France is a treat for the senses, and if you love exceptional cuisine and wine as much as I do, you will relish Lyon, Starsbourg, Nancy, and Reims.
October was beautiful in France. I flew into Lyon and took the Rhônexpress right from the airport to the city centre. It’s a quick and easy trip that gets you into the city in no time, in the most sustainable way possible. This was my first stop on a trip to explore the city, and then highlights in Grand Est, the region east of Paris.
For Canadians flying into France, you can take a direct flight from Montreal, Quebec to Lyon, so you can start exploring right away. Or, you can also find a number of connections flying throughout Europe into Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport.
Lyon has so much to offer, and with dozens upon dozens of fantastic restaurants and activities, and yet it’s also the perfect size, without being overwhelming. The modern and lively city is also historic, cultured, and uniquely nuanced with the influences of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
You can find dishes and delicacies in Lyon that you simply won’t find anywhere else.
Walking through Presqu’île, the city centre is nestled between the Rhône and Saône rivers, and features a range of hotels and restaurants, the opera house, and museums. Across the river, the historic Vieux Lyon offers Renaissance-era streets, the Basilica of Notre Dame, and maybe most surprisingly, the tower of Fourvière, a replica of the Eiffel tower.
Another surprise for me was Croix-Rousse, a district that once housed dozens of silk weavers and merchants, but today it’s also home to some of the most astonishing, exciting, and organic street art that I’ve seen. The unofficial, and yet also official art–that’s a deep part of the city, but also somewhat illegal in some cases, too–covers walls, peeks out from corners, and even fills cracks in the sidewalk.
The highlight of Lyon though, among all the culture and art, and all the other gems, is the culinary scene. Gastronomy is a deep part of the city, and some of the best chefs in the world have been trained in the city. Today there are 91 Michelin Guide-recommended restaurants in the city, from Bib Gourmand to a few restaurants with two stars.
While I was in Lyon I had incredible meals at Café Terroir, Palais Grillet, Bistrot Têtedoie, Le Grand Réfectoire, and a very special dinner at Lyon’s Hôtel de Ville. Christian Tetedoie also spoke to me and a few other travel journalists about his career, and the amazing gastronomy that started in Lyon decades ago.
The culture of the city is also remarkable, from the modern-meets-historic Opéra National de Lyon, to the Musée des Confluences, and one of my favourite stops in the city, Musée Lumière.
The Lumière Cinematograph was created in 1894 by the Lumière brothers, Louis and Auguste, and it’s one of the reasons we have cinema today. Their home has been transformed into a museum dedicated to telling the story, and it’s also home to the annual Festival Lumière that honours the best of world cinema.
I could go on and on about Lyon, and I will have a lot more to share from my visit, but what I also loved about the trip was how the city is such a perfect gateway to the north east region of France, and that included my next stops in Starsbourg, Nancy, and Reims.
Travelling by train, I had time to walk through the three gorgeous cities, try their local delicacies and wines, and soak up the atmosphere in the region of Grand Est. From Lyon it’s a 3 hour and 40 minute train ride to Strasbourg, and I have to say there’s nothing like train travel in Europe.
While Strasbourg is dominated by the canals, the German influences of the border that has been redrawn many times, and the Gothic Cathédrale Notre-Dame, it’s also home to 14 Michelin starred restaurants, and a number of Bib Gourmand gems. Local traditions are everywhere, including the amazing local cuisine, and one gem in the city is Chez Yvonne, a classic winstub with incredible traditional Alsacien food.
To get the best view of the city, you can take a boat tour around the canals, where you’ll also learn about the history, and culture, but there are also great walking tours if you want to learn even more. I didn’t realize just how many times the area had switched between Germany and France, but I love how the cultures have both left their marks on the city.
In the evening I had a jaw-dropping 9 course degustation at 1741, one of the best meals that I’ve ever had in my life. The service is beyond exceptional, the space is designed to give each table their own atmosphere while they dine, and each course was awe-inspiring, with perfectly paired wines that elevated the whole experience.
And Strasbourg was starting to get ready for one of their biggest highlights of the year: the annual Christmas market, which I can only imagine must be charming.
The next day I explored Nancy, where you can find one of the most stunning public squares in the whole country; Place Stanislas. The square feels like stepping back in time to the 18th century, with opulent metal work, surrounded by cafes and stores, and filled with sculptures, fountains, and a number of modern touches that invite you in.
There will even be a luxurious 5 star hotel in the square–most likely in 2026–when the Grand Hôtel de la Reine reopens after extensive renovations.
Nancy is notable for a number of reasons, but one of my favourite highlights was learning about Émile Gallé, a major contributor to the Art Nouveau style, among some of the other notable artists in the movement: Victor Prouvé, Louis Majorelle, Antonin Daum and Eugène Vallin.
Musée de l’École de Nancy and Villa Majorelle both highlight a number of their most impressive works of art, and they’re worth a visit to really understand their story and the history of the art style.
The city also has 12 Michelin recommended restaurants, and I had a wonderful dinner at La Toq’, with the perfect tasting menu that included their smoked salmon, local cheeses, and a jaw-dropping dessert.
I really loved the mood and atmosphere in the charming town.
Finally, before I had to head home from France, I returned to Reims for Champagne, a peek at a luxurious highlight, and a spectacular meal in a vineyard.
I had a tour of the caves beneath Champagne Taittinger, with a tasting of their delightful bubbly, before lunch at Brasserie Le Jardin. That led to a chance to visit and tour Domaine Les Crayères, one of the region’s most incredible 5-star hotels, before a walking tour of the city, including Cathedral of Notre-Dame where the kings of France were crowned for hundreds of years.
And as the sun was setting, I stopped in the vineyards outside town before dinner at Château de Sacy. The 5-star hotel and restaurant have the most incredible views, a chic space and service, and a lovely menu that’s drawn from region’s flavours and heritage.
In a trip that was filled with so many highlights, it really was a spectacular treat to see the most perfect sunset over the fields of grapevines.
I have to say a very big thank-you to Atout France, and the teams from the Only Lyon, Grand Est, and everyone in each town, restaurant, and stop on the trip that made me feel so welcome. This was a very special experience, and I can’t wait to share more in the coming weeks.
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