The roof of western Europe is the birthplace of alpinism and home to one of today’s most vibrant mountain sports communities, so it’s a given that Mont Blanc and its subsidiary peaks needn’t bow to any mountains, anywhere. It’s needlelike, Gothically-drawn skyline is the kind that inspires poets and painters.

Rising up from vast sandbanks and powerful tides, the rocky island of Mont Saint-Michel gives off an otherworldly appearance in its position off France’s northwestern coast in Normandy. A small medieval village, complete with winding streets and tiny houses, sits on the island, but the crown jewel is undoubtedly the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. The incredibly abbey was build in 708 A.D., and was the inspiration behind the castle in Disney’s Tangled.

Any trip to the Côte d’Azur should include an extended visit in Nice, a perfect combination of a relaxed Mediterranean resort and a modern cosmopolitan city. A climb up to Castle Hill will give you an overview of the town’s crown jewels, like the Promenade des Anglais and Baie des Anges. The picture-perfect Old Town district is bustling with colorful markets and cafes in pastel pinks and yellows.

Giverny is a small village on the border of Normandy most famous for being the site of Claude Monet’s cherished riverside house and garden, both of which are open to the public today. The pastel pink house is pretty as a picture, with spring green shutters and ivy crawling up every surface. And the gardens are like an impressionist painting come to life, with water lilies, weeping willows, wisterias, and the famous green Japanese bridge.

An island southeast of France, Corsica is thoroughly French with an Italian flair. Although it’s best known as Napoleon’s birthplace, the island is worth visiting for its stunning protected nature areas. Gaze at the rocky cliffs and outcroppings, bright bluish-green waters, and more than 100 species of aquatic birds. The Gulf of Porto, with its connected series of islets and caves, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and painstakingly maintained. —L.M.