More
ideas in our Summer 2008 special
The euro is at a record high against the pound, your holiday budget’s been
downsized and it’s time to go bargain hunting.
Once you get to the south of France, you don’t have to raise your head from
your beach towel to enjoy two of the best free natural attractions: the
sunshine and the bright-blue Mediterranean Sea. But if it's attractions and
events you want, here are the best budget-minded options:
FESTIVALS
Summertime festivals provide excellent free entertainment for kids of all
ages. Enjoy the extravagant International
Fireworks Festival in Cannes and Monaco; lavender-scented floats at
Digne-les-Bains’ Corso de la
Lavande (+33-4-92-36-62-62) or costumed troubadours at Mornas’
Marché Médievale (+33-4-90-37-01-26).
PARKS AND RESERVES
If you’re staying inland, you can enjoy the undisturbed beauty of Provence’s
nature reserves at no cost. The 70,000-hectare Mercantour
National Park is home to Europe’s largest collection of pre-historic
rock engravings, while the cedar-cloaked Luberon
Regional Park is perfect for hiking. Only created in 1997, the Verdon
Regional Natural Park boasts the jaw-dropping Verdon Gorges and the
shimmering Lac de Sainte-Croix.
Parks and gardens all over Provence are perfect for cheap family picnics. Grab
a pan bagnat (tuna nicoise salad in a bap) in Nice before whiling away the
afternoon beside the chateau ruins at Parc du Chateau or buy a whole
spit-roast chicken from a stallholder at Uzes’ Saturday market to eat in the
shade on the Promenade des Maronniers.
JUST DESSERTS
For dessert, indulge in scoffing traditional sweets from Léonard
Parli (+33-4-42-26-05-71) in Aix-en-Provence or Confiserie
Florian (+33-4-93-59-32-91) in Tourrettes-sur-Loup where you’ll see
workers hand-dipping fruit into orange-coloured chocolate.
MUSEUMS
When you’re looking for family-friendly culture without an entrance fee, head
to Marseille’s Musée Cantini
(+33-4-91-54-77-75) with celebrated masterpieces by Rothko, Kandinsky and
Picasso or Musée du Vieux Nîmes (+33-4-66-76-73-70) displaying serge de
Nîmes (denim) that Mr Levi Strauss used to create jeans.
