Things to do in France

Walking is to France what butter is to toast: a perfect match, and there’s over 100,000km of walking trails that criss-cross the country in all directions.

Alpine terrain varies greatly and the Alps offer both ‘The Sound of Music’-esque rambling as well as opportunities to conquer the mighty Mont Blanc and his surrounds. The Mercantour National Park, is an incredible area for walking that takes you on a magical mystery tour through ancient forest, up rocky inclines, and along icy river valleys with donkeys to carry your bags and very few crowds, while the Pyrenees has a rougher beauty than its loftier counterpart, but is still a snow-capped Shangri-La great for snowshoeing and exploring isolated mountain thoroughfares. For those who like a bit of history with their hiking, the Loire Valley is a region jam packed with palaces and elegant chateaus and where steep is defined by gentle rolling farmland. It also happens to be one of the main wine producing areas of France, which is handy for when you just want to kick back, reflect, and of course, rehydrate.

The French…uber-stylish? Indescribably sexy? Rude? Never have more stereotypes been thrown at a nation, but you can scrap that, what makes the French so French is definable by their lifestyle, namely eating, drinking and being fabulously cultured.

If you’re a gluten-intolerant, dairy-free vegetarian, you have our deepest sympathies – bread, cheese and charcuterie form the backbone of any French spread and Provence’s markets, a smorgasbord of local specialities like Camargue salt and saucisson d’Arles, are a sensory feast for any foodie. And then there’s le vin, such a prominent feature of French culture that you can plan an entire itinerary around it, particularly among the never-ending vineyards of the Loire Valley and the Languedoc. Touring the country’s numerous ‘villages perches’, hilltop villages, will open your eyes to an incredible architectural heritage that encompasses features of baroque, renaissance and neoclassic, and art’s your bag head to the Riviera’s Musee Renoir, the evocative former home of Renoir himself.

From adventure - trekking, caving and mountain climbing, to adrenalin – canyoning, whitewater sports and paragliding – not to mention snowshoeing, an increasingly popular way to make the most of winter’s snow if you can’t ski, France is packed to the rafters with activities that add an extra dimension to exploring the country’s diverse terrain and a fun way to escape the crowds too.

The Dordogne, with its lush green valleys and prehistoric sites is like a giant outdoor museum, and then there’s the Loire Valley, ‘the Garden of France’, a place of orchards, grand chateaus and fertile vineyards where you can cycle, stop and wine-taste to your heart’s content.