With lush, green vineyards, square-towered chateaux and limestone plateaux, the views are a feast in themselves – and that’s before you get to the markets. Perigord in rural Dordogne is the perfect place to escape and unplug. For your best chances of beaver-spotting, take a canoe or kayak tour after sunset.Įnjoy farm-to-fork food and slow living in the Dordogne The landscape is exceptionally biodiverse and is a twitcher’s paradise, home to kingfishers, several types of eagle and even vultures.Īt ground level, otters, beavers and chamois flourish. Troglodyte villages, precipitously perched chateaux and a gorge which runs so deep (500 metres in places) that it’s almost soundproof, the Gorges du Tarn are unique to say the least. Spot beavers after dark in the Gorges du Tarn The best way to experience it is by renting a boat and exploring the canal at your own speed, with the walled city of Carcassonne a particular highlight. See Locaboat From Toulouse, it joins the Canal de Garonne to reach Bordeaux, and eastwards splits into two branches, one finishing at Narbonne and the other at Agde. See SNCFĪ UNESCO World Heritage site, the 362-kilometre Canal du Midi, which aimed to link the Mediterranean with the Atlantic, was built in the late 17th century. In five hours, you’ll chug by rail across the 297 kilometres between Clermont-Ferrand and Nîmes, passing through a part of France which time forgot, with extinct volcanoes, millennia-old monasteries and Renaissance festivals. At just over 273 kilometres, the trail may be the ultimate way to experience France’s heartland at your own pace, though Le Cevenol, the scenic train which traces the route, takes some beating. The GR 70 is a hiking trail which retraces the exact route taken by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1878, immortalised in his book Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes. Some of the finest beaches in the country, if not Europe, line the coastline between Calvi and Cap Corse, and – if you rent a car and go beach-hopping – it’s not difficult to find one all to yourself, even in peak season.

Jutting out like a sandcastle into the Mediterranean, the narrow little streets reveal a wealth of seafood restaurants, cocktail bars and sun-drenched terrasses. See Best for couplesĬorsica remains relatively unexplored so if you’re the type of couple who would prefer not to run the risk of bumping into your neighbours, a trip to the medieval citadel of Calvi is a safe bet. This city sits squarely in the middle of the Alsace Wine Route, and culinary specialities include flammekueche (similar to a thin, crispy white-sauce pizza), gingerbread and choucroute. In December it may be more festive than Will Ferrell prancing about in yellow tights, but the immense Gothic cathedral and half-timbered houses are always a feast for the eyes – and that’s before you get started on the cuisine. Strasbourg is widely considered to have the finest Christmas market in France, but with mouth-watering markets year-round and plenty of tasting tours, this picture-perfect city isn’t just for Christmas. A honeypot for artists, during the 20th century Picasso, Matisse and Braque were some of its notable regulars. Tapas, seafood, sangria and a sparkling sea might have you wondering which country you’re in – but in Collioure, the picture-perfect Catalan harbour town just north of the Spanish border, rest assured you’re still in France. Naturally, there’s plenty of wine to wash it all down. Last year saw the launch of the ViaGusta, an annual fine-dining tasting experience done by bicycle, during which four highly acclaimed chefs serve up delicately presented small plates to hungry cyclists over a 12-kilometre stretch of the ViaRhona (a bicycle greenway running from Geneva to the Mediterranean). Lyon may be known as France’s gastronomic capital, but the wine-growing region of Vienne-Condrieu, a stone’s throw south, is giving the city a run for its money. Little Lorient, usually home to just over 50,000, swells to accommodate over 700,000 visitors. For two weeks every August, the port town of Lorient comes alive with Breton dancing, fancy dress, sea shanties and concerts.

Now in its 52nd year, the Lorient Interceltic Festival is only growing in popularity. You only have to look at the abundance of black-and-white striped Breton flags decorating buildings here to see this is a region that’s proud to be different. Sing sea shanties at Brittany’s Celtic festival Tickets to L’Atelier des Lumieres from $17. Previous exhibitions have included Klimt and Van Gogh, with Chagall and Klee programmed for 2023. The floor-to-ceiling immersive sound and light experience hovers between exhibition and show and is the first digital art centre in Paris.

Paris has always been a paradise for art lovers, but how do newcomers compete with old favourites such as the Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre? L’Atelier des Lumieres, which opened in 2018, burst onto the scene with an explosion of colour.

Weather in dordogne valley in may