France has a wide range of sports on offer, both for the spectator and the participant.

It is not difficult to get tickets to domestic and international football and rugby matches, while the biggest event of all, the Tour de France, is free. And if you are interested in expending some energy yourself, you will find a whole host of activities and adventure holidays available.

France's extensive coasts have also been well developed for recreational activities, and this is especially true in the south. Although in summer, you can swim just about anywhere from Normandy to the Mediterranean, the Côte d'Azur is justly reputed as the best for beaches . In the coastal towns and resorts of the Mediterranean coast, you'll find every conceivable sort of beach-side activity, including boating , sea-fishing and diving. If you don't mind high prices and crowds, its too-blue waters and sandy coves are unbeatable. The western Mediterranean coast is much windier, and windsurfers delight in the calm of the broad salt-water inlets ( étangs ) which typify the area. The best surfing is to be found on the rougher Atlantic coast, where Biarritz is something of a Mecca for the sport, hosting a lively annual championship.

Outdoor Activities
In addition to the old standbys - walking, cycling and skiing, and the traditional French boules - France provides a fantastically wide range of outdoor activities.

Rafting and canoeing are growth industries in France, and practically every stretch of river, particularly in the gorges and ravines of the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Massif Central, has outfits renting boats or organizing excursions. These mountainous areas also provide prime rock climbing ( escalade ) territory. Paragliding (a combination between parachuting and hang-gliding) is another popular and stimulating option; the best areas for this are the Hautes-Alpes of Provence and Corsica.

On the scrappy trails of the Pyrenees and Alps, mule-trekking is also coming increasingly into vogue. You can also swim at many river beaches (usually signposted from highways) and in the real and artificial lakes which pepper France. Many of these have leisure centres ( bases de plein airs ) at which you can rent pedaloes, windsurfers and dinghys, as well as larger boats and jet-skis (on the bigger reservoirs).

Sports
More than any of the cultural jamborees, it is sporting events that really excite the French - cycling, football, tennis and skiing. At the local level, the gentle sobriety of boules is the most obvious manifestation of sporting life.

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France Brief History

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