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Starting from the western edge of the beach town of Cassis, these idyllic coves can only be reached in the simplest of manners – by boat or on foot, following trails through herb-scented pine woodlands and down steep cliff paths. Detour: Once you’re done feasting on history, get ready for some of the creamiest and best ice cream of your life at Ferme de la Haizerie in Vaux-sur-Aure. It’s a tiny and unpretentious ice cream shop that offers local flavors such as Calvados, and teurgoule – a Normandy rice pudding – made from fresh farm milk. 14. Visit the iconic abbey at Mont St-Michel Autoroutes (with names beginning with A) are multi-lane divided highways that charge tolls (péages) except near Calais and Lille. The further you travel, the more you pay. It’s possible to pay via credit card or cash at toll stations. If you’re doing loads of autoroute driving, you could also consider getting an automatic toll pass (such as the ones provided by Bip&Go or Eurotunnel & Emovis) which will charge you automatically as you pass through. Tolls are cheaper for motorcyclists, and more costly for cars towing caravans. Make the most out of every adventure with help from our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox. Le Train du Montenvers will get you up close to a glacier
With its cute steepled church and cluster of traditional Savoyard houses, this Real McCoy village in the Tarentaise Valley is straight out of a beautifully illustrated storybook. Skiers spill out of bed and onto snowy slopes at 1450m (4757ft), linked by lifts to the snow-sure Trois Vallées – the world’s biggest ski area stitched from 600km (373 miles) of slopes. Its seven resorts include Brit-loved Méribel, sky-high Val Thorens, family-friendly Les Menuires and A-lister Courchevel, where the super-chic hobnob. Skiing here is for all levels, although intermediates and above have an absolute blast. Directly south of Burgundy, France’s third-largest city, Lyon , sits at the confluence of the rivers Saône and Rhône. Grand squares, outstanding museums and long-standing traditions, including convivial bouchons (bistros serving rustic Lyonnaise cuisine), entice visitors to stay longer than planned. Clichés of French style include a beret paired with a horizontally striped sweater (cigarette and baguette accessories depending on the time of day), and one of the classic brands for French knitwear, Saint James, is also a charming little village you can visit. The most famous export, the striped shirt, has a long history: they were uniform for the navy seaman of the North, and the original 1858 design has 21 stripes for each of Napoleon Bonaparte’s victories of war. For a first-hand look at how the sweaters are made, you can get a tour of the Saint James atelier and then leave the shop with your own Breton striped sweater or shirt. 13. Tour the D-Day beachesPlanning tip: Maps of the D-Day beaches are widely available, and local tourist offices have created a helpful e-booklet outlining it all. 7. Breton coast loop You’re always better off avoiding restaurants touting a menu touristique; the best places are the ones catering to locals. 12. Dress the part in any situation
With two to four public holidays in May (depending on when Easter falls), opening hours can be a tad unpredictable. But May is also the month of the Nuits des Musées when hundreds of museums around the country open their doors for free from dusk till 1am. It's also when the global sensation that is the Cannes Film Festival whirls into town and drenches the south of France in silver-screen glamor. Unsurprisingly, prices shoot up for the duration of the festival. Round off your evening with dinner at Bar des Oiseaux, Olive et Artichaut, Peixes or Le Comptoir du Marché, featuring the best local produce cooked to perfection. Discover the leafy Cimiez quarter Southeast of Provence, the French Riviera is known in France as the Côte d'Azur for the azure-blue color of the Mediterranean glittering in the bright sun. At the heart of Champagne’s viticultural activity is graceful Épernay . The region’s largest city, Reims , is topped by the sublime Gothic Cathédrale Notre Dame and is renowned for fine dining. A medieval treasure of a town, Troyes has a magical half-timbered center. Renoir took artistic inspiration from the vineyards around pretty Essoyes . Fall under the spell of enchanting Alsace and Lorraine For an easier alternative, board the Panoramique des Dômes cog railway for a 15-minute trip. To get up even higher, spiral above Puy de Dôme on a paragliding flight. 15. Ring in the festive season at Strasbourg’s historic Christmas market
Apples are abundant in Normandy, and with the plentiful harvest the locals have turned the fruit into liquid gold. Calvados is a brandy that must be made in Calvados to merit its AOC status (Appellation d’Origine Protégé). Get a taste and tour at Calvados Roger Groult, a family-run distillery that’s been around since the beginning of the 19th century and has been distilling apples over wood-fires for over five generations. The estate is impressive and the tour is infused with passion without being overly salesy – but the tasting at the end works its own magic. The French capital is likely to be one of your most unforgettable memories of France. Defined by icons like the Eiffel Tower glittering by night, Arc de Triomphe straddling the Champs-Élysées and Sacré-Cœur crowning hilltop Montmartre, Paris is crammed with megastar museums like the Louvre and impressionist-filled Musée d’Orsay; the mansion-housed Musée Carnavalet brings the city’s history to life. Detour: If you just want to get a taste of the slow life, book yourself a stay at a Parcel tiny house. It’s under two hours from Paris but offers a true nature escape to the middle of an apple orchard haven. Through a partnership with the neighboring organic farm Jardins de la Thillaye, you can taste Saint-Émilion wine, the best butter of the region, locally made calva and cider, and Norman beef. Bring boots – the trek out to the cabins is long and the grassy fields can turn muddy easily under the volatile Normandy skies. 12. Snag a striped sweater at Saint James
France loves to put on a big show for Christmas. Even if you don’t ski, the magic of the mountains goes into overdrive when festive decorations come out. Watch Lyon come to life as the Festival of Lights bathes the city. When you’re not on the ski slopes, head to the shops for the big January sales – les soldes d’hiver. Quieter streets will make city breaks a pleasure, especially in the south where the weather can already feel mild. This drive links up France’s most magnificent collection of castles, ranging from austere medieval fortresses such as Château de Langeais to ostentatious royal pleasure palaces such as Chambord.
The coastline of choice for Hollywood A-listers, pop stars, royalty and anyone who owns a super yacht – can there be a more glamorous stretch of coast on Earth than the Côte d'Azur's Gulf of St-Tropez? Parking in French towns and cities can be a real pain. Assuming you manage to find a space, you will nearly always have to pay for on-street parking – look out for white markings on the street that say payant. There is usually a parking meter nearby that accepts cash and sometimes credit cards. Chargeable hours are generally 9am to noon and 2pm to 5pm or 6pm, but this does vary (times will be indicated on the parking meter). Cultural insightsgive you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics Traveling around France by train is a joy. France’s state-owned SNCF is one of the best rail networks in Europe – fast, frequent and often very competitively priced, especially if you plan ahead and book in advance.
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