You don’t need a round-the-world trip to get white sand beaches, Egyptian tombs recreated in shells, and giant sand dunes which plunge down to meet the ocean. Take the slow road instead, and head just across the Channel.
Swap Angkor Wat for the Rhône Valley
Le Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval is south-western France’s answer to the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. Postman Ferdinand Cheval never ventured far from home, but he travelled virtually via the postcards he delivered.
Taking inspiration from Hindu temples, Egyptian tombs and Barbarian towers, he spent 33 years constructing his “dream palace” by hand, completing it in 1912. The resulting turrets, shell grottos and sculptures of exotic flora and fauna wouldn’t look out of place in south-east Asia. TGV trains run from Paris to Valence (2h30). From here it’s 50 km.
Find Seychelles-like beaches in Corsica
The dreamy, boulder-backed tropical beaches of La Digue in the Seychelles look not unlike Palombaggia beach. Fine, powdery sand, semi-submerged boulders in clear water and the gentle swaying of stone pines in the breeze – you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d teleported, Alice in Wonderland-style, into a travel agency window display.
This Corsican beach could be in the Indian Ocean. Chic beach bars hide among the foliage, but the smattering of granite islands and the wild mountains rising behind the 2 km stretch of pristine sand give it a desert island feel. Drive to Marseille and catch Corsica Ferries overnight to Porto-Vecchio. From here it’s 10 km.
Find a version of Utah’s Monument Valley in Languedoc
Holiday snaps at Lac du Salagou will look more like you joined a mission to Mars than took a day trip inland from the Mediterranean. A curious combination of ruffes (clay like sediments heavy in iron oxide) and black basalt have created a colour-popping, rocky landscape worthy of another planet, except this version of Mars has a lake.
It’s best to explore the artificial lake by kayak (rentals available from the watersports centre). TGV trains run from Paris to Montpellier (3h15), 50 km away.
Experience Abu Dhabi’s splendour in Paris
Wisteria fighting for space on marble pillars, blue tiled walkways that would make Oz’s yellow brick road look drab and a 33-metre tall minaret skewering out among palm trees, La Grande Mosquée, in Paris’s 5ème arrondissement, took the work of 450 builders and artists to complete.
Planned in recognition for Muslim soldiers lost during the First World War, the historic building is open daily except for Fridays and Islamic holidays, and offers a sense of the splendour you see at Abu Dhabi’s modern Sheik Zayed Mosque, closer to home. Eurostar runs multiple services between London and Paris each day.
Skip the Sahara for Europe’s largest sand dune
It’s missing the camels, but Dune du Pilat, a sand dune that soars more than 100m above the Atlantic, is undeniably impressive. The highest sand dune in Europe, it’s a big draw for active families who come to paraglide, kitesurf and surf where this mountain of sand meets the sea in the Gironde’s Arcachon Bay.
The sunset views from the top take some beating. TGV trains run to Bordeaux from Paris (2h30), from where it’s 60 km.
Find Grand Canyon grandeur in the Ardèche
The Ardèche once lay under the sea, and its towering limestone gorges were formed from the bones of fish, compressed over billions of years. The resulting landscape beggars belief, with the Ardèche River winding for 32km through a canyon which is up to 300m deep.
Inside the cliffs is a vast labyrinth of caves, used last century by Second World War resistance fighters, but inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period (visit the replica of the Chauvet Cave to see paintings dating from over 30,000BC). TGV trains run from Paris to Montélimar (3h), a 60 km drive from Vallon-Pont-d’Arc.
Swap Himalayan hikes for Alpine passes
Everest Base Camp and the Annapurna Circuit may be bucket-list hikes, but from Les Saisies, Savoie, you can enjoy hiking trails for all abilities framed by the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blanc.
The Chard du Beurre chairlift runs daily, year-round from the village and takes hikers up to a starting altitude of 1,889m. A four hour loop walk via Col de la Lézette takes in the majesty of Mont Blanc. TGV trains run from Paris to Albertville (3h), from where Les Saisies is 30 km.
Soviet Brutalism in Normandy
Heavily bombed during the Second World War, the Normandy port town of Le Havre had to be rebuilt almost from scratch. Architect Auguste Perret was enlisted to redesign the city on a budget, and it quickly became the city that made concrete cool.
It looks more like a Soviet than French city, but this flouting of France’s traditional beauty standards has led to some of the best modern art installations in the country – and an inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage list. Visit for the Béton (Concrete) Festival in August. Brittany Ferries runs a direct service between Portsmouth and Le Havre.
