Frankrike

I år fyller den ikoniska glaspyramiden utanför museet Louvren i Paris 30 år. För att fira detta har Airbnb i samarbete med Louvren skapat en tävling som låter två personer spendera en natt på detta magiska museum.

The Île-de-France région – the 12,000 sq km ‘Island of France’ shaped by five rivers that encircles the French capital – contains splendid architecture including some of the most monumental châteaux in the country, set amid magnificent gardens.

Montmartre’s lofty views, wine-producing vines and hidden village squares have lured painters from the 19th century onwards. Crowned by the Sacré-Cœur basilica, Montmartre is the city’s steepest quartier (quarter), and its slinking streets lined with crooked ivy-clad buildings retain a fairy-tale charm. The grittier neighbourhoods of Pigalle and Canal St-Martin are hotbeds of creativity with a trove of hip drinking, dining and shopping addresses.

Chamonix, eller Chamonix-Mont-Blanc som det heter, är en ort belägen i östra Frankrike och är populärt bland äventyrare, skidåkare och vandrare. Ta tåget till bergshotellet Refuge du Montenvers och njut av bergstopparna.

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.

Kändiskocken Paul Bocuse spred stjärnglans över franska Lyon. Ett år efter hans död åker vi dit för att se om Lyon lever upp till ryktet som en av världens bästa matstäder.

Edged by the brilliant blue Bay of Biscay and the craggy foothills of the Pyrenees, the Pays Basque (Basque Country) feels one step removed from the rest of France – which is hardly surprising, since it's been an independent nation for much of its history and has more in common with the nearby Basque regions of Spain. Proud, independent and fiery, the people of the Basque Country are fiercely protective of their history and culture, whether it's their passion for pelota or their fondness for their spicy chilli pepper, le piment d'Espelette. It's a fascinating place.

Det råder ingen brist på grymma restauranger i Paris. Matjournalisten Anna Norström listar några av stadens hetaste ställen för en grym cocktail, matkonst och smöriga bakverk.

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.

Often dubbed the ‘Garden of France’, the Touraine region is known for its rich food, tasty cheeses and famously pure French accent, as well as a first-rate line-up of glorious châteaux: some medieval (Langeais and Loches), others Renaissance (Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry and Chenonceau). The vibrant capital, Tours, offers plenty of good restaurants, château tours and public-transport options.