Atout France SMARTguide

OVERSEAS TERRITORIES
© Atout France - Eric Larrayadieu
France’s Overseas Territories:
a Foretaste of Paradise!
Do you know that France has twelve
overseas islands and territories in the
world’s most beautiful places? They are
home to 80% of France’s biodiversity,
with breath-taking landscapes, a crossbred
historical and cultural legacy with
American, African, Indian and Kanak
origins... and world-renowned savoirfaire
as in the case of the Pearls of Tahiti,
Martinique rum, vanilla from Reunion
Island. With their tropical or subtropical
climates, these exotic destinations are
ideal when winter arrives in Europe.
THE CARIBBEAN
7,000 km to the west of the European
continent, we find the French West
Indies - Saint-Martin, the islands of
Guadeloupe, Martinique - great “get
away” destinations in which to relax. On
the islands of Guadeloupe or Martinique,
the richness of the marine natural parks
and rainforests makes these islands a
destination of choice for a diving holiday
or hiking. Saint-Martin offers beautiful
pristine beaches and shopping lovers
won’t be disappointed. Creole culture
prevails, with a true festive spirit!
INDIAN OCEAN
9,345 km from Paris, Reunion Island –
an overseas “department” – combines
the exoticism of a distant destination
with the safety of a French region. For
holiday makers looking for the outof-the-ordinary,
exchanges, emotions
and sensations, the Reunion is truly
enchanting.
PACIFIC OCEAN: NEW CALEDONIA,
TAHITI AND ITS ISLANDS
France in the heart of the Pacific: these
beautiful archipelagos will satisfy anyone
looking for a deserted beach on which to
spend a romantic holiday, a playground
for water sports or a place that touches
and surprises, not forgetting their Pacific
Island culture and reputed friendliness.
Fort-de-France (FDF), Point-à-Pitre (PTP),
Saint-Martin
(SFG), Saint-Barthélemy (SBH),
La Réunion (RUN), Papeete (PPT),
Nouméa (NOU)
TRANSPORTS
AIR TRANSPORT
With nearly 160 airports,
France is one of the
champions of Europe,
counting 1/3 of the total
number of regional airports
(460 airports within the EU).
RAIL TRANSPORT
The French rail network
is the largest in Europe
with 30,000 km of lines
in metropolitan France.
Train stations have direct
relays with regional
bus companies and
offer travellers a bike
rental service through
its network of certified
“accueil vélo” partners. In
addition, the SNCF has,
over the past few years,
implemented conventions
with 30 Airlines, allowing
people to travel on both
modes of transport with
a single ticket, easily
reaching major regional
cities.
BUS TRANSPORT
Since 2015, regular new interregional
bus routes have
been created thanks to the
liberalisation of transport
markets. These new offers,
proposed by transporters such
as Ouibus, Transdev or Flixbus,
allow passengers to travel to a
number of destinations that were
previously difficult to reach.
30 France: Destinations to (re)discover france.fr