FOR WINE AND ART: BORDEAUX FOR SUMMER PERFECTION: PROVENCE
YOUR PERFECT WEEKEND Bordeaux has glorious architecture and art, but its main draw is world-famous: wine. There are countless vineyards on the fringes so don’t just stick to the photogenic city centre – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007 – where you can sample liquid treasures in urban tasting rooms. Get out to a nearby estate too, such as Château Pape-clément (chateau-pape-clement.fr), one of the region’s oldest, and just a 20-minute drive away. You can get your Wine 101 knowledge in town beforehand at the immersive Cité du Vin museum (laciteduvin.com), spiralling upward like a decanter. Sightseeing-wise, visit the tranquil Water Mirror, the world’s largest reflection pool, beside Place de la Bourse. Then take in the striking installations in the vaulted chambers of the Museum of Contemporary Art (capc-bordeaux.fr).
EAT & DRINK For refined takes on traditional pork chops and escargots, try atmospheric Le Bouchon Bordelais (bouchon-bordelais.com). Meanwhile, Zephirine delivers on quaint bistro looks, but with sharp execution and locally sourced ingredients (zephirine.fr).
STAY LONGER If you’ve more than a weekend, a more languid wine route checks off the storied wine estates of the area, including Château Margaux, Château Lafite Rothschild and
Château Latour. Grape Escapes (grapeescapes.net) can organise a four-night break from £1,138pp, including winery visits.
DETAILS Easyjet flies to Bordeaux; easyjet.com. La Course has elegant, light-filled doubles in the heart of the city from £208, including breakfast; lacourse-bordeaux.fr
YOUR PERFECT WEEKEND This is pretty, quaint ‘storybook’ France, full of sunshine and rosé-drenched meals. Provence covers a hefty chunk of the country’s south, from the Camargue in the west to Nice in the east, and up to the mountainous Hautes-alpes. To get a feel for it in just a short time, fly into well-served Marseille, then hire a car to see the prettiest towns and villages to the north. Contenders include Lourmarin, Gordes and Arles; stop off to admire cobbled streets and tiled houses in the first two, then visit the latter for its Roman amphitheatre and Van Gogh-painted landscapes. Towards Aix-en-provence, you’ll find wine estates and lazy lunch spots. In summer, you could also seek out the lavender fields of the Luberon valley, which flower in brilliant purple from late June to late July.
EAT & DRINK For rolling rural views, try La Trinquette in Gordes (facebook.com/latrinquette). Visit at least one wine estate – perhaps Château de la Gaude, just outside Aix, for wow-factor grounds and cuisine (chateaudelagaude.com).
STAY LONGER Extend your trip with time on the beach. Stay inland for the first couple of nights, seeing rolling rural scenery and châteaux, then head for the vintage-feel coast around Ramatuelle and St Tropez. Pampelonne Beach has a cluster of glitzy beach clubs.
DETAILS Ryanair flies to Marseille; ryanair.com. Domaine de Fontenille is a country hideaway with an outdoor pool, plus bikes to borrow, with double rooms from £249; lesdomainesdefontenille.com >>
YOUR PERFECT WEEKEND Just 35 minutes from Calais, this ramparted town is flanked by the atmospheric marshland, Marais Audomarois, where the postie delivers letters by boat. Admire the lavish-interiored Notre Dame cathedral and its Rubens, Descent from the Cross, then wander mansion-lined streets, including L’hotel Sandelin, an art museum, and a 16th-century Jesuit college. In
Rue Bertin, spot the German hospital from where disabled World War Two hero Douglas Bader escaped by shimmying down a rope made from bed sheets. On Saturdays, a huge market sprawls over the cobbled square. Beyond the ramparts, explore the Audomarois marsh in a traditional flat-bottomed boat, and bask in its otherworldly stillness. As part of the European Region of Gastronomy 2023, expect celebratory foodie events all year. EAT & DRINK Try the Bacôve restaurant (restaurant-bacove.com) – its barbecued monkfish with Tilques carrots is exquisite. Wash plates of market-garden produce down with La Goudale beer at La Maison du Marais (lamaisondumarais.com). La Taverne Duchenot is a favourite with locals (taverne-duchenot.fr).
STAY LONGER Check out Bond-esque German bunker, La Coupole (lacoupolefrance.co.uk), a history and science museum. Tour France’s oldest distillery at Houlle (genievredehoulle.com), and taste cockle-warming variations of genièvre, which is similar to gin.
DETAILS P&O has 15 crossings a day from Dover; poferries.com. Or try the Eurotunnel; eurotunnel.com. Mercure Saint-omer is central and has an ace bar, with rooms from £9; all.accor.com