Throw in the fine food and wine, and we are hooked. When they recall trips to France, most travelers agree that wonderful food tops the list. The French countryside draws praise for its beauty, and the south of France especially inspires complimentary remarks. Whether you visit Provence, the historic beaches of Normandy, the castles along the Loire or the Burgundy vineyards, France won't disappoint.

It offers practical conveniences, too, particularly the train services, whether the high-speed variety or the standard options, that make it easy to get around the country. The Paris Metro does the same thing for the nation’s capital. The only potential downside is a strong euro that makes things pricier than they are at home, but anyone who really wants to see France regards that as simply part of the deal.

Who goes there? Formerly, visitors to France leaned toward the venturer side of the scale. That remains true, to a degree, but as more Americans travel to Europe, centrics and authentics find foreign languages and cultures more interesting and less intimidating. When do they go? Unless skiing is in the plans, visitors can’t go wrong in spring, summer or fall. If Paris is on your agenda, remember most residents escape the city’s heat for the countryside in August so you’ll find shops closed and many places lack service. Also, note that what the French regard as hot is not necessarily all that hot by the standards of many Americans; on the other hand, there is less air conditioning.

Go mountain biking in the Giffre Valley in the Alps. Also, go whitewater rafting or kayaking on the Giffre River.

Ski and snowboard in the French Alps, an obvious choice.

Take a tour of three days or longer by horse-drawn caravan on the Jura Massif in eastern France.

Attend the grape-harvest festival in Marcillac in Bordeaux where wine growers in traditional costumes will invite you to cut grapes from the vine and trample the bunches. This is one of several such autumn events where you may help out. Alternatively, attend the harvest event at Viella in the Haute Pyrenees where you help pick grapes on New Year’s Eve. The overripe fruit is used to produce a liqueur.

Join a guided backcountry ski tour in the Alps or Pyrenees. This may mean crossing glaciers and, when traversing difficult passages over steep slopes, becomes ski mountaineering.

Sunbathe on a nude beach on the Riviera.

Tour Cathar Country, the area in the south best known for the 13th century Albigensian Crusade during which the Catholic church wiped out the Cathars, whose take on Christianity it regarded as heretical. The area is characterized by steep promontories (where Cathars holed up to the bitter end), which make for dramatic scenery appealing to any visitor and a promising playground for the adventurous. Tackle this terrain with a multiday trekking trip. Also, use Carcassonne as a base for touring that focuses on the history and the area’s food and wine.

Take cooking lessons. In Lyons, the Institute Paul Bocuse offers programs of six weeks and 12 weeks.

See the French countryside from your perch on a bicycle seat.

Go to Giverny to see Monet’s home and studio. Take the train from Paris to Vernon, then rent a bicycle to get to the property from the station. (if the Vernon-Giverny bus is full, you may have no choice but bike it — or you’ll take a three-mile walk).

Sample the acrobatic trails, involving challenges like Tarzan swings and giant rope bridges, at the adventure park in Pornic.

In ski season, time your arrival so you see on-site competitions, such as the annual car race on ice, polo on ice or golfing in snow.

Sign on for an immersion French language course.

In the Loire Valley, tour some of the loveliest chateaux there, then take a hot-air balloon tour over the countryside, departing from Chenonceau.

Attend some of the world’s more unusual events, such as the Festival of the Pig in Trie-sur-Baise, which features piglet races, sausage-eating contest, piggy-costume contest and the national pig-imitation competition, and the Prune-Pit Spitters World Championship in Sainte-Livrade-sur-Lot. Prune pastries are on offer.

Take a wine-tasting tour. The French tourist office lists 17 regions to choose from, including Armagnac, Cognac and Champagne. Try the local wines everywhere.

Gamble on the Riviera or in Atlantic coast cities. Don't expect Las Vegas. The casinos usually impose a dress code and they impose a quieter and more formal atmosphere than in the United States.

Climb Mont-Saint-Michel in Brittany. The stunning abbey, and views along the way, are well worth the effort.

Get out the Michelin guide and plan a trip around three-star restaurants. Even in no-star restaurants, sample local specialties. In Lyon, try the lardons, described as bacon pieces, better described as the fatty bacon pieces — not to everyone’s taste.

Take a barge cruise through the south of France.

Take a D-Day tour, see the Normandy beaches and the cemeteries. Lay over in Bayeaux and get a look at the Bayeaux Tapestry, which through embroidery tells the story of William the Conqueror in England — and which aptly may be called the world’s longest cartoon strip.

Visit one of France’s many Christmas markets. Make that Chartres and see one of the world’s finest old cathedrals, as well; ditto for Strasbourg.

For more information, consult the French Government Tourist Office/Maison de la France at www.franceguide.com/us
To find France Certified Travel Agents and France Specialists, click on Practical Information at the home page, then choose Before You Go under Plan Your Trip, or go directly to http://us.franceguide.com

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