Bonjour!!!
Imagine a place where every corner oozes charm, every meal is a feast for the senses, and every moment feels like a scene from a classic French film. That's right-we're talking about France! Recently, we embarked on an unforgettable journey to soak in the Parisian lifestyle, but with a delightful twist: our adventure took us beyond the bustling streets of Paris to the elegant vineyards of Bordeaux and the effervescent delights of Champagne.
In this blog post, we're excited to share the highlights of our trip, the hidden gems we discovered, and the insider tips that made our French escapade so magical. From the chic cafés to the scenic beauty of Bordeaux's streets and the bubbly allure of Champagne.. and Emily may have been a little buzzed after all those bubbles :)
Whether you're planning your own trip to France or simply dreaming of the day you can sip wine in the valleys of Bordeaux, we hope our experiences inspire your own wanderlust. So grab a croissant, pour yourself a glass of your favorite French wine, and let's dive into the joy of French living!
Our Trip Details:
7 Nights with direct Delta Flights from Minneapolis to Paris. Our goal of the trip was to explore Bordeaux and Champagne.
BORDEAUX 4 NIGHTS FRIDAY-TUESDAY
We took the Airport Train to the Paris Du Nord Station and then followed the Metro system to Paris Montparnasse Station. Direct Train Ride from Paris Montparnasse to Bordeaux St. Jean Station is about 2 hours and 23 minutes.
LODGING
Hotel De Seze (used booking.com to book room)
We paid just under $1000 for 4 nights for a Superior Room with a little balcony. This is a cute boutique 4 star hotel located in city center- so you are walkable everything. Great price, staff on site speaks English and French, there is a spa onsite, cafe for breakfast, and option to a golf course nearby. Would definitley stay here again!
BREAKFAST
Books and Coffee - adorable cozy cafe that is always busy. We did do breakfast here our last morning and it was delicious, we also enjoyed a cappuccino one day there when it was drizzling.
Peters Coffee Shop-Cheerful and casual spot to have breakfast or a quick coffee to go! Really good food and Desserts.
LUNCH/DINNERS
Restaurant Creme - creative fun restaurant with charming chic vibes for any cheese lover. Each dish uses a unique take on pairing cheese into the meal. We enjoyed the Mozzeralla Tartar and The Gua Bao for starters, our Entree was the The Roasted Smoked Camembert and for desert the Pickled Melon. All dishes were spectacular.
Petit Minon Restaurant - a delicious dive casual dive burger bar; but make it french! Get the Les Chef
Monzu - Is a modern Italian Restaurant Experience; it has delicious wood fired pizzas and a variety of aperol spritz mixes - this is a chain restaurant; but it is so charming. There are two locations; I would recommend the Monzu Grand Hommes for more a local feel; but there is also one off of the shopping street Sainte Catherine that has a cute calm back patio. Also get the Pimp my Nutz dessert you won't regret it!
Cafe de Minuit - Cute casual cafe that serves great drinks and more happy hour tappas style plates. We did dinner here one night for a casual evening. Make sure to get there at 5:30/6pm to enjoy drinks first and beat the rush; starting at 6:30pm they'll offer food. They also offer breakfast and lunch and was near our hotel. This felt like a more local hangout vs a tourist spot which we really enjoyed.
FULL DAY EXCURSION TO SAINT EMILION
Saint Emilion Day Trip with Sightseeing Tour and Wine Tastings from Bordeaux
We got picked up in Bordeaux’s City Center in the morning and were gone from 9:30am-5pm. This tour is a great way to learn the history of Bordeaux Wines and visit three Chateaus. Plus a lunch stop in the old Medieval town Saint Emilion where we got to explore and get lunch. Our tour guide Helen was super informative and cheerful. We also were in a small group of 8 people total and were transported in a nicer modern van vehicle.
OTHER THINGS WE ENJOYED
We enjoyed the Farmers Market on Sunday Morning. It was a cute and calm walk along the river to the area by Parvis des Chartrons. Get there around 9am/10am to grab some food for a picnic to enjoy later that day.
Shopped along the longest shopping street- Sainte Catherine. This is a very modern and tourist area; but if you need more clothes or forgot to pack something for your trip; this street will have everything you need.
EPERNAY IN CHAMPAGNE, FRANCE: 2 NIGHTS TUESDAY-THURSDAY
There are two cities in Champagne; Reims and Epernay. If you are looking for a more quaint and charming town, I would suggest Epernay. I also would recommend doing three nights vs. two nights to have more time exploring the other champagne houses or a half day excursion to explore the countryside and vineyards.
We took the train from Bordeaux back to Paris Montparnasse Station. From there we did have to take a metro train to Paris Gare de L’es station. From the Paris Gare De’Lest station we took a train to Reims and then to Epernay. Train ride from Paris to Epernay is about an hour and a half*
LODGING
La Villa by Michael Gonet - we used booking.com to book villa.
Situated on Champagne ave, La Villa by Michel Gonet is a historic bed and breakfast that features free WiFi, and guests can enjoy a garden and a terrace. The property has garden and city views, and is less than 1 km from Epernay Train Station. Outdoor furniture is available for guests to relax or dine outside. Breakfast is included in the morning, as well as a complimentary champagne tasting with your stay at the villa. Our favorite part is that whatever champagne isn’t drunk during the day is available for the guests to drink in the evening in a cute little lounge on the second floor. Cheers!
Champagne Houses- all the houses you can pop in and do tastings. I would recommend pre booking any tours of champagne houses you want to learn more about. We decided to do the tour of Monet & Chandon! I would highly recommend this tour because of how old the Moet and Chandon House is and their history!
You’ll want to pre-book the tour prior to your visit as they have guides who do french/english tours and they do sell out.. The tour was about an hour; followed by a half an hour tasting session that was included with the tour. We paid $60 per person.
Learn more about their tours: https://www.moet.com/en-us/visit-us
LUNCH with CHAMPAGNE
We had lunch and a glass of Champagne at Perrier Jouet house. Their lunch is amazing, as well as their patio. We shared their caesar salad and beignets.
COFFEE SHOPS
Kitsch Cafe- Super funky and cute coffee shop with the sweetest owner. We actually stopped in twice during our short stay.
Salon Eugene Cafe - Grabbed a quick espresso; but they have cute desserts that we didn’t try.
DINNER RESTAURANTS
I would recommend making a reservation or showing up right away when they open to hopefully snag a spot. A restaurant we unfortunately didn’t get to try was “Why Not” that is supposedly amazing! Since Epernay is a smaller town; their must try dinner spots seem to get snagged quickly by the foodies!
Domaine De Vincine- this is a family run restaurant; husband cooks and wife runs front of the house. True French food if you went to someone's french home and they made you a homemade dinner! Get the GREEK SALAD; we’re still dreaming of it and they probably have the best Limecello spritz I’ve ever tasted!
Sacre Bistro- We were lucky enough to snag a table right at 7pm and were so glad we did! This may have been one of my favorite meals on the trip. We ate the Gazpacho, Burger and Frites, and their Pavlova Dessert! Staff, environment, and food were excellent!
PARIS: 1 NIGHT - THURSDAY
We got back to Paris by taking a train from Epernay to Reims and then Reims to Paris. However; our train out of Epernay got canceled because it was broken, so we ended up ubering from Epernay to Reims; about a 25 minute uber that cost $50. We also missed our connecting train so had to cancel our train and wait for another one a couple hours later!
We stayed in Paris for only one night because we had an early flight at 10am on Friday morning, so needed to be in town for the flight the next day. However, if you only have one night in Paris, plan you stay in the 7th Arrondissement Neighborhood if you’ve never been to Paris!
LODGING
La Bellechasse Saint Germain- location was great for us with this hotel. The staff spoke English and were extremely helpful with our check in and booking a taxi for the airport the next day. I will warn you the hotel is extremely funky in art design and decor; but it has it’s unique charm.
NEIGHBORHOOD
7th Arrondissement aka the Eiffel Tower District! This area is full of museums, landmarks, and the river to walk along. It's a very safe and calm neighborhood with beautiful Parisian buildings and lots of restaurants and cafes as well. Perfect for someone looking to get the true Parisian experience with little time in the city! It was great for us with limited time to get really good food options and be able to walk to the Eiffel Tower at night to watch it twinkle!
RESTAURANT
Sonata Pizza- “I never met a pizza like you before” Located off a really vibrant and fun street; it is also next to Fitzgerald's Restaurant known for amazing french cuisine and cocktails. We enjoyed the Truffle Balls, Pasta and probably the best cheesecake we’ve ever inhaled! Our only regret is not ordering the pizza; because they are definitely KNOWN for their PIZZAS! They looked amazing.
EIFFEL TOWER
We headed to the Eiffel Tower around 9:30PM and it was fun to witness the vibe in the evening for the Twinkling of the tower. It reminded us of waiting for fireworks on the 4th of July! If you are going in the Summer time to watch it twinkle; just know it will occur at dusk; which was 11PM for us in June!
TRIP TIPS:
Download and use the App Trainline - this was extremely helpful in pre-booking all of my train rides and keeping track of our tickets. It also worked great when we had a train cancel and had to do a refund and rebook of a ticket.
Use Google App for Translate- this came in handy daily for taking a screenshot of restaurant menus and being able to have the photo translate french to english
Prebook Excursions and Train Rides
Things do get busy and fill up; the train tickets become available 60 days before dates. If you are wanting better times, cheaper tickets, and better seating book when they go live.
I used Trainline for booking tickets and Viator for Excursions. As for Champagne Tours; book those directly through their websites before visiting.
Go before Tourism Season kicks in: We went May 30th-June 7th - This is a great time of year before the busy tourism season and the weather was around 65-70 degrees.