Frankrike

Named after France's most powerful natural spring, which wells up outside Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the Vaucluse département sits on Provence's west side, sandwiched between the rumpled mountains of the Hautes-Alpes and the rocky Var coastline. Crossed by three great rivers – the Rhône, the Durance and the Sorgue – Vaucluse is renowned for its lavender fields and its vineyards, including the legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The area has been occupied since ancient times, but it was the Romans who left the greatest mark in the form of Orange's ancient theatre and the remains of two Roman towns, Glanum and Vasio Vocontiorum. Centuries later, Avignon became the seat of papal power, and its crenellated ramparts and monumental Palais des Papes provide a glimpse of medieval majesty.

Where the Petit Rhône and Grand Rhône meet the Mediterranean, the Camargue arises: 930 sq km of sansouires (salt flats), étangs (small saltwater lakes) and marshlands, interspersed with farmland.

Spiking the skyline for 430km along the Franco-Spanish border, the snow-dusted Pyrenees offer a glimpse of France’s wilder side. This serrated chain of peaks contains some of the country's most pristine landscapes and rarest wildlife, including endangered species such as the griffon vulture, izard (a type of mountain goat) and brown bear. Since 1967, 457 sq km has been protected as the Parc National des Pyrénées, ensuring its valleys, tarns and mountain pastures are preserved for future generations.

Det finns en uppsjö fantastiska vinbarer i Paris, men var ska man börja? Vinkännaren Emily Lester har bra koll på utbudet – här är hennes 5 favoriter.

Fashionable bars and restaurants, emerging designers’ boutiques, the city’s thriving gay and Jewish communities, and some excellent museums all squeeze into Le Marais’ warren of narrow medieval lanes. Neighbouring Ménilmontant has some of the city’s most happening nightlife, while hilly Belleville is a vibrant multicultural neighbourhood with interesting dining and drinking spots and one of Paris' most colourful street markets.

Paris' monument-lined boulevards, museums, classical bistros and boutiques are enhanced by a new wave of multimedia galleries, creative wine bars, design shops and tech start-ups.

Förutom att bubbla loss på champagne finns det massor att göra i vindistriktet med samma namn i norra Frankrike. Vagabond har tagit hjälp av champagne- och vinexperten Fredrik Schelin som ger sina bästa tips från området.

Staden Lyon brukar kallas för Frankrikes gastronomiska huvudstad. Från och med den 4 mars kan du resa dit från Göteborg med flygbolaget BRA.

France's westernmost département, Finistère (www.finisterebrittany.com) has a wind-whipped rocky beach and cove-strewn coastline dotted with lighthouses and beacons lashed by the waves. Wild and mysterious, Finistère is, for many travellers, the most enticing edge of an already enticing region.

At the lower edge of the Atlantic Coast, the Gironde département extends to the Dordogne in the east and the Basque Country in the south. The gateway to its wealth of attractions, set amid glorious vine-ribboned countryside, is the capital city of Bordeaux.