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Guides

Every destination we cover, with the practical pages that go with it.

France

Cities

City · 54k people Ajaccio Corsica makes wine from grapes that grow nowhere else, rooted in granite and sea spray. Nine appellations define the island's fiercely independent wine culture.
City · 52k people Albi Albi rewards the 1h15 drive from Carcassonne with the fortress-like brick Sainte-Cécile cathedral, the world's largest Toulouse-Lautrec collection, and Gaillac vineyards on the route home.
City · 24k people Auch Armagnac is France's oldest spirit, distilled in Gascony since the 14th century. Visiting its family domaines is nothing like the cognac houses up north.
City · 41k people Bastia From Bastia, the Patrimonio AOC and Cap Corse loop delivers Niellucciu reds, Muscat du Cap Corse sweet wines, and one of the Mediterranean's most dramatic coastal drives.
City · 74k people Béziers Béziers is the wine capital of the Languedoc, a hilltop city of raw character where the Canal du Midi climbs the Fonseranes locks and the Orb Valley vineyards begin.
City · 23k people Cahors Cahors, Gaillac, Madiran: the Southwest of France makes wines of character and value that the French long kept for themselves. Here is where to start.
City · 50k people Carcassonne Carcassonne's walled citadel is breathtaking and besieged by crowds. The real town lies across the river, and the Cabardès vineyards roll away to the north.
City · 21k people Lons-le-Saunier The Jura is a sliver of vineyard between Burgundy and Switzerland, home to vin jaune and savagnin wines made nowhere else. It may be the most intriguing wine region in France.
City · 248k people Montpellier The Languedoc stretches from the Rhône to the Pyrenees, the largest vineyard on earth. Here is how to tackle it without spending your whole trip behind the wheel.
City · 51k people Narbonne Narbonne was Rome's first colony in Gaul and its Roman bones, canal-side market hall, and nearby oyster shacks make it one of the Languedoc's most rewarding stops.
City · 148k people Nîmes Nîmes packs a Roman amphitheatre, a pristine temple, and formal gardens into a walkable centre 30 minutes by train from Montpellier, with rooftop arena views and a lively square culture.
City · 111k people Perpignan Perpignan anchors French Catalonia with a brick palace, fortified Rivesaltes wines, and a short train link to Collioure's anchovy producers and Fauvist-painted harbour.
City · 41k people Sète Sète delivers a working-port edge with canalside seafood, summer water-jousting tournaments, and briny oysters across the lagoon in Bouzigues, all 20 minutes by train from Montpellier.