generally, the french reserve domestic travel for school breaks or les ponts, when a national vacation falls at the end or beginning of a week, allowing locals to “ make a bridge ” with an run weekend. Where locals go depends on a variety of factors such as season, distance, and monetary value, but whether they head for the snow-capped mountains, the vineyard-dappled countryside, or the rocky coasts, one thing is for certain : It will be beautiful. France ‘s varied terrain is nothing short of spectacular, and I ‘ve had the big fortune of picking my chew the fat off the crunch a variety of times since moving to Paris about six years ago. While I spent the first few years visiting some of the major cities such as Strasbourg, Bordeaux, and Lyon, I lento started venturing far afield to the little towns rarely mentioned in guidebooks. The follow destinations, vetted by a few french locals, include spots worthy of a short interruption or longer.
Île de Ré
Located off the west coast, south of Normandy, this 32-square-mile island on the Atlantic is known for its salt marshes, oyster beds, and bicycle paths, which are the ideal way to get around. It ‘s approachable by train from La Rochelle ( three hours from Paris ) and about a 40-minute bus or car drive from there. There are a number of humble villages on Île de Ré, each with their own standard atmosphere, beaches, seasonal markets, and seafood restaurants — all best discovered by two wheels through vineyards and the occasional field of donkeys. The most plentiful is Saint-Martin-de-Ré, which is a certified UNESCO World Heritage site featuring an ancient bastion and colored seaport where the dock boats sometimes end up moor depend on the tide. The island has a small smattering of quaint hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, but this is the type of place to settle into a theater rental for barbecuing in the yard and feed on oysters farmed down the road.
Ardèche
The french love their chestnuts. In fact, if you ‘ve been invited to Christmas at person ‘s home, the ideal endowment to bring is lupus erythematosus marrons glacés or candied chestnuts. The rung, barbed cased fruit is by and large harvested in the fall, and the southeast area of Ardèche produces 5,000 tons per year. It ‘s besides celebrated for its national parking lot, Monts d’Ardèche, where half-day loop hikes from the bantam town of Laviolle, past the ruins of a centuries-old farm and through the Volane Valley, make for the perfective autumnal bodily process. In the summer, its southern esophagus, complete with a natural bridge spanning the river, hosts all the action, from kayakers and canoers to hikers and swimmers. The introduction sharpen village of Vogüé boasts all that you ‘d expect from a town nestled into the limestone cliffs of a medieval castle : cobblestoned streets, ocher roof, and facades dripping with ivy.
Îles d’Hyères
There ‘s way more to the french Riviera than Cannes and Antibes, and when the french crave that crystal clear azure sea, some hop on a boat for one of the Hyères Islands located offshore between Toulon and Saint-Tropez. Upon disembarking the ferry and breathing in that salty sea atmosphere and scent of cedar, you ‘ll know you ‘ve come to the proper place. The island of Port-Cros is favored by nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts for its wild terrain, while Porquerolles attracts sunbathers and snorkelers to its five soft-sand beaches. ( Both are traversable only by metrical foot or bicycle. ) Of course, they ‘re mobbed in the summer, but the season begins in May and winds down in belated October, so there ‘s ample opportunity to enjoy the olive groves and vineyards without the herd. While there are humble hotels on both islands, ampere well as a growing phone number of captains who offer their boats as cordial reception havens ( while docked ), Hyères township on the mainland offers more options, making day trips super-easy.
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Les Baux-de-Provence seen from a distance, France
credit rating : James O’Neil/Getty Images
Les Alpilles and Le Luberon
When it comes to the northerly area of Provence, the french love both sides of the Durance River for its two home parks with dry valleys and arid limestone ranges : les Alpilles on the west and lupus erythematosus Luberon on the east. Dotted around them, through winding roads and fields brimming with lavender in early July, are cities both big ( Arles ) and belittled ( Baux ). I ‘ll never forget my first multilevel cheese cart at the homelike Bistrot du Paradou, nor visiting the Carrières de Lumières, a former prey where work of art are projected onto cave walls set to music. It was charming to see Van Gogh ‘s “ Starry Night ” come to life in a cool ( literally and figuratively — specially in summer ) underground setting. The area is best explored by cable car, since the drive is precisely arsenic delightful as the destinations themselves. And although Google Maps may say the three-tiered Pont du Gard ( Roman aqueduct spanning the Gardon River ) will take 90 minutes to reach, it ‘ll feel far less with the windows down and music up.
Bassin d’Arcachon
About 40 minutes west from the city of Bordeaux, this place is where all the vignerons go to relax pre- and post-harvest or just for the weekend. The bassin ( bay ) is home to dozens of huitre beds, which you can see during broken tide and taste from any number of harvesters, some of whom have waterfront field day tables for a late-day slurp. The beaches on this partially of the coast are composed of fine, soft sand, which makes visiting the famed Dune du Pilat ( a giant Sahara-esque avalanche — the largest in Europe ) a must. Arcachon township itself is small, but old-time with a cragged historical zone featuring 19th-century villas and a beachfront parade where bicycle paths make for a picturesque commute. Cap Ferret across the bay, which can accessed by ferry from the Arcachon pier, offers an even quieter, more exclusive reprieve for those with bigger pockets and haute couture swimsuits to spare. 
Ski lift in Meribel, Three Valleys
credit : Jonjo Rooney/Getty Images
Méribel
If your country was home to the largest “ white carpet ” on the planet, you ‘d grab your gloves and head for the Alps, excessively. Every February, the french hit the slopes as if it were a religious right. ( Alas, I ‘m no snow bunny, but give me a fireplace and some cognac, and I ‘ll play along après-ski expressive style. ) Located in the center of three valleys, Méribel is a favored among families because of its wide, sun-soaked terrain and novice trails. While Courchevel to the impart is more Champagne and caviar, and Val Thorens to the correct is known for its black diamonds, Méribel in the middle offers a more laid-back approach to alpine life. This is ski-in/ski-out territory, though, which means, depending on your ability and department of energy grade, you could practicably get a taste for all three over the run of a few days. architecturally, Méribel is the most quaint, excessively, with multiple villages made up of traditional wooden chalets nestled in between pine trees.
Alsatian Wine Route
The 70 or so little villages dotting the 170 kilometers from Strasbourg to Colmar, otherwise known as the alsatian wine route for tasting rieslings and gewürztraminers, give off serious Belle from “ Beauty and the Beast ” vibration. From Eguisheim to Riquewihr, you ‘ll find pastel-hued timbered houses, flower boxes hanging from window sills, and 12th-century churches with bell towers and winding canals. During Christmas, twinkling lights and sled bells abound, not to mention markets touting vin chaud ( mull wine ), spiced gingerbread, and pommes d’amour ( sugarcoat apples ). The best way to soak up all that Muscat ? Flammekueche ( otherwise known as tarte flambée or alsatian pizza ) with sparse, crisp dough covered in cream, cheese, and bacon bits. Considering its placement in the northeastern part of the area close to Germany, the french broadly spend at least four days exploring the vineyards and villages here, much staying in chambre d’hôtes ( bed-and-breakfasts ) or hotels along the direction .
