Toulon Cruises via La Seyne-sur-Mer, France

Allow us to whisk you away to Aix-en-Provence, the capital of Provence, with its historic monuments, elegant squares, many fountains and home to a renowned international music festival. Don't be surprised if you see a Hollywood A-lister stroll past with a baguette, and be sure to spend a moment watching the beautiful people walking by in one the many cafés along the Cours Mirabeau.

Nearby Cassis has an ultra-pretty fishing port with harbour-side cafés and shaded streets that make for an idyllic day out. Start with a divine local ice cream and then take a stroll around town, stopping at the open-air artists' market to maybe pick up a Provencal watercolour or two.

The Provence coast is home to many lovely medievalvillages and just outside Toulon lies Hyères, a historic town with a medieval quarter whose palm-lined streets and quaint charm offers a glimpse of picture-postcard France. Bandol meanwhile has an interesting literary heritage (it was holiday home to the writers Aldous Huxley and Marcel Pagnol), and has wines that are off the scale.

Eastwards is the billionaires' playground of St. Tropez, known as 'St Trop' to the locals. A popular holiday destination since the 1950s, second home to movie stars and glittering jet set crowd; it's always fun to look at the jaw-dropping super yachts that typically fill its harbour. None of them looks quite as good as your MSC cruise liner though, of course.