Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 Lyon — World Capital of Gastronomy
Morning Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse
Begin your gastronomic journey at Lyon's legendary indoor food market, named after the city's most famous chef. Over 50 vendors showcase the finest of Lyonnaise and French produce: sample Saint-Marcellin cheese ripened to creamy perfection, taste rosette de Lyon (dry-cured sausage), pick up a quenelle de brochet from Giraudet, and finish with a praline tart — Lyon's iconic pink pastry. This market is a living encyclopedia of French terroir, where each stall tells the story of a regional specialty.
Afternoon Old Lyon Walking Tour & Bouchon Lunch
Wander through the cobblestone streets and secret traboules (hidden passageways) of Vieux-Lyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Renaissance quarter. Then sit down for a true bouchon lyonnais experience — these traditional restaurants serve hearty Lyonnaise classics. Start with a salade lyonnaise (frisée, lardons, poached egg), followed by quenelles de brochet sauce Nantua or tablier de sapeur (breaded tripe), and finish with a cervelle de canut (herbed fromage blanc). Pair everything with a pot lyonnais (46 cl bottle) of Beaujolais or Côtes du Rhône.
Evening Michelin-Starred Dinner in Presqu'île
Lyon boasts more Michelin stars per capita than almost any city in France. Tonight, experience haute cuisine at one of the Presqu'île district's starred restaurants. Expect a multi-course tasting menu that reinterprets Lyonnaise classics with modern flair — think pike perch with crayfish jus, Bresse chicken with morel cream, and a spectacular dessert featuring Valrhona chocolate (produced just south of Lyon). The wine pairings will take you through the nearby Rhône Valley appellations.
Day 2 Lyon & Beaujolais — Cooking Class & Vineyards
Morning Lyonnaise Cooking Class
Roll up your sleeves for a hands-on cooking class in the city that invented modern French cuisine. Under the guidance of a professional chef, learn to prepare three Lyonnaise staples: a silky quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua, a perfectly composed salade lyonnaise, and the iconic tarte à la praline. You'll master essential French techniques — making a panade, emulsifying a sauce, and caramelizing pralines. The class includes a market visit to select fresh ingredients, and you'll sit down to enjoy your creations with a glass of Beaujolais.
Afternoon Beaujolais Vineyard Tour & Wine Tasting
Head 45 minutes north of Lyon into the rolling hills of Beaujolais, one of France's most charming wine regions. Visit family-run domaines in the prestigious cru villages of Fleurie and Morgon, where Gamay grapes produce elegant, fruit-forward wines that are a world apart from the simple Beaujolais Nouveau. Walk through the vineyards, learn about the unique granite soils that give each cru its distinct character, and taste 8–10 wines directly from the barrel and bottle. The winemakers here are passionate and approachable — expect personal stories alongside every glass.
Evening Dinner Cruise on the Saône River
End your Lyon chapter in style with a dinner cruise along the Saône River. As the boat glides past the illuminated facades of Vieux-Lyon, the Basilica of Fourvière, and the Presqu'île, enjoy a refined 3-course meal featuring seasonal Lyonnaise cuisine. The menu typically includes a terrine de foie gras or pike quenelle starter, a main of Charolais beef or Bresse poultry, and a Grand Marnier soufflé or chocolate fondant for dessert — all paired with wines from the Rhône Valley. Lyon is famously called the 'City of Lights', and seeing it from the river at night is unforgettable.
Day 3 Burgundy — Beaune, Terroir & Grand Crus
Morning Beaune Market & Hospices de Beaune
Take the TGV from Lyon to Beaune (1h40), the wine capital of Burgundy. Start with a stroll through the Beaune market (held on Saturdays and Wednesdays), where local producers sell Époisses and Brillat-Savarin cheeses, gougères (Burgundian cheese puffs), jambon persillé (parsley ham terrine), and seasonal fruits. Then visit the Hospices de Beaune, the stunning 15th-century hospital with its iconic polychrome tiled roof — its annual wine auction is the most prestigious in the world. The attached museum tells centuries of Burgundian history through art and architecture.
Afternoon Burgundy Grand Crus Wine Route
Explore the legendary Route des Grands Crus, a 60 km stretch through the most prestigious vineyards on Earth. Visit the villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée (home of the mythical Romanée-Conti), and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Stop at 2–3 domaines for cellar visits and tastings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines that express the extraordinary diversity of Burgundy's terroirs — each climat (individual plot) produces a distinct wine, even if separated by just a few meters. The concept of terroir was literally invented here.
Evening Traditional Burgundian Dinner
Settle into a traditional Burgundian restaurant in Beaune for a dinner that celebrates the region's rich culinary heritage. Begin with escargots de Bourgogne (snails in garlic-parsley butter) or œufs en meurette (poached eggs in red wine sauce). The main course is a slow-cooked bœuf bourguignon — tender beef braised for hours in Pinot Noir with pearl onions, mushrooms, and lardons. Finish with a plate of regional cheeses — Époisses, Cîteaux, and Ami du Chambertin — or a classic crème brûlée. Pair it all with a village-level Pommard or Volnay.
Day 4 Dijon & Journey to Alsace
Morning Dijon — Mustard, Gingerbread & Covered Market
Take the short train to Dijon (20 min from Beaune), the historic capital of Burgundy and birthplace of the world's most famous mustard. Visit the Maille boutique on Rue de la Liberté, where you can taste fresh mustard pumped from ceramic fonts — flavors range from classic Dijon to truffle, cassis, and white wine varieties. Then explore the magnificent Les Halles de Dijon, a Gustave Eiffel-designed covered market where you'll find gougères, pain d'épices (Dijon's spiced gingerbread dating back to the 14th century), cassis liqueur, and Burgundy truffles in season.
Afternoon Journey to Alsace & Munster Valley
Board the TGV from Dijon to Colmar (2h), crossing from Burgundy into Alsace — a region with a unique Franco-German culinary identity. On arrival, head to a fromagerie in the Munster valley to discover the region's famous washed-rind cheese, Munster — pungent, creamy, and traditionally eaten with cumin seeds and boiled potatoes. Learn about the AOC production process from local affineurs (cheese agers) who still follow centuries-old techniques in the Vosges mountain farms. The contrast with the Burgundian cheeses you tasted yesterday will be striking.
Evening First Alsatian Dinner in Colmar
Welcome to Alsace with a feast at a traditional restaurant in Colmar's enchanting Petite Venise quarter. Start with a tarte flambée (flammekueche) — a paper-thin crispy base topped with crème fraîche, onions, and lardons, baked in a wood-fired oven. Follow with choucroute garnie royale — a mountain of sauerkraut topped with assorted sausages, smoked pork belly, and Strasbourg knack. Pair everything with a glass of aromatic Gewurztraminer from a local domaine. The half-timbered houses reflected in the canal outside complete the fairy-tale atmosphere.
Day 5 Alsace — Wine Route & Winstubs
Morning Alsatian Pastries & Colmar Market
Start the morning exploring Colmar's Marché Couvert and its surrounding patisseries. Alsatian pastry is a world of its own, blending French finesse with Germanic tradition. Taste a kougelhopf (tall brioche-like cake studded with almonds and soaked in kirsch), sample bredele (the region's beloved small biscuits in dozens of shapes and flavors), and try a streusel — crumbly butter cake that melts in your mouth. Visit a chocolatier for handmade Alsatian chocolates, and pick up some pain d'épices and confitures from local producers.
Afternoon Alsace Wine Route Tasting Tour
Embark on a tasting tour along the legendary Route des Vins d'Alsace, winding through the postcard-perfect villages of Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé. These medieval wine villages, with their cobblestone streets and flower-bedecked half-timbered houses, produce some of France's finest white wines. Visit 2–3 domaines and taste the full Alsatian palette: dry Riesling (mineral and precise), Pinot Gris (rich and honeyed), Gewurztraminer (aromatic and spiced), and perhaps a rare Vendanges Tardives or Sélection de Grains Nobles — late-harvest dessert wines of extraordinary complexity.
Evening Winstub Dinner in Strasbourg
Take the train to Strasbourg (30 min from Colmar) and dine at a traditional winstub — the Alsatian equivalent of a Lyonnaise bouchon. These cozy wood-panelled wine taverns serve the region's heartiest dishes. Order a baeckeoffe (a slow-cooked casserole of three meats marinated in Alsatian wine with potatoes and root vegetables — traditionally prepared by women on laundry day), served in a decorative sealed earthenware pot. For dessert, try a fromage blanc with kirsch or a tarte aux quetsches (plum tart). Pair it with a Crémant d'Alsace — Alsace's excellent sparkling wine.
Day 6 Paris — Markets, Pastry & Modern Gastronomy
Morning Rue Montorgueil — Gourmet Walking Tour
Take the TGV from Strasbourg to Paris (1h45) and head straight to Rue Montorgueil, one of Paris's oldest and most vibrant market streets. This pedestrianized food lover's paradise has been a hub of Parisian gastronomy since the 13th century. Visit Stohrer (the oldest patisserie in Paris, founded in 1730), sample fresh oysters at the fishmonger, taste artisanal charcuterie, and pick up a baguette tradition from a prize-winning boulangerie. Each shopkeeper is passionate and happy to share their expertise — this is Paris at its most deliciously authentic.
Afternoon Parisian Pastry Masterclass
French pastry is an art form, and Paris is its gallery. Join a hands-on masterclass at a renowned pastry school where you'll learn to create 2–3 classic French pâtisseries under the guidance of a professional pastry chef. Master the art of tempering chocolate for perfect éclairs, piping and filling delicate macarons, or assembling a mille-feuille with its impossibly flaky puff pastry layers and vanilla crème pâtissière. You'll leave with your creations beautifully boxed, the recipes, and techniques you can replicate at home.
Evening Gastronomic Dinner in Le Marais
Spend your first Parisian evening in Le Marais, one of the city's most exciting dining neighborhoods. Choose a restaurant showcasing modern French gastronomy — the new generation of Parisian chefs who blend classical technique with global influences and seasonal, market-driven ingredients. Expect creative multi-course menus featuring dishes like ceviche de bar with yuzu and shiso, slow-roasted pigeon with root vegetable purée, or a deconstructed Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline. Natural wine pairings have become the norm here — let the sommelier surprise you.
Day 7 Paris — Grand Gastronomic Finale
Morning Marché d'Aligre — Oysters & Champagne
Discover the Marché d'Aligre, one of Paris's most authentic and least touristy food markets, beloved by chefs and locals alike. The outdoor stalls overflow with fresh produce, North African spices, and seasonal specialties, while the covered Marché Beauvau shelters exceptional fromagers, charcutiers, and seafood vendors. Treat yourself to a dozen fresh oysters (Fines de Claire or Spéciales from Marennes-Oléron) shucked to order, paired with a glass of Champagne — the quintessential Parisian market morning. Browse the adjoining flea market for vintage kitchen treasures.
Afternoon Cheese & Wine Tasting in Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Cross over to the Left Bank for a guided cheese and wine tasting experience in the elegant Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood. A knowledgeable guide will take you through a curated selection of 6–8 French cheeses representing the major families: soft-ripened (Brie de Meaux, Camembert), washed-rind (Époisses — your old friend from Burgundy), pressed (Comté aged 24 months), blue (Roquefort), and goat (Selles-sur-Cher). Each cheese is paired with a carefully selected wine. This is a masterclass in the art of French affinage and the science of pairing — the perfect synthesis of everything you've tasted across the country.
Evening Farewell Dinner at a Grand Parisian Brasserie
Conclude your gastronomic tour of France in the most Parisian way possible — a grand dinner at one of the city's legendary brasseries. These magnificent Belle Époque establishments, with their brass fixtures, mirrored walls, and white-aproned waiters, are temples of French culinary tradition. Start with a plateau de fruits de mer royale — a towering seafood platter of oysters, langoustines, crab, whelks, shrimp, and clams arranged on crushed ice. Follow with a sole meunière or steak tartare prepared tableside. For the grand finale, order a soufflé au Grand Marnier — risen to golden perfection and served with a smile. Raise a last glass to seven extraordinary days of French terroir.