France
2027

Île de la Cité

Chez Janou — Rue Roger Verlomme · Provençal bistro just north of Place des Vosges · southern French home cooking · mussels, ratatouille, duck · good terrace · book ahead

Marais wander

Relais de l'Entrecôte — 20 Rue Saint-Benoît · no menu, no reservation · steak with secret walnut sauce and unlimited frites · arrive at 7pm sharp to avoid a queue · the quintessential Paris night out

Room picnic · pick up cheese, charcuterie, baguette and something from a pâtisserie during the Marais wander · eat whenever you like · good Marais food shops on Rue de Bretagne

Collect car from Gare Montparnasse · Drive south

Chartres · Le Café Serpente · Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres

Arrive Le Nessay · Coastal walk around Saint-Briac

Saint-Malo — walk the ramparts and harbour

Cargo Culte — cozy vintage bistro inside the walls · oysters, soups, seafood, croques · friendly multilingual owner · book ahead for Easter Sunday · opens at lunch

Dinan — medieval streets and ramparts

Saint-Suliac · Optional: Cancale

Room picnic or Le Nessay bar — food served to 9:30pm · local charcuterie, cheese, bread

Cap Fréhel

Fort La Latte

Scenic coastal driving

Picnic — pick up bread, cheese and charcuterie from Le Nessay's pâtisserie before leaving · eat on the headland with the Atlantic as a backdrop · Easter Monday means many restaurants will be closed

Le Nessay bar — food served from 12:30 to 9:30pm daily

Mont-Saint-Michel — early arrival to avoid crowds

La Ferme Saint-Michel — just outside the Mont in La Caserne · Norman specialities including salt marsh lamb · open non-stop through to 9:30pm · good value · also does picnic baskets to take onto the Mont

Abbaye de Hambye

Return to Le Nessay · room picnic or bar

Paimpol · Abbaye de Beauport

La Cabane sur les Quais — terrace overlooking the port · tapas, seafood, steak · rustic woodsy decor · away from the tourist crowd · one of the most praised meals in Brittany by visitors

Jardins de Kerdalo

Castel Meur

Room picnic or Le Nessay bar

Fougères · Vitré

Vitré — follow your nose around the castle area · good bistros and cafés near the medieval centre

Arrive Domaine des Hauts de Loire · room picnic — pick up supplies in Vitré

Château de Chambord — open from 9am · the grandest château in the Loire · Da Vinci double-helix staircase · rooftop terrace · allow 2 hrs · book tickets in advance · €31pp (non-EEA)

Château de Cheverny — ~20km south · ~20 min drive · the finest furnished château in the Loire · inspiration for Moulinsart in Tintin · still owned by the Hurault family · allow 1–1.5 hrs

Picnic — pick up supplies in Blois before Chambord · bread, cheese, charcuterie · eat at Chenonceau in the grounds · the Loire in early April is a hard backdrop to beat

Château de Chenonceau — ~45km east · ~45 min drive · spans the Cher River · the Ladies' Château · allow 1.5–2 hrs · open to 6pm · €19pp · book tickets in advance

Le Bistrot des Hauts de Loire — on the Domaine estate · Sologne timber-beam setting · matured meats, spit-roasts and seasonal dishes from the kitchen garden · €41 menu · book ahead — tables not held for hotel guests without a reservation

Full but very doable day with an early start at Chambord. Drop Cheverny if time is short — Chambord and Chenonceau are the priorities.

Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire — opens 10am in April · château, park and art installations · note the International Garden Festival (the main draw) typically opens late April, so the festival gardens may not yet be running · still worth a visit for the château and grounds · allow 1.5 hrs

Drive to Amboise — ~30km · ~30 min

La Pause du Temps — small family-run bistro in the heart of Amboise · daily specials, good Loire Valley wines, quiet patio · fresh, seasonal, excellent value · book ahead

Château Royal d'Amboise — perched above the Loire · Leonardo da Vinci's tomb in the Saint-Hubert Chapel · Histopad AR tablet included · panoramic views · allow 1.5 hrs · €17pp

Clos Lucé — 10 min walk from the château · Leonardo da Vinci's final home, where he spent his last three years at the invitation of François I · scale models of his inventions · gardens · allow 1 hr

Le Bistrot des Hauts de Loire — on the Domaine estate · book ahead

Drive south · approx 3.5 hrs direct · Arrive Sarlat evening

Les Halles covered market — open daily · foie gras, duck rillettes, walnut products, Périgord cheese and charcuterie · graze and pick up supplies · the Cathedral Saint-Front is worth a quick look while you're here · Byzantine domes, quite extraordinary

Room picnic at Les Cordeliers using market finds — foie gras, walnut bread, cheese, rillettes · no need to go out after a drive day

Settle in · Evening wander through Sarlat old town

La Salamandre — exposed stone walls and timber beams in a medieval building · Périgord classics: foie gras, cassoulet, ceps mushrooms, walnut tart · €36 menu · book ahead

Sarlat covered market (Église Sainte-Marie) — open daily from April

Jardins d'Eyrignac — 12km from Sarlat · one of France's finest formal gardens · allow 2–3 hrs

Ferme-Auberge des Marthres — a working farm just outside the village · hearty, authentic Périgord cooking using their own produce · duck, foie gras, farm-raised meats · book ahead

Salignac-Eyvigues village — quiet, pretty medieval village · wander the lanes and château

Jardins de Marqueyssac — 9km · 150,000 hand-pruned boxwoods perched 130m above the Dordogne · open from 10am · allow 2–3 hrs

Les Courtines — front-row terrace on the Dordogne · fresh seasonal menu · no rush, birds singing · described by multiple visitors as the best lunch of their Dordogne trip · book ahead · then gabarre boat trip on the river

Beynac-et-Cazenac or Château de Castelnaud (Castelnaud has the better museum)

Restaurant Aux 3 Sens — refined Périgord cuisine with creative touches · foie gras escalope, duck confit with mandarin and morels · quiet medieval alley off the main thoroughfare · ask Susan and Stephen to make the reservation

Sarlat Wednesday market — outdoor market through the medieval streets · foie gras, truffles, walnuts, duck

Market picnic — buy directly from the producers · walnut bread, foie gras, charcuterie, cheese · eat in the old town or take it with you to Milandes

Château des Milandes — Joséphine Baker's restored château · ~20 min from Sarlat

Cingle de Trémolat — dramatic Dordogne river meander seen from above

Auberge Le Mirandol — cave dining in the old town · classic Périgord stews, duck, trout · bistro setting with a natural cave at the back · friendly, reasonably priced · book ahead

Domme Thursday market · hilltop bastide · sweeping Dordogne views · ramparts · Belvédère de la Barre · Porte des Tours (Templar graffiti)

Monpazier Thursday market · ~45 min south · arguably the finest bastide in France · arcaded central square

Côté Halles — right next to the market hall · Périgord salad, duck breast, regional dishes · praised specifically on market day for the setting and quality · arrive early, it fills fast on Thursdays

Sarlat → Souillac → Château de la Treyne · approx 45 min total

Au Bistrot de la Halle — 30 Rue de la Halle · classic French bistro · duck confit, good value set menus · also visit the Abbaye Sainte-Marie, one of the finest Romanesque doorways in France

Check in at Château de la Treyne · Grottes de Lacave — stalactite caves accessed by underground electric train · right near the hotel

Le Comptoir des Copains or Au Bistrot de la Halle · casual, light evening after a drive day · confirm Le Comptoir des Copains is still open closer to the trip

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie — arrive early · perched dramatically above the Lot · one of France's most beautiful villages

Cliff road west along the Lot — Calvignac · Château de Cénevières · Bouziés towpath cut into the cliff face

Bonnie and Rest'ò Bistro — pencilled in · confirm open and book ahead · Saturday market at the cathedral gates nearby for a browse before or after

Pont Valentré · medieval old town · serious Malbec wine country · a glass of Cahors on a terrace is obligatory

Puy-l'Évêque — terraced medieval town above the Lot · hanging gardens · vineyard views (optional)

Château de la Treyne — restaurant on the terrace or in the Louis XIII salon · table for Saturday 10 April 2027 confirmed

Gramat Sunday market · ~25 min from hotel · local and unhurried · Rocamadour cheeses and regional produce · pick up picnic supplies

Carennac — medieval priory village on the Dordogne · Romanesque cloister · very quiet in April

Picnic — eat in one of the villages · Autoire or Loubressac · unhurried last afternoon with nowhere to be

Autoire — tiny valley village under limestone cliffs · waterfall · medieval houses · ruined château

Loubressac — perched hilltop · panoramic views over three river valleys

Le Pont de l'Ouysse — one Michelin star · five generations of the Chambon family · patio beside the Ouysse river under linden trees · Quercy lamb, foie gras, langoustine · menus €55–€110 · ~10 min from the château · book as soon as the 2027 season opens in early April 2026

Château de la Treyne → Bordeaux Airport · approx 2.5 hrs

Château de Bonaguil — en route · late medieval castle in woodland · off the tourist trail

Return car at Bordeaux Airport (BOD) · then Vueling YV2913 Bordeaux → Barcelona · departs 12:50 · arrives 14:05

Arrive Barcelona 14:05 · check in · no agenda · wander, eat, decompress

Free day in Barcelona · Las Ramblas · Gothic Quarter · Barceloneta · tapas · whatever takes your fancy

SQ387 · Barcelona → Singapore → Sydney · departs 11:55