Not to miss

Chamonix

Chamonix lies in one of the most spectacular valleys of the French Alps. Reminiscent of the Himalayas, the area is dominated by deeply crevassed glaciers and the cloud-diademed peak of Mont Blanc. The Aiguille du Midi, a solitary spire of rock near Mont Blanc's summit, has postcard-perfect views.

In late spring and summer, the glaciers and high-altitude snow and ice serve as a backdrop for meadows and hillsides carpeted with wildflowers, shrubbery and trees. This is the best time for hiking; in winter, travellers can take advantage of lengthy downhill and cross-country skiing trails.

The Mer de Glace is the second-largest glacier in the Alps. It measures 14km (9mi) long, 1800m (5900ft) wide and is up to 400m (1315ft) deep. For a better look at the glacier from the inside, you can tour an ice cave that is carved anew each spring. There is also a train that ascends to an altitude of 1915m (6275ft) and a number of uphill trails.

Other activities in and around Chamonix include mountain biking, parasailing, ice-skating and screaming down a spit-shined summer luge track. The Swiss town of Martigny is only 40km (25mi) north of Chamonix, should you wish to border-hop for watch repairs or chocolate.

Sarlat-La-Canéda

Known simply as Sarlat, this lovely Renaissance town in Périgord grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the 9th century. Caught between French and English territory, it was almost left in ruins during the Hundred Years' War and again during the Wars of Religion.

Despite this, Sarlat retains a distinctive medieval flavour with its ochre-coloured sandstone buildings and enticing streets. The town's bustling Saturday market shines with an abundance of seasonal goodies. To avoid the crowds, plan a visit outside high summer, when the town is overrun by tourists.

Sarlat also makes an excellent base for trips to the nearby Vézère Valley, which is peppered with nearly 200 prehistoric sites, including the Lascaux cave, thought to have been the site of a hunting cult where magical rites were performed. Discovered in 1940, this capacious labyrinth holds a number of 15,000-year-old doodles and paintings of bulls, horses and reindeer. There are other painted caves in the area, but Lascaux is sans pareil. Unfortunately, the exhalations of enthusiastic rock-watchers caused a carbon-dioxide fungus to cover the paintings; visitors today are restricted to a precise cement replica of the painted original, sealed off just a few hundred metres away.

Vézelay

The tiny walled town of Vézelay, another of France's exasperating number of heritage spots, is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Burgundy - a patchwork of vineyards, sunflower fields, brunette furrows of farmland and stacks of hay reinventing Impressionism.

Originally built on a hilltop for defence purposes, the town became an important site of pilgrimage in the 10th century and later a gathering place for crowned heads and grandees embarking on the Crusades. Vézelay's focal point is the Basilique Sainte Madeleine, a former 9th-century abbey church.

During the Middle Ages, the church housed what were believed to be the relics of St Mary Magdalene, which ensured a steady stream of pilgrims on her saint's day, 22 July. This tradition continues, and every year celebrations include a procession in which the relics are paraded around town. Magnificently restored, the church features a tympanum that is considered a masterpiece of Burgundian-style Romanesque architecture, grotesque carvings, sculpted capitals and an enormous nave. Behind the basilica is a park that has wonderful views of the Cure River valley and nearby villages, while walks in almost any direction will deposit you in rural loveliness.

Toulouse

Located between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast, Toulouse is a city of students, a centre of cutting-edge European technology, and the capital of the good life; its taste for celebrations and fine food is attracting a growing number of new inhabitants.

It's known as 'the Pink City', and the best way to soak up the essence of Toulouse, with its tiles, rose-red brick and special light, is to stroll from square to square through its maze of streets lined with cafe and town houses, preferably taking time to sit over a glass of cider.

Toulouse is the most typical city of Occitanie, that area of southern France where the culture of the langue d'oc once held sway. A forward-looking town thanks to its large student population and many technological installations, the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées has been careful to preserve its historical heritage and its quality of life.

Cannes

During the film festival in May, Cannes is crammed with more money, more bubbles, more mobile phones and more cleavage than Hollywood. This aside, apart from posturing palatial hotels, boutiques and restaurants for the très affluent, Cannes has pleasant beaches, great shops, and oodles of poodles.

Like elsewhere along the coast, Cannes' star ascended in the 19th century when an influx of London's high society built here. Synonymous with its two-week film festival, the city basks in its glow for the rest of the year, but also hosts an ever-increasing number of other festivals and congresses.

Saint Malo and the North Coast

The Côte d'Émeraude (Emerald Coast) stretches west from the oyster beds of Cancale to the broad beaches of Pléneuf-Val-André, a tempting coastline of rocky reefs and islets fringed with golden sand, vividly green shallows and aquamarine deeps.

Biarritz

The high-toned coastal town of Biarritz, 8km (5mi) west of Bayonne, started as a resort in the mid-19th century when Napoleon III and his Spanish-born wife, Eugénie, began coming here. These days, Biarritz is known for its beaches and some of Europe's best surfing.

Text

Arles

On summer days, watch the waves of heat rise from the plains, just as Van Gogh did a century ago; olive groves and vineyards still cover the surrounding limestone hills. Central Arles is a relaxed place of intimate squares, terraced brasseries perfect for sipping pastis and men with long moustaches playing pétanque.

Corsica

Balzac described Corsica as 'a French island basking in the Italian sun', but the island has a singular character that is entirely its own. This beautiful, wild playground is the ultimate combination destination - physical exertion in the elements by day, French wine and cuisine by evening.

Proud, wild, defiantly independent and just a touch old-fashioned, Corsica is in many ways a separate nation to the rest of France. In fact, the island has been French for only 200 of its 4000-year history, and the island's unique culture, music and language have survived intact despite a couple of centuries of French rule.

The island is best known as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, although the wee man in fact spent little of his adult life in Corsica, and never returned after crowning himself Emperor in 1804. Much of Corsica is covered by hardy maquis, but the island is home to a rich range of natural habitats, ranging from chestnut forests and plunging canyons to glacial lakes and snowy peaks. Unsurprisingly for an island sitting slap-bang in the middle of the Mediterranean, Corsica is also dotted with countless beaches, inlets and bays that are tailor-made for a spot of secluded sun-worshipping. It might not be able to boast the cultural cachet of the French Riviera or the louche luxury of Monaco, but intrepid travellers will find Corsica has more than enough charms of its own.

Paris

Paris stimulates the senses, demanding to be seen, heard, touched, tasted and smelt. From romance along the Seine to landscapes on bus-sized canvases to the pick-an-ism types in cafes monologuing on the use of garlic or the finer points of Jerry Lewis, Paris is the essence of all things French.

Gaze rapturously at its breezy boulevards, impressive monuments, great works of art and magic lights. Savour its gourmet selection of cheese, chocolate, wine and seafood. Feel the wind in your face as you rollerblade through Bastille, or a frisson of fear and pleasure atop the Eiffel Tower.

Paris is a city to discover. So see the sights, visit the museums - they're part of the experience. But then jump on the metro or a bus and get off at a place you've never heard of, wander through a quartier where French mixes with Arabic or Vietnamese, poke your head into mysterious shops, have lunch in a local restaurant, or just perch on a cafe terrace with a vin blanc and let yourself fall in love with your very own Paris.

Pont d'Avignon

The pont St-Bénézet was built between 1177 and 1185 to link Avignon with the settlement across the Rhône that later became Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. Yes, this is also the Pont d'Avignon mentioned in the French nursery rhyme. Many people find a distant view of the bridge from the Rocher des Doms or Pont Édouard Daladier much more interesting (and it's free).

Musée Claude Monet

The Musée Claude Monet was Monet's home and studio. The hectare of land that Monet owned has become two distinct areas. The northern part is the Clos Normand where Monet's famous pastel pink and green house and the Water Lily studio stand, surrounded by the symmetrically laid-out gardens. Through the tunnel is the resplendent Jardin d'Eau (Water Garden).

Musée National Message Biblique Marc-Chagall

Housing the largest public collection of works by the Russian painter Marc Chagall (1887-1985), the museum was built in 1972 to hold the Biblical Message Cycle, a collection of 17 enormous canvases inspired by the Old Testament. Chagall's style is nothing short of magical; brightly coloured goats, violins and floating humans.

Be sure to peek through a plate-glass window across a reflecting pond to view a mosaic of the rose window at Metz Cathedral.

Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris

This is the heart of the city, a French Gothic masterpiece and the focus of Catholic Paris for seven centuries. Built on a site occupied by earlier churches - and, a millennium before, a Gallo-Roman temple - it was begun in 1163 and completed in the 14th century. Distances from Paris to every part of France are measured from place du Parvis Notre Dame.

Château de Versailles

The splendid, enormous Château de Versailles was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV - the Roi Soleil (Sun King) - to project the absolute power of the French monarchy, which was then at the height of its glory. Its scale and décor also reflect Louis XIV's taste for profligate luxury and his boundless appetite for self-glorification.

The chateau at Versailles counts 700 rooms, 2153 windows, 352 chimneys and 67 staircases under 11 hectares of roof set on 800 hectares of garden, park and wood, including 200,000 trees and 210,000 flowers newly planted each year. There are 50 fountains and 620 fountain nozzles. The walls and rooms are adorned with 6300 paintings, 2100 sculptures and statues, 15,000 engravings and 5000 decorative art objects and furnishings.

Château de Chambord

The Loire Valley was the playground of French nobility, who used the nation's wealth to transform the area with many earnestly extravagant chateaux. The largest and most lavish is the Château de Chambord (1519). It was built by King François I, a rapacious lunatic who was fanatically dishonest with his subjects' money.

Begun in 1519, its Renaissance flourishes may have been inspired by Leonardo da Vinci, who lived nearby from 1516 until his death three years later. Construction of the chateau, during which François unsuccessfully suggested the rerouting of the Loire River so it would be nearer to his new abode, took 15 years and several thousand workers, although the king died wizened and drooly before the building's completion.

Inside is a famed double-helix staircase that buxom mistresses and priapic princes chased each other up and down, when not assembled on the rooftop terrace to watch military exercises, tournaments and hounds and hunters returning from a day's deerstalking. From the terrace you can see the towers, cupolas, chimneys, mosaic slate roofs and lightning rods that comprise the chateau's imposing skyline.

Basilique Ste-Madeleine

Perched on a rocky spur crowned by slender buildings, and surrounded on all sides by rolling fields, the glorious hilltop village of Vézelay is one of France's hidden gems. Vézelay has been an important point of pilgrimage since the 11th century thanks to the relics of St Mary Magdalene, which are supposedly housed in the underground crypt of the Basilique Ste-Madeleine.

The Basilique itself has had a turbulent history. It had already been rebuilt several times between the 11th and 13th centuries, before being comprehensively trashed by the Huguenots in the 16th century before narrowly avoiding total desecration during the French Revolution. By the mid-19th century it was on the verge of total collapse; thankfully the philanthropic architect Viollet-le-Duc stepped in and helped restore the Basilique to its former glory. Today it's one of France's best-preserved (and most beautiful) churches - even if you're not in the slightest bit religious, it's hard not to be moved by the haunting sound of plainsong echoing from the abbey's ancient walls.

Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux

Here it is, the world-famous Bayeux Tapestry recounting the dramatic story of the Norman invasion and the events that led up to it (from the Norman perspective). It is housed in the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux along with other treasures of the region.

Abbaye du Mont St-Michel

It's difficult not to be impressed with your first sighting of the massive abbey, a soaring ensemble of buildings in a hotchpotch of architectural styles. The abbey is topped by a slender spire with a gilded copper statue of Michael the Archangel slaying a dragon. At night the whole structure is brilliantly illuminated.

Eiffel Tower

The Tour Eiffel faced massive opposition from Paris' artistic and literary elite when it was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair), marking the centenary of the Revolution. It was almost torn down in 1909 but was spared because it proved an ideal platform for the transmitting antennas needed for the new science of radiotelegraphy.

The Eiffel Tower, named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, is 324m (1063ft) high, including the TV antenna at the tip. This figure can vary by as much as 15cm, however, as the tower's 10,000 tonnes of iron, held together by 2.5 million rivets, expand in warm weather and contract when it's cold.

The Club Alpin Français

The Club Alpin Français has a centre in Paris with useful information - joining is probably worthwhile if you're doing a great deal of hiking.

Australian Embassy

Fédération Nationale des Gîtes de France

Several types of accommodation - often in charming, traditional-style houses with gardens - are available through Gîtes de France for people who would like to spend time in rural areas and who have a vehicle.

Groupement pour l'Insertion des Personnes Handicapées Physiques

Provides vehicles outfitted for people in wheelchairs; the national office will put you in touch with local services.

Ski France

Paris-based Ski France has information and an annual brochure covering more than 50 ski resorts.

Insurance

Unlimited third-party liability insurance is mandatory for all automobiles entering France, whether the owner accompanies the vehicle or not. As proof of insurance, the owner must present an international motor insurance card showing that the vehicle is insured in France. A temporary insurance policy is available from the vehicle-insurance department of the French Customs Office with a validity of eight to 30 days.

Canadian Embassy

Maison des Femmes

The women-only Maison des Femmes is the main meeting place for women of all ages and nationalities.

Fédération Unie des Auberges de Jeunesse (FUAJ)

One of France's major hostel associations Fédération Unie des Auberges de Jeunesse (FUAJ)will require you to have or purchase an Hostelling International card or a nightly Welcome Stamp. You can bring your own sleeping sheet or rent one for a small fee.

Centre d'Information et de Documentation Jeunesse (CIDJ)

The Centre d'Information et de Documentation Jeunesse (CIDJ) provides all sorts of information for young people on jobs, housing, education and more: in 2004 they advertised 20,000 summer jobs on their website.