Trains, planes and automobiles…and boats to France
My wife and I were on our way to France to view an 18th Century building that we were seriously considering purchasing. This time, we flew into Carcassonne from Stansted Airport near London.
Holiday homes in Languedoc have become very popular with people from the UK and Ireland because of the convenient budget flights to the area from airlines like Ryan Air, EasyJet, Flybe, and BMI. These airlines fly from Birmingham, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands (Nottingham), Glasgow (Prestwick), Liverpool, Manchester, Shannon and Southampton.
They fly into airports in, or within easy reach of, Languedoc-Roussillon like Carcassonne, Perpignan, Montpellier, Girona (just over the border in Spain) and Nimes.
By regularly checking the websites of the budget airlines, you can get flights for as little as a few pounds plus the taxes. Rent a car at the airport and you’re all set.
You can also easily travel to Languedoc by train. We’ve found that trains in France are fast, on-time and clean; and a very relaxing way to travel. The so-called "bullet trains" from TGV can get you to the south of France in about 4 to 5 hours from Paris. You can also get the train from London to the Languedoc region.
You should always book well ahead of time, as all seats are reserved. You can book a ticket from London to Montpellier, Perpignan or Toulouse on the RailEurope website.
In addition to the fast TGV trains there are slower regular trains. To check routes and prices on the French national railway visit the SNCF website.
If you prefer to have your car in France, but don't want to drive all the way, you can use the French Motor Rail service, where you and your car travel overnight by train to Languedoc.
If you do want to drive from the UK, there are many ferry crossings to France. The most popular departure ports are Dover, Folkstone, Newhaven, Plymouth and Portsmouth. The budget Ferry operator is Speedferries, but like the budget airlines, this is a no frills operation. For more comfort, but higher prices, try P&O Ferries. Other ferry operators are: Brittany Ferries, Sea France, and Condor Ferries.
While driving in France, if you do all your traveling on the autoroutes, you’ll be paying out quite a lot in tolls. From Calais to Narbonne will cost you about 80 euros on the autoroutes. There is always a free, slower alternative route, and usually more attractive, on the Routes National.
We arrived in Carcassonne, a small efficient airport, and picked up our rental car. Within 35 minutes we were at James’s house, and were bombarding him with questions about this new property he had found for us.
You can find your french holiday home at: French-Property-Sale.
Holiday homes in Languedoc have become very popular with people from the UK and Ireland because of the convenient budget flights to the area from airlines like Ryan Air, EasyJet, Flybe, and BMI. These airlines fly from Birmingham, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Dublin, East Midlands (Nottingham), Glasgow (Prestwick), Liverpool, Manchester, Shannon and Southampton.
They fly into airports in, or within easy reach of, Languedoc-Roussillon like Carcassonne, Perpignan, Montpellier, Girona (just over the border in Spain) and Nimes.
By regularly checking the websites of the budget airlines, you can get flights for as little as a few pounds plus the taxes. Rent a car at the airport and you’re all set.
You can also easily travel to Languedoc by train. We’ve found that trains in France are fast, on-time and clean; and a very relaxing way to travel. The so-called "bullet trains" from TGV can get you to the south of France in about 4 to 5 hours from Paris. You can also get the train from London to the Languedoc region.
You should always book well ahead of time, as all seats are reserved. You can book a ticket from London to Montpellier, Perpignan or Toulouse on the RailEurope website.
In addition to the fast TGV trains there are slower regular trains. To check routes and prices on the French national railway visit the SNCF website.
If you prefer to have your car in France, but don't want to drive all the way, you can use the French Motor Rail service, where you and your car travel overnight by train to Languedoc.
If you do want to drive from the UK, there are many ferry crossings to France. The most popular departure ports are Dover, Folkstone, Newhaven, Plymouth and Portsmouth. The budget Ferry operator is Speedferries, but like the budget airlines, this is a no frills operation. For more comfort, but higher prices, try P&O Ferries. Other ferry operators are: Brittany Ferries, Sea France, and Condor Ferries.
While driving in France, if you do all your traveling on the autoroutes, you’ll be paying out quite a lot in tolls. From Calais to Narbonne will cost you about 80 euros on the autoroutes. There is always a free, slower alternative route, and usually more attractive, on the Routes National.
We arrived in Carcassonne, a small efficient airport, and picked up our rental car. Within 35 minutes we were at James’s house, and were bombarding him with questions about this new property he had found for us.
You can find your french holiday home at: French-Property-Sale.
posted by FrancoFrancis at 1:56 PM
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