Off the Beaten Track

Corsica

Balzac described Corsica as 'a French island basking in the Italian sun', but the island has a singular character that is entirely its own. This beautiful, wild playground is the ultimate combination destination - physical exertion in the elements by day, French wine and cuisine by evening.

Corsica isn't called l'îsle de beauté (the island of beauty) for nothing. The delicately-shaded capital, Ajaccio, is a shrine to its famous native son Napoleon. The rest of the island is like a miniature continent, with marshes, mountains, coastline and a small uninhabited desert.

Grasse

Grasse has served the country well in the art of perfume production for centuries. It is here that master perfumers, nez (noses), train for seven years to recognise around 6000 scents. The town, with its distinctive orange roofs sheltering densely packed cottages, was heaven-sent for flower fans.

Grasse and its surrounds produce some of France's most highly prized flowers, including lavender, jasmine, centifolia roses, mimosa, orange blossom and violets. In springtime, the green-fingered should take a stroll around Jardin de la Villa Noaille. Of the 40 perfumeries, only three are open to the public.

Ile d'Ouessant

This wild and beautiful island epitomises the rugged Brittany coast. An old local saying 'Qui voit Ouessant voit son sang' ('He who sees Ouessant sees his blood') expresses its untamed nature, inspired by its powerful currents and treacherous rocks. There are stunning walks and amazing scenery.

Lampaul is the main village of the island, but it is only a tiny huddle; the most interesting things to do here are to visit the phares (lighthouses) and to walk along the island's rocky coastline.

Vézelay

The tiny walled town of Vézelay, another of France's exasperating number of heritage spots, is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Burgundy - a patchwork of vineyards, sunflower fields, brunette furrows of farmland and stacks of hay reinventing Impressionism.

Originally built on a hilltop for defence purposes, the town became an important site of pilgrimage in the 10th century and later a gathering place for crowned heads and grandees embarking on the Crusades. Vézelay's focal point is the Basilique Sainte Madeleine, a former 9th-century abbey church.

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