South of France - Fact File
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FRANCE:
Provence, including the Côte
d’Azur
- Factfile
Situated
in the south-east of France, Provence’s coastline stretches from
Bandol to Menton,
on the Italian border. The region, covering an area of approximately
30,000 sq km, contains five ‘departements’ [counties] – Bouches-du-Rhone,
Vaucluse, Alpes de Haute-Provence, Var and Alpes-Maritimes - and
has a population of some 4,275,000
people. The region has some 300 days of sun per year.
Considering
purchasing a Property?
Costs involved in purchasing property include expenses
due to the public notary [invoices settled by the public notary
on behalf of the purchaser], transfer tax [taxe de mutation]equal
to approx 5% of the selling price, property registration, stamp
duty, and VAT on a new construction. Costs amount to between 8%
and 10% of the selling price. In addition, an annual amount of
property tax, called Taxe d’Habitation , similar to ‘rates’ in
the UK, is payable each year on January 1. There are exemptions
for people over 60 years
Swimming
pools and safety measures. If you’re thinking about purchasing
a property that has a swimming pool, you should be aware of the
new French law concerning safety measures. Not only must all children
be supervised by an adult when at a [private] swimming pool, but
every pool must either have fencing around it or have an alarm
system. In each case, the system must be approved by the appropriate
French authorities. The local Mairie [town hall] will have details.
Setting
up a business in the south of France? The Chamber of Commerce
and Industry of Nice has established a specific department, La
Maison des Enterprises [Companies Association] to help companies
in setting-up an organisation on the Riviera.
The
British Chamber of Commerce Cote d'Azur is well worth contacting
and their website is BCC
Cote d'Azur
Wine
With
the exception of the superb red wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape,
Provence has not traditionally been noted for its great wines.
only recently gained its status for fine wines. Formerly it had
carved itself a reputation for agreeable wines and in particular
for its rosé. But, more recently, an increasing number of wine
growers are making first-rate products to challenge those from
Burgundy and Bordeaux. Particularly good are the reds and rosés
from the Bandol area, located between Marseille and Toulon.
Golf
There
are many first-rate golf courses in the region. Here is a selection:
The Monte Carlo [33 (0)4 93415070] boasts some wonderful
holes and has dazzling views; Golfe de Sainte Maxime [33
(0) 4 944926], with magnificent views over the bay towards St
Tropez; Esterel [33 (0)4 94 825500] designed by Robert
Trent Jones; the challenging Saint Endreol [33 (0)4 94992299];
the longest established golf course in the south of France, the
Cannes Mandelieu Old Course [33(0)4 92973200]; The Riviera
Golf Club [33 (0)4 92974949]close to Mandelieu, where
accuracy is of the essence; the pricey and dramatic Royal Mougins
[33 (0)4 92924969]; the pleasurable Saint Donat [33 (0)4
93097660], also designed by Robert Trent Jones;
Cannes Mougins [33 (0)493757913] is an satisfying
and fairly demanding course; Close to Grasse at 600 metres is
Claux-Amic [33 (0)4 93605544], which offers fine views
and excellent golf. The Gary Player designed Taulane [33
(0)4 93603130] is considered by some to be the greatest course
in the south of France.
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Boules
Especially
popular in Provence, boules is played throughout the year. Most
villages throughout the region boast at least one ‘piste de boules‘.
Although many of the players are in their 60s and 70s plus, the
game is attracting an increasing number of
young players. Pastis, Marseille’s most famous drink, is
synonymous with the game as the après-match drink but chilled
rosé is as popular.
Museums
and Galleries For
art lovers, Provence is also a delight. Those who have left some
of their treasures from their lives in this region include leading
lights of the Impressionist movement, Paul Cézanne and Pierre
Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, cubist Fermand Léger, Marc Chagall
and Pablo Picasso. The tourist office in each town supplies full
information on what’s on, where and when but here is a small selection
to consider: Musée Picasso in Antibes; Musée National Fernand Léger in Biot,
Musée Fragonard in Grasse, Musée Matisse in Nice, the Fondation
Maeght in Saint Paul de Vence and the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art
Contemporain also in Nice.
What’s
On
Additional
to the plethora of museums, many of which have constantly changing
exhibitions, there are a multitude of events throughout the year.
For those with eclectic tastes, time will be the only limiter
to around the clock entertainment. January has The Monte Carlo
Rally, February the Mardi Gras Carnival in Nice, March the International
Flower Festival in Cagnes-sur-Mer, April the Féria Pascale in
Arles to celebrate the beginning of the bullfighting season, May
the Cannes Film Festival, the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters and the
F1 Monaco Grand Prix, June the Son-et-Lumière in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse,
Juan les Pins and Nice devote much of July to their celebrated
Jazz Festivals, August the Fete du Jasmin in Grasse and sparkling
firework displays all over, September the Montgolfiades Internationales
in Haute Provence for balloonists, October the Foire international
de Marseille with music, folklore, arts and crafts, Monaco celebrates
its National Day with spectacular firework displays in November,
and the Fete du Vin in Bandol in December. And those mentioned
are but a fraction of this feast of events throughout the year.
©jmlpropertyservices08/04
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Cautious
optimism for the French Riviera
As
there is now increasing competition from the resorts in Eastern
Europe and the growing influence of low cost airlines, the French
Riviera is now struggling to maintain market share in the tourism
industry. The strong Euro had not helped and Eastern Europe has
more availability and is less expensive.
Tourism
industry experts are a little more optimistic after the 2005 season.
In Nice for example there was a 4 per cent increase in hotel guests
in July compared to the same time in 2004 according to the Syndicat
des hôteliers Nice Côte d'Azur. They indicated that the hotel
occupancy in Nice was at around 70/75 per cent in 4 star and deluxe
hotels and 80/85 per cent in other categories.
Click on image for self catering in the south of
France
There
are several factors contributing to the upward trend. There are
now low cost routes into Nice from Bratislava and Budapest and
the Euro is not quite as strong as it had been. The region has
been using the Internet more for promoting travel packages with
the annual events like jazz festivals and there has been a change
in which hotels have adapted to the needs of their customer base.
The
main visitors to the region are principally foreign tourists from
Britain, Belgium and Germany and more Americans are returning
to France. Nice Côte d'Azur airport has reported a 6 per cent
increase in passenger traffic. There is also a booming cruise
liner market with Monaco 
and
Cannes reporting a 55 percent cent rise in passengers. They still
have a long way to go before they regain their previous dominance
and the job now is to keep people interested.
New
directives reveal that the future of regional tourism is believed
to be concentrated on two main markets. Leisure - affiliated with
events, special interest tours and cultural highlights. events.
The other is Business tourism - Conferences. September
2005
To
find your ideal French Holiday Home, enter our partner site jmlvillas.com
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See
Cannes Film Festival
See
Also Biot, near Antibes, Cannes Nice, South of France
See
Historic Monaco Grand Prix - Grand Prix de Monaco Historique
___________________________
See
Also Biot, near Antibes, Cannes Nice, South of France
Advertise
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per year - CLICK
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There
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