France

France doesn't need a pitch: it's the country that everyone wants to see, the cultural hub of the world, the model that sets global fashions in art, philosophy, cuisine and haute couture. Fringed by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and varying in landscape from the crowd-packed Champs Elysée to the vineyards of Burgundy and from the sheer spikes of the Alps to the sun-soaked coasts of the Côte d'Azur, France is a true mélange of scenery and possibilities. But there are a few constants: wherever you go, you'll be surrounded by good food, good wine, beautiful scenery, and an infinitely rich history.

Paris, dubbed "the City of Lights", is one of the most beloved cities in the world and an unmissable choice for any first-time traveler to France – not to mention for the millions of devotees who come back again and again to this unique capital. Everywhere you turn, you'll see spectacular monuments, buildings and gardens whose names are the stuff of legend: the Louvre museum, the grim Bastille prison, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and the Jardins du Luxembourg, besides the iconic Eiffel Tower. But though Paris is a city to end all cities, it is just one city – and multifarious France is full of cities, towns, villages and countryside, each locale rich in its own history, traditions and atmosphere. You could be drinking fine wines in the châteaux of Burgundy or Bordeaux on one afternoon, to find yourself the next day in the salty sunshine of Marseille, at the Festival of Lights in Lyon, or skiing off-piste in the French Alps. Whatever the complexion of your holiday dreams, there's one fait accompli: you'll surely find a place to fall in love with in this most romantic of lands.