Take me there: Uzès, Languedoc
Why go?
This is the stuff "escape to France" fantasies are made of: a sun-drenched medieval town with meandering streets, a castle, a cathedral and, at its heart, the lovely Place aux Herbes with its fountains, arcades and cafés. Uzès avoids the tourist excesses found in nearby Provence, but it's no sleepy backwater – the backstreets are slowly being colonised by creative young Parisians, who are converting the townhouses into stylish boutiques, galleries and guesthouses.
What to do
Admire the maze of cobbled streets from the 12th-century tower of the Duchy (duche-uzes.fr). Shop for olives, goat's cheese, bread and pâté at the fantastic food market in the Place aux Herbes (Wednesdays and Saturdays) before catching a bus to the imposing Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard (pontdugard.fr). The river banks are the perfect spot for a picnic and a dip. Avignon, Nîmes, Arles and the legendary vineyards of the Languedoc are all within easy striking distance.
Where to eat
Foodies won't want to miss the set menu served in the pretty gardens at L'Artemise, a 16th-century converted farmhouse on the outskirts of town (lunch €35, five-course dinner €70, lartemise.com). If the budget, or waistline, won't stretch to that, Ma Cantine is an informal wine bar serving tasty tapas-style dishes matched by an impressive wine list (22 Boulevard Gambetta, 00 33 4 66 01 00 07).
Where to stay
La Maison Rouge has five recently renovated rooms in a beautiful 19th-century, redbrick house (from €100, maison-rouge-uzes.com). For self-catering, Le Mas des Oules is a newly refurbished collection of eight stylish houses and apartments run by a British couple in the grounds of a chateau, 8km from town (from €600 per week, lemasdesoules.com).
Insider tip
"The most magical way to see the Pont du Gard is from the river," says Benoît Hérault, owner of L'Artemise. "Hire a boat at Collias and drift below the arches of the aqueduct (canoe-collias.com)."
Give me a break
Home: lambing in Cumbria The BBC's new series of Lambing Live kicks off on Tuesday. What better way to welcome spring than to stay at the farm that hosted the hit show in 2011? Stay Lambing Live is a beautiful, light, recently converted barn on a Cumbrian sheep farm that sleeps six. Best of all, guests can help out with the newborn lambs. A week from 5-12 April costs £1,085 (sawdays.co.uk/special-places/hand-picked/easter-escapes)
Away: follow the Vikings to Norway Inspired by the British Museum's new Vikings exhibition? Visit the shores that launched a thousand longships on a new tour of Norway with Discover the World. The five-night self-drive itinerary combines the harbour city of Bergen with the spectacular Hardangerfjord, where you can take a kayak or rafting excursion. From £855pp including flights and hotel accommodation (discover-the-world.co.uk)
For more inside tips, advice and holiday ideas, go to theguardian.com/travel
