Where to set down your suitcases in France? From Brittany to the Côte d'Azur, tourist towns and classified tourist resorts offer a special welcome to visitors, increasingly based on sustainable values. We explain why.
Did you know? In France, it's not just accommodation that benefits from a classification, which is extremely useful for guiding your choices. Since 1912, the French government has also labelled holiday resorts. Launched at the time to support the development of spa towns, this classification has evolved over time and now takes into account the challenges of the ecological transition and new ways of travelling. Today, some 500 tourist resorts - metropolises, winter sports resorts, spa towns, seaside resorts and country villages - are classified as ‘tourist resorts’, a label validating the State's recognition of excellence in terms of the tourist offer and welcome.
Why choose a listed tourist resort?
You'll find something to suit your needs and budget, with a wide choice of accommodation (hotels, furnished tourist accommodation, bed and breakfast, gîtes or campsites) and services. Free internet access, a category I tourist office or tourist information office, local shops (bank or banking services, food shops, restaurants, etc.): everything is provided to make your stay easier whatever the season, including tourist activities and events.
Another advantage is that the resort is accessible by various modes of transport other than the private car, such as shuttles or public transport. Les Arcs in Savoie has a funicular railway linking Bourg-Saint-Maurice station to the resort, while Avoriaz, Europe's only pedestrian resort, is accessible on foot, skis, sleighs and horse-drawn sleighs!
When planning your holiday in France, think about green tourism. A few labels can point you in the direction of nature destinations offering a selection of eco-responsible accommodation or suggest environmentally friendly gastronomic experiences. In the mountains, by the sea, in a hotel, a gîte or a restaurant, follow the guide!
Eco-responsible destinations
Choosing a classified tourist resort also means making a commitment to sustainable tourism: since 2023, the classification has taken into account the efforts made in terms of ecological transition. If you're a fan of soft, sustainable forms of transport, you'll find all kinds of ways to get around, including shuttles, public transport and even cycling, with appropriate infrastructure and advice. It's also a good way to help reduce energy consumption, as in Arradon, a resort on the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany, where connected showers have been installed in the municipal campsite to help save water.
It's also the assurance of being able to enjoy the peace and quiet of a natural heritage that is often exceptional, like Bagnoles de l'Orne in Normandy, a trail resort where the introduction of an eco-responsible sportsman's charter means that you can run or hike while respecting the fabulous reservoir of biodiversity in the Andaines forest.
And if you're a gourmet, you'll enjoy savouring the local gastronomy in the classified tourist resorts: they systematically promote local products and the circular economy. Like Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, where a sustainable catering labelling programme has been launched in the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games. Set your sights on Mediterranean-flavoured bouillabaisse!
Consult the interactive map below to locate the classified resorts and tourist towns in France:
By Anne-Claire Delorme
Globetrotting journalist [email protected]
