France, and in particular Provence, is not especially expensive – expect to pay much the same as, or even less, than you would elsewhere and certainly much less than in Switzerland for example. 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 Nice and Cannes 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.

For really low prices on a whole range of goods try the local Hypermarché. These are huge retail outlets, usually to be found on the outskirts of town, which sell everything from food to clothes. Hypermarchés to look out for are Carrefour, Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché Hyper and Géant Casino.

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