in France then you need to know of where exactly you

want to buy. This will be

influenced by such things as whether you like living in remote

areas or in a town, whether you are emigrating to

retire or whether you want to be employed and live in France at

the same time. HauteVienne Hideaways are French Property

experts and can cater for all your buying in

France needs. Although in the past we have specialized in the Haute

Vienne region of France we now have properties in our

books from all over France. To give you some idea of each region we are giving a lowdown

on 10 regions below.

Alsace is positioned in the far north-east corner of France

and is one of France's smallest regions. This

lovely and mesmerising area

lies between the Vosges mountains to the west and the river

Rhine, which forms a long un man made border

with Germany, to the east. The beautiful countryside is a

mix of dense forests, good farmland,

pretty vineyards, fortified towns and quaint

villages of half-timbered houses with flower

filled window-boxes.

Aquitaine, in the south-west, is the biggest region of

France. It has a long, straight west coast, which stretches

200km from the mouth of the Gironde estuary

down to the Spanish border. Along this border there

are two main holidayresorts, Biarritz in the south which, once

fashionable with the glamour set of the 1930s has recently been revived

by trendy Parisians, and Arcachon to the north with its large

houses, which is popular with people from Bordelais.

Auvergne, which encompasses much of the Massif Central, is

probably the least known and most remote region of

France. With two giant spectacular national parks - the

dramatic Parc Naturel R'gional des Volcans d'Auvergne and its

tamer neighbour the Parc Naturel R'gional des Livradois-Forez

- it is almost entirely unspoilt and is the

biggest environmentally protected area of France. Volcanic

activity started here around twenty million annums ago so

the areas mountainsare older than the Alps or the

Pyrenees.

Basse-Normandie is situated on the north-west coast of

France, just to the south-west of neighbouring Haute-Normandie with

which it is normally lumped together and simply called

Normandy.

Burgundy (Bourgogne) is a peaceful country region at the heart

of France, which has a rich and unique history. The

Dijon based duchy ran Burgundy for 600 years until 1477,

when the r'gion was abruptly snatched by the French

Kingdom. There is evidence of the duchy's wealth and

power in all areas, such as the many exotic

chateaus and beautiful towns and villages. Burgundy

was also an area of important religious and spiritual

influence. There are two famous abbeys at V'zelay and Fontenay

and the ruins of a monastery at Cluny where the Abbots'

power was second only to the pope's. This monastic presence

meant that during the Middle Ages Burgundy was a great

church-building region.

Brittany (Bretagne), the region occupying the rugged

western tip of France, is surrounded on three sides by a long (1110km)

and varied coastline. There are rugged cliffs dotted with

lighthouses, wide water estuaries, islands and islets where

animal life is protected, and picturesque harbors

with strong sea traditions. The many white sandy beaches and

beautiful coves make for wonderful bathing

opportunities. Sailing and windsurfing are popular and some of the best

scuba diving in France can be found. The climate is mild because of

the Gulf Stream but its Atlantic exposure means that winters can be

wet, very windy and extremely cold.

Although Centre is the name used for administration

purposes, the region is commonly called

Central Loire, Val de Loire, Loire Valley or simply, the Heart of

France. France's longest river at 628 miles, the Loire, which

flows from its source in the mountains south of Saint-Etienne to the

Atlantic, defines the r'gion's identity. It has

always been very rich thanks to the fertile land.

Champagne-Ardenne is between Ile-de-France in the south-west,

the industrial areas of Lorraine in the east, and Belgium in the north.

Its name comes from the Romans who called it Campania, which

means "Land of the Plains". Today these plains,

mostly to the south of the region, are where vast quantities of

cereals and maize are grown. Sugar beet is a major

crop (the smell from the sugar beet refineries can be overpowering so

do not consider buying a property anywhere near one!) and the r'gion

grows more wheat and cabbage than any other. But cabbage

aside, it is of course better known for a much more glamorous crop: the

white grape that has produced Champagne's famous sparkly

wine since the times of Dom Perignon.

http://www.hauteviennedhideaways.com are experts in French Property for

Sale and the regions of France.