The strength of the EURO will make perhaps the biggest difference to foreign visitors, but even then FRANCE is, by regional and global standards, not particularly expensive.

Admission to sites of interest is often surprisingly cheap and eating out, while not exactly inexpensive, is normally very good value for money.

Of course the traveller will find that large cities and resorts such as Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and St-Tropez can be a little pricey especially for eating out but, if you are prepared to shop around a little, you will find something to suit your pocket.

What you can expect is value for money wherever you go. For food shopping try the local outdoor market, held daily in the big cities and weekly in small towns and villages. These are not necessarily cheaper than shops but the produce is guaranteed to be local and fresh.