The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes a great offer from P&O Ferries for all of you who are planning a little day trip to France to stock up on local delicacies for those cold days. Everybody knows that a bit of nice cheese and a glass of wine will help ward off that dreaded Sunday afternoon blues, and where better to shop for these precious goods than with our French neighbours who are experts in these fields?

From £19, you could cross the channel for a spot of shopping and bag of six free bottles of wine of your choice (red, white or rosé)! In addition to that, you will also receive a buy-1-get-1-free voucher for either an English Breakfast or a portion of Fish & Chips onboard the P&O Ferries food court.

This special offer ends on Thursday 1st December, with travelling at the discounted rate valid until 15th December.

For more information about this great offer, click here.

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Tags: France by Matthias Scherer
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The early heralds of Christmas are upon us. We’re going to have to ignore Halloween and Firework’s night draws up too many Balotelli allusions so we’re looking ahead to Lille’s Christmas Markets. They start on the 19th of November and are open every day except 25th December right up until New Year’s Eve.

83 Wooden chalets are set up for independent market stalls and all the shops of Lille compete to have unique and exciting window displays. You’ll be able to find all manner of Christmas presents in Lille, whether you’re after something special or on the hunt for a bargain. The Christmas market is set up in the Place Rihour,if you have trouble finding it, it’s the one with the 18 meter high Ferris wheel and ‘Marche De Noel’ written everywhere.

The market is small in comparison to some of the German Christmas markets you may have been to, but the city of Lille has lots to offer. The city has a rich history with signs of original settlement dating well before the Middle Ages. The cities involvement in major French and European events are well recorded here, so it’s certainly worth droping by a museum or exhibition before travelling home.

There are a number of hotels available if you intend to stay the night or wish to make a long weekend of it. P&O Ferries offer a £35 each way fair, which allows you to stay as long as you need – the price includes transport for your car and up to 9 passengers. Alternatively you could make a daytrip of your shopping, the £25 daytrip fair is definitely one of the best deals for getting yourself, your car and your kids on to the continent.

P&O’s channel crossing from Dover to Calais is an hour and half journey, so you might want o book an early one for your trip to Lille’s Christmas markets.

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Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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This will be the 20th anniversary of Boulogne-sur-Mer’s annual Herring Festival brought to you by Fishing Animation, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Boulogne-sur-Mer Cote d’Opale.

If you fancy a brisk coastal holiday P&O Ferries Dover to Calais service will leave you just a short journey to Boulogne, easily navigable by public transport, or you can of course take your car along with you.

This is an excellent chance to enjoy fresh herring or kipper, they’re cooked up on huge barbecues, the whole town turns out for this event, with a joyful atmosphere and glass of Beaujolais you can have a fun and tasty trip to northern France this winter.
You’ll be able to sample all the locally caught fish and the many variations of servings; the festival is on over the weekend of the 19th November, so dress warm. Boulogne-sur-Mer really goes all out for the Herring Festival with traditional dress, there will be a musical performed by Dominique Pourre on the Saturday starting at 3. The festival starts at 10 AM so you may want to arrive the night before, the day doesn’t finish until 7pm so there will be plenty of time for you to travel on the Saturday it begins.

P&O Ferries run a frequent Dover to Calais service, from there it is about a half an hours’ drive to Boulogne and all the herring you can eat.

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Tags: France, History, Lifestyle by Karim Beerahee
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The famous Le Grande Rex cinema, in Paris, is opening a special exhibit on the 22nd of October with all the signatures it has gathered from visiting movie stars and singer on display. These include such huge names as Woody Allen, Cesaria Evora, Angelina Jolie and (if it’ll impress you) Justin Bieber.

Etoiles du Rex is an interactive tour (think Universal Studios in Paris). It welcomes all ages and would make a fun day out for the family or anybody with an appreciation of the movie making process. Although the theatre itself is far more impressive to behold at night when the tower is lit up a tour during the day will certainly be well worth it.

The tour is not without its share of surprises, you and your companions can do a bit of acting and be superimposed into movies such like King Kong and you’ll get the chance to purchase your footage on DVD. Your digital tour guide French cartoon star Manissa (styled on Jessica Rabbit), you get to have look through real sets and see animatronic puppets come to life. You’ll get a talk through some of the workings of movies including special effects and sound effects.

For a unique and intriguing tour of European cinema take a P&O Ferry from Dover to Calais, bring the car, bring the kids.

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Tags: France, History, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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The days are getting shorter, the need for layers is greater, and despite the holiday season being over a lot of you will feel the need to break the daily routine. One great way to do just that is to jump on a P&O Ferry, cross the Channel and spend a few nights in a lovely cottage in France. Sound good? It is good – and to top it off, Cottages4you are offering P&O Ferries customers a 10% discount on all French properties.

At Cottages4you, you can choose between thousands of holiday properties in regions all over France. Properties range from studios and rusty farmhouses to multi-room villas and chateaux. Whether you’d like to while away the days in Brittany, Provence or Normandy, Cottages4you are likely to have you covered.

What better way to unwind than to settle down in a cosy cottage with a couple of good books, and work up an appetite with leisurely walks through the surrounding countryside?

Book your holiday now and take advantage of this fantastic P&O Ferries offer!

For more information on this deal, click here.

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Tags: France by Matthias Scherer
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If you are just getting in to climbing, want get back into practice or are a veteran out for a bit of a challenge then bouldering may be for you. France offers many unique opportunities to go bouldering or regular rock climbing. With the Pyrenees bordering Spain and the Alps to the east, but if you were otherwise unaware, there’s an excellent bouldering site in the north of France.

Kerlouan is a bit remote but since climbing is a personal sport this is far from a bad thing, still, better to have someone along with you just in case you take a tumble. Kerlouan is a perfect spot if you’re planning a family holiday you can follow the coast to a corner of Europe.

The sandy beaches will make for a soft landing as you climb unrestrained by ropes. About 15 years ago the village of Kerlouan was all but deserted, but a rehabilitation effort was implemented in 2004, nevertheless the region is somewhat remote so take due caution.

For bouldering, Kerlouan has a mixed difficulty of problems ranging from 4a’s to 8a’s so if you want to test yourself the northwest coast of France could be for you.

For an extreme holiday P&O Ferries can get you across the Channel on the cheap, you and the family with a car at minimal expense, with P&O Ferries Dover-Calais service.

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Tags: France, Lifestyle, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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There are a few ways to explore a country, all of which have their own benefits. Walking and hiking gives travellers the time to take in scenery, as well as provide some healthy exercise. Driving around in a car or travelling by train has the advantage of enabling people to see more than one region and compare and contrast different experiences within the same country.

Barging, however, combines the peace and quiet of walking and the convenience and comfort of travelling by rail. France lends itself beautifully to this way of travelling, with its different regions, calm and gorgeous waterways and penchant for enjoying great food and drink.

There are numerous barging companies operating in France these days, and it’s definitely an option you should consider on your next P&O Ferries trip down to France. The region of Burgundy is only a few hours drive away from the P&O port of Calais and has some great barging trips up its sleeve. On the Canal de Bourgogne, you will pass Renaissance aqueducts and churches, as well as beautiful valleys and villages.

Then there is the Burgundy canal, where tours often entail a daytrip to nearby Dijon. Wine tasting is optional and highly recommended! There are multiple providers of barging tours in this area, but have a look around Saint Louis Barge (a bit more high-end, with excellent food) and Go Barging to get an impression of the comfort that could await you on your next P&O Ferries trip!

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Tags: France, P&O Ferries by Matthias Scherer
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This is the last day to save up to 30% on your hotel, tickets and transport on your holiday to the Disneyland. Make the most of this spectacular offer whilst it lasts, a holiday to DisneyLand when the Magical Moments Festival in full swing will be one of the highlights of your year. To further this offer, kids under 7 willl get free hotel accommodation and park tickets.

If this is too short notice for a booking, the Magical Moments Festival is only halfway through; it doesn’t end until early April 2012 so kids and adults alike can still make the most of some of the attractions limited to the Magical Moments Festival.

Mickey’s Magical Celebration is certainly not to be missed as Disney’s Lord and Master displays his sorcery, wand in hand for an unforgettably magical performance to dazzle and amaze. All the others are there as well from classic Disney to new generations favourites.

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Tags: France, P&O Ferries by Karim Beerahee
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