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1 The Best of

France presents visitors with an embarrassment of riches—you may find yourself bewildered by all the choices. We’ve tried to make the task easier by compiling a list of our favorite experiences and discoveries. In the following pages, you’ll find the kind of candid advice we’d give our closest friends.

1 The Best Travel Experiences • Hunting for Antiques: The 18th- , and the Loire Valley. See and 19th-century French aesthetic chapter 3. was gloriously different from that of • Shopping in Parisian Boutiques: and North America, and The French guard their image as many objects bear designs with Europe’s most stylish people. The mythological references to the French citadels of Right Bank chic lie on rue experience. France has some 13,000- du Faubourg St-Honoré and its exten- plus antiques shops throughout the sion, rue St-Honoré. The most glam- country. Stop where you see the sign orous shops are along these streets, ANTIQUAIRE or BROCANTE. stretching between the Palais Royal to • Dining Out: The art of dining is the east and the Palais de l’Elysée to serious business in France. Food is as the west. Follow in the footsteps of cerebral as it is sensual. Even casual Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, bistros with affordable menus are and Karl Lagerfeld on the shopper’s likely to offer fresh seasonal ingredi- tour of a lifetime. See chapter 6. ents in time-tested recipes that may • Exploring the Loire Valley: An add up to a memorable meal. For our excursion to the châteaux dotting the favorite restaurants in France, see valley’s rich fields and forests will “The Best Upscale Restaurants” and familiarize you with the French “The Best Affordable Restaurants,” Renaissance’s architectural aesthetics later in this chapter. and with the intrigues of the kings • Biking in the Countryside: The and their courts. Nothing conjures country that invented La Tour de up the aristocratic ancien régime bet- FranceCOPYRIGHTED offers thousands of options ter MATERIAL than a tour of these landmarks. for bike trips. For a modest charge, See chapter 8. trains in France will carry your • Paying Tribute to Fallen Heroes on bicycle to any point. Euro-Bike & ’s D-Day Beaches: On Walking Tours of DeKalb, Illinois June 6, 1944, the largest armada ever (& 800/321-6060; www.eurobike. assembled departed on rough seas com), offers some of the best excur- and in dense fog from England. For sions, including walking and cycling about a week, the future of the civi- tours of areas such as Provence, lized world hung in a bloody and 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 4

4 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF FRANCE brutal balance between the Nazi and • Schussing down the Alps: France Allied armies. Today you’ll find only offers world-class skiing and luxuri- the sticky sands and wind-torn, gray- ous resorts. Our favorites are Cha- green seas of a rather chilly beach. monix, Courchevel, and Megève. But even if you haven’t seen Saving Here you’ll find cliffs only experts Private Ryan or The Longest Day, you should brave, as well as runs for inter- can picture the struggles of deter- mediates and beginners. The après- mined soldiers who paid a terrible ski scene roars into the wee hours. See price to establish a bulkhead on the chapter 15. continent. See “The D-Day Beaches” • Marveling at the Riviera’s Modern- in chapter 9. Art Museums: Since the 1890s, • Climbing to the Heights of Mont- when Signac, Bonnard, and Matisse St-Michel: Straddling the tidal flats discovered St-Tropez, artists and between Normandy and Brittany, their patrons have been drawn to this Gothic marvel is the most spec- the French Riviera. Experience an tacular fortress in northern Europe. unforgettable drive across southern Said to be protected by the archangel Provence, interspersing museum visits Michael, most of it stands as it did with wonderful meals, sunbathing, during the 1200s. See “Mont-St- and stops at the area’s architectural Michel” in chapter 9. and artistic marvels. Highlights are • Touring Burgundy during the Aix-en-Provence (Cézanne’s studio), Grape Gathering: Medieval lore and Biot (the Léger Museum), Cagnes- legend permeate the harvests in Bur- sur-Mer (the Museum of Modern gundy, where thousands of workers Mediterranean Art), Cap d’Antibes (armed with vintner’s shears and (the Grimaldi Château’s Picasso baskets) head over the rolling hills Museum), La Napoule (the Henry to gather the grapes that have made Clews Museum), and Menton (the the region’s wines so famous. You Cocteau Museum). In addition, Nice, can sample the local wines in the St-Paul-de-Vence, and St-Tropez all area restaurants, which always stock have impressive modern-art collec- impressive collections. See chapter 13. tions. See chapters 16 and 17.

2 The Best Romantic Escapes • Deauville (Normandy): Using the windswept Atlantic; and the Belle resort of Deauville to propel herself Epoque architecture help justify the to stardom, Coco Chanel added name of its 8km (5-mile) beach, La greatly to its sense of glamour and Côte d’Amour. See “La Baule” in romance. Try your hand at the casi- chapter 10. nos, ride horses, stroll along the ele- • Talloires (The French Alps): The gant boardwalk, or simply revel in the bracing climate, the history that resort’s sense of style and nostalgia. goes back to the , and the See “Deauville” in chapter 9. Gallic flair of the innkeepers make • La Baule (Brittany): Consider an for a memorable stay. The accommo- escape with your significant other to dations include a converted medieval La Baule, a coastal resort in southern , and the village’s cuisine is Brittany. The salt air; the moody, superb. See “Talloires” in chapter 15. 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 5

THE BEST DRIVING TOURS 5 • Les Baux (Provence): During the • St-Tropez (Côte d’Azur): Any blonde Middle Ages, troubadours sang bal- feels like Brigitte Bardot in sunny lads to audiences at the fortress of Les St-Tropez, and the number of scantily Baux. The romantic tradition contin- clad satyrs and nymphs in town dur- ues today, with escapists from all over ing summer could perk up the most congregating in the rocky, arid land- sluggish libido. The real miracle here scapes. The town has an abundance is that the charm of the place manages of romantic hideaways. See “Les to survive its hype and the hordes of Baux” in chapter 16. visitors. See “St-Tropez” in chapter 17.

3 The Best Driving Tours • La Route des Crêtes (Alsace- • The Gorges of the Ardèche (The ): The Vosges, one of the Rhône Valley): The river that carved oldest mountain ranges in France, these canyons (the Ardèche, a tribu- once formed a boundary with Ger- tary of the Rhône) is the most tem- many. Richly forested with hardwood peramental French waterway: Its ebbs trees and firs, they skirt the western and flows have created the Grand edge of the Rhine and resemble the Canyon of France. Riddled with allu- Black Forest. La Route des Crêtes vial deposits, grottoes, caves, and (the Crest Road), originally chiseled canyons more than 285m (935 ft.) out of the mountains as a supply line, deep, the valley is one of France’s begins west of Colmar, at the Col most unusual geological spectacles. A du Bonhomme. High points are panoramic road (D290) runs along Münster (home of the cheese), Col one rim of the canyons, providing de la Schlucht (a resort with panora- views over a striking, arid landscape. mas as far as the Jura and the Black Plan to park and walk a little on some Forest), and Markstein. At many of the well-marked paths. The drive, points along the way, you can stop which you can do in a day even if and strike out on a well-marked you make frequent stops, stretches hiking trail. See “La Route des between Vallon-Pont-d’Arc and Pont Crêtes” in chapter 12. St-Esprit. See “The Ardèche” in • La Côte d’Or (Burgundy): Stretch- chapter 14. ing only 60km (37 miles) from San- • La Route des Grandes Alpes (The tenay to Dijon, this route is for wine French Alps): One of the most lovers. Rows of terraced vines rise panoramic drives in western Europe in tiers above the D122/N74/D1138 stretches south from the lakefront highways (La Route des Grands town of Evian to coastal Nice. You’ll Crus), passing through the towns of see Alpine uplands, larch forests, gla- Puligny-Montrachet, Volnay, Beaune, ciers, and the foothills of Mont Blanc. Nuits-St-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Plan on driving 2 to 6 days, stopping Gevrey-Chambertin, and Marsannay- in such towns as Morzine, Avoriaz, la-Côte. Travel at your leisure, stop- Chamonix, and Megève. The route ping to sample the noble vintages covers 740km (460 miles) and crosses (look for the signs sprouting from many of France’s dramatic mountain the sides of the highway). See chap- passes. Some sections are passable ter 13. only in midsummer. See chapter 15. 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 6

6 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF FRANCE

4 The Best Châteaux & Palaces • Château de Chantilly/Musée • Château d’Azay-le-Rideau (Loire Condé (Ile de France): Anne de Valley): Visitors thrill to this château’s Montmorency, a constable of France beauty. Poised above the waters of the who advised six monarchs, began this Indre River, it boasts decorative rem- palace in 1560. To save costs, he nants of medieval fortifications and ordered the new building placed atop an atmosphere that prefigures the the foundations of a derelict castle. Renaissance embellishments of later His descendants enlarged and embel- Loire Valley châteaux. See p. 259. lished the premises, added the mas- • Château de Chambord (Loire Val- sive stables, and hired Le Nôtre to ley): Despite the incorporation design gardens that later inspired (probably by Michelangelo) of feudal Louis XVI to create similar, larger trappings in its layout, this château ones at Versailles. See p. 220. was built for pleasure—a manifesta- • Château de Versailles (Ile de France): tion of the successes of the 21-year- Versailles is the most spectacular old François I. Begun in 1519 as the palace in the world. Its construction Loire Valley’s most opulent status was fraught with ironies and tragedies, symbol, Chambord heralded the end and its costs were a factor in the of the feudal age and the dawn of the bloodbath of the French Revolution. Renaissance. After military defeats in Ringed with world-class gardens , a chastened François rarely vis- and a network of canals whose exca- ited, opting to live in châteaux closer vation required an army of laborers, to . See p. 236. the site also contains the Grand and • Château de Chenonceau (Loire Val- Petit Trianons as well as miles of ley): Its builders daringly placed this ornate corridors lined with the spoils palace, built between 1513 and 1521, of a vanished era. See p. 195. on arched stone vaults above the • Palais de Fontainebleau (Ile de rushing Cher River. Two of France’s France): Since the days of the earliest most influential women, each of Frankish kings, the forest has served whom imposed her will on Renais- as a royal hunting ground. Various sance politics and the château’s dwellings had been erected for design, fought over Chenonceau. medieval kings, but in 1528, François Henri II gave the palace to his mis- I commissioned the core of the build- tress, Diane de Poitiers. After the ing that subsequent monarchs would king’s death, his widow, Catherine de enlarge and embellish. Napoléon Médicis, humiliated Diane by forcing declared it his favorite château, deliv- her to move to a less prestigious ering an emotional farewell to his château in nearby Chaumont. See troops from its exterior staircase after p. 247. his 1814 abdication. See p. 207.

5 The Best Museums • Centre Pompidou (Paris): “The is here, from Calder’s 1928 Josephine most avant-garde building in the Baker (one of his earliest versions of world” is a citadel of 20th-century the mobile) to a re-creation of Bran- art, with exhibitions drawn from cusi’s Jazz Age studio. See p. 149. more than 40,000 works. Everything 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 7

THE BEST CATHEDRALS 7 • Musée d’Orsay (Paris): The spidery masterpieces by local painters, exhibits glass-and-iron canopies of an aban- on Jewish history in eastern France, doned railway station frame one of antique furniture, wrought iron, and Europe’s most thrilling museums. domestic accessories. See p. 380. Devoted to 19th-century art, it con- • Foundation Maeght (St-Paul-de- tains paintings by most of the French Vence, Côte d’Azur): Established as a Impressionists, and sculptures and showcase for modern art by collectors decorative objects whose design for- Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, this ever changed the way Europe inter- avant-garde museum features works preted line, movement, and color. See by Giacometti, Chagall, Braque, p. 151. Miró, Matisse, and Barbara Hep- • Musée du (Paris): The Lou- worth. The multilevel design by the vre’s exterior is a triumph of grand architect José Luís Sert boasts glass French architecture, while its interior walls with views of the Provence contains an embarrassment of artistic landscape. See p. 558. riches, with more paintings (around • Musée Fabre (Montpellier, Langue- 300,000) than can be displayed at doc): This museum occupies a villa one time. The collection retains its where Molière once presented some dignity despite the thousands who of his plays. Today it boasts one of traipse through the corridors every the worthiest collections of French, day, looking for the Mona Lisa and Italian, and Spanish paintings in the the Venus de Milo. I. M. Pei’s contro- south of France. See p. 614. versial Great Pyramid neatly offsets • Musée Toulouse-Lautrec (Albi, the grandeur of its Cour Carrée. See Languedoc): Henri Toulouse-Lautrec p. 151. was born in Albi in 1864. Much to • Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux his family’s horror, he moved to a (Bayeux, Normandy): This museum’s scandalous area in Paris, where he star is a 900-year-old tapestry named created depictions of the Belle in honor of medieval Queen Epoque scene that are treasures today. Mathilda. Housed in a glass case, Also on view are works by Degas, the Bayeux tapestry is a long band of Bonnard, and Matisse. See p. 633. linen embroidered with depictions • Musée Ingres (Montauban, the of the war machine that sailed from Dordogne): This museum, in a Normandy to conquer England in 17th-century bishops’ palace, was 1066. See p. 298. created in 1867 when Jean-Auguste- • Musée Historique Lorrain (Nancy, Dominique Ingres (one of the most Alsace-Lorraine): Few other French admired classicists since the Revolu- museums reflect a province as well as tion) bequeathed to the city over this one. Its collections include 16th- 4,000 drawings and paintings. See century engravings, 17th-century p. 709.

6 The Best Cathedrals • Notre-Dame (Paris): This structure’s architecture. It’s dazzling in the morn- stone walls symbolize the power of ing and at sunset, when its image Paris in the Middle Ages. Begun in reflects in the . See p. 154. 1163, Notre-Dame is the cathedral of • Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres the nation and a triumph of medieval (Chartres, Ile de France): No less an 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 8

8 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF FRANCE artist than Rodin declared this cathe- architecture, this cathedral boasts a dral a French Acropolis. Its site reput- soaring nave whose roof is supported edly was holy for the Druids and the by 126 breathtakingly slender pillars. ancient Romans. Chartres is one of It was begun in 1220 to house the the world’s largest cathedrals, one of head of St. John the Baptist, brought the first High Gothic cathedrals, and back from the ; at 141m the first to use flying buttresses. It (463 ft.) long, it is the largest church also has possibly the finest stained- in France. It escaped destruction dur- glass windows, more than 2,500 sq. m ing the world wars, despite fierce (27,000 sq. ft.) of glass whose vivid fighting nearby. See p. 350. hues and patterns of light are truly • Cathédrale Notre-Dame de mystical. See p. 200. (Reims, ): One of France’s • Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen first Christian bishops, St. Rémi, bap- (Rouen, Normandy): Consecrated in tized Clovis, king of the Franks, on 1063 and rebuilt after a fire in 1200, this site in 496. The church memori- parts of it are masterpieces of the alizing the event was conceived as a Flamboyant Gothic style; others are religious sanctuary where the French plainer, though equally dignified. This kings would be anointed; it was large, cathedral was immortalized in the spectacular, and (in our eyes) rather 19th century, when Monet painted a cold. The coronation of every king series of impressions of the facade. between 815 and 1825 was cele- See p. 276. brated here. Damaged by World • Cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens War I bombings, the cathedral was (Amiens, the Ardennes): A lavishly restored by American donations dur- decorated example of High Gothic ing the 1920s and 1930s. See p. 340.

7 The Best Vineyards & Wineries If your primary interest is the wines of • Taittinger (9 place St-Nicaise, Bordeaux, contact the Maison du Vin, 1 Reims; & 03-26-85-45-35; www. cours du 30-Juillet, 33075 Bordeaux taittinger.com): Taittinger is a grand (& 05-56-00-22-88; www.vins-bordeaux. marque of French champagne, one of fr), which offers 3-day courses that cost the few still controlled by members of 375€–460€ ($450-$552) per person. the family that founded it, in 1930. The price includes lunch each day and an It’s one of the most visitor-friendly impressive selection of wines, most from houses. See p. 342. the region around Bordeaux. • Domaines Schlumberger (100 rue • Couly-Dutheil (12 rue Diderot, Théodore-Deck, Guebwiller, near Chinon; & 02-47-97-20-20; www. Colmar; & 03-89-74-27-00; www. coulydutheil-chinon.com): Many of domaines-schlumberger.com): Estab- its medieval cellars are carved into the lished in 1810, these cellars blend rock undulating through the area’s early-19th-century brickwork and forests. Most production here involves modern stainless steel; a visit will Chinon wines (mostly reds), though enhance your understanding of the its Bourgueil and St-Nicolas de Bour- subtle differences among wines pro- gueil wines are growing in popularity duced by the seven varieties of grape in North America. See “Chinon” in cultivated in Alsace. See “Colmar” in chapter 8. chapter 12. 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 9

THE BEST LUXURY HOTELS 9 • Domaine Maurice Protheau • The Wine-Growing Region around (Château d’Etroyes, Mercurey; Bordeaux: This area is among the & 03-85-45-10-84; www.domaine- most glamorous in France, with a protheau-mercurey.fr): The 50 hectares strong English influence, thanks to (124 acres) of grapevines straddle centuries of trade with London- and at least two appellations contrôlées (a Bristol-based dealers. One prestigious regulation system that ensures a wine grower, Société Duboscq, Château has been produced where the bottles Haut-Marbuzet, St-Estephe (& 05- says), so you’ll have a chance to 56-59-30-54), welcomes visitors contrast reds (both pinot noirs and who phone in advance of their arrival burgundies), whites, and rosés pro- Monday to Saturday. Free visits to the duced under the auspices of both cellars are followed by a complimen- Rully and Mercurey. Headquarters is tary dégustation des vins of whichever in a château built in the late 1700s of the company’s products a visitor and early 1800s. See “Autun” in requests. See p. 689. chapter 13.

8 The Best Luxury Hotels • Hôtel Ritz (Paris; & 800/223-6800 grandeur once enjoyed by Elizabeth in the U.S. and Canada, or 01-43- Taylor and other celebs, taking in the 16-30-30; www.ritzparis.com): This weekend soirées and musical hotel occupies a palace overlooking evenings. See p. 254. the octagonal borders of one of the • Oustau de Baumanière (Les Baux, most perfect plazas in France: place Provence; & 04-90-54-33-07; www. Vendôme. The decor is pure opu- oustaudebaumaniere.com): This lence. Marcel Proust wrote parts of Relais & Châteaux property is in the Remembrance of Things Past here, and valley at the foot of Les Baux de Georges-Auguste Escoffier perfected Provence. Both the cuisine and many of his recipes in its kitchens. the accommodations, some of which See p. 102. are in buildings dating from the 16th • Hôtel Meurice (Paris; & 01-44-58- and 17th centuries, are superb. See 10-10) faces the Jardin des Tuileries p. 492. close to the Place de la Concorde. • Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat (St- Over the course of its career, it has Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Côte d’Azur; & 04- catered to everybody from royalty to 93-76-50-52; www.grand-hotel-cap- Salvador Dalí. Massively restored and ferrat.com): The Grand Hôtel occu- still celebrated for its glass roofed pies 5.6 prime hectares (14 acres) on Winter Garden, it’s a pocket of posh. one of the world’s most exclusive See p. 102. peninsulas. In a Belle Epoque palace, • Château d’Artigny (Montbazon, it has hosted royals, aristocrats, and Loire Valley; & 02-47-34-30-30; wealthy wannabes since the turn of www.artigny.com): The perfume king the 20th century. See p. 582. François Coty once lived and enter- • Hôtel du Cap–Eden Roc (Cap tained lavishly at this mansion out- d’Antibes, Côte d’Azur; & 04-93- side Tours—and you can do the same 61-39-01; www.edenroc-hotel.fr): today in one of the poshest hotels in Built during the grand Second Empire the Loire Valley. Experience the and set on 8.9 hectares (22 acres) of 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 10

10 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF FRANCE splendidly landscaped gardens, this in the lobby, swathed in veils, refus- hotel is legendary, evoking the ing to utter a word. Following reno- F. Scott Fitzgerald classic Tender Is the vations, the hotel is better now Night. Swimmers revel in a pool than during its Jazz Age heyday. See blasted from the dark rock of the p. 571. glamorous coastline. See p. 552. • Hôtel du Palais (, Basque • Hôtel Negresco (Nice, Côte d’Azur; Country; & 800/223-6800 in the & 04-93-16-64-00; www.hotel- U.S. and Canada, or 05-59-41-64-00; negresco-nice.com): Built in 1913 as www.hotel-du-palais.com): Delectably a layered wedding cake in the château beautiful, this place was built in style, the Negresco was a lavish 1845 as a pink-walled summer palace escape for the Edwardian era’s most for Napoléon III and his empress, respected and most notorious figures, Eugénie. The Belle Epoque fantasy has including Lillie Langtry, the longtime entertained such guests as Edward VII mistress of Britain’s Edward VII. of England, Alfonso XIII of , After her fall from grace, she sat and the duke of Windsor. See p. 662.

9 The Best Affordable Hotels • Hôtel de Lutèce (Paris; & 01-43- coast. Add aesthetic appeal, old-time 26-23-52; www.paris-hotel-lutece. flavor of Dinan’s winding alleys, and com): It slumbers on Paris’s “other views of the Channel, and you’ve got island,” the Ile St-Louis, which usu- the ingredients for an affordable ally escapes the crush of visitors on escape. See p. 316. the more popular Ile de la Cité, just • Ostellerie du Vieux-Pérouges across the bridge. You’re still in the (Pérouges, Rhône Valley; & 04-74- city, but you can imagine yourself in 61-00-88; www.ostellerie.com): This a country inn at this tasteful retreat hotel, described as a museum of the on the Seine. See p. 107. , is one of the most sig- • Les Maisons de Léa (Honfleur, Nor- nificant in central France. Composed mandy; & 02-31-14-49-49; www. of a group of 13th-century buildings lesmaisonsdelea.com): It overlooks a with low ceilings and thick walls, it Norman 18th-century port favored evokes the France of another day and by the French novelist Flaubert. The doesn’t overcharge. See p. 426. amenities aren’t grand, but you’ll get • Hôtel Clair Logis (St-Jean-Cap- the feeling that Madame Bovary may Ferrat, Côte d’Azur; & 04-93-76- roll into view in her notorious car- 51-81; www.hotel-clair-logis.fr): The riage. The charming setting includes real estate surrounding this converted an appealing restaurant, and—more 19th-century villa is among the most surprising—the price tag is reason- expensive in Europe, but this hotel able. See p. 286. manages to its prices beneath • Hôtel d’Avaugour (Dinan, Brittany; levels that really hurt. When you & 02-96-39-07-49; www.avaugour check into your room (named after a hotel.com): Its exterior looks as flower in the garden surrounding the antique as the fortifications ringing place), you’ll be in good company: the medieval harbor, but a major Even General de Gaulle, who knew restoration transformed the interior the value of a centime, stayed here. into a cozy getaway on the Norman See p. 583. 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 11

THE BEST HISTORIC PLACES TO STAY 11 • La Réserve (Albi, Languedoc; & 05- hideaways along the nearby Côte 63-60-80-80; www.relaischateaux.fr/ d’Azur, and its location is just outside reservealbi): Scrublands, vineyards, the center of one of our favorite forti- groves of olives, and cypresses sur- fied sites in Europe, the town of Albi. round this dignified farmhouse. It’s See p. 634. less expensive than many luxurious

10 The Best Historic Places to Stay • Trianon Palace & Spa (Versailles, Ile www.chateauderochegude.com): Dur- de France; & 800/228-3000 in the ing the thousand years of this château’s U.S. and Canada, or 01-30-84-50- existence, its owners have included 00; www.westin.com): Louis XIV , dauphins, and less prominent nearly bankrupted France during the aristocrats who showered it with taste construction of his nearby palace, but and money. Today each room is out- this hotel overlooking its gardens fitted in a style inspired by a specific might have been even more influen- emperor or king. The setting is 10 tial. In 1919, the Versailles Peace hectares (25 acres) of parkland adja- Treaty was ratified by delegates who cent to the Rhône, outside Orange. stayed in the same rooms that house See p. 471. guests today. You’ll be pampered at • Château de Roussan (St-Rémy-de- this plush, elegant hotel, which Provence, Provence; & 04-90-92-11- boasts its own spa. See p. 198. 63; www.chateau-de-roussan.com): • Château de Locguénolé (Hen- One of this château’s outbuildings nebont, Brittany; & 02-97-76- was the home of the psychic Nos- 76-76; www.chateau-de-locguenole. tradamus, and its main building, com): No professional decorator sheltered by a stone neoclassical could accumulate the array of fur- facade erected in 1701, is among the nishings and artifacts that grace this most beautiful in Provence. The Breton manor house after 500 years’ château evokes another time, with occupancy by the same family. Some none of the artificiality of the nearby visitors think it’s the most charming Côte d’Azur. See p. 481. hotel in southern Brittany; you may • Château des Alpilles (St-Rémy-de- agree. See p. 322. Provence, Provence; & 04-90-92-03- • Manoir du Stang (La Forêt-Foues- 33; www.chateau-des-alpilles.com): nant, Brittany; & 02-98-56-97-37; The Pichot family built this www.manoirdustang.com): Even the château in 1827, and it has housed ivy that twines across the facade of many famous personages, including this 16th-century Breton manor Chateaubriand. The luxurious hotel, house looks as though it was planted modestly referred to as “a house for by someone very important, very paying friends,” is a showcase of lux- long ago. Formal gardens segue into ury, refinement, and taste. See p. 482. forested parkland; modern ameni- • Château de la Vallée Bleue (La ties are juxtaposed with enviable Châtre, Massif Central; & 02-54-31- antiques—the place is a gem that 01-91; www.chateauvalleebleue.com): happens to be a glamorous hotel. See If your room is named for Liszt, p. 320. Chopin, Flaubert, or Delacroix, it’s • Château de Rochegude (Roche- probably because they slept in the gude, Provence; & 04-75-97-21-10; same spot. The château was built by a 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 12

12 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF FRANCE doctor committed to the well-being whose masquerades as a man still pro- of his nearby patient George Sand, voke curiosity in this part of France. the author and feminist trendsetter See p. 716.

11 The Best Upscale Restaurants • Restaurant Plaza Athénée (Alain retire directly to your room after con- Ducasse) (Paris; & 01-53-67-66- suming a bottle or two of the region’s 65): A coveted three-star rating from bubbly. See p. 343. Michelin hardly seemed to challenge • A la Côte St-Jacques (Joigny, Bur- this brash chef. Ducasse is the darling gundy; & 03-86-62-09-70): On the of foodies and the spiritual heir of the edge of Burgundy, beside the river legendary Escoffier. Who can outdo Yonne, this is the quintessential restau- his pasta bathed in cream, sweet- rant avec chambres. Indulge your taste breads, truffles, and (get this) the for well-prepared food and wine, and combs and kidneys of a proud, strut- then totter off to one of the carefully ting cock? See p. 127. furnished guest rooms in the historic • Le Grand Véfour (Paris; & 01-42- compound. One of our favorite dishes 96-56-27): Amid the arcades of the is cassolette of morels and frogs’ legs, Palais Royal, this has been a dining sublime accompanied by a half bottle spot since the reign of Louis XV, of red burgundy. See p. 389. attracting such notables as Colette, • L’Espérance (Vézelay, Burgundy; , and the forever-loyal & 03-86-33-39-10): In a farmhouse Jean Cocteau. Jean Taittinger, of the at the base of a hill (La Colline de champagne family, runs it today, Vézelay) that has been a holy site and his kitchen brings originality for thousands of years, L’Espérance is to French classics—everything from run by one of Europe’s most famous pigeon in the style of Rainier of chefs, Marc Meneau, and his wife, to French-roasted sole and Françoise. The place combines coun- sea scallops in velvety pumpkin sauce. try comforts with great sophistica- See p. 119. tion. See p. 392. • Taillevent (Paris; & 01-44-95-15- • Paul Bocuse (Collonges-au-Mont- 01): Dining here is the social and gas- d’Or, near Lyon, Rhône Valley; & 04- tronomic high point of a Paris visit. 72-42-90-90): Bocuse was the enfant Its premises (an antique house near terrible of French gastronomy through the Arc de Triomphe) are suitably most of his youth. Today he’s the grand, and its cuisine as appropriately world’s most famous chef, catering to stylish as the Jackie Onassis look- Europe’s hardest-to-please customers. alikes who dine here. See p. 128. The cuisine is ostensibly Lyonnais, • Les Crayères (Reims, Champagne; but Bocuse has never been limited & 03-26-82-80-80): This restau- by provincialism, and his mind wan- rant’s setting is a lavish but dignified ders the world for inspiration. The château with soaring ceilings and signature dishes he creates for his fans French Empire decor. Built in 1904 as range from pigeon in puff pastry with the home of the Pommery family (of foie gras to his notable black truffle champagne fortune) and surrounded soup. See p. 419. by a 5.6-hectare (14-acre) park, it’s • Hôtel-Restaurant Troisgros (Roanne, maintained by a staff that appreciates Rhône Valley; & 04-77-71-66-97): the nuances of service rituals. You can The setting is the dining room of a 05_007451 ch01.qxp 9/22/06 10:37 AM Page 13

THE BEST AFFORDABLE RESTAURANTS 13 once-nondescript hotel near a train a provincial home of local gentry, station. The cuisine is a celebration yet it serves elegant food favored by of the agrarian bounty of France. generations of patrons, including the Mingling regional specialties, the Rothschilds. See p. 442. menu attracts diners from as far away • Le Moulin de Mougins (Mougins, as Paris. Years after dining here, many Côte d’Azur; & 04-93-75-78-24): still speak reverently of their meal. Occupying a 16th-century olive mill See p. 424. in a Provence forest, this long- • Auberge du Père-Bise (Talloires, celebrated destination is a showcase French Alps; & 04-50-60-72-01): A for the cuisine of Alain Llorca, one of mysterious alchemy transformed a the most talented and written-about simple lakeside chalet into an illustri- chefs on the French Riviera. He con- ous restaurant. Beside Lac d’Annecy cocts what he calls the “cuisine of the in eastern France, it’s outfitted like sun.” See p. 541.

12 The Best Affordable Restaurants • Crémerie-Restaurant Polidor (Paris; category. In a medieval building, you & 01-43-26-95-34): For many can feast on the sauerkraut and foie Parisians, the cuisine here evokes gras of the region, as well as on a par- dinners their grandmothers might ticularly succulent specialty, chicken have cooked in the days after World in Riesling wine. See p. 364. War II. The unpretentious setting, • Au Chalet de Brou (Bourg-en- with lace curtains filtering the sun- Bresse, Rhône Valley; & 04-74-22- light, drew even such iconoclasts as 26-28): In a town famous for its André Gide. See p. 140. poultry, this restaurant sits across • Les Vapeurs (Trouville, Normandy; from the village church. It offers the & 02-31-88-15-24): An anomaly local birds at amazingly low prices, among the Norman coast’s high- and food critics travel here from all priced brasseries, this restaurant over- over France for the hearty roast looking the port is no-frills, from its chicken. See p. 427. Art Deco decor to its fresh, well- • Le Bistro Latin (Aix-en-Provence, priced seafood. Patrons enjoy the fes- Provence; & 04-42-38-22-88): In tive ambience. See p. 292. Paul Cézanne’s hometown, seek out • L’Auberge de Pelican (Dinan, Brit- its best and most affordable little tany; & 02-96-39-47-05): Many vis- bistro, serving a classic Provençal cui- itors drive up from Paris for the day, sine in each of its two intimate dining followed by a dinner here in this old- rooms. Its fixed-price menus are the fashioned Breton establishment where best deal in town. See p. 499. even the bread is homemade. Dishes • Chez Servais (Libourne, Bordeaux with an emphasis on fresh fish are wine district; & 05-57-51-83-97): based on time-honored recipes. See As you’re touring the wine district p. 317. outside Bordeaux, one of your finest • Brasserie de l’Ancienne Douane and best-value meals is likely to be in (Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine; & 03- this little market town at the junction 88-15-78-78): In a city known for of the Dordogne and Isle rivers. The its Alsatian cuisine, this restaurant cuisine is a savory blend of classical is a front-runner in the moderate and modern. See p. 690.