Being more than twice the size of Britain and with nearly a quarter of its 60 million population living and working in the Paris area, it’s no wonder vast areas of the country seem deserted. France has an amazing diversity of landscape and climate – from the snow capped Alps and Pyrénées to the scorching shoreline of the Côte d’Azur. Verdant valleys in Normandy and Brittany contrast sharply with the arid olive groves in Provence, but whatever the countryside, it is always France. Some of the earliest traces of human habitation in Europe have been found in l’Hexagone and while much of the country seems rural with historic architecture, there is also some of the most progressive city development anywhere on the continent.

The south of France has a warm Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. Strong winds, known as la Mistral, can occur in the Cote d'Azur, Provence and in the Rhone valley particularly over the winter and spring. Northern France, including Paris, has a temperate climate similar to southern England with warm summers, cold winters and rainfall throughout the year. The western coast, from the Loire valley to the Pyrenees, is milder and summer days are generally very hot. During the second half of July and August most French take their five-week vacation to the coasts and mountains, and empty cities tend to shut down accordingly.