Frankrike

Paris är världens mest besökta stad men trots det finns det platser kvar att upptäcka. Erika Holmberg-Dahl listar sina egna pärlor i kärlekens stad.

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.

If it's French splendour, style and gastronomy you seek, the Loire Valley will exceed your expectations, no matter how great. Poised on the crucial frontier between northern and southern France, and just a short train or autoroute ride from Paris, the region was once of immense strategic importance. Kings, queens, dukes and nobles came here to establish feudal castles and, later on, sumptuous pleasure palaces – that's why this fertile river valley is sprinkled with hundreds of France's most opulent aristocratic estates. With crenellated towers, soaring cupolas and glittering banquet halls, the region's châteaux, and the villages and vineyards that surround them, attest to over a thousand years of rich architectural and artistic creativity. The Loire Valley is also known for its outstanding wines (red, white, rosé and sparkling) and lively, sophisticated cities, including Orléans, Blois, Tours and Angers – yet more reasons why the entire area is an enormous Unesco World Heritage Site.

Jutting from the foaming Mediterranean like an impregnable fortress, Corsica resembles a miniature continent, with astounding geographical diversity. Within half an hour's drive, the landscape ranges from glittering bays, vibrant coastal cities and fabulous beaches to sawtooth mountain ridges, verdant valleys, dense forests and time-forgotten hilltop villages. Holidays in Corsica offer tremendously varying opportunities: from hiking and canyoning to snorkelling and sunbathing, enjoying a leisurely boat trip, delving into the island’s multifaceted history and sampling local delicacies.

At the crossroads of central Europe and the Atlantic, the Rhineland and the Mediterranean, grand old Lyon is France's third-largest metropolis and its gastronomic capital. Savouring timeless traditional dishes in checked-tableclothed bouchons (small bistros) creates unforgettable memories – as do the majestic Roman amphitheatres of Fourvière, the cobbled Unesco-listed streets of Vieux Lyon, and the audacious modern architecture of the new Confluence neighbourhood.

Många välbärgade fransmän har semesterhus på Ile de Ré men för svenskar är ön på den franska Atlantkusten okänd. Hit kommer man för att cykla runt i vacker natur, bada på fina stränder – och äta delikata ostron.

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.

In the crook of Brittany's southern coastline, the Golfe du Morbihan (Morbihan Coast; www.morbihan.com) is a haven of around 40 islands, plus beaches, oyster beds and bird life. Its shallow waters form a breathtakingly beautiful inland sea that's easily accessible from Vannes. Some islands are barely sandy specks of land, while others harbour communities of fishermen, farmers and artistic types seduced by the island lifestyle.

Det finns massor att göra och se i Paris. Men för den som vill göra något speciellt listar Vagabond sju platser och saker där kvinnor står i fokus som ägare, feminister, ikoner och guider.

Upptäck Frankrikes orörda Riviera Languedoc. Vinodlingar, vandringsleder och charmiga byar. Här är lokalbons bästa tips!