30 day trips worth the trip across France, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All France guides.
Menton (Mirazur) ★ 4.8 · Nice
Menton 40 minutes east of Nice by train holds three Michelin stars at Mauro Colagreco's Mirazur on Avenue Aristide Briand, the Italian-Argentine kitchen.
Monaco (Louis XV at Hotel de Paris) ★ 4.8 · Nice
Monaco 20 minutes east of Nice by train holds three Michelin stars at Le Louis XV Alain Ducasse at the Hotel de Paris on Place du Casino, the canonical.
Saint-Emilion ★ 4.7 · Bordeaux
Saint-Emilion in the Bordeaux right bank is the medieval wine-village UNESCO site with the eight grand crus, Logis de la Cadene's 1848 Michelin-star kitchen.
Tip: Lunch at Logis de la Cadene if you book three weeks ahead; the €480 confidential menu includes the wines.
Medoc Chateaux Route ★ 4.7 · Bordeaux
The Medoc wine route north of Bordeaux runs the Route des Chateaux through Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac, with the 1855 classified growths including.
Tip: Chateau Margaux is no longer open to visit; Mouton Rothschild and Pichon-Longueville take bookings in advance.
Beaujolais Wine Villages ★ 4.7 · Lyon
The Beaujolais Cru villages lie 30 to 55 minutes north of Lyon, where ten AOC Crus produce Gamay wines of genuine depth. Booking recommended.
Tip: Hire a car for the Route des Crus; public transport reaches Romanèche-Thorins but not the smaller villages.
Eze (La Chevre d'Or) ★ 4.7 · Nice
Eze 20 minutes east of Nice climbs to the medieval perched village 400 metres above the sea, two Michelin stars at La Chevre d'Or under Tom Meyer.
Illhaeusern (Auberge de l'Ill) ★ 4.7 · Strasbourg
Illhaeusern, on the river Ill near Colmar, is home to Auberge de l'Ill, the Haeberlin family's two-Michelin-star benchmark of Alsatian haute cuisine.
Arcachon ★ 4.6 · Bordeaux
Arcachon on the Bassin d'Arcachon is the seaside resort with the Belle Epoque Ville d'Hiver and the Cap Ferret oyster cabanes, the Dune du Pilat 20 minutes.
Tip: Book the ferry from Arcachon to Cap Ferret for the most photogenic oyster shacks at L'Herbe.
Cap Ferret ★ 4.6 · Bordeaux
Cap Ferret on the Bassin d'Arcachon is the peninsula of pine forests and oyster villages, with the cabanes of L'Herbe and Le Canon, Chez Hortense's famously.
Tip: Chez Hortense walk-in is famously hard; book the early 19:00 sitting or take the ferry to L'Herbe for direct producer tastings.
Cassis (port and bouillabaisse) ★ 4.6 · Marseille
Cassis 22km east of Marseille is the port town with four bouillabaisse rooms on the harbour, Chez Gilbert the canonical reference, plus AOC Cassis white.
Saint Paul de Vence (La Colombe d'Or) ★ 4.6 · Nice
Saint Paul de Vence 45 minutes west of Nice runs La Colombe d'Or on Place du General de Gaulle, the Provence room with a Chagall and Matisse art collection.
Reims (Champagne) ★ 4.6 · Paris
Reims is the Champagne capital, 45 min from Paris by TGV. Pommery, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger and Ruinart all run cellar tours; lunch at L'Assiette.
Tip: Book a 10:00 train and a 14:00 cellar tour; lunch at one of three local bistros between tastings.
Sauternes ★ 4.5 · Bordeaux
Sauternes south of Bordeaux is the sweet-wine country around Chateau d'Yquem, with the Cotes de Garonne morning mists that produce the noble-rot grapes.
Tip: Chateau d'Yquem visits are by booking only; the village restaurants in Sauternes pair Sauternes wines with foie gras across set menus.
Vienne and the Cote Rotie ★ 4.5 · Lyon
Vienne is 20 minutes south of Lyon by TER and combines France's finest Roman theatre with Cote Rotie, the steep Rhone Valley appellation where syrah grown.
Tip: Take the TER from Part-Dieu; domaine visits need booking a week ahead for the Cote Rotie estates.
Annecy (Alpine Lake Bistros) ★ 4.5 · Lyon
Annecy on the alpine lake east of Lyon runs lakeside bistros pouring Savoy white wines and serving the lake's signature fera (perch) alongside tartiflette.
Tip: The old town along Rue Sainte-Claire is the bistro strip; summer-weekend lakeside seating books a fortnight ahead.
Aix-en-Provence (markets and calissons) ★ 4.5 · Marseille
Aix-en-Provence 30km north of Marseille runs a daily food market at Place Richelme from 8am to 1pm, plus the bigger Tue, Thu and Sat extension at Place des.
Colmar ★ 4.5 · Strasbourg
Colmar, 30 minutes south by train, is the Wine Route capital, with canal-side winstubs in Petite Venise pouring choucroute and tarte flambee.
Castelnaudary (Cassoulet capital) ★ 4.5 · Toulouse
Castelnaudary 65 km southeast of Toulouse is the canonical Lauragais cassoulet town, with Confrerie du Cassoulet. Reservations recommended in season.
Tip: Visit during the last weekend in August for the cassoulet festival; train from Gare Matabiau is 1 hour each way.
Carcassonne (Medieval city and cassoulet) ★ 4.5 · Toulouse
Carcassonne 90 km southeast of Toulouse is medieval walled city with Carcassonne version of cassoulet (with partridge) and producer shops inside the cite.
Tip: Train from Gare Matabiau is 50 minutes; eat cassoulet at La Marquiere inside the cite for the canonical Carcassonne version.
Cognac ★ 4.4 · Bordeaux
Cognac in the Charente region north of Bordeaux is the brandy town with the eaux-de-vie maisons of Hennessy, Martell and Remy Martin, with chai tours.
Tip: Hennessy and Martell run scheduled bilingual tours; book Remy Martin online a fortnight ahead for the cooper-shop visit.
Bayonne and Pays Basque ★ 4.4 · Bordeaux
Bayonne in the French Basque Country is the southwestern hub for Bayonne ham, chocolate (since 1670) and Basque tapas, with the Halles de Bayonne for morning.
Tip: The Atelier du Chocolat by Andrieu runs a chocolate museum and tasting; the Bayonne ham fair runs every Easter Wednesday.
Perouges (Medieval Village) ★ 4.4 · Lyon
Perouges is a walled medieval hilltop village 40 minutes east of Lyon where the Galette de Perouges, a flat caramelised brioche sold from a window counter.
Tip: Arrive before 10:00 or after 15:00 to beat the tour groups; the galette window opens from 09:00.
Bourg-en-Bresse (Bresse Chicken AOC) ★ 4.4 · Lyon
Bourg-en-Bresse is the capital of the Bresse chicken AOC, 55 minutes from Lyon, where the blue-legged birds with their blue-white-red colouring have held.
Tip: Book lunch at a Bressan ferme-auberge a week ahead; the Dombes ponds nearby are worth a 20-min drive.
Calanques National Park (cove cabanons) ★ 4.4 · Marseille
The Calanques between Marseille and Cassis run a handful of cabanon kitchens like Le Chateau and Le Bistrot in Sormiou, grilled fish on the rocks.
Cote Bleue (L'Estaque and Sausset) ★ 4.4 · Marseille
The Cote Bleue west of Marseille runs from L'Estaque (Chez Magali panisses since 1947) out to Sausset-les-Pins, the oursin season September to April.
Antibes (Marche Provencal) ★ 4.4 · Nice
Antibes 30 minutes west of Nice runs the Marche Provencal under the Roman ramparts on Cours Massena, daily produce, olive oil and a Picasso museum a short.
Villefranche sur Mer ★ 4.4 · Nice
Villefranche sur Mer 15 minutes east of Nice runs the Mediterranean fishing harbour with quayside seafood restaurants along the Promenade des Marinieres.
Marlenheim (Le Cerf) ★ 4.4 · Strasbourg
Marlenheim, where the Alsace Wine Route begins west of Strasbourg, is known for Le Cerf, a one-Michelin-star restaurant of refined Alsatian country cooking.
Cahors (Malbec wine country) ★ 4.4 · Toulouse
Cahors 115 km north of Toulouse is the canonical Lot Malbec wine region, with vineyard tastings, producer lunches and a riverside town centre under medieva.
Tip: Train from Gare Matabiau is 1 hour 20 minutes; visit Chateau du Cedre or Chateau Lagrezette for vineyard lunches.
Bergerac ★ 4.3 · Bordeaux
Bergerac in the Dordogne valley east of Bordeaux is the market town overlooking the river, with Monbazillac sweet wines, the Saturday morning farmers' market.
Tip: Saturday market mornings are the strongest; lunch at La Table du Marche on Rue Saint-James for Dordogne classics.