Last-minute weekends: our ideas for impromptu getaways

Last-minute weekend in the city

1. Épernay, a Champagne escape

Surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye can see, built on a network of cellars and criss-crossed by the majestic, UNESCO-listed Avenue de Champagne, Épernay is a prime stopover for discovering the Marne and the famous sparkling beverage during a getaway from Paris. Go underground to visit the cellars of Boizel, De Venoge, Leclerc Briant and Moët et Chandon, before visiting Perrier-Jouet's Maison Belle Époque, a curved masterpiece of bucolic charm. Finally, a visit to the newly renovated Musée du Vin de Champagne, housed in a rococo palace, will delight history buffs, while those brave enough to board the tethered balloon, with its breathtaking view of the town and vineyards from a height of 150 m, will feel the adrenalin rush. The TGV takes just 50 minutes to reach Reims from Paris Gare de l'Est, and renting a car from Reims station is easy, ideal for a last-minute weekend.

Where to sleep? At the Royal Champagne, in our opinion the most accomplished Champagne hotel, with its immense spa and view over the vineyards.

Royal Champagne
9 Rue De La République, 51160 Champillon

2. Paris, because a weekend in the capital can be just as exotic

You don't always have to leave Paris to treat yourself to a last-minute weekend away. For our readers who don't live in Paris, nothing could be simpler: a train, a few stations and you're in the heart of the capital, suitcase in hand. Treat yourself to an à la carte itinerary: dinner in one of Paris's Michelin-starred restaurants, an exhibition in a museum, a shopping spree or a stroll along the narrow streets, passages and grand boulevards... The City of Light has so much to offer those who know how to get lost without expecting anything.

But the real change of scene is to spend the night in one of the capital's finest 5-star hotels. Set course for the Maison Barrière Vendôme, an intimate 26-key address just a stone's throw from the Tuileries. Enjoy refined cuisine in the Frida bar-restaurant, lounge in a bathroom with a view over the rooftops of Paris, and finally fall asleep in one of the discreetly elegant suites or apartments.

Maison Barrière Vendôme
26 keys, from €576 per night
17 rue du Mont-Thabor, 75001 Paris
hotelsbarriere.com/maison-barriere-vendome

Last-minute weekend in the countryside

3. Domaine de la Bretesche: French art de vivre in the heart of nature

If you've always dreamed of living in a château, you've come to the Domaine de la Bretesche. Set in the century-old forest of the Parc de Brière, this former seigniorial estate at the gateway to Brittany transports you into a timeless interlude.

Accommodation is provided in the château's former outbuildings: some 30 rooms and a suite in the main hotel, plus independent villas for 2 to 6 people. Exposed beams, wood panelling, local stone, slate roofs and warm fabrics set the scene for an elegant country escape. The estate, a Relais & Châteaux member, offers a veritable cornucopia of activities, the most emblematic of which is the 18-hole golf course, designed by Henry Cotton in 1967. A unique experience, accessible to novices and experienced players alike, with introductions for young and old alike. The family-friendly spirit is also evident in the walking and cycling trails, the 200-hectare estate, the outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and pétanque.

Relax in the 500 m² spa, with heated indoor pool and three treatment rooms. Relaxing massages, sensory therapies, well-being rituals... The relaxation area, bathed in light under a large glass roof, invites you to rest with its deckchairs and view of nature.

Culinary art is a pillar of the estate. The Le Montaigu gourmet restaurant offers creative cuisine inspired by the Breton and maritime regions. The menu, designed by chef Filipe Silvestre, features produce from the estate's permaculture vegetable garden. For a more relaxed atmosphere, La Brasserie Le Club revisits the great classics. As for the Bar des Écuries, installed in the old stalls, it evokes a confidential club with its patinated leathers and subdued lighting. Signature cocktails, rare whiskies, digestifs: a perfect blend of heritage and modernity.

The charm of the estate will appeal to couples, families and groups of friends, but also to those wishing to organize an event: EVJF, wedding, professional seminar... A place that achieves the rare alliance of luxury, nature and character.

Domaine de la Bretesche
44780 Missillac
Information and reservations

Last-minute weekend by the sea

4. L'Hermitage Barrière, La Baule

On the Atlantic coast, just three hours from Paris, the Hôtel Barrière L'Hermitage La Baule is the perfect getaway for a last-minute breath of sea air. The spa hotel in La Baule faces a wide beach that seems to stretch to the ends of the earth, with a view that changes with the tides and never gets old. Walking or horse-riding on the sand, bike rides (borrowed from reception) in the nearby forest, a dip in the ocean, the large outdoor pool or the indoor pool heated to 28°C all year round: here, days are organized to the rhythm of the iodized air.

Among the 200 keys at L'Hermitage, it's best to choose a sea-view suite with terrace, to savor the first coffee of the morning in the slowly dissipating mist, and end the evening watching the sea melt into the night. Families will also be delighted by the connecting rooms, ideal for combining space and serenity.

When it comes to dining, the dilemma is real: Ciro's La Baule, an institution where seafood platters, sole meunières and scallops parade with ease, or Le Pavillon, the elegant address where you can enjoy a grilled salmon back or a Sunday chicken to share. And to round off the day, head for the Augustinus Bader spa, where firming massages and invigorating treatments prolong the feeling of letting go.

L'Hermitage La Baule
5 esplanade Lucien Barrière, 44500 La Baule-Escoublac
More information on Barrière spa hotels in La Baule

5. Castel Marie-Louise, La Baule

Nestled on the long beach of La Baule, Castel Marie-Louise is a charming stopover for a last-minute getaway just three hours by train from Paris. This elegant Belle Époque mansion, surrounded by lush gardens and offering breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, promises a refined and relaxing stay. Tastefully decorated rooms with all modern comforts invite you to relax. Enjoy a stroll along La Baule's nine-kilometer beach, or explore the surrounding area by bike. In the evening, enjoy chef Jérémy Coirier's signature dish, Pigeon de Mesquer, in the restaurant decorated by Jacques Garcia. For a wellness break, head to the nearby thalasso center at Hôtel Le Royal. And don't miss a visit to the Guérande salt marshes, just a few kilometers away.

Castel Marie-Louise
1 avenue Andrieu, 44500 La Baule-Escoublac
Website

Last-minute gourmet weekend

6. Hotel Richer de Belleval, gourmet dining in Montpellier

Under the leadership of the Pourcel brothers, who have achieved the feat of 3 Michelin stars in the past, Montpellier's former town hall has been reborn as the Hôtel Richer de Belleval. A stay that promises a first-rate artistic, cultural and gastronomic experience, with contemporary works by Jim Dine punctuating the patio and dandy bar. On one of the town's most charming squares, the blonde stone Relais & Châteaux building combines its elegant past with a pop atmosphere, with the added bonus of the Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens gourmet table. With just 15 rooms and 5 suites, Hôtel Richer de Belleval is the ideal setting for discovering one of the most charming towns in the south of France.

Hotel Richer de Belleval
Place de la Canourgue, 34000 Montpellier

Last-minute culture weekend

7. Moulins, the unsuspected treasure trove for the unexpected

Just 3 hours by train from Paris, Lyon, Dijon or Tours, Moulins is a small town of less than 20,000 inhabitants, but well worth a visit. At least for the Centre National du Costume de Scène, founded by the Comédie-Française, the Opéra National de Paris and the Bibliothèque nationale de France to showcase the costumes made by the great couturiers, sometimes veritable works of art, worn on the world's greatest stages and by the world's greatest dancers. And let's not forget the historic town center, with its charming half-timbered houses and the Allier River running through it. It's here, in the former capital of the Dukes of Bourbon, that we find the first example of Renaissance architecture in France, built by the will of Anne de Beaujeu, whose residence we can visit. After a detour to the Art Nouveau-style Grand Café, the Château des Ducs de Bourbon and the Italian-style theater, you can visit the Maison Louis Mantin, a 19th-century bourgeois who bequeathed his home and its contents to the town. A fascinating insight into daily life in the last century.

Where to sleep? A stone's throw from the center at Le Clos de Bourgogne, or in the countryside at Château d'Origny.

Last-minute romantic weekend

8. Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy

Head west for a last-minute weekend in Deauville's most romantic hotel. An indisputable icon on the Côte Fleurie, Le Normandy boasts 271 recently renovated rooms, ideal for a refreshing break just two hours from Paris.

Sporty couples can book a round at the Mont Canisy Barrière golf course, play on the nearby tennis courts or work out in the hotel's fitness area. And those who prefer to slow down can take advantage of the spa and its pool, heated to 28°C all year round, to enjoy Biologique Recherche or Algologie treatments, the sauna or the hammam.

For dinner, Deauville's La Belle Époque restaurant offers a refined setting, enhanced by moldings and chandeliers. À la carte: velouté de cèpes et foie gras chaud, oysters from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, back of cod with sauce vierge and salicorne... all dishes that celebrate the region. In fine weather, the gardens are the perfect setting for an al fresco lunch.

Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy
271 keys from €422 per night
38 rue Jean-Mermoz, 14800 Deauville
Information and reservations

9. In Chantilly, the Château Hôtel Mont Royal

It's among the trees of the Chantilly forest, just 45 minutes from the center of Paris, that the Château Hôtel Mont Royal reveals its finery to the most uncompromising travelers. Housed in an authentic pavilion built by composer Fernand Halphen in the last century, and luxuriously refurbished as a luxury hotel, the Mont Royal, as it is simply known, seduces with its 108 rooms, some of which offer breathtaking views of the forest. Relaxing spa sessions (with swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi), dinner at the gourmet restaurant L'Opéra, or cosy lunch at the Stradivarius, in the hushed ambience of the pavilion's former smoking room, elegance is the order of the day at this world-class château-hotel.

Château Hôtel Mont Royal
Le Château, 60520 La Chapelle-en-Serval, Chantilly

Last-minute wine weekend

10. Le Chambard, vineyards at your fingertips

Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé, Kaysersberg, these picturesque Alsatian villages dot the Alsace plain, between the plots of Pinot Noir, Riesling and Sylvaner that dot the Wine Route. Between the half-timbered facades of Kaysersberg, Le Chambard draws its red silhouette. Olivier Nasti, a two-Michelin-star chef since 2014, is at the helm of this 33-room hotel, all of which have been renovated to create an elegant, warm and contemporary atmosphere. The chef's meticulously-crafted cuisine is a generous way of rediscovering the richness of the local terroir and its wines. With its vineyard views, spa (jacuzzi, sauna, hammam, herbal tea room and summer terrace) and second traditional restaurant, the Winstub, Le Chambard is the perfect gateway to a last-minute weekend on the Alsace wine trail.

Le Chambard
9-13 Rue du General de Gaulle, 68240 Kaysersberg