30 editor picks across France.
30 day trips worth the trip across France, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All France guides.
The Étang de Thau spreads oyster tables across 7,500 hectares of tideless lagoon, and the mas between Bouzigues and Marseillan sell them from the water.
TipMany oyster huts open only in season or at weekends, so ring ahead before you drive out.
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 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.
Cancale is where Rennes gets its oysters. Producers sell creuses and plates straight off the quay, and the Ferme Marine explains the beds behind them.
TipBuy a dozen from the quayside stalls and eat them on the wall; the Ferme Marine guides visits on weekdays only, mid-February to the end of October.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the wine village north of Avignon where John XXII built his castle, now a ruin above the vineyards and the village's tasting cellars.
TipThe Verger des Papes cellars, below the castle, pour four Châteauneuf wines in 45 minutes for €27, Tuesday to Saturday from March to December.
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.
TipLunch at Logis de la Cadene if you book three weeks ahead; the €480 confidential menu includes the wines.
The Medoc wine route north of Bordeaux runs the Route des Chateaux through Margaux, Saint-Julien and Pauillac, with the 1855 classified growths.
TipChateau Margaux is no longer open to visit; Mouton Rothschild and Pichon-Longueville take bookings in advance.
Beaune is twenty minutes from Dijon by train: tour the old mill at the Moutarderie Fallot, then the Hospices de Beaune, whose wine auction falls in November.
TipFallot's Découvertes tour runs daily at 10:00, 11:30, 15:00 and 16:30 for €12; the Hospices wine auction is held on the third Sunday of November.
The Beaujolais Cru villages lie 30 to 55 minutes north of Lyon, where ten AOC Crus produce Gamay wines of genuine depth. Booking recommended.
TipHire a car for the Route des Crus; public transport reaches Romanèche-Thorins but not the smaller villages.
Sète is the Italian-accented fishing port half an hour from Montpellier, home of the tielle, the octopus and tomato tourte that defines the Hérault coast.
TipTrains run from Saint-Roch all day, so this works as an evening trip as easily as a full one.
Guérande lies 80 km west of Nantes, 2,000 hectares of salt pans worked by paludiers who hand-rake fleur de sel and the coarser grey sea salt.
TipTerre de Sel at Pradel runs guided marsh walks seven days a week year round, but booking ahead is compulsory rather than optional.
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.
Saint-Malo is a butter town: Bordier churns here and runs its own bistro around the product, and the intramuros crêmeries sell it by the slab.
TipBuy the seaweed and the smoked-salt butters, which travel badly by post and are cheapest at source; L'Atelier de la Crêpe in town teaches the galette technique.
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 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.
TipBook the ferry from Arcachon to Cap Ferret for the most photogenic oyster shacks at L'Herbe.
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.
TipChez Hortense walk-in is famously hard; book the early 19:00 sitting or take the ferry to L'Herbe for direct producer tastings.
Gevrey-Chambertin is the first grand cru village on the Route des Grands Crus south of Dijon, with the Halle Chambertin explaining the Côte de Nuits climats.
TipThe Halle Chambertin on Rue Gaston Roupnel runs guided tastings; some village domaines, René Leclerc among them, taste by appointment only.
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.
Clisson sits half an hour up the tram-train line from Nantes, an Italianate town of Muscadet cellars, a wooden market hall and the Hellcity brewpub.
TipThe market trades under the halles on Tuesday and Friday mornings; Hellcity pours its own beer seven days a week beside the Hellfest site.
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 is the Champagne capital, 45 min from Paris by TGV. Pommery, Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger and Ruinart all run cellar tours; lunch at L'Assiette.
TipBook a 10:00 train and a 14:00 cellar tour; lunch at one of three local bistros between tastings.
Épernay, about 30 km from Reims, lines its Avenue de Champagne with houses whose cellars run for some 110 km, Moët & Chandon's 28 km of galleries among them.
TipFrom May to October the Épernay tourist office runs a €20 minibus to partner houses and growers, leaving at 14:15, with a visit or tasting included.
Carpentras, the old capital of the Comtat north-east of Avignon, fills its streets with a market every Friday morning and trades black truffles all winter.
TipThe Friday market runs 08:00 to 12:30 year-round; from mid-November to March the truffle market sells to the public from 08:00 by the tourist office.
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.
TipChateau d'Yquem visits are by booking only; the village restaurants in Sauternes pair Sauternes wines with foie gras across set menus.
Cassel sits on the highest of the Flanders hills, and the estaminets on its cobbled square serve potjevleesch cold with frites and beer-cooked carbonade.
TipPotjevleesch means little pot of meats, and it arrives cold with hot frites. That is correct, not a mistake.
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.
TipTake the TER from Part-Dieu; domaine visits need booking a week ahead for the Cote Rotie estates.
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.
TipThe old town along Rue Sainte-Claire is the bistro strip; summer-weekend lakeside seating books a fortnight ahead.
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.
Pézenas bakes 250,000 petits pâtés a year, spool-shaped lamb pastries sweetened with lemon and brown sugar, a recipe the town has held since the 1700s.
TipEat them warm as a starter with a glass of muscat, which is how the town serves them.
The Terrasses du Larzac appellation climbs the limestone shelves north-west of Montpellier, cool-night reds tasted at village cellars 45 minutes out.
TipA car is essential; the domaines sit in villages the regional bus network does not reach.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Our passionate Guide will show you how the history of Bordeaux is linked to the wine industry, and you will stop by 3 local food producers to taste their products.
Day trip · 8 hours
Explore the wine-growing region of Medoc on a full-day tasting tour, and sample the best red wines in the area. Follow Medoc's famous Chateau Road, home to over 1,500 ...
Day trip · 8 hours
Discover the Bordeaux terroir on a private wine tour with a certified guide. Visit magnificent castles and estates, and enjoy tastings of exceptional wines.