Immerse yourself in France. 

Photo: @la_baptistine_de_gordes

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://grapeescapes.net/

https://www.vinotrip.com/en/

https://www.frenchwineadventures.com/about-us/

And for French wine education in Australia you should check out French Wine School https://frenchwineschool.com.au/

French Wine School offers online wine masterclasses as well offering guided tours of French wine regions, including a trip in late September/early October to the Rhône Valley and Provence for which there are still a few spots left https://frenchwineschool.com.au/travel/

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:

1. Châeau Palais Cardinal in Saint-Émilion https://palais-cardinal.fr/en/
2. Château Coutet in Saint-Émilion too http://chateau-coutet.com/ .
3. Vignobles des Quatre Vents in Margaux https://www.vignoblesdes4vents.com/ .
4. 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

5. 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.
6. 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!
7. 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/ ).
8. 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).
9. 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! 

We went there for the Riesling (of course), the hiking in gorgeous forests to the 3 castles above the village and the immersion in a beautiful small French town with so much history! 

We had an amazing full tasting at Louis Sipp https://www.sipp.com/ – right back to late 2000’s and bought an incredible bottle of 2011 Pinot Gris to sip the afternoon away with some local tomato’s, cheese, bread and saucisson at a very reasonable price. (I think it was €30) as well as some aged grand cru Riesling to drink the following days. 

Shame we can’t get any here. So divine. 

Thoroughly recommend this part of the Alsace. 

So beautiful.

All the best 

Josie 

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: 

“We travelled with another couple from Paris to Provence and stayed in the town of Uzes for a week.  We stayed in a lovely cottage that was only a quick stroll into the main street where beautiful cafes, eateries, markets, restaurants and shops were waiting.  Here’s a link to the accommodation if anyone is interested.  https://frenchcottages.com/

The village of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie is about 5km from Uzès, and well worth a visit for its pottery.  Pont du Gard is a must-visit.  The museum there is good to have a look at too. The Pont du Gard was part of a Roman aqueduct system that stretched for kilometres.  The walk across this 2000 year old structure is fantastic.

We drove to Châteauneuf-du-Pape one day (about a 40 minute drive) did some wine tasting at a few of the cellar doors and had a beautiful lunch.  Unfortunately, the 300 euro plus delivery charge for a case back to Sydney resulted in us buying a couple of bottles and drinking them as soon as we got back to our cottage in Uzes.  They were absolutely divine.

Day trips to nearby towns  such as Nimes or Orange are an easy drive too.

Staying in Uzes was such a beautiful way to start our European vacation.  After a day and a half we felt like we were part of the village.  Lovely cobblestone streets, great pastries, cheese, wine and the fabulous markets.  Le Marché d’Uzès.is held every Wednesday and Saturday, in the central square of Uzès, Place-aux-Herbes.  The setting is beautiful and the produce is colourful and stunning.

Highly recommend!!

Regards

Peter

Market shopping in Uzès, with and by Peter Shiels.

The Pont du Gard, photo by Peter Shiels.

Ménèrbes

Hi Tom

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.

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.