecture. The 45 minute show takes place hourly from 09.00-19.00 every day at 11 bis rue scribe, 75009 Paris. This is near L'Opéra. Adults pay  €8 and children aged 6-18 pay €5. With a family package the 2nd child goes free.
 
Carte Famille Nombreuse
If you have a "carte famille nombreuse" you may be entitled to a discount at many attractions.  Mind you, we know people that got a "famille nombreuse" discount without even having the card, so it's worth asking for it anyway!  The "carte famille nombreuse" can be purchased from railway ticket offices and allows reduced price train travel as well as discounts at many attractions.

Nord Pas De Calais Attractions
This lovely region is often by-passed as a holiday destination, being viewed either as simply somewhere that needs to 'be got through' en route to more southerly climes or as a pleasurable day trip experience. However the area offers a lot more (see our Nord Pas de Calais section for holiday information).  If you are visiting  the region this summer why not go along to Montreuil-sur-Mer where fans of Victor Hugo's 'Les Misérables' can watch a pyrotechnically enhanced 'son-et-lumière' show that takes place from 29th July-1st August and from 5th-8th August. This is an annual event that takes place near the citadel.
Walking and Cycling are further excellent ways of exploring this region and to help visitors the local tourist board has produced a series of guides (priced at €2 each) with tours round the area. Do visit the local tourist boards web-site.

East France Attractions
If you've studied our section on East France you will know that we don't think there is so much to do in the area for young children, unless they love the great outdoors in which case the Vosges mountains may appeal.  However there are an increasing number of attractions in the Strasbourg and Mulhouse area. 
Rail buffs should visit the newly renovated Mulhouse Railway Museum which is open all year round at 2 rue Alfred de Glehn, 68200 Mulhouse.  This has two new exhibition areas. The first - 'the Train Trail' takes visitors on a journey through the history of rail travel, whilst 'The Railway Adventure' reveals the history of railways themselves. Films, special effects and a mock-up of a station can be seen and audioguides are available for English speakers.

Well that's just about all for this month.  Don't forget to enter our competition!  And look out for our next feature packed newsletter in early July.  In the meantime, do visit the website which is being continually updated with new information.

From the team at France For Families