News from Top French Cities

WHILE the Top French Cities of Orleans and Tours celebrate the French Renaissance year round, mark your calendars for these upcoming developments:

In late March the city of Saint-Etienne will hold its 11th Design Biennial, curated by American Lisa White.

Starting April 27, 2019 and through early December, the great Northern city of Lille will be effervescent —indoors and out—with contemporary art exhibits, installations and other events. A great open-air kick-off will launch "Eldorado: Lille 3000," a huge citywide fete held every three years.

Lille will also host March 13 to June 11, 2019 a major Giacometti retrospective featuring over 150 works at its Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Sports fans must know by now that France will be hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup from June 7 to July 7 in 9 cities. Six of the 9 host stadiums are in the Top French Cities: Grenoble, Le Havre, Montpellier, Nice, Reims, and Rennes; from which of course the French team will try to match their male counterparts and win. 

Elegant Montpellier will welcome a new contemporary art center in July which will be known as Le MoCo.

Nice will be now be accessible via direct flights from New York on La Compagnie from May through October.


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

Most popular European destinations for American travellers

LONDON and Paris continue to be the most popular European destinations for American travelers this summer, but the remaining spots on the Top 20 list saw significant movement from 2017, according to an analysis by Allianz Global Assistance. This year, Reykjavik, Iceland jumped from 17th to third, Barcelona, Spain slipped from fifth to seventh and Nice, France cracked the Top 20 for the first time to come in at 11th.

American travellers visiting Reykjavik has grown significantly in the last few years. Ranked 28th in 2015, the destination cracked the top 20 in 2016 and 2017.Thanks in part to increased direct airlift from the U.S. to the island nation, Iceland's otherworldly landscapes and colorful city homes have been trending on social media in recent years. Despite talk of over-tourism and discussion to potentially limit the number of annual visitors to the country, Reykjavik's popularity continues to rise this summer.

Barcelona's fall in rankings from fifth in 2016 and 2017 to seventh in 2018, may have been caused by several recent incidents. In the last year, Barcelona experienced a terrorist attack in the popular Las Ramblas area; political turmoil as Catalonia attempted to cede from Spain; and organized street protests in Barcelona.

Nice lands on the list for the first time, this suggests that American perception of the city's safety has recovered from the 2016 terrorist truck attack during the city's Bastille Day celebration.

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

France extends state of emergency after Nice murders

FRENCH president Francois Hollande has extended the country's state of emergency for a further three months after the #BastilleDay murder of more than 80 people in #Nice. The current state of emergency was in place until July 23, but will now continue until at least October 23.

Authorities say 84 people died after a lorry was driven into a crowd who had been watching the fireworks as part of Bastille Day celebrations in the city's Promenade des Anglais.

It is reported a further 18 are 'fighting for their lives' and hundreds are injured. The UK’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has confirmed that at least one British national was among those injured.

The lorry driver, who allegedly then opened fire on the crowd, was shot dead by police. He is reported to be a 30-year-old French-Tunisian who was known to the police but not to France’s intelligence agencies.

M.Hollande said France was ‘filled with tragedy’, and promised more troops and tighter border controls, although it’s believed the terrorist was a French citizen living in the Nice area.

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office urged British visitors in the area to follow the instructions of the French authorities.


Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: By narje - Own work Public Domain wikimedia.org 1415970

Nice … at half the Price

IT'S the second most visited city in #France after Paris with more than five million visitors a year but as anyone who has holidayed in #Nice and elsewhere along the French Riviera knows, living the high life can come at a cost. Two of the largest upcoming events on the coast – the Cannes Film Festival (May 11-22) and the #MonacoGrandPrix (May 26-29) can see hotel rates quadruple. 

But, conveniently half way between Cannes and Monaco and a mere 30-minute drive away, Nice, the largest city on the Cote D'Azur, is the ideal location for catching them both.

According to Simon Walker, co-founder of Your Nice Apartment, holidaying in Nice and the French Riviera doesn't have to break the bank. ‘Customers have not only changed the way they book accommodation, by-passing the big, expensive corporate hotels and booking direct with holiday owners instead, but also the type of accommodation they want to book. Not only are our apartments hundreds of pounds cheaper than the hotel-room equivalent, but they offer guests maximum flexibility, privacy, and provide the quintessential Nice experience.

‘Hotels are not allowed in the Old Town or 'Vieux Nice' so, apart from a backpackers hostel, renting an apartment is the only way to stay in that area of Nice.’

The agency’s properties range from high end luxury apartments with air con, wi-fi, and a balcony with Oscar-winning views to budget boutique hide-aways, with prices from £36 a night to http://www.yourniceapartment.com/search-nice-properties/cagnes-sur-mer/villa-estelle/£486 per night for large villas.

www.yourniceapartment.com

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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

Picture Credit: By Tobi 87 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16844409

Humberside flights to luxury

HUMBERSIDE Airport is launching an exclusive season of flights for luxury weekend breaks to some of Europe’s most desirable city break destinations in May and June.

The airport will offer a choice of convenient, direct weekend flights to Nice, Barcelona, and Venice on a 50-seat jet.

Customers will have private check-in, complimentary car parking at the airport, a champagne breakfast, and a ‘private jet experience’ on the Embraer jet.

Paul Litten, Humberside Airport’s commercial director, said: ‘Two of the weekend departures to Nice and Barcelona have been specifically planned around both the Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.’

The breaks can be booked as flight-only or packaged with accommodation through Humberside Airport Travel.

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

Party by the Med

Bastille Day – celebrating the July 14, 1789, storming of Bastille, a symbol of the French monarchy’s oppression – sees cities, towns and villages across France in party mood, but nowhere more so than in Nice, where festivities feature dance parties on the beach, parades, fireworks and French air force displays.

Patriots watch the traditional military parade while music lovers enjoy four concerts along the Promenade des Anglais. At the Hotel Negresco, French pop stars attract crowds for a musical celebration of freedom. At night, people head to the Casino Ruhl for great views of fireworks lighting up the Med.

  

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk