Some of the places that you cannot afford to miss include the mountains and the city of Lyon, apart from the striking Mont Blanc. There are also many rivers, famous vineyards and natural parks in the region that are worth visiting.

The first thing people come here to do is skiing and snowboarding. A large number of people head towards the Val d’Isere slopes for skiing and snowboarding especially during the winters.

There are several ski resorts in the area and even if you are not carrying your ski equipments with you, they can be hired from the resorts or stores or even be bought there. Some of the most popular ski areas in Rhone Alpes include Vallee Blanche in Chamonix, Les Arcs in Bourg Saint Maurice, La Tania in Courchevel, Les Allues in Meribel and St Martin de Belleville in Les Menuires

The second thing to do in Rhone Alpes is to enjoy its glorious nightlife. There are several bars, operas, clubs, pubs and cafe bars for the visitors to enjoy. The Place des Terreaux in Lyon is a public square that gets lit up in the night by beautiful 19th century fountains and is always founded crowded after sunset. Opera National de Lyon is an internationally renowned opera in Lyon.

A large number of visitors come here to enjoy the world class opera performed here. Le Hot Club is a premier Jazz club in Lyon which features live performances many times in a week. Le Twenty in Grenoble is one of the trendiest cosmopolitan cafe bars featuring specialties like several cocktails mixed in Chartreuse.

The third thing to do in Rhone Alpes is to enjoy the live performances conduced here from time to time. Theatres Romains de Fourviere in Lyon is a renowned theatre, remnant from the dominant era of Roman Empire. The ruins of the two amphitheatres are more than 2000 years old. Amphitheater of the Three Gauls in Lyon is more than 2000 years old monument of the Roman organization. The Roman Theater in Vienne is a Roman theatre seating around 13000 people. It also serves as an architectural building and an ancient ruin.

The fourth thing you must not forget to do in Rhone Alpes is to explore its history and culture. Standing on the Fourviere Hill, the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere was constructed in late 19th century with grave exterior and ornate interior. The Cathedral Saint Jean Baptiste is a 12th century cathedral made in Gothic style with impressive windows of stained glass. Hotel de Ville is the city hall of Lyon with blue domed pavilions and a tall clock tower.

The fifth thing you should not miss in Rhone Alpes is enjoying its wine. The best known wine producing regions of France are situated near Lyon which are Beaujolais in the north and Cotes du Rhone in the south.

The diversity of the Rhone Alpes region of France make it very popular for self catering holidays all year round. Renting a holiday home would give the tourist the time and freedom to explore and partake of all that is on offer in this region of France.

About the Author:
Andrew Gibson is M.D of Direct Holiday Bookings. France rentals are popular with families staying in self catering holiday homes in the Rhone Alpes. They also have a great selection of apartments for self catering rental in Rhone Alpes as holiday rentals.

Photograph: La Tannerie. Ski Chalet for rental in the Rhone Alpes.

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However the recent drop in strength of the British Pound against the Euro has made many people in the UK think twice about taking a holiday on the European mainland. That said aside, longer term lets are still sought as even with the economic downturn many Brits attracted by the slower pace of life and lower general living costs continue to house hunt for a property of their own in France.

Another problem facing gite owners today is that due to the influx of Brits over the last few years (many of whom decide on running gites in France or a chambre d’Hote B&B) within the most sought after regions there is something of an over-abundance of holiday gite accommodation.

As soon as you add to this excess of gites the short length of the peak tourist season it quickly becomes clear why the majority of gite and villa landlords are struggling to continue to keep their business feasible let alone profitable.

Offering long term lets of a month or more can give owners the ability to get the most out of their properties earnings potential. By opting to offer short term, holiday gite rental in the summer months and then long term lets off-peak and even over the winter period a property owner in France can begin make the most from their gite.

The potential of renting out a property purely for longer term rental can be attractive to many owners. Even with the downturn in the pound, the market for long term lets in France remains a healthy one, popular not only with house-hunters looking to rent a place before they buy but with French nationals too. Many young French families choose to rent long term, often for periods of two to three years and in some cases, much longer.

A long term let could indeed become a regular income source for a landlord coupled with less work due to numerous changeovers involved when providing short term, gite accommodation.

I would strongly advise property landlords and prospective tenants alike to seek relevant, professional advice from a French Notaire before entering into any form of rental agreement or contract.

Steve Ellis runs LetsRentPropertyInFrance.com, a website offering a wide range of properties available for long term lets or holiday gites/villas in France. He is unsure why he is writing about himself in the third person.

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The Languedoc is bounded by the Auvergne, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, the Mediterranean sea, Spain and the Midi-Pyrénées with Provence being the second most sought after holiday destination at the moment.

The Cévennes Mountains cover much of the old province, reaching their highest point in the north-east. The southern part is a low coastal plain along the Mediterranean Sea, where the Languedoc region enjoys a Mediterranean climate.

Throughout the original Roussillon area, Catalan is widely spoken and French, the official language, is spoken with a heavy Catalan accent.

Regional cuisine relies heavily on olive oil and garlic and the warm winters and hot, dry summers produce vast quantities of great value, superb quality wine. Next time you see a bottle of wine with Vin de Pays d’Oc on the label, you’ll know it came from the Languedoc.

Béziers is the centre for the wine trade in the Hérault department.

Welcome to the Languedoc.

About the author:

Steve Ellis is the founder and designer (not to mention sole (and very busy) member of staff) of the rapidly growing website for property rentals in France, www.letsrentpropertyinfrance.com In his spare time he enjoys playing the drums, cooking and entertaining and is wondering why he is writing about himself in the third person.

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Located on the west coast of France, Brittany has a warm, temperate climate. Rainfall occurs regularly (which helps keep its countryside lush green) however sunny and cloudless days are also common.

In the summer months, temperatures in the region can reach 30 degrees Celsius, but remain comfortable compared to parts of France south of the Loire. Brittany generally has a moderate climate during both summer and winter and rain is not uncomfortably common or rare.

Brittany’s most popular summer resorts are on the south coast such as La Baule, Belle Île and the Gulf of Morbihan although the wilder and more exposed north coast also attracts summer tourists.

About the author:
Steve Ellis is the founder and designer (not to mention sole (and very busy) member of staff) of the rapidly growing website for property rentals in France, www.letsrentpropertyinfrance.com In his spare time he enjoys playing the drums, cooking and entertaining and is wondering why he is writing about himself in the third person.

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