Aix-les-Bains, France

AIX-LES-BAINS train station is on the western edge of town, just off boulevard Président Wilson, from where it's a brief stroll up avenue Charles de Gaulle into the centre. The town has been one of France's premier spa resorts since the eighteenth century, with a wealth of elegant architecture, recalling Aix-les-Bain's Belle-Époque heyday, when high society from across Europe dropped by to relax and take the waters Queen Victoria, calling herself the Countess of Balmoral made several incognito visits. These days, it's a sedate and genteel place, particularly popular with French pensioners, who descend on the town en masse throughout the year for state-funded thermal treatments, though unless you're after a mud-bath or a glass of sulphurous water, the main draw today is the magnificent Lac du Bourget, 3km from the centre of town and the largest natural lake in France. Rising above Aix is Mt Revard (1550m), a vast plateau, made up of gentle meadows and forests, offering a range of trails for ramblers and cyclists, while it is also one of France's finest cross-country skiing areas.

The town centres on place Maurice Mollard, where you'll find the monstrous Art-Deco Thermes Nationaux, which is built into the well-preserved shell of a Roman temple, itself containing a small museum (same times; free), housing a collection of Roman sculpture and other oddities. Just outside, meanwhile, is another grand Roman remnant, the Arc de Campanus, a rare funerary monument from the first century BC.

Also in the town centre, you'll find the elegant Parc Thermal, laid out with brilliant flowerbeds, ancient trees and a fountain, as well as a 300-seat outdoor theatre, which hosts a variety of events during the summer months. The compact warren of pedestrianized streets that makes up the old town lies right opposite, while to the north, at 10 bd des Côtes, is the Musée Faure where a small but important collection of Impressionist art is on display.