"Every man has two countries – his own and France." These words were supposedly spoken by Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States and ardent Francophile.

Whether apocryphal or not, there is surely a kernel of truth to these words, since no place on earth would seem to inspire travellers in the way France does: the streetlights and cobblestones of Paris, the snow-capped Alps, the sun-kissed Riviera, the chateau-strewn banks of the Loire – each has a lustre that lures writers, artists, musicians and philosophers from across the globe (not to mention the 90 million or so 'regular' visitors).

Of course, when considering the country's must-see destinations, a multitude of towns, cities and regions present themselves, but the following stand out for the way in which they have captured the world's imagination.

Read more: The best places to stay in France

PROVENCE

No other region in Europe, not even Tuscany, has so nourished our dreams and sensual demands. Provence has been a playground since the Romans scattered arenas and theatres across the landscape. When the 14th-century Popes fled Rome for Avignon, their interests were markedly more licentious than liturgical: Petrarch described contemporary Avignon as “a thoroughfare of vices”. And life in the region may still flow uninterrupted from the spiritual to the voluptuous.