You've forgotten to tell us where you're starting from! It's not much use ABers recommending flights from, say, Southampton, if you live near Aberdeen ;-)
Here are a few starting points anyway:
Ryanair flies, from Stansted, to these airports near to the western coast of France:
Dinard (Brittany)
La Rochelle
Biarritz
Ryanair also serves these airports in the south of France, from Stansted:
Perpignan
Montpelier
Marseille
Toulon (St Tropez)
From Luton, Ryanair can fly you to Brest
Ryanair operate from both Stansted & luton to Milan's Orio al Serio airport. However, If I was planning a short break to Italy, I'd be looking at flying, with Ryanair, from Stansted to Genoa. There are some beautiful parts of the city and there are also frequent cheap trains, along the coast, to the delightful resorts of the Italian Riviera, such as Rapallo. If you wanted to visit Milan, it's just a short train ride away.
You can view the Ryanair destinations map here:
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/dests.php?flash =chk
Use the pull-down menu to view information about each destination. Clicking the 'Hotels' link often helps to locate suitable accommodation in each of Ryanair's destinations. However, for some bargain budget hotels and guesthouses, try the 'Hostel World' link instead. (The name is misleading. There's far more than just hostels on that site).
Easyjet serves La Rochelle, Marseille & Nice from both Bristol & Gatwick. There are also flights to Nice from Luton, Stansted, Liverpool, Newcastle & Belfast.
Easyjet serves Milan Linate from Gatwick.
Route map here:
http://www.easyjet.com/EN/routemap/
FlyBe serves Brest fr