Frankrike

With quiet country roads winding through vine-striped hills and wild stretches of coastal sand interspersed with misty islands, the Atlantic coast is where France gets back to nature. Much more laid-back than the Med (but with almost as much sunshine), this is the place to slow the pace right down.

With its rolling pastures and little-visited villages, Limousin might be the most overlooked area of southwestern France. It's not nearly as exciting as the Dordogne to the south or the Loire to the north, but it does offer a chance to get off the beaten path, and aficionados will like Limoges for its porcelain and Aubusson for its tapestries.

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.

Named for the dolphin (dauphin) that graced the coat of arms of its prior rulers, the historic region of Dauphiné encompasses the territories south and southwest of Savoie, stretching from the Rhône River in the west to the Italian border in the east. It roughly corresponds to the départements of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes.

Säg "au revoir" till Paris hektiska storstadspuls och ge dig iväg för att utforska de vackra omgivningarna. Här är åtta förslag på trevliga dagsturer, de flesta går att göra enkelt med tåg.

High up in the French Alps, it's enthralling to imagine the forces that shaped these colossal peaks. The African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided some 35 million years ago, forcing the land skyward into a 1000km chain of saw-edged mountains.

The Calvados département (www.calvados-tourisme.com) stretches from Honfleur in the east to Isigny-sur-Mer in the west and includes Caen, Bayeux and the D-Day beaches. The area is famed for its rich pastures and farm products, including butter, cheese, cider and an eponymous apple brandy.

Paris sägs vara romantikens stad och brukar förknippas med lyx och flärd. Men staden har många sidor och vi har listat 13 saker för dig som ska åka dit på en liten budget.

Vagabonds reporter Helle Kikerpuu tipsar om parken Parc des Buttes-Chaumont i Paris.

En perfekt weekendstad som många drömmer om att besöka. Men vad ska man se och göra på första resa till Paris – vi tipsar!