European Capital of Smart Tourism nominees

A new EU initiative aims to promote smart tourism in the EU, foster innovative, sustainable and inclusive tourism development, as well as spread and facilitate the exchange of best practices. The European Capital of Smart Tourism initiative recognises outstanding achievements in four categories: sustainability, accessibility, digitalisation as well as cultural heritage and creativity, by European cities as tourism destinations.

The following cities have been shortlisted as finalists in the competition for the European Capital of Smart Tourism 2019 are:

Brussels (Belgium), Helsinki (Finland), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Lyon (France), Málaga (Spain), Nantes (France), Palma (Spain), Poznań (Poland), Tallinn (Estonia), and Valencia (Spain).


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

New summer routes to French regions from Birmingham

FLYBE has expanded its 2016 summer programme from Birmingham Airport with the introduction of three routes to regional #France: Nantes, Rennes-Saint-Jacques, and Limoges. 

• Flybe will operate five times a week to Nantes – the historic port city on the Loire River in western France. 

• The service to Rennes-Saint-Jacques – the capital city of Brittany – will operate four times a week. 

• Flights to Limoges – a town in west-central France known for its art and history – will operate twice a week. The Limousin region is a popular destination for fishing, horse-riding, golf, and mountain biking. 

Seats on all the three routes are available for booking at www.flybe.com from £32.99 including taxes and charges.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: Nantes by Martin Stiburek - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

Where history comes to life in France

THINK of theme parks and #France, and Disneyland Paris comes to mind … but that’s not the only one the French have. It also has Puy du Fou, a park with no rides but which nevertheless won the world’s best #themepark title at last year’s international amusement park awards.

Since 2013, it has been the second-most visited theme park in France (after Disneyland Paris), attracting more than 1.9 million visitors in 2014.

The main attractions are detailed, special effect shows that bring different parts of history to life, from the Vikings and Knights of the Round Table to Richelieu’s musketeers and Gallo-Roman gladiator games.

Highlight shows this year include The Lovers of Verdun set in First World War France, The Organs of Fire, a night-time show about a ghost pianist, and Drones take over Cinéscénie, which involves 50 drones and 3,400 volunteer actors.


The park – an hour’s drive from #Nantes in the Vendee – also has four historical villages, 11 restaurants, and four history-themed hotels.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41796286@N07/4972508778">les chevaliers</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license), Courtesy of Puy du Fou

New flights from Bristol

NEW routes from Bristol to Paris, Düsseldorf, and Nantes are being introduced by BMI Regional. The additional services bring the number of routes flown by the airline from Bristol to eight, alongside Aberdeen, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, and Milan.

Paris and Düsseldorf flights start on April 27, with the Nantes summer-only service running between July 4 and September 12.

Fares to the French capital start at £69 one way, with Düsseldorf and Nantes at £79.

Paris flights will run six days a week with two flights a day Monday to Friday, and one flight on Sunday. Bristol-Düsseldorf will operate six times a week, Sunday to Friday, with Nantes served Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK