FRANCE · 2026 · LOU & BRIDGET

France: Lyon, Burgundy & Paris

A trip through Lyon, Beaune and Pommard, with a birthday in Burgundy and a quick stop in Paris. These are the places we stayed, the meals we shared and a few memories we wanted to keep.

Jump to a stop: Lyon · Beaune · Pommard · Paris

Lyon

A stay above the city

We stayed at Villa Florentine, overlooking Lyon. The view was a big part of the experience, along with time at the hotel pool. Staying up on the hill also meant plenty of steps between the property and the old town. Something to keep in mind when choosing where to stay, especially after a day of walking.

Bridget descending the long stone staircase in Lyon — The walk back to the hotel came with a few stairs.

Bridget looking over archaeological remains in Lyon’s old town — Exploring the history of the old town.

Food halls, pink pralines and dinner

We stopped at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse to look around the food stalls and counters. It was pretty quiet during our visit, but it was still part of getting to know Lyon through its food. We also tried a pink-praline pastry, with those unmistakable bright pink pieces baked into the brioche.

Exterior of Les Halles de Lyon with a portrait of Paul Bocuse — Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse.

Cheeses displayed at a counter inside Les Halles de Lyon — A look inside the cheese counter.

Agastache was another dining stop on our Lyon visit. Between the food hall, pastries and dinner, food was a recurring part of our time here.

Seeing Lyon from the water

We took a sightseeing boat cruise and spent time exploring the local sights, old-town history and Roman ruins. The boat gave us a chance to sit back and see another side of the city between our walks.

Brioche studded with pink pralines — Pink-praline brioche in Lyon.

Bridget aboard a sightseeing boat in Lyon — Bridget on our Lyon boat cruise.

Beaune

Beneath the streets at Joseph Drouhin

Our visit to Beaune included a tour of the Joseph Drouhin wine cellars. The underground passageways, vaulted stone ceilings and rows of barrels gave this stop a very different feel from walking around town. We came away with one of our favorite kinds of souvenirs: a photo of the two of us somewhere we will remember.

Lou and Bridget among wine barrels in the Joseph Drouhin cellar — Together in the Joseph Drouhin cellars.

Wine barrels beneath vaulted stone ceilings at Joseph Drouhin — Stone arches and rows of wine barrels.

Lunch and the Hospices

We ate at L’Air du Temps and also visited Hospices de Beaune. The courtyard and patterned roofs made a memorable backdrop for another photo together. Between lunch, the cellars and the Hospices, this part of the trip mixed wine, food and a little history.

Pasta and vegetables at L’Air du Temps in Beaune — Lunch at L’Air du Temps.

Lou and Bridget in the courtyard of Hospices de Beaune — A courtyard selfie at Hospices de Beaune.

Pommard

Château la Commaraine

Château la Commaraine was our base in Pommard. Alongside the winery visits and dinners, we made time for the hotel itself, including an afternoon by the pool with vineyard hills beyond it.

Hotel pool with loungers and vineyard hills beyond — Pool time in Pommard.

A birthday dinner at Le VIII

We celebrated Lou’s birthday with dinner at Le VIII, the hotel restaurant. Our chef’s-table seats looked into the kitchen, making the setting as much a part of the evening as the dishes arriving at the table.

Lou celebrating his birthday with a glass of wine — A birthday toast in Burgundy.

View from the chef’s table into the kitchen at Le VIII — Our view into the kitchen at Le VIII.

A plated course and wine at the chef’s table — One of the courses at our birthday dinner.

A little time to celebrate

This was the birthday stop of the trip: a stay in wine country, time together at the hotel and dinner with a view of the kitchen at work.

Wine tasting at Domaine Lejeune

Domaine Lejeune was one of our winery visits in Pommard. Through the wooden entrance doors, our tasting brought us back among the barrels, with bottles lined up alongside chocolates and a map of the local vineyards.

Stone gateway and wooden doors at Domaine Lejeune — The entrance to Domaine Lejeune.

Domaine Lejeune wines and chocolates arranged on a barrel — Our tasting setup at Domaine Lejeune.

Dinner at Le Charlemagne

Le Charlemagne was another dinner during our stay in Burgundy. The photo of Bridget holding the wine book says plenty about its size. We paired that memory with a photo of the dishes and wine on our table, with the vineyards just outside the window.

Bridget holding a large wine list at Le Charlemagne — Bridget and the wine book at Le Charlemagne.

Small dishes and wine beside a vineyard-facing window — At the table at Le Charlemagne.

Paris

A quick stay and the covered passages

We finished with a short stop in Paris, staying at Grands Boulevards Experimental. We thought it was a very nice hotel for the price, and the nearby covered passages gave us somewhere to explore without turning our last stop into a packed sightseeing schedule.

Shops and dining tables beneath a glass roof in Paris — Exploring the shops and dining spots in the covered passages.

The passages were full of small shops and places to eat beneath their glass roofs. They were the focus of our wandering around the neighborhood and a different side of Paris to remember from this visit.

A few stops, plenty of meals, wine cellars and a birthday together. Our France memories, collected in one place.

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