France: Itineraries

The Atlantic to the Mediterranean in a week - 2500km (1553mi) in all - is no mean feat, but one that rewards with stunning vistas, some superb coastal motoring and sensational seafood. For those with more time to play with, activities abound in, on and out of the sea.

Step off the boat in Calais and there's 40km (25mi) of stunning cliffs, sand dunes and windy beaches - not to mention great views of those white cliffs of Dover across the Channel - on the spectacular Côte d'Opale. Speed southwest next, taking in a cathedral-stop in Rouen, a fish lunch in Dieppe or a picturesque cliff-side picnic in Étretât on the Côte d'Albatre on your way to your overnight stop: one of Normandy's prettiest seaside resorts - Honfleur, Deauville or Trouville. Devote day two to the D-Day landing beaches and abbey-clad Mont St-Michel. If island-life is more your cup of tea, push on to Brest or Camaret instead, from where you can sail to Brittany's hauntingly beautiful Île d'Ouessant. Equally tempting to Robinson Crusoes is Belle Île, with its fantastic rock formations, caves and beaches.

A long drive south along the Atlantic Coast rewards you with chic La Rochelle and its lavish portside feasts of seafood and oysters. In Royan, catch a ferry across the water to Soulac-sur-Mer, a happening seaside resort from where it is simply a matter of wining your way through the Médoc to bustling Bordeaux - city of fine food, wine, museums and nightlife. Next morning, continue south through Toulouse and Carcassonne to the Med. The flamingo- and horse-studded Camargue, immediately west of Marseille, is a unique patch of coast to explore - and a far cry from the glitz and glamour of the Riviera further east.