- What do you prefer?
- Down the slope with the breeze
- With sea views
- The most expensive health resort in France
France can be safely called a paradise for tourists. Athletes and fashionistas, opera fans and art lovers, gourmets and winemakers feel great in this European country with a long history. Any whim, a tourist route, a haute couture collection, a variety of alcohol and a type of recreation - here you can find, taste, buy and enjoy everything. The most expensive resorts in France are ready to delight even a sophisticated millionaire, every little thing is thought out so much in them and everything is provided for a luxurious holiday. But don't be in a hurry to grieve if your pockets aren't burdened with an abundance of platinum bank cards! French resorts allow you to touch your own luxury and for quite reasonable money, you just need to know how to look for such opportunities.
What do you prefer?
French resorts can be divided into three types, each with its own fans. Regulars of the most expensive resorts in France book hotels both in summer and in winter in order to enjoy the best, in their opinion, vacation:
- The country's famous beach resorts are concentrated on the Cote d'Azur. Stretching from Toulon to the Italian border, the Mediterranean coast is a place where millionaires and movie stars rest. The most beautiful and famous beaches can be found in Saint Tropez and Antibes, Nice and Cannes.
- French ski resorts are the notorious Courchevel and the high-altitude Val Thorens, the family-run and respectable Meribel and the ever-celebrating Chamonix. On the slopes of the French Alps, thousands of kilometers of ideal trails are laid not only for skiers, but also for snowboarders, because the trendsetter of any fashion, this country is ahead of the rest in winter sports.
- And finally, the medical resorts of France are a precious necklace of small towns marked by mineral and thermal springs with extraordinary water. It helps to stay healthy and beautiful for everyone who prefers rest "on the waters" to noisy parties and the scorching sun on the beach. The list of the best and most expensive balneological resorts in France includes Vichy and Evian, Saint-Malo and Deauville.
Rest in French resorts can hardly be classified as a budget. Hotels and restaurants, service and services in such places are quite expensive in comparison even with neighboring countries, but still it is quite possible to afford a short vacation.
Down the slope with the breeze
Courchevel is heard even by those who are very far from alpine skiing. Millionaires rest there, open the world's most expensive champagne, and the price tags in stores are more reminiscent of phone numbers with a region code in front. But ordinary people are quite successful in the expensive ski resorts of France if they take up the preparation of the trip wisely.
A flight from Moscow to Geneva, where the airport closest to the resort is located, will take about 3.5 hours and will cost about 250 euros. If you subscribe to the airline special offers e-mail newsletter, there is a chance to fly away cheaper. Booking tickets in advance - 2-3 months in advance - will help to reduce the price of a flight.
From the airport to the hotels of Courchevel you will be happy to take an Altibus bus. On the website www.altibus.com you can check the timetables and prices and buy tickets. The cost of a transfer from Geneva to the slopes is about 70 euros.
Ski passes at the resort are not cheap and one day of skiing will cost at least 50 euros. If you buy a pass for six days, you will be able to save about 20% of the cost of a lift ticket.
Your own ski equipment will save you about € 30 per day per rental, but first, inquire about the rules and rates for this type of baggage from the airline of your choice.
When buying souvenirs and just necessary things in the capital of French ski shopping, do not forget to draw up the paperwork correctly. The correct form of the check will allow you to get a considerable VAT refund.
The cheapest food option in an expensive resort is Italian pizzerias, where you can buy a plate of pasta or a slice of pizza for 5-10 euros.
Not too expensive hotels are concentrated in the Courchevel 1650 zone. Rooms are quite available there for 150 euros per day, but it is better to take care of booking in advance. If you are traveling with a company or family, take a look at chalets for rent. You can stay in them inexpensively and comfortably, and the equipped kitchen will allow you not to spend extra money in restaurants.
With sea views
The Cote d'Azur resorts are real pearls of the Mediterranean Riviera, but the most luxurious, perhaps, is Saint-Tropez. Its "star" reputation and pristine beaches lined with pine groves are the most significant reasons for its immense popularity among tourists of all nationalities and ages.
The most expensive beach resort in France is separated by a whole hundred kilometers from Nice International Airport, but taxis or rented cars can easily overcome them.
Aeroflot flies directly from the capital of Russia to Nice, whose services are estimated at 330 and more euros. With a transfer in Riga or Paris, Air Baltic or Air France will take you much cheaper. You will pay about 200 euros for a ticket.
The resort's beaches are sandy, equipped with sun loungers, umbrellas and changing rooms in full compliance with European standards. Restaurants and clubs are open right on the shore, and in the city itself there are numerous shops and boutiques with famous names on the signs.
Hotels in Saint-Tropez can hardly be called cheap. Of course, you will find a room in the "three-ruble note", but you will have to pay 120-150 euros per night and even more.
The most expensive health resort in France
The thermal springs of the town of Vichy have been known since the time of Diocletian. The resort is located on the banks of the Allier River, which flows into the Loire, and the relief of the local area is a plain, "shaded" by the proximity of the mountains.
Vichy mineral water has become the basis of elite cosmetics, thanks to the balanced composition of nutrients and chemical elements important for beauty and health. Fifteen springs in Vichy are especially beneficial for those with digestive and blood pressure problems. The resort has also developed treatment programs based on mineral baths and healing mud, thanks to which patients get rid of dermatological and gynecological problems. Many people come to Vichy hospitals in order to undergo a course of anti-cellulite and anti-aging therapy.
The nearest international airport to the town is located in Paris. An early booking ticket for Air France from Moscow will cost around 220 euros. A 2 * hotel room in one of the most expensive resorts in France will cost about 45-50 euros per day.