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Information on domestic flights in France is not easy to come by, one reason being that Air France has such a dominant position in France and already have flights on most internal routes.
Plus the French market is not as competitive. The French Railway system between major cities is both fast and competitive, especially if starting from Paris.
I have only been able to uncover a couple of airlines which offer domestic flights in France:-
http://www.easyjet.com/ - Toulouse to Lyon, Paris, Nice to Paris; Lyon to Biarritz, Bordeaux; Biarritz to Paris
http://www.twinjet.net/
Toulouse (32 Haute-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees) to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse, Brest; Marseille to Metz/Nancy, Mulhouse; Paris - Perigueux, Cherbourg
http://www.airlinair.fr/ Brest,(29 Finistere, Brittany) Bordeaux (33 Gironde, Aquitaine), Agen (47 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine), Lyon (69 Rhone, Rhone-Alpes), Poitiers (86 Vienne, Poitou-Charentes), Brive (19 Correze, Limousin) Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) etc
http://www.ryanair.com/ now also has links from Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) to Lille (59 Nord, Nord-Pas de Calais) and Brest (29 Finistere, Brittany)
You can try sites like http://www.expedia.fr/ but even a price comparison site like http://www.baisse-de-prix.com/voyages.php seems to offer little new – it looks like Air France have cornered the market with little opportunity for discounting.
Tallard (05 Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) to Marseille (13 Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) - a relatively easy day(!?) coming down from the Alpes to the coast - through the heart of the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence AC region. The route will pass through Rians (83 Var, Provence) the home of Chateau Vignelaure one of the most respected winemakers in the region.
For more info on the Tour de France 2007 see www.letour.fr or UK Eurosport where there are some good interactive maps of the route.
The number of budget airline routes to France from the UK is continuing to grow, as is the number of French destinations - no longer restricted to the major cities. This really does open up some of the less well-known parts of France.
The list below shows the extent of the coverage - and this excludes flights to Paris which are available from most local airports. Some flights are seasonal, so please check with the airline for timetables and availability.
| Destination | From | airline |
| October 6, 2006 | to | October 9, 2006 |
Friday 6 October to Sunday 9 October 2006 sees the finals of the French Sailing Championships at (or off) Hyères (83 Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur - see map).
Toulon, a large commercial and military port is a few kilometres to the west, but from Hyères eastwards you are into some of the best of the Provencal coast, with pretty (and expensive) harbours and impressive coastal corniches leading to St Tropez, Sainte Maxime and Fréjus.
It is also an important and rather beautiful wine are producing Côtes de Provence, with some vineyards within just a few kilometres of the coast near Hyères itself. One example is Domaine la Tuilerie, which produces reds and rosés (Syrah & Grenache), whites from Rolle. Not only that, but they also have a number of gites on the domaine for those of you who want the best of all worlds - Provence, sun, sea and wine!
The only downside is the Mistral wind which can blow for up to 100 days a year - worst in winter - a wind which blows down from the Massif Central to the Mediterranean, often for days on end and frequently at gale force. The only upside of it is that the skies will be clear and the famous Provence “light” will not be dimmed.
For more info on the French Sailing Championships - see www.tourvoile.fr
For more on Côtes de Provence wines see www.cotes-de-provence.fr
Château Saint Roch-les-Vignes 2005, Rosé de Provence
A delicious rosé showing soft spice and attractive fruit from this top winery in St. Tropez. Perfect with Mediterranean style food or simply on its own.
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Venue for the 2006 French Sailing Championships. In the département of the Var in the Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA).
For more info see www.ot-hyeres.fr/uk/ and www.frenchduck.com
