France - Travel Blogs & Travel Guides: 2025

6 Places To Visit On The Cote D’Azur, France

From Saint Tropez to Nice, it’s time for a tour of the Côte d’Azur!

The Côte D’Azur (or French Riviera) is famed for its beautiful blues and air of sophistication. I associated it with film stars schmoozing on yachts in Cannes and glamorous ladies holidaying in Monaco. I couldn’t imagine for a second that it was a place that a) I’d be able to afford to visit or b) feel comfortable in. Yet, after my surprise trip to Nice and Monaco last year, I was pleasantly surprised!

Views of the port from Parc De La Colline Du Chateau

We stayed at a charming hotel, moments from the pebbly beach, enjoyed warm weather and sunshine in October, and feasted on delicious Mediterranean food. I snapped photos of blue and white umbrellas in Nice, Monaco’s famous casino and wondered why I hadn’t visited sooner. And while it was on the pricey side, it was no different to London. The combination of great food, gorgeous sunshine, and a short flight time makes a holiday in the Cote D’Azur pretty appealing!

It’s certainly made me rethink the region as a whole, and along with recommending Nice and Monaco, I’ve got a few other places I’d be keen to visit.

Could you handle travelling to the airport with absolutely no idea of where you’re jetting off to? If you like spontaneity, find out all about my recent adventure with srprs.me!

From Seville and Tallinn, to Athens, Riga and St Petersburg, it’s time to venture away from the obvious and consider these lesser-visited cities in Europe.

When I think of my favourite European destinations, many of them are the tried and tested choices, with Barcelona sitting at the top of the list. But there are plenty of underrated European cities that are packed with all the good stuff – culture, top restaurants, beautiful architecture, and that a bit of adventure too!

So if you fancy shaking up your holiday habits, why not book a mini-break to check out a few of these less-visited choices?

Seville, Spain

I visited Seville a couple of years ago on a wonderful road trip around Andalucía. I absolutely loved Seville. I remember trying to drive around the city’s tiny, skinny streets, petrified of scraping the car against the walls! It’s a stunning city though, and along with the impressive Plaza De Espana, Real Alcázar de Sevilla and Seville Cathedral, I also loved discovering some great restaurants.

Enjoying the incredible views in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France

Provence in France is peppered with rustic towers, impressive chateaus, rolling countryside and all the fresh produce you could dream of. Find out some of my favourite spots in this Provence travel blog.

This may have been a proper holiday for me… but after snapping away, there was no way I could keep these photos to myself!

My relationship with Provence started when I was 12 years old. After over a decade of holidays in the UK, my Dad decided it was finally time to head further afield. Not much further afield though! Off we went to Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, and checked into a beautiful villa with a pool. We spent our days exploring the lush countryside, looking forward to our 3pm ice creams and devouring steak frites in the evenings at tiny brasseries. I don’t remember much about the trip, apart from that the food was good… and the views were even better. Oh and the scent of lavender – that was definitely in the air!

So when my boyfriend was asked to be best man at a friend’s wedding in Provence, I couldn’t wait to return! We based ourselves at beautiful converted farmhouse Le Coeurisier (booked via Holiday Lettings) and while there enjoyed breakfast in the garden, country walks and outings to sleepy neighbouring towns.

Enjoying breakfast at Le Coeurisier, Provence (Photo: BackpackerMacca)

Considering booking L’Ecrin Du Val Claret in Tignes for your ski holiday? From more about the rooms, food quality and the spa in this detailed review.

As outlined in my Wanderlust Bambi post I wasn’t a natural skier… but after a few days in ski school, I started to get the hang of it! Thankfully, when I wasn’t on the slopes I had a cosy mountain hideaway to warm up in – the Mark Warner Hotel L’Ecrin in the village of Tignes Val Claret in the French Alps.

Covered in a snowy cotton-wool blanket, the chalet style hotel had a spacious reception area, a comfortable lounge with a fireplace, bar, restaurant, a luxurious spa, and 52 bedrooms.

Lounge area at Hotel L'Ecrin Du Val Claret — Lounge area at Hotel L’Ecrin Du Val Claret

Spa area at Hotel L'Ecrin Du Val Claret — Spa area at Hotel L’Ecrin Du Val Claret

The Mark Warner experience is all about warm service, comfort and convenience. Over the course of a few days I got to know the hotel staff – from the front desk team to the spa girls and the barmen. Everyone was friendly, full of info and brought a really lovely social vibe to the hotel. For families, they offer childcare – a great option when the grown ups fancy a day on the slopes.