Frankrike

Från flådig prakt och stilmässig minimalism till lyxigt vandrarhem och centralt krypin. Vi listar 5 hotell för en riktigt schysst Parisvistelse.

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

Många drömmer om att starta ett eget bed & breakfast i solen. Men för Lisa och Niclas har drömmen blivit verklighet. I somras tog de emot gäster i sin stora villa ovanför franska Rivieran, efter månader av hårt slit, prövat tålamod och tårar av utmattning och glädje.

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.

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.

Wedged between the plains and vines of Champagne and the hilly, thickly wooded Massif des Vosges, Lorraine is fed by the Meurthe, Moselle and Meuse Rivers – hence the names of three of its four départements (the fourth is Vosges).

Alsace is a cultural one-off. With its Germanic dialect and French sense of fashion, love of foie gras and choucroute (sauerkraut), fine wine and beer, this region often leaves you wondering quite where you are. Where are you? Why, in the land of living fairy tales, of course, where vineyards fade into watercolour distance, hilltop castles send spirits soaring higher than the region’s emblematic storks and half-timbered villages garlanded with geraniums look fresh-minted for a Disney film set.

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.

The mountainous Savoie extends from Lake Geneva's southern shores to western Europe's highest peak, mighty Mont Blanc (4810m).

Paris är ett populärt resmål som lockar turister från hela världen men vilka och vems historier får man egentligen höra? Häng med på en guidad tur genom Saint-Germain och Belleville och lär känna une femme fantastique.