France is gearing up for an exciting summer as the world’s attention turns to the Paris Olympics, but the period before things really hot up is the perfect time for a short springtime break. Having been writing about France for nearly 20 years, I’ve had many of my best experiences, and made many of my best discoveries, in April, May and June, when gardens are in full bloom, hotels have good availability, and the temperature is pleasant enough to stroll around without a jacket. There have been many times, too, when the mercury has risen above 25C and I have sipped that first glass of rosé of the summer on a sun-drenched café terrace and looked forward to many more.
The season offers a chance to explore a city, enjoy a walking or cycling tour, or soak up culture at exhibitions in galleries and museums. It’s also a great time to try somewhere new. France offers so much variety in terms of its landscape, architecture, regional cuisines and cultures that you can often feel as if you’re in a completely different country without straying beyond its borders. This could mean embracing Basque culture in Bayonne, admiring Renaissance architecture in the Loire Valley, or strolling between the timber-framed villages of Alsace. What’s more, a short break is often a good opportunity to scope out an area you might return to for a longer summer holiday.
I’ve chosen these 25 trips from personal experience, in places I know and love; be it the north Brittany coast for some fresh sea air, Toulouse for a fabulous food tour, or seeing the incredible Roman artefacts in Nîmes. Each location is easy to get to for a three, four or five-day break, without too much time spent travelling. And simple journeys mean you can get straight on with the serious business of eating, drinking, exploring and, most important, relaxing.
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1. Garden festival in the Loire Valley
Garden lovers won’t want to miss the International Garden Festival, which has taken place at the fairytale Château de Chaumont since 1992 (from £13; April 24-November 3; domaine-chaumont.fr). It showcases the extraordinary talents of the gardeners, sculptors and artists whose work is exhibited throughout the estate. The château itself is close to the river and worth a visit to hear the stories of the 19th-century socialite Marie Say, a former owner, who hosted lavish parties and had a pet elephant. Spring is ideal for seeing other nearby château gardens in bloom. Stay at Hôtel le Fleuray, a pretty mansion with an outdoor pool, tennis courts and a hot tub.
Details Room-only doubles from £87 (sawdays.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Tours via Paris
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2. Hiking in the Vosges mountains
Strap on your walking boots to explore the villages near the Vosges mountains in northeastern France. This walking break takes you to two of the prettiest, Turckheim and Kaysersberg, when the vineyards will be starting to bloom and the region’s storks will be building their lofty nests to prepare for new arrivals. On this Inntravel trip guests stay for two nights in each in family-run hotels, with suggested walks through forests, past the Château de Kaysersberg or to charming Colmar.
Details Four nights’ B&B from £785pp, including luggage transfers, walking notes, maps and transfers (inntravel.co.uk). Fly to Basel
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3. Old-school luxury by the sea in Dinard
British high society adopted Dinard as a sophisticated holiday destination in the early 20th century. More than a century later, Alfred Hitchcock was inspired by the town’s Villa Les Roches Brunes for the house in Psycho. It has now been turned into one of many art galleries and has incredible views of the Emerald Coast. The beach is glorious and has a tidal swimming pool, while the coastal paths are gorgeous for rambling. Sail into Saint-Malo on the ferry, then it’s a short drive to Dinard across the Rance River. The five-star Castelbrac is set in the former natural history museum right by the water, with a spa, private wooden speedboat and a bar in the former aquarium.
Details Two nights’ B&B from £1,023 for two including return ferry with cabin and car (brittany-ferries.co.uk)
4. Charming Bayonne for chocolate and shops
Sweet-toothed travellers should set their sights on Bayonne, the French capital of chocolate, which has been beautifully restored in recent years. The Basque city owes its chocolate-making history to the Jewish chocolatiers who settled there after being ejected from Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition in the 16th century. The narrow streets are home to chocolate boutiques, cafés and patisseries, as well as charming independent shops and excellent restaurants. For some sea air, head to the beaches at Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz nearby. I’d recommend the Hôtel des Basses Pyrénées, with exposed stone walls in some of the rooms, and a pretty square outside.
Details Room-only doubles from £94 (booking.com). Fly to Biarritz or take the train to Bayonne via Paris
5. Cycling and vineyards near Narbonne
Touch down at Béziers airport and, after a half-hour drive along the Languedoc coast, you can be sipping wine overlooking vineyards and a peaceful lagoon at the Château Capitoul. Between its two restaurants, spa, huge infinity pool, tennis courts and wine tasting, the resort has enough to amuse you for your entire stay, but you might also like to get on their complimentary bikes to cycle through the vineyards to the village of Gruissan for platters of oysters. Narbonne, with its excellent market and Roman museum, is just 15 minutes away too.
Details Four nights’ B&B from £545pp (chateaucapitoul.com). Fly to Béziers
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6. Boating in the Camargue
The Camargue is one of France’s most incredible landscapes; where the Rhône delta meets the Mediterranean, and the wetlands and saltwater lagoons provide a habitat for flamingos, wild white horses and birds. Starting at the motorboat hire company Le Boat’s base in Saint-Gilles, guests can cruise for two hours to Gallician, where they can visit the Cave Pilote de Gallician and taste local wine such as Costières de Nîmes.
Details Four nights’ self-catering for six from £779 (leboat.co.uk). Take the train or fly to Nîmes
7. Golf and tennis in the Alps
For those who struggle to sit still on holiday, the Evian Resort, on the shores of Lake Geneva, has the answer. This smart development has one of Europe’s best golf courses, with an impressive backdrop of lakes and mountains, three hotels and thermal baths. There is also yoga, padel, ebiking trips and trail running. You’ll also have four tennis courts to choose from, and guests can book one-to-one sessions with the resident ATP coaches. Stay at the resort’s family-friendly Hôtel Ermitage, which has a spa and indoor pool.
Details Room-only doubles from £182 (evianresort.com). Fly to Geneva
8. Island hopping from Roscoff
Take the overnight ferry from Plymouth and wake up in the pretty harbour town of Roscoff, famous for its “Onion Johnnies”, who sold the area’s pink onions door-to-door throughout Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. There are crêperies, beaches, Le Brittany hotel, and a beautiful botanical garden with species of plants that were brought by sailors from around the world. Just 15 minutes away by foot ferry is Île de Batz, a two-mile island that is wonderful to explore by bike. Cycle between its white, silky sand beaches, its lighthouse and cottages with gardens that brim with hydrangeas and agapanthus.
Details Room-only doubles from £149 (booking.com). Take the ferry to Roscoff
9. Visit the museums in Alsace
The town of Mulhouse in Alsace is not as well known as Colmar or Strasbourg, but it has a great multicultural scene with varied restaurants, street art and a real mix of architecture. It is also known for its many museums, which cover everything from ornate wallpaper to railways. The best of the bunch is the Cité de l’Automobile, which has an astonishing collection of some 400 cars, including numerous Bugattis, beautifully displayed in a former mill — the collection was accumulated in secret in the 1970s by the mill’s original owners (£15; musee-automobile.fr). For a reasonably priced stay, La Maison Hôtel Mulhouse has a chirpy dining room, a terrace and bar, plus simple rooms with giant photo walls.
Details Room-only doubles from £82 (hotels.com). Fly or take the train to Basel
10. Take a food tour in Toulouse
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Spend a weekend in the “Pink City” of the southern Occitanie region, where La Ville Rose (as the old town is known) is ideal for the flâneur. Stroll its narrow streets where the spring sunshine bounces off the rose-hued bricks, making for a magical atmosphere. It’s a great destination for food lovers, and local specialities include cassoulet and crystallised violets. To get to know the cuisine better, book a tour with Taste of Toulouse and the local resident Jessica Hammer will show you the best shops and produce in and around the city’s best market, Marché Victor Hugo, or guide you between the best patisseries (three hours from £76pp; tasteoftoulouse.com). Stay at the Hôtel Albert 1er, in the historic heart.
Details Room-only doubles from £77 (hotel-albert1.com). Fly or take the train to Toulouse
11. Celebrate D-Day anniversary, Normandy
While the official 80th anniversary of this pivotal moment in the Second World War falls on June 6, with many different events taking place the area is great to visit at any point in the spring or early summer. See the landing beaches, visitor centres such as the Pegasus Memorial Museum and the new British memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, and you’ll come away feeling awe for both the sacrifices made and the ingenuity of Operation Overlord. Stay at the elegant five-star Château La Chenevière, close to Port-en-Bessin, a creamy 18th-century manor house with a pool and fine dining.
Details Room-only doubles from £290 (lacheneviere.com). Take the ferry to Caen
12. Learn about the French language in Hauts-de-France
If you have a passion for the French language — or even a mild interest — the new Cité Internationale de la Langue Française, in the commune of Villers-Cotterêts, northeast of Paris, should entertain (£8; cite-langue-francaise.fr). It’s a centre dedicated to the joys and intricacies of the tongue, with a range of interactive exhibits and puzzles, opened last November in the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, a former royal residence built by François I. Combine the visit with other castles in the area, such as Château de Pierrefonds (used as a location for the BBC TV series Merlin) and Château de Compiègne. Stay at Villa du Châtelet, near Compiègne.
Details B&B doubles from £147 (expedia.com). Take the ferry or Eurotunnel to Calais
13. Walk in the Dordogne
Swerve the crowds that descend on the Dordogne valley in summer with a spring walking break that makes the most of clear blue skies and villages bursting into bloom; the golden-stone buildings are adorned with dark blue irises, poppies and wisteria. Macs Adventure’s five-day itinerary starts in the medieval town of Sarlat-la-Canéda and includes a night in the fortified hilltop town of Domme as well as La Roque-Gageac, set into cliffs alongside the river. Your steps along quiet paths will be fuelled by dishes from the region’s delicious cuisine, such as confit de canard and walnut cake.
Details Four nights’ B&B from £655pp, including one dinner, luggage transfers and walk support (macsadventure.com). Fly to Bergerac
14. See the new marine museum in Paris
Paris has a new museum to explore in the shape of the Musée National de la Marine, which reopened in late 2023 after a £6 million makeover (£14pp; musee-marine.fr). It’s a masterclass in curation, with a blend of intricate model ships and state-of-the-art audiovisual and interactive exhibits, including an 8m screening of a virtual wave. It’s set in the Palais de Chaillot, part of the Trocodéro overlooking the Eiffel Tower, in the 16th arrondissement, and it’s an easy stroll to surrounding bars and restaurants. The Hôtel Eiffel Trocodéro is opposite the museum.
Details Room-only doubles from £188 (sawdays.co.uk). Take the train or fly to Paris
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15. Admire the gardens in Normandy and Paris
Explore some of France’s most famous gardens on the solo travel specialist Just You Holidays’ three-night trip this spring, and it will take you to Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny just as it bursts into multicoloured bloom. There’s also the option of seeing the incredible gardens at the Château de Versailles. The trip allows for admiring Paris by night, and you’ll stay in a four-star hotel.
Details Three nights’ B&B from £849pp, including one dinner, all transport, guide, trips and return train travel from London (justyou.co.uk)
16. See the art on the Côte D’Azur
The recently renovated and extended Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul de Vence showcases works by some of the 20th century’s most important artists, including Joan Miró, Wassily Kandinsky and Alberto Giacometti (£14; fondation-maeght.com). Meanwhile, in nearby Vence you can visit the Chapelle du Rosaire, decorated between 1947 and 1951 by Henri Matisse with stunning murals and exquisite stained glass windows. Le Windsor in Nice celebrates art too — each room has been decorated by a local artist.
Details Room-only doubles from £68 (hotelwindsornice.com). Fly to Nice
17. Go urban island hopping in Amiens
The northern city of Amiens is known for its floating gardens called Les Hortillonnages. In spring the gardens become a colourful mix of abundant allotments, dazzling flowerbeds and sculpture trails. Book a stay in one of the rustic cabins on the islands once used by market gardeners; they are wonderfully peaceful and just a 15-minute walk from the busy centre. The city’s international garden festival runs from May to October and you can spend a few delightful days exploring the gardens by boat and bicycle.
Details Self-catering cabins for two from £111 (duneilealautre.fr). Take the ferry or Eurotunnel to Calais
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18. Embark on a Roman holiday in Nîmes
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There’s no need to go as far as Italy to see some incredible Roman architecture; Nîmes is home to the best-preserved amphitheatre in France and each May it hosts ambitious re-enactments of famous Roman events and battles. For this year’s event, Germanicus and Barbarian Wrath, 600 actors will tell the story of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, when Germanic tribes defeated the Romans. Elsewhere, you can admire the newly restored La Maison Carrée, an incredibly well preserved Roman temple set on a podium with columns and a deep porch, as well as Le Pont du Gard, a three-tier aqueduct just outside the city. Travel with the rail tour specialist Ffestiniog Travel.
Details Three nights’ B&B from £1,150pp, including first-class return rail travel from London (ffestiniogtravel.com).
19. Visit the vineyards and villages near Lyon
Just an hour’s drive northwest of Lyon is the relatively unknown Roannais region, where visitors are spoilt by quiet and idyllic villages, vineyards and gorgeous hills to hike. It’s also a food lovers’ heaven, as it is the home region of Mons cheese, François Pralus chocolates and praluline, the famous buttery brioche. The Troisgros family, a culinary dynasty, have a number of restaurants in the area, from the chic brasserie Le Central in Roanne to Le Bois Sans Feuilles, their three-Michelin-star restaurant in Ouches (11-course tasting menu £326; troisgros.fr). Stay in the elegant château on the Champlong estate.
Details Room-only doubles from £158 (domaine-de-champlong.com). Fly or take the train to Lyon
20. Go bric-a-brac break in Normandy
The Perche area in the south of Normandy is known for being the country bolt hole du choix for well-heeled Parisians; it’s also a brilliant place to shop for antiques and bric-a-brac thanks to its myriad brocante stores and warehouses in towns such as Bellême and Mortagne-au-Perche. You can even eat in a restaurant set in an antiques shop at La Maison d’Horbé in La Perrière (mains from £11; lamaisondhorbe-hotel.com). Stay at the sublime Château de Saint Paterne, where the owners have decorated their ancestral home with some wonderful treasures.
Details Room-only doubles from £154 (chateau-saintpaterne.com). Take the ferry to Caen
21. Cruise the Rhône Valley
A river cruise along the Rhône from Arles to Lyon takes in some fascinating and varied sights, such as Les Baux-de-Provence, one of the most beautiful villages in France, and Avignon for its Palais des Papes. Further north, you’ll have a chance to taste the famous sparkling wine clairette de die and admire the jaw-dropping landscape of the Vercors mountains and the medieval hanging houses in Pont-en-Royans. The cruise, on the MS Van Gogh, departs on May 17.
Details Four nights’ all-inclusive from £850pp, including port fees and repatriation insurance (croisieurope.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Marseille
22. Enjoy riverside life in Angers
The city of Angers in the western Loire has four rivers running through or nearby, and in recent years it has embraced the renaissance of the guinguette, the riverside bar-restaurants made famous by many an Impressionist painting. From their opening in late May, you can spend a few days exploring them by bike, and enjoy regular stops for lunch at guinguettes such as La Cabane du Chat Qui Pêche (mains from £14; lacabaneduchatquipeche.com), next to the River Mayenne, or Guinguette de Port-Thibault (mains from £14; guinguettedeportthibault.fr). Stay at 21 Foch, in the heart of Angers.
Details Room-only doubles from £85 (21foch.fr). Take the train via Paris or fly to Nantes or Tours
23. Go underground near Saumur
The Loire Valley may be better known for its stately châteaux above ground, but there’s a whole world to be explored in the underground caves near Saumur (£23pp; anjou-loire-valley.co.uk). There are wineries, museums, bars, caves for growing mushrooms and even a whole village (occupied until the mid-20th century) to seeat Louresse-Rochmenier. Nearby, the Rocaminori has 12 rooms set in caves carved out of the sandstone, while at the hotel’s restaurant, Les Caves de la Genevraie, you can feast on a traditional troglodyte menu that includes the local mushrooms cooked in butter and garlic, and bread baked in the wood-fired ovens (five-course menu from £23; caves-genevraie.fr).
Details Room-only doubles from £94 (rocaminori-hotel.fr). Take a ferry to Caen or fly to Tours
24. Book into a space-age hotel in the Brittany countryside
The extraordinary Hôtel l’Essenciel at the Château des Pères, near Rennes, is like something from outer space: 36 of its rooms are set in suspended pods or nests around a central structure, there’s a pool and spa and the hotel’s one-star Michelin restaurant is inside what looks like a flying saucer. The surrounding estate features a sculpture park. All together, it makes a great spot for a getaway in the Brittany countryside, while nearby Rennes has great galleries, restaurants and shops when you’re ready to return to earth.
Details Room-only doubles from £154 (chateaudesperes.fr). Take the ferry to Saint-Malo or fly to Rennes
25. Cycle in Champagne
Give your cycling holiday some added panache by basing it in the Champagne region, starting in the most stately town, Épernay. Sip France’s finest fizz at the champagne houses along the Avenue de Champagne, or start the trip with a tour and tasting at one such as Champagne Mercier (from £34pp; champagnemercier.com), then set off the next day across the gently undulating landscape lined with vines towards Châlons-en-Champagne and Reims, before pedalling back to Épernay, stopping at wineries, châteaux and villages en route. The tour operator Cycling for Softies can book winery tours separately at the start or end of the trip. It also organises luggage transfers and offers on-the-spot repairs and support.
Details Four nights’ B&B from £995pp or from £1,345pp, including flights and transfers (cycling-for-softies.co.uk). Take the train to Épernay via Paris
Amuse Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France by Carolyn Boyd (Profile Books, £18.99) will be published on June 6. It is available for pre-order now
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