France Itinerary

For my next trip to France see:

See my Paris and my Places to Go pages. Also try other ciders from Paris gourmet store La Grande Épicerie de Paris, rue de Sèvres in the 7th Arrondissement. They have a second store at rue de Passy in the 16th Arrondissement.

There is a Champagne tour that stops at various houses for samples.

Near Paris: Chartres (1.5 hrs by train), Château de Chantilly (1hr by train).

Pont du Gard (near Avignon and Nimes, Montopellier is nearest large city.)

Nina, the guide on the Rick Steves tour, recommended a friend of hers who does tours throughout France but Nina specifically noted her Loire Valley tour and wine tours in the northeast - Alsace, etc. See France with Véro.

Bordeaux

In 2024 stayed in the town of Bordeaux and went on a couple of wine tours (by Olala). I stayed at the Novotel Bordeaux Centre Gare Saint-Jean which is one tram stop from the train station. I had some very good meals as well.

Wine

In Bordeaux, the tour operator Olala Bordeaux provide excellent tours of the Bordeuax wineries and vineyards, and the towns. I did the half day Margaux tour and the full day St. Emilion tour. They also do tasting workshops in Bordeaux, guided sampling of wines with food pairings.

Olala Bordeaux, 2 ter rue Mably, Bordeaux. Email: contact@olalabordeaux.com. I booked both tours through GetYourGuide.

The Riviera

I've been to Nice, Cannes and Monaco. Nice was nice (ha, ha), Canne was not a place to visit, but I really liked Monaco. 

Restaurants & Food

During my 2024 trip I had four excellent meals, one was in Tbilisi, Georgia at Otsy, and three were in France. At Pedzouille l'Etable, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, Paris I had a very good steak. It is about a 10 minute walk from Gare du Nord or Gare de l'Est.

At La Tanière, 41 Quai Richelieu, Bordeaux, I had the best meal of my entire two and a half month trip: a Landaise salad which is a salad of romaine and other greens with tomato and a very light dressing (a basic vinaigrette, I believe). This is topped with thinly sliced smoked duck, duck gizzards cooked rare to medium-rare, and a slice of fois gras! Amazing flavours of the duck. Completely unexpected. In Toulouse at the train station I had a very good meal at Ô Mana Brasserie. It was filet de dorade Sébaste et risotto parfumé à la carotte (ocean perch with carrot risotto), and was excellent.

Salade Landaise at La Tanière

filet de dorade Sébaste et risotto parfumé à la carotte at Ô Mana Brasserie

Had very good dim sum at Aux Delices du Commerce, rue de Commerce, Paris.

I visited a great food gourmet food market is La Grande Épicerie de Paris, rue de Sèvres, Paris. (They have a second store at rue de Passy.)

I also found La Maison de l'Escargot, rue de Fondary 79, 5015, Paris. Unfortunately is was closed the days I was there (it is closed Sunday & Monday).

HEAT WAVE

With increasing temperatures in summer, it may be difficult to find a place to eat out of the stifling heat. Air conditioned restaurants are rare and most are in hotels. Here is a list of a few categorized by arrondissement:

1st
English Bar at Hotel Regina €€€
2 Place des Pyramides

4th
Bofinger €€€
5-7 Rue de la Bastille

5th
Assiettes aux Fromages €-€€
25 rue Mouffetard

6th
Café de Flore (upstairs) €€€
172 blvd Saint-Germain

La Closerie de Lilas €€€
171 blvd du Montparnasse

Les Editeurs
4 Carrefour de l’Odeon

7th
Domaine d’Olleac €€-€€€
20 rue Rousselet

8th
L’Avenue €€€€
41 Avenue Montaigne

Les Cocottes Arc de Triomphe €€€ (Michelin rated)
2 Avenue Bertie Albrecht

Madison Blanche €€€€
15 Avenue Montaigne

11th
The Blue Elephant €€€€
45 Rue de la Roquette

14th
Café Bohemia €€-€€€
19 Blvd Edgar Uinet

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From Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, he visits some of the best restaurants and bistros that locals favour. Here are a few he tried and enjoyed:

Le Royal, rue de Grenelle 212, Paris, Anthony went for an excellent breakfast of orange juice, coffee and croissant.

La Tour Montlhéry – Chez Denise, rue des Prouvaires 5, Paris, makes a delicious dish: Blanquette de Veau – big hunks of veal slowly cooked in stock with cream sauce.

For a great baguette and a huge variety of pastries go to Pâtisserie Pinaud Pascal, rue Monge 79, Paris.

Bike Tours

Bike tours can be a great way to see the countryside up close at a leisurely pace. I love trains but scenery goes by pretty fast! Many tours are available so are self guide, others are organized and can include a vehicle that carries your luggage and provide refreshments, so you have a lighter travel experience.

Discover France has a large selection of tours including ones geared especially for seniors. From Brittany and the Loire Valley to Provence, or a Bordeaux wine tour.

See also 57Hours on my Travel Info page. Some research is need on them — they appear to be just a booking agent rather than a tour company.

Canal and River Cruises

Like Britain, France has numerous canals that provide the opportunity to have a relaxing tour through the countryside. There are also numerous river cruises.

The most famous is the Canal du Midi which is 241km long, running from Toulouse to Sète. The Canal de Garonne branches off the Canal du Midi and flows west to the Bay of Biscay near Bordeaux.

The Burgundy areas is rife with cruising waterways. According to the Lonely Planet guide to the canals of France:

Canal boating between Bourgogne vineyards really can’t be beat. Burgundy's 1200km of placid waterways include the Rivers Yonne, Saône and Seille and a network of canals, including the Canal de Bourgogne, the Canal du Centre, the Canal Latéral à la Loire and the Canal du Nivernais....

You can rent a self-drive boat to explore the Canal du Nivernais © Christophe Boisvieux / Getty Images

Adventure Life is a comprehensive site for all types of cruises. Some highlighted cruises are in the Midi, the Lire, Champagne, Alsace & Lorraine, Bordeaux, and Burgundy. (They are a travel provider, so their selections may be biased.)  European Waterways also provide a selection of cruises in France.