It's the country, the ambience, the difference in lifestyles, and of course, the food and drink, including wine, beer, cider and brandy. 

The french are fascinating. Watching them as they go about their lives, you will see they seem to have it all worked out.  The women are stylish, the men confident.

The city of Paris is beguiling with its broad tree-lined boutiques, iconic monuments, chic boutiques and elegant stores, colourful markets and remarkable museums.  The food is worth the trip alone, from wonderful traditional brasseries to fine gastronomic restaurants, as well as street vendors selling an array of delights to tempt your taste buds.

A captivated Van Gogh wrote of Provence "What intensity of colours, what pure air, what vibrant serenity.  Nature here is extraordinarily beautiful, everything and everywhere".  Culturally, historically and visually rich, the Romans were amongst the first to discover this charming, if rugged, region of France.  

More wine is produced in the Languedoc-Roussillon region than any other place in the world. The vineyards, started in the Roman era and producing red, white and rosé wine, begin in the Narbonne area, run past Béziers and on to Montpellier. The Roman (and some Gallic) ruins are magnificent; the Maison Carré, Diana's Temple and the Roman Arena in Nîmes, the Rome of the Gauls, examples of Greco-Roman architecture. The crenellated walled city of Carcassonne and towers of Uzès are unmissable.

The main sports are football and rugby, but you can also get some hockey in certain areas.  Cricket is also available but is even more limited.  Football and rugby are played throughout the country, while the north is more football orientated than rugby.  You must be aware that in France, sport is played through the club structure rather than through schools, which means that as all clubs are involved in either national or local league systems, weekend fixtures are more difficult.

Most years, we send more tours to France than any other european country, which is why our fixture contacts are so important.  We work with a number of locally based, highly experienced and very professional companies who operate a similar type of sports travel business to our own.  The decision to use locally based companies is particularly important as from experience, especially in the lower age groups, from 13 years to 16 years, so many local committees adopt a set of rules and laws for their game in their area.  This means that you can play in two towns or cities quite close to each other, but find the interpretations different.

With every tour, we work hard to find out the way they play the game(s) for each tour.  However, this is France where beards grow very early!  Our recommendation is to double-check before you leave that the information you have has not changed.

Over the years, we have developed a very close working relationship and understanding with Jeremie Gossart especially because he attended Manchester University and had a few years in Sydney, Australia. His sense of humour is more British than French, and our experiences with him clearly shows he produces exactly what we are after.  Jeremie and his business partner at Iox, Pierre Marie, work closely together to ensure a successful tour every time.    

With a population of roughly the same size as the UK, France has no shortage of hotels.  One of the world's primary hotel chains, Accor, has a brand that fits every budget. If you are looking for a basic room, you stay in a Formule 1. From there you rise through Campanile to Ibis to Mercure to Novotel, and finally to their luxury brand, Sofitel.  These accommodations are dotted throughout the country.

That doesn't mean to say we do not look at other chains.  In addition to the well-known American brands like Best Western, Comfort and Marriott.  Please note there can be a difference between chain hotels which are owned by the chain, and those which are part of a marketing and operational franchise, for example, Best Western, as opposed to those who also operate on a managed franchise basis, such as Marriott. In addition, there are other local chains like Citadine, which are aparthotels, and Kyriad.

As a company, our preference is to use independent hotels as we have found that owner/managers to be much more interested in your as customers.  Typical of this type of hotel would be Hotel de Bordeaux, situated on the banks of the Canal du Midi in Toulouse.  Each room has air conditionning, private bathroom and cable TV, clock-radio and a desk.  Within the Mercure chain and located in Merignac, just outside Bordeaux, The Mercure Bordeaux Merignac is close to the Atlantic beaches and the famous vineyards, the hotel rooms offer air conditioning, private bath/shower, iron, hair dryer and alarm clock, telephone and Cable TV and radio, as well as a garden terrace, two restaurants and a bar.

Other than hotels, hostels are rarely used by us in France as the quality varies considerably.  However, there are various Sports Camps which have proved successful.  

However, we know that price is King and we look at all the best options to get you the best deal.