Lonely Planet France: Perfect for exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled (Travel Guide)

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Despite its forbidding nature, Île d’Ouessant is an ideal place to rent a bicycle and peddle down country lanes, past fields full of sheep to hidden coves. Although Plage de Corz is a safe, sandy and stunning beach, you might not want to actually swim in the often icy, rip-strewn waters, but just sit quietly and meditate – on the waves crashing and smashing ashore, and seals playing in the swells. 7. Bassin d’Arcachon Round off your evening with dinner at Bar des Oiseaux, Olive et Artichaut, Peixes or Le Comptoir du Marché, featuring the best local produce cooked to perfection. Discover the leafy Cimiez quarter The coastline of choice for Hollywood A-listers, pop stars, royalty and anyone who owns a super yacht – can there be a more glamorous stretch of coast on Earth than the Côte d'Azur's Gulf of St-Tropez?

Before the French Riveria stole its limelight, Grande Plage – deep in the far southwest of France, in the stunning seaside city of Biarritz – was the beach of choice for the elite and fashionable of Europe. Propped up by a Herculean alpinist heritage and ski icons in spades, this historic town in Haute-Savoie’s Chamonix Valley is spectacular. Mountains loom large in every direction, climaxing with Mont Blanc (4807m/15,771ft) – Europe’s highest peak – and Aiguille du Midi (3842m/12,605ft), accessible year-round by cable car. From here, experienced skiers cruise across crevasse-chiseled glaciers with a guide on the 20km-long (12.4mi) Vallée Blanche descent, one of Europe’s most legendary off-piste runs.

At market stalls, don’t touch the produce (ask the vendor instead) and don’t haggle (bargaining is only OK at flea markets). And always ask permission to take photos (the same goes for shops). While there’s no doubting nature's creative talents, humankind hasn’t done too badly, either. There are little wooden fishing cabins on stilts far out into the waters of the bassin, and an ensemble of art-deco houses in Arcachon town itself, while nearby Cap Ferret is considered one of the most desirable beach towns in the southwest. Throw in oysters across the region, and you have a place fit for the most discerning sailor, fisher, surfer, or sand castle builder.

You can get from Italy to France via Italiarail. It takes about 11.5 hours to travel from Rome to Paris. SNCF also serves the route. How to get from Spain to France by trainTempting as it is to cram in as much as possible, this is one of Europe’s largest countries, both in size and population, and rushing is counterproductive to French joie de vivre (enjoyment of life). Savoring small, daily rituals like people-watching over an apéro ( apéritif; predinner drink) on a cafe terrace enhances any trip and will probably become some of your favorite memories. The sun-drenched capital of the Côte d’Azur is everything you want in a Mediterranean city, and then some. Explore the labyrinthine lanes of Vieux Nice, with an obligatory trawl through the morning food market at Cours Saleya before taking in the views from the top of Colline du Chateau. Chill out on one of Nice’s many beaches before getting a culture fix at the Chagall and Matisse museums. Hop on one of the most scenic train lines in Europe and pop into the attractive coastal villages of Villefranche-sur-Mer and Èze. Directly south of Burgundy, France’s third-largest city, Lyon , sits at the confluence of the rivers Saône and Rhône. Grand squares, outstanding museums and long-standing traditions, including convivial bouchons (bistros serving rustic Lyonnaise cuisine), entice visitors to stay longer than planned.

You’re always better off avoiding restaurants touting a menu touristique; the best places are the ones catering to locals. 12. Dress the part in any situation Standing on the summit of Europe’s tallest sand dune, the 102m-high (335ft) Dune du Pilat, you get a sense of what an unusual place the Bassin d’Arcachon is. Today one of the most exclusive hotels in France, the Hôtel du Palais was originally built as a summer palace for Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, who used to spend her summers taking the waters in Biarritz. Other members of European royalty soon followed; even an unamused Queen Victoria was a regular visitor. Even in bigger cities and tourist centers such as Nice, where English is more widely spoken, open with French, if only “excusez-moi, parlez-vous anglais?” (“excuse me, do you speak English?”), and brush up on at least a few basic phrases. The deeper you head into la France profonde (rural France), the more French you will need to use. 7. First impressions are everythingIt’s known for its bucolic countryside and impossibly long stretches of beach where the famous D-Day landings took place during WWII. Beyond the shores lies much to discover: a rich literary history, four protected designation of origin cheeses, and of course, the iconic Mont St-Michel, a surreal Gothic abbey dating from the 13th century set on top of an island that appears to float like a mystical dream on water during high tide.

Part of the Chaîne des Puys, a 40km (25-mile) string of craters, cinder cones and lava domes now cloaked in beech and spruce forest, the pinnacle, Puy de Dôme, rises 1465m (4806ft). Climbing the dormant volcano to the grassy summit rewards you w­ith swooping bird's-eye views. Two routes, the steep Chemin des Muletiers (45 to 90 minutes) and longer but steadier Chemin des Chèvres (two-and-a-half hours) make the ascent. Inland in the Languedoc are the wild, highland areas of Grands Causses and Cévennes ; walled Carcassonne with its witches-hat turrets and restaurants serving its local twist on white-bean and meat stew cassoulet . The engineering marvel Canal du Midi runs 150 miles (240km) from Toulouse to the Étang de Thau lagoon, adjacent to the Languedoc fishing port of Sète . With its cute steepled church and cluster of traditional Savoyard houses, this Real McCoy village in the Tarentaise Valley is straight out of a beautifully illustrated storybook. Skiers spill out of bed and onto snowy slopes at 1450m (4757ft), linked by lifts to the snow-sure Trois Vallées – the world’s biggest ski area stitched from 600km (373 miles) of slopes. Its seven resorts include Brit-loved Méribel, sky-high Val Thorens, family-friendly Les Menuires and A-lister Courchevel, where the super-chic hobnob. Skiing here is for all levels, although intermediates and above have an absolute blast. Countrywide, many SNCF train carriages are accessible to people with disabilities – although it’s always worth asking ahead to make sure the help you need will be available on the train you wish to travel on. If you use a wheelchair, you and a person accompanying you may qualify for discounts.Improved planning tools for family travellers- where to go, how to save money, plus fun stuff just for kids Calling Les Calanques “beaches” is perhaps overstepping the mark. Not really beaches at all; they’re more a gathering of pebbles and sand set deep into a series of knife slits in the Mediterranean cliffs, massaged by clear, turquoise waters. When you’re visiting religious sights such as churches, dress modestly and cover bare shoulders (skip sightseeing altogether while worship and religious celebrations are taking place). Health and safety 13. Prevention helps avert petty theft Originally built between 1898 and 1901 as a second home for Prince Victor d’Essling, the grandson of one of Napoléon's favorite generals, Maréchal André Massena, this sumptuous belle-époque villa now houses a engrossing museum dedicated to the history of Nice and the Riviera. The Paris metro, parts of it built more than a century ago, is not good for wheelchair users. Line 14 was built to be wheelchair-accessible, although in reality, it remains challenging to navigate. Paris buses, however, are 100% accessible. Specialist operator G7 has vehicles specially adapted to carry wheelchairs and drivers trained in helping passengers with disabilities.