France is a beautifully diverse country, with a plenty of room feel. It has always been popular with Brits for the purchase of a retirement or holiday home and there are plenty to choose from, prices are cheaper than Spain and recently have been dropping in price slightly so there are some absolute bargains to be found. France appears to the discerning British purchaser who prefers a more tranquil rural existence. France is renowned the world over for it’s cooking, it’s style and culture. This was the country that invented the word chic. France is most famous the world over for it’s wine, in particular champagne and the many wine producing areas of the country attract countless visitors each year.
History – France is a large country bounded by the Alps near the Italian & Swiss Borders which contain Europe’s highest point Mount Blanc at 15700 feet. In the North east are the forest covered Vosges mountains whilst the Pyrenees can be located along the Spanish border. The countries that border France are; Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra & Spain. France has been occupied since early Paleolithic times. The Celts who became known as the Gauls by the Roman Invaders originally came from the Rhine valley and settled in to what is now modern France. The Greeks and Phoenicians also established settlements in the Mediterranean area. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD divided this now vast country in to three separate states that roughly became France, Germany & Italy. For over 350 years France was ruled by the Capetian line until 1328, when Philip Vi took over it was the most powerful nation in Europe with a large population. In these years, territory in France was still held by The English and the onset of the hundred years war saw the English loose all of their French possessions except Calais. In the 16th century, France was racked by civil war mainly caused by religious intolerance. This was followed by a series of costly foreign wars that weakened the government and subsequently plunged the whole country in to revolution. This was the bloodiest period in French History but led to the establishment of the First French Republic and the first ruler was Napoleon Bonaparte.
Modern France – Modern France started to emerge at the end of World War1 as a dominant European power although much of the countryside was in ruins. France suffered greatly during the second world war and at the end substantial rebuilding had to be carried out. France like Great Britain has since seen most of it’s colonies disappear but it has managed to remain friendly with most of it’s former territories. Modern France is a member of the European Union and today it welcomes Holiday Home owners from all over Europe. In recent years, the number of Britons purchasing property in France has increased dramatically, this has been helped by much improved transport links. The channel tunnel has made travel to France by car very easy and recently a number of budget airlines have introduced cheap air services to a number of French provincial airports. This cheap air travel has made visiting holiday homes easier and now many cheap properties are being purchased in areas that were formerly thought of as back waters.
Popular Holiday Hotspots Brits have been busy re invading France for many years and little communities are springing up all over the place. The following are the most popular at the present moment.
Pas de Calais, especially the coast from Montreuil to Cap Blanc, Nez, Normandy, Brittany,The coastal area of Vendee,Indre-Loire and Loir et Cher, Aquaitaine, Languedoc-Roussillion, Provence, BurgundyFrench Holiday Home Insurance – For any potential holiday home owner interested in French property, you will; be pleased to note that this country offers a very diverse amount of holiday homes to choose from. Whatever your requirements, France has it all, and of course most people, quite sensibly, before they settle and purchase a home in this country do have some experience of at least one or two of the areas. Before choosing your property to purchase, renting is a good option, it is fairy easy and cheap to do and there is large amount of French rental property to choose from, this will give you plenty of time to really get to know an area and importantly, frequent yourself with any local rules and regulations governing let property. If you want Assetsure can arrange either short term or long term travel insurance for you and other course, we will be delighted to arrange your French holiday home insurance when you do decide on the property of your dreams. If you purchase a Holiday Home in France, Assetsure can provide french holiday home insurance for your Buildings & Contents which will include all the local covers required to satisfy French legislation. If you do decide to rent your property, you must make sure that you are aware of all the rules and regulations that relate to the use of swimming pools.
