Immerse yourself in France.
This page is populated with French travel suggestions both by myself and by other members of The Other Bordeaux’s social media community.
If you have any suggestions for places to go and things to do anywhere in France, based on your own experience and that I could add to this page, please drop me a line HERE
To compare prices on flights to France, have a look at Webjet https://www.webjet.com.au/
And there are numerous businesses specialising in food and wine-oriented holidays in France, such as:
https://www.chefchristopheandjosephine.com.au/tours
https://www.frenchwineadventures.com/about-us/
And for French wine education in Australia you should check out French Wine School https://frenchwineschool.com.au/
BOOKS.
There are two books I would like to recommend because they are both brilliantly written and genuinely entertaining. One is Adventures On The Wine Route by legendary American wine importer Kermit Lynch, and the other is the rather more left field autobiography of the most famous and influential French food and wine wine writer that you have never heard of: Reflexions by Richard Olney.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the southern Côtes-du-Rhône.
Proudly imported by The Other Bordeaux, Château Maucoil in Châteauneuf-du-Pape offers an incredible selection of wine tourism options, from vineyard tours and tastings through to cookery classes and lessons on how to create a wine blend. Have a look at the details on their website: https://chateau-maucoil.com/oenotourism/

Château Maucoil, nestled in the shade and surrounded by its Châteauneuf-du-pape vines.
South-West, Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion, Dordogne.
Jess Wright suggests: “Chateau Mauvinon in Saint Emillion. Beautiful wines and family run business with great service.” https://www.chateaumauvinon.com/le-domaine/

Château Mauvinon Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.
Romy Coops recommends Domme in the Dordogne Valley: “Domme restaurant- food is nice but it is the view that is spectacular- book a view table on balcony. Village is very pretty too.” I’m not sure which restaurant Romy is recommending but here is more information on the village of Domme itself
El Hausfeldt recommends Chez Remi in Libourne: “ Papa is the cook, his son and daughter-in-law run front of house. The food is generous, gutsy and glorious! Highly recommend the kidneys in creamy mustard sauce, the beef cheeks and end with canelé. Enjoy!”
Tom at The Other Bordeaux recommended the following:
- Châeau Palais Cardinal in Saint-Émilion https://palais-cardinal.fr/en/
- Château Coutet in Saint-Émilion too http://chateau-coutet.com/ .
- Vignobles des Quatre Vents in Margaux https://www.vignoblesdes4vents.com/ .
- And for Graves Blanc I highly recommend a visit to the castle of Châteaufort de Roquetaillade www.roquetaillade.eu which is owned by old family friends of mine and offers a whole lot more than just wine! 720 years of history more or less…
Châteaufort de Roquetaillade
- And if you go to Roquetaillade then the market in Bazas on the weekend is fabulous and in fact it’s an amazing mini medieval city any day of the week and nobody has ever heard of it.
Bazas square and cathedral on market day.
- And maybe stop off for oysters at Arcachon and take a walk up the Dune du Pilat, the highest sand dune in Europe no less!
- And the market in Libourne near Saint-Émilion is great. It’s on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays (but double check that at the tourist office in Libourne as the days might change sometimes: https://www.tourisme-libournais.com/en/the-markets/ ).
- And the local tourist offices are extremely useful (“Offices de Tourisme”). The one in Saint-Émilion is outstanding too (and for a couple of euros they’ll also give you the key to the door that you need to go through to climb the church steeple for the most incredible views of the area).
- For restaurants in Saint-Émilion itself, Lard et Bouchon https://www.lardetbouchon.fr/ and L’Envers du Décor https://www.envers-dudecor.com/en/ have always been good to me. And a few kilometres from Saint-Émilion, the restaurant at Château Hotel Grand Barrail https://www.grand-barrail.com/en/index.html is not cheap but was outstanding last time I went there. And for a great restaurant next to the Dordogne river with a beautiful terrace in summer, Caffé Cuisine in Branne is gorgeous https://www.facebook.com/caffe.cuisine/.

Château Hotel Grand Barrail outside Saint-Émilion.
Hi Tom,
From Chris Bounds, by email, 13/06/2024: “We stayed in Port-Sainte-Foy-et-Ponchapt, just across the river from Sainte-Foy, a lovely old town 20 minutes from Ste Emilion. Brasserie de Boucher is outrageously good https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100048891284905. As well as taking in as much of St Emilion as we could, we greatly enjoyed a tour and tasting at Chateau Monestier La Tour near Perigord (biodynamic). https://www.chateaumonestierlatour.com/en/home/ . The highlight wine experience was perhaps too touristy for some but was not dissimilar to Yarra Valley wineries: Château La Croizille (stunning spot). https://www.chateaulacroizille.com/en/homepage.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1“

Château La Crozille, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru.
Foie Gras at night markets on the Dordogne.
“I visited Le Buisson de Cadouin for a holiday. It is right on the Dordogne river. The night markets were a real community event. A food caravan sells only big slabs of foie gras on brioche. The local wine merchant sets up a fold-away card table and sets it with bottles pulled from the the back of his car. The choice is red heavy (including the local Pecharmant) but also has saternes from the nearby Monbazillac.
Burgundy.
“If heading to Beaune, which is a must in itself, then stay at the Abbaye de Maizières. A fabulous 12th Century former Abbey, beautifully resorted and right in the middle of Beaune. The proximity to the Basilica will ensure you do not sleep in too late! Only a 3-minute walk from the Hospices de Beaune, another must do, after a fabulous breakfast. https://hotelabbayedemaizieres.com/
Cheers
Graham W. “
by email 04.06.24
Loire.
Julian Watt suggested: Le Château Des Forges near Angers. Great value, hospitality, breakfasts and rooms. https://www.slow-village.fr/chateau-des-forges/

Château des Forges.
Alsace.
Hi Tom – my partner and I last June went to the Alsace region.
The photo of the house below was built In 1617!

Paris.
Janey D said: Visit my friends’ wine bar in Paris: Redd, in the 2nd arr. https://reddparis.com/
Provence.
From Peter Shiels by email, 19/06/2024:

Market shopping in Uzès, with and by Peter Shiels.

The Pont du Gard, photo by Peter Shiels.
Ménèrbes
Hi Tom
Sarah Garrett recommends the restaurant in Provence honeypot Crillon Le Brave: https://clovisetbasina.com/en

The village of Crillon Le Brave.
Champagne.
Champagne Veuve Maître Geoffroy is imported by The Other Bordeaux and they frequently receive visitors from Australia for tastings at their gorgeous winery in the village of Cumières, not far from Épernay, on the Montagne de Reims. Wonderful wines and lovely people. It was in fact a suggestion from an Australian visitor to this estate that led to me importing their wines. Highly recommended: https://champagne-maitre-geoffroy.com/fr/winery/

The home of Champagne Elodie D. on the Avenue de Champagne in Épernay.
Haute-Savoie.
Trevor Bond recommends https://la-traboule.fr/ and comments: “Lovely provincial restaurant, with friendly service! If you take the paddle steamer from Geneva, that makes for a wonderful day!”
DISCLAIMER. No responsibility is taken for the suggestions on this page: they are simply the personal suggestions of people who follow The Other Bordeaux’s pages on Facebook and Instagram, as well as the suggestions of myself, Tom Munro, from the 20+ years I have spent visiting France.