France is all about experiences. To Australians it is very foreign yet very familiar place. So many images of France are etched into our memory banks from movies, travel brochures, sporting events and even Yoplait adverts!

France is best experienced by just absorbing the surroundings and goings on and getting into the local rythm, which is what real travelling is all about.

Many of the best experiences are free such as just walking around towns and villages or sitting in a café watching a very different life go by.

Driving around the countryside with no particular agenda is a real pleasure as there is always some little village around the corner lost in a time warp waiting to be stumbled upon.

Shopping is an interesting experience in France even for blokes as it is all new and different from the standard mall experience. Just buying groceries at a hypermarche can be a sensory overload. Checking out what is on the shelves in another country can give you a good insight into how the place ticks.

The international nature and relative small size of France means that there are many world class events and attractions within easy travelling from your base.

For a heavily developed and highly populous nation, France has a surprising number of natural attractions and wilderness areas many of which are preserved in its many national parks.