France
France out of season is our whole argument in one country. Paris in late autumn, Provence's markets before the summer coaches, Normandy's abbey-topped tidal island on a winter morning when you can hear your own footsteps — the repertoire is famous for good reason, and it is at its best exactly when fewest people are in it.
Best for
- Food and wine
- Art cities
- Village markets
- Shoulder-season ease
When to go
- Apr–Jun
- Spring: long evenings, markets in first flush.
- Sep–Oct
- The harvest shoulder; our preferred France.
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr) · CC BY-SA 4.0