The Villages of France

Between them, Paris and Provence account for the vast majority of holidays spent in France each year.

A sprinkling of Brits, Germans and Dutch manage to find the coasts of Brittany and the wooded slopes of the Dordogne region, and some adventurous Italians make it as far north as Toulouse, but no other regions attract visitors in anything like the same numbers as the main two ?attractions?.

So here?s a suggestion - close your eyes and stick a pin in a map of France, and then go to that place for your holiday. OK it?s not a fail-safe method, and you might find yourself in the heart of an industrial wasteland, but there is a very good chance that you will be somewhere attractive, interesting, and relatively undiscovered.

One of the great pleasures of a visit to France is the chance to discover small villages where old folk still play petanque in the square, the bread from the boulangerie is hot from the oven when you buy it, and real French people go to buy their fruit in the market.

Given the choice between sitting in the shade of a plane tree watching a quiet French village slowly go about its business, or paying to squeeze yourself onto a space the size of a handkerchief on a beach on the French Riviera, which do you think you would enjoy the most?

Traditional villages of this type are found in all regions of France, and are usually the ones that aren?t mentioned in the guidebooks. Set out up that small track that looks like it goes nowhere and you?ll find it soon enough!

The earlier suggestion about sticking a pin in a map wasn?t very helpful, so here are a couple of ideas:

The Dordogne region of south-west France contains a very high number of picture-postcard villages. To find the ones that are less well known, head about 25 kilometres north or south of the ?tourist villages? along the Dordogne River and you won?t go far wrong.

Elsewhere in the south of France, try the relatively undiscovered region around Rodez. The villages like Belcastel and Conques attract the crowds, but between them are many workaday villages where you can sit quietly and feel the stress lift off your shoulders.

As a third suggestion, head south into the Languedoc region but stay inland, away from the busy beaches along the coast. Just a few miles inland and you will discover the villages and vineyards which make the region so attractive.

Wherever you go, be sure to venture at least a little way off the beaten track and you are sure to have a memorable holiday.