10 Days in France (itinerary recap)
We just got back from 10 glorious days in France and I wanted to share our itinerary and some tips in case you are looking to plan your own France trip! We did two days in Biarritz, 2 days in Bordeaux and 6 days in Paris.
We took at 5:00 pm flight from Boston Logan to Charles de Gaulle airport at 6:00 am. From there, we scheduled a pickup using Welcome Pickups to drive us from CDG to Montparnasse train station.
I have to say that we used Welcome Pickups multiple times on our trip and it was truly a lifesaver. They were always on time, very communicative and we felt very safe with every driver!
Biarritz:
We stayed at Hotel de Silhouette in Biarritz and had such a wonderful stay. The hotel is super central and walkable to everything you want to do in Biarritz. The hotel staff was so sweet, remembered our names and were very helpful throughout our stay. The rooms were so comfortable, had Dyson blow dryers in the room and we had the cutest balcony attached to our room that we took full advantage of. They also have a gorgeous little bar and back patio area that we grabbed a drink at one night.
Overall, I think this was my favorite hotel of our trip. It was comfy and cozy and it felt like home!
The first day in Biarritz we took a very long walk along the water. We walked from the main beach (Playa de Biarritz) all the way up to the light house and back. It is just so incredibly stunning and while it wasn’t exactly warm enough to sit at the beach (in my opinion) many people were out and about on the bank holiday.
After our long walk, we enjoyed a cocktail at our hotel bar/patio and the bartender made me a Lillet spritz and I am declaring it the drink of the summer.
We then went to Jack the Cockerel for drinks and dinner, and honestly, the food wasn’t great but the location and the view was worth it. While I wouldn’t recommend having dinner here, this is a great place to watch the sunset with a delicious cocktail and a cheese or charcuterie board.
The next day we grabbed a latte at Mamaka Coffee Shop and it was very cute, good coffee and women owned!
We checked out the main market (Halles de Biarritz) to check out all the amazing food vendors and we picked up some incredible local cheese, chorizo, a mini baguette and a quiche and enjoyed it on our roof patio.
We spent the day going on another walk and walked in the opposite direction from the light house and to Villa Belza and back. It was a gorgeous walk and arguably even more dramatic than our walk the first day.
We stopped for lunch at Restaurant Le Corsaire and it was good, not great, but really nice to enjoy some seafood by the water and explore Le Port des Pecheurs.
We finished up our walk and decided to stop for a sweet treat at the legendary Miremont Patisserie for some gelato (which was unreal) and a cherry Gateaux Basque cake which was also delicious. This place has been open since the 1900s (or maybe even earlier) and the inside still looks like it!
We did a little more wondering around town and shopping and it was a delightful day!
We had dinner at Caroe and it was soooo good. They were super busy so it was a long meal but we really enjoyed the things we ordered and we loved our wine. If you are in Biarritz, we would definitely recommend giving Caroe a try.
Here are some spots to eat that were on our list but we just didn’t get to:
Adri Beltza
Le Pim’pi Bistrot
Bordeaux:
The next morning, we took a 2 hour train from Biarritz to Bordeaux and checked into our hotel, which was the InterContinental Bordeaux- Le Grand Hotel. While this was a beautiful and very centrally located hotel, for how much money we spent on the room, it really didn’t feel special at all (especially compared to the Biarritz hotel). Our room was like a 15 minute walk from the front door since the building is huge and it was just pretty impersonal.
Our first day in Bordeaux we wondered down Rue Saint Catherine which is a super large pedestrian shopping street and grabbed lunch at Brasserie Bordelaise as not a lot was open when we were ready to eat.
We also tried Canele (a famous Bordeaux pastry) from La Toque Cuivree and I will be real, canele are not for me. They are super sweet and have an almost alcoholic syrup flavor but when in Bordeaux! We walked around all afternoon, stopping in different stores and shops and also grabbed a coffee at The Alchemist Coffee Shop which was so cute- tucked away in a side street off a big shopping area- and the coffee was delicious.
We grabbed a drink at the rooftop bar at our hotel and it had an amazing view of the city.
We had a really nice dinner at La Tupina which kept popping up on lists everywhere and was recommended by a sommelier we took a class from in DC. We didn’t realize the mains were meant to split so we got a lotttt of food but it was really delicious. La Tupina is a Bordeaux institution serving up traditional Bordelaise food and the environment is a bit stiff but still a delicious meal.
The next day we grabbed coffee and pastries at KURO Espresso Bar and it was delightful. We had a vanilla apple muffin that was so insanely good- I honestly thought about it for the rest of the trip. The staff were incredibly kind and such experts in their crafts.
After our lovely coffees an muffins, we went on a two hour walking tour of Bordeaux and it was really fun! It was great to get to know the history of the city while hitting some of the major sights. I always try to do a historical walking tour in new cities when I can!
We stopped in a lovely square and walked into a random Italian spot, called Totto, for lunch and it was good. Not the best Italian we have ever had but we were happy to sit and have a break from French food. After lunch, we walked around a bit more and made our way to a wine tasting class at a lovely wine shop called Le Pied a Terre and we booked this tasting on viator. The tasting is called “Discover Bordeaux Vineyard: Special Wine Tasting with Two Cellar Men Brothers". In the tasting, we really learned the elements of tasting and evaluating wine and learned about the wine regional to the area.
Later, we met some friends at Buvette wine bar for some lovely orange wine. I highly recommend Buvette and would put it at the top of your list for some wine and cheese!
We wrapped up our time in Bordeaux with dinner at Les Droles and it was delightful. Their whole concept is that you pay a set price for three courses (appetizer, entrée and dessert) and you get to pick from what they are making for the day. It is super reasonably priced and the food was delicious. If you go to Les Droles and they have it on the menu, I highly recommend the baked cheese appetizer.
Here are some spots to eat that were on our list but we just didn’t get to:
Halles de Bacalan
Paris:
I wrote a separate blog post about everything we ate in Paris so you can check it out here!
In Paris we stayed at the famous Regina Louvre Hotel right by the Louvre and while the hotel was so gorgeous and historical, I wouldn’t personally recommend the location because you are in the thick of all things touristy Paris. You step outside and there are immediately crowds and souvenir shops and no where to grab a coffee that isn’t super pricey for tourists. I did appreciate that our hotel was off of a few Metro lines so it was very convenient for getting around Paris.
If you are going to Paris, I would stay in the Latin Quarter, or in the Marais or Bastille (if you are looking for an Airbnb). Stay somewhere where it feels a bit more quiet and neighborhoody.
Our first day in Paris we walked from our hotel all the way along the Rue Rivoli to the Marais, getting to see some of the big attractions like Hotel de Ville and more!
In the Marais we got Miznon for lunch, which was amazing as always, wondered around a bit before things were shutting down for Shabbat and then walked along the Seine back to Notre Dame. We visited the Shoah Memorial behind Notre Dame (which should be on everyone’s list) and walked around Ile de la Cite a bit.
We also walked to the Garnier Opera and Galleries Lafayette and went to the roof for a very lovely, and free, view of the city!
We had the most disgusting dinner at Au Pied du Cochon and I would recommend staying very very far away from there.
The next day we got up, visited the D’Orsay Museum (which is my favorite of the Parisian museums), had lunch at Le Comptoir du Relais, walked around the Jardin du Luxembourg, Saint-Sulpice Church, and then hopped on the metro to go to Parc du Prince. Parc du Prince is the Paris soccer stadium where PSG plays so it was really cool to be able to check that out!
We had a lovely dinner at AKE and walked around the canals!
The following day we spent the whole day wondering around the Marais and Bastille area, shopping, popping into cafes and having lunch at L’as du Falafel. We popped into my favorite store in Paris, Merci, which should be on everyone’s list when they visit.
In the evening, we met some friends at Bisou for incredible drinks and had a cozy Morrocan dinner at Le Tagine.
The next day we met friends for lunch at Clamato and then did a day of knocking out some of the major tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Arc de Triomphe and more.
For dinner, we went to my old stomping grounds (when I studied in Paris) and had a lovely meal at Chez Mademoiselle in the Marais.
Tuesday we went to Versailles and then did a bit more shopping to round out the trip. We went back to L’as du Falafel for lunch and then ended our Paris trip with the most amazing meal at Dersou.