Paris is magnificent. It's also one of the most visited cities on earth, and some days it feels like tourists photographing tourists. The France that makes the French so proud of being French lives out in the regions.
Where should you go in France beyond Paris? Start with Provence for lavender, rosé and long lunches (June to September), or Bordeaux for wine châteaux and a riverfront city (May to October). The Loire Valley, the Côte d'Azur and Burgundy are all worth a trip too. If bubbles are your love language, Champagne and Cognac are calling.
Key facts
- Best months: Provence June to September, Bordeaux May to October, the Loire Valley April to October, the Côte d'Azur May to September, Burgundy June to October.
- Where to stay in Provence: Airelles Gordes, La Bastide; Crillon le Brave; La Bastide de Moustiers.
- Bordeaux in one line: the historic city has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2007.
- The Caviar trip: our Champagne + Cognac Experience is 9 days in Reims and Cognac, as a private trip for up to 8.
The Regions Worth Your Time
Provence is lavender, rosé and painters' light (June to September). Bordeaux is the great wine châteaux (May to October). The Loire Valley is castles and gardens (April to October). The Côte d'Azur is beaches and glamour (May to September). Burgundy is Pinot Noir and serious cooking (June to October).
Provence: Where Art Meets the Land
Photo: Thomas Despeyroux / Unsplash
Cézanne, Van Gogh and Matisse all came to Provence chasing the light, and after a week here you'll understand. It's softer and more golden than you expect, and it turns a plain field into a painting.
- Airelles Gordes, La Bastide: a hilltop village hotel with a pool that looks over the Luberon
- Crillon le Brave: a hamlet of village houses turned into one hotel, facing Mont Ventoux
- La Bastide de Moustiers: Alain Ducasse's country inn in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
The long lunch is the whole point here. Give it two hours and don't feel guilty about it. For bloom dates and a day-by-day week, read my Provence lavender season guide.
Bordeaux: Wine Country
Photo: Clément Roy / Unsplash
Bordeaux gives you a private tasting at a classified château in the Médoc, the underground cellars of Saint-Émilion and an easy evening around the city's wine bars.
The city has had a glow-up too. The riverfront used to be industrial and is now a long promenade, and the historic city (the "Port of the Moon") has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 2007. La Cité du Vin, the wine museum on the river, is worth an afternoon. I've put the full five-day plan in my Bordeaux wine country guide.
Champagne and Cognac: Where Our Group Goes
If you'd rather someone else handle every detail, this is where I take our group. The Champagne + Cognac Experience starts with a train from Paris to Reims and ends in Cognac, with 5-star hotels in both towns, a private dinner in the cellars of a grand Champagne house, and a private cognac tasting. There's a whole day built in for the spa and the pool, because you deserve a day with nothing on the schedule.
The Black Experience in France
France's relationship with race is complicated. The republic officially doesn't count people by race, which can make discrimination harder to talk about openly.
For Black travelers, France is generally welcoming, especially in the places visitors go. France has large communities with roots in West and Central Africa and the Caribbean, and Paris, Bordeaux and Marseille all have Black-owned restaurants, bookshops and cultural spaces worth finding. Bordeaux is also honest about its past as a slave-trading port, and the Musée d'Aquitaine tells that history.
Book a free consultation and tell me which France you're dreaming about.
Destination Guide
Destination Guide
Destination Guide