France is our closest neighbour and its regions can offer tourists a variety of attractions. Spring is a popular time to visit France, especially for trips to Paris. The weather is warm and prices for flights and hotels are generally reasonable. Summer is the peak season for the south. From May onwards the beaches of the Cote d’Azur attract many tourists. Wintertime is the peak time for the ski resorts. The ski season in the Alps runs from December to March or April. The Christmas holidays and February half term are the most expensive periods as many head to Paris for the Christmas season.
Autumn is generally the off season in France, although temperatures can still be warm. Prices for skiing are lowest before Christmas, but at this time snow is not guaranteed and the temperatures can be very cold.
A number of the budget airlines offer cheap flights to France but these may be to the smaller airports rather than the main airports. Flybe also has flights to many of the ski resorts and other airports in France. Bmibaby can also be a good option for generally cheap flights to France.
Check the websites such as travelsupermarket.com, skyscanner,net, flightchecker.co.uk and compare prices. It may sometimes work out cheaper to choose a package rather than just a flight. However, cities such as Paris have a wide range of hotels and hostels at varying prices.
Major airlines such as Air France also offer special cheap flights to France including destinations such as Paris. Other websites will search all the budget airlines for special offers and with some websites you can register so that emails are sent when special offers to your chosen destination are available. Charles de Gaulle is the main airport in Paris, but prices are high and there are slot restrictions so some airlines such as Ryanair and Thomsonfly have moved to the cheaper airports of Orly and Paris Beauvais.
If you don’t mind when you go, booking late through travel sites such as lastminute.com can save money, especially if you are looking for a short weekend break.