France Itinerary

For my next trip to France will depend on what areas of the country I want to concentrate on.

Paris and Environs

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. Stop by La Maison Nordique for some caviar and buy TWO caviar tin keys.

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

North

I most want to visit Normandy for a tour of battle sites and memorials. See my Normandy page.

I would also be in or near the premier cider regions of Brittany and Normandy. See the cider route on my Cider page.

West

I'd like to visit some of the great chateaux:

Loire Valley: Chambord, Chenonceau, Villandry (noted for its gardens), Chantilly, and Chateau de D’Azay le Rideau (also look at Pierrefonds, Chaumont, D’Usse, and Suscinio). See my page for a 2 week itinerary.

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

South-East

Annecy is a great lakeside town — a great hiking and biking location.

Visit the gourmet capital of France: Lyon.

Chamonix, the great winter resort in the French Alps, but in summertime offers picturesque hikes. The cable cars making hikes into the mountains easier.

South - Mediterranean

Nimes for its numerous Roman structures and sites and the Jardin de la Fontaine. See the Nimes page. 

Pont du Gard, the great Roman aqueduct, (near Avignon and Nimes; Montpellier is the nearest large city.)

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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.

Annecy

Nimes

Nîmes in a facinating city known for its extensive Roman structures and sites. Notable is the Roman arena (Arènes de Nîmes) which is is excellent condition supported by the nearby Musée de la Romanité. Also the Maison Carrée is a must-see.

Next, head for the moody Temple of Diana, a 1st-century C.E. Gallo-Roman ruin in Nîmes’s prettiest park, the Jardins de la Fontaine. Continue your stroll through the park up to the Tour Magne, a Roman watchtower with fine views over the city. Not far away, on Rue de la Lampèze, is the Castellum Divisorium, a stone cistern that served as the terminus for water that was transported 31 miles by aqueduct, then distributed to the city’s fountains via a system of lead pipes.

Arena and Museum

A must-see not far from Nimes is the famous Pont du Gard, one of the largest and best preserved Roman aqueducts. To get there, take the 121 liO bus from Nîmes’s Gare Routiere to the dedicated Pont du Gard bus stop. You could pack a picnic to make a full day of it.

Pont du Gard

At Les Halles de Nîmes, the city’s covered market, La Pie Qui Couette serves lunch from an open kitchen to guests perched on bar stools. Don’t miss the brandade de morue, a puree of salt cod, potatoes, milk, olive oil, garlic, and pickled lemon. The city’s hottest new restaurant, Fontaine’s Poesie, is also at Les Halles. The menu, which changes daily, offers modern southern French dishes made with seasonal market produce; try the roasted pork belly with baby vegetables. Outside the market, but still in the city center, dining options include Voisin et Fils for an evening feast of fruits de mers.

Source: https://www.afar.com

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.

Not far from Bordeaux is the small town of Fabrèges from which you can take the Petit Train d’Artouste. You first take a cable car to the station then ride this scenic route through the Pyrenees at 2,000m.

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 across from 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 bought some escargot and duck terrine by Maison Papillon.

La Maison de l'Escargot, rue de Fondary 79, 5015, Paris. I assumed it would have a large variety of escargot but they only sell their own brand. Closed Sunday & Monday.

Found on Facebook recommendations for some good cafes in Paris:

1. Café de la Paix, 5 Place de l'Opéra (9^th arr.)
2. Café Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton, 2 Rue du Pont Neuf (1^st arr.)
3. Le Café Marly, 93 Rue de Rivoli (1^st arr.)
4. Café de Flore, 172 Blvd Saint-Germain (6^th arr.)

HEAT WAVE

With increasing temperatures in summer, it may be difficult to find a place to eat out of the stifling heat. It was 37°C when I was in Paris in 2025. 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, 2 Avenue Bertie Albrecht €€€ (Michelin rated)

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.

Places to Go

I am very interested in touring the historical war sites in Normandy - see my Normandy blog site.

Other sites to see:

Nîmes and the Pont du Gard

Loire Valley - castles!

Lyon (food capital of France!)

Various canal & river tours - check that out

Paris - primarily for the museums and food

The Champagne region, perhaps

Try to see the Château de La Rochefoucauld in south-western France which is an excellent castle and has a magnificent staircase designed by Da Vinci staircase.

 

Pont du Gard

Nîmes Roman Arena

Paris

Things to see on my next trip to Paris (see accommodations below):

Found on Facebook, five free excellent museums: Musée Gustav Moreau, Musée de l’Homme, Musée de Cluny, Musée des Arts et Métiers, and Bourse de Commerce. Some non-free museums: Orangerie, Petit Palais, and Musée Carnavalet. And glamorous buildings to visit: Jacquemart-André, Banquet de France, Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Bibliotèque Richelieu, and La Sorbonne.

See my page of must see sites in Paris that includes cafés, restaurants and historical sites.

If I'm looking for and kitchenware try the oldest kitchen supply store in Paris: E. Dehillerin, 18 et 20 rue Coquillière.

Some alternatives to popular touristy locales:

Rather than the Champs Elyses try Rue de Charonne or Rue Montorgueil for shopping.

Rather than St. Germain try Canal Saint Martin for cafés and bistros.

Seen on Western Traditionalist Twitter page is the Palais Garnier theatre. Home of the National Opera, I'd not heard of this and surprised it is not more well known.

To see what is on in Paris during each month of the year visit the Paris Insider Guide.

Visit the largest flea markets in the world (7 hectares or 17.5 acres): Le marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. Hours year round are Friday 8:00 - 12:00; Saturday & Sunday 10:00 - 18:00; Monday 11:00 - 17:00. Getting there: Subway take line 13 (Garibaldi stop) then line 4 (Porte de Clignancourt stop) and finally line 14 (Saint Ouen stop). Bus: take line 85 (Marché aux Puces stop) or line 95 (Porte de Montmartre stop). Tramway take line T3b (Porte de Clignancourt stop). See the market guide here.

FOOD & DRINK 

A restaurateur in Belgium that I talked with recommended two eateries to visit in Paris: Harry's New York Bar (now Harry's Bar), 5 rue Daunou, and La Coupole, 102 Bd du Montparnasse.

La Coupole is considered to be one of the best brasserie in Paris. 

See the 15 Best Patisseries in Paris article.

The great series, Remarkable Places to Eat, has a good video on Paris.

See this TimeOut article on The 10 Best Food Markets in Paris.

A nice restaurant I visited near the Gare du Nord is Pedzouille l'Table, 66 rue du Faubourg Poissonniere. The Charolais steak was very good and the suggested wine to accompany it was excellent.

The oldest patisserie in Paris is La Maison Stohrer, established in 1730. Located at 51 rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris. Recommended by Sandrine Voillet in her video Sandrine's Paris.

For pastry and chocolate lovers the Salon du Chocolate is an exhibition and competition for all things chocolate. In 2024 it is being held at the Porte de Versailles, Paris from October 30 to 3 November 3.

LAUNDRY

There are 13 Laverie S.B.S. Libre-Service laundromats in Paris. Cost is €4.00 for 6kg (small) wash load. I used one near Gare de l'Est at 268 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin. It is a 15 minute walk from Libertel Gare du Nord Suede Hotel (see below).

ACCOMMODATIONS

Recommended on The Join Us in France Travel Podcast (#482) was the hotel 9Confidentiel, 58 Rue du Roi de Sicile, 4th arr., 75004. Nearest metro - Saint-Paul (line 1). $530/night. Located very close to Notre-Dame Cathedral (750m). In the area are the Bastille (1.2km), Les Halle (1.4km), Louvre (1.9km), Jardin des Tuileries at Place de la Concorde (2.6km).

Paris hotel recommended by Rick Steves close to Eiffel Tower, Hôtel du Champs de Mars, 7 rue du Champ de Mars, 75007 Paris.

In 2024, I stayed at Libertel Gare du Nord Suede, near, obviously, the Gare du Nord (and the Gare de l'Est). Small but well appointed rooms with a small balcony about a 10 minute walk from either train station. 106 Blvd. Magenta. +33 1 40 36 10 12.