Destinations

Weekend gourmand: 7 ideas for gastronomic weekends in France and Europe

A gourmet weekend discovering the best restaurants and gastronomic regions in France and Europe? Discover some ideas for top-flight gourmet destinations, from Baux-de-Provence to Antwerp, from San Sebastián to Lake Annecy.

France, and Europe in general, is a limitless playground for a gastronomic weekend. Would you like to punctuate your stay with a meal in a Michelin-starred restaurant, or travel through regions renowned for their gourmet traditions or vineyards? From iconic restaurants that have become true destinations to the continent’s gastronomic capitals, from Lake Annecy to the Côte d’Azur, Yonder Society awaits you at the table with its tried and tested gourmet weekend ideas.

Fleur de Loire in Blois | chef Christophe Hay's new showcase

First, the decor. Interior designer Caroline Tissier has created a masterpiece for the Fleur de Loire hotel. Contemporary tones of powder gray and duck blue, variations of white and beige in the rooms and suites, two luminous dining rooms whose every element recalls the Loire, a colorful bar adorned with masterly period pillars, an outdoor pool, a long indoor swimming corridor and a superb spa. The whole is so well done that as soon as you enter a room, you're in the grip of yet another “wow” effect. The immense 17th-century U-shaped building (5,000 m²), once a hospice, is impressive both inside and out, and there's not a false note in sight.

Along the river, right in the center of Blois, chef Christophe Hay has built Fleur de Loire a setting worthy of his talent. Primarily conceived as a gastronomic destination, Fleur de Loire comprises two restaurants. The larger, named “Christophe Hay”, is a masterful illustration of the philosophy of the chef, who was in turn a pupil of Paul Bocuse, head chef of the Paris restaurants of the B Signature hotel group before earning 2 Michelin stars at his Maison d'à Côté in Montlivault, 10 kilometers away. The cuisine features his unmissable specialties: carp à la Chambord (snacked carp, red wine sauce, crayfish, truffles, bacon...), wagyu beef from his own breeding, truffles from his own truffle farm... and delivers a steady stream of new dishes. In July, a barbeau (Loire fish) combined with rapeseed, unimaginably fine, or a soufflé of pike escorted by vegetables from the chef's immense organic permaculture garden. The second restaurant, Amour Blanc, is not to be outdone. It's clearly aiming for a Michelin macaron, with a kitchen open to products from elsewhere, and the spectacle of the Loire River through immense bay windows. On the first floor, the pastry kiosk is already a hit...

portrait © sylvain bris   barbeau christophe hay 3©fleur de loire

In addition to the quality of the two restaurants, the hotel is well worth a visit for its design and comfort, as well as for the activities and services on offer. Located along the “Loire by Bike” route, Fleur de Loire offers electric bikes and even family scooters for a ride. The Sisley spa is vast and highly successful. It puts Fleur de Loire high on the list of the finest hotels with spas near Paris. The riverside outdoor swimming pool invites you to relax and refresh. Last but not least, the new Relais & Châteaux is located in the immediate vicinity of the châteaux of the Loire Valley, with Blois just a few minutes away on foot, Chambord (16 km) and Chaumont-sur-Loire (17 km), less well known but nevertheless much appreciated, with good reason, for its unique and spectacular gardens.

vue blois ©fleur de loire

Fleur de Loire
44 rooms and suites, from €208 per night
26 Quai Villebois Mareuil, 41000 Blois

Baumanière in Les Baux-de-Provence | Provence's most legendary restaurant

A landmark of Provencal hospitality and a legendary French gourmet restaurant, Baumanière's history dates back to its birth in the aftermath of the Second World War, when the hotel became one of the first Relais & Châteaux. At the foot of the cliffs of Les Baux-de-Provence, its restaurant l'Oustau attracts stars and gourmets from all over the world for a stay focused entirely on great cuisine and pleasure. Since 2015, in the kitchen alongside chef-owner Jean-André Charial, Glenn Viel, barely forty, has brought his creativity, dynamism and enduring commitment to the service of this legendary table, rightly regarded as one of France's best starred restaurants, until reclaiming its third Michelin star in 2020.

L'Oustau restaurant, on the terrace or under its beautiful stone arches © Virginie Ovessian Photographe

The setting? In the heart of the Alpilles mountains, the Baumanière estate extends over 20 hectares. The various typically Provencal buildings that make up the 5-star hotel are nestled in the middle of an immense garden with fruit trees, olive groves, wheat fields, beehives, an educational farm and a vegetable garden that supplies the Oustau's kitchens. The restaurant has won an award for the "sustainable gastronomy" it promotes. The park also features three vast swimming pools, two restaurants (l'Oustau and la Cabro d'or), a spa, a boutique, a chocolate factory and a ceramics workshop.

Glenn Viel's knives at l'Oustau © DR

On the plate? Exceptional products showcased in extremely refined and inventive dishes. Glenn Viel, named "Chef of the Year 2020" by the trade magazine Le Chef, is dedicated to bringing out the best of Provence, the Alpilles and beyond, thanks to his perfect mastery of meat and fish cooking techniques, with a fundamental focus on vegetables. A 100% vegetable menu has existed at L'Oustau since 1987, devised by Jean-André Charial following a trip to India, where a vegetarian diet is the norm. The inventiveness continues in the seasonings, for example with "cailloux d'assaisonnement", solid concentrates of vegetables, mushrooms or shellfish. The in-house kneading of more than 10 different types of bread allows us to offer "bread and food pairings" in the 3 surprise menus at l'Oustau: the "1987" (100% vegetal), the 10-course tasting menu and the "petite faim" menu, already very copious, offering 2 starters, pre-dessert and dessert around the traditional Baumanière leg of lamb cut up in the dining room. No à la carte menu, but on our last visit (January 2024), we were treated to sublime creations such as "calalard", a ravioli of squid and Colonnata bacon stuffed with crabmeat and shrimp, brilliantly cooked gambas and pigeon, and a delicate and complex declination of cauliflower and caviar. At Baumanière, the table is a no-holds-barred party where you can enjoy unique compositions that are totally addictive. A must on every gourmet's bucket list .

 

The hotel? In addition to the Oustau and its immense grounds, Baumanière boasts a private villa, "La Maison de Famille", a 17th-century farmhouse, an 18th-century manor house and two Provencal farmhouses. Each room is uniquely decorated by Geneviève Charial, wife of Jean-André Charial, in a blend of French tradition and modernity, with Provencal touches and objects by local artisans. In addition to the three swimming pools, a 500 m2 spa with canopies and tree-lined patio completes the wellness offering.

In summer, why not enjoy lunch on the terrace of the estate's second restaurant, La Cabro d'Or, where chef Michel Hulin pays homage to regional cuisine under the trellises of the Virginia creeper. The freshness of seasonal vegetables and the taste of local produce - Provence truffle in winter, Maussane bull, Mediterranean fish - are brought to life in simple, colorful dishes.

Le potager de Baumanière © G. Gleize

Vineyard? Staying at Baumanière also means experiencing a region rich in vineyards, the Alpilles. Owner Jean-André Charial, also a winemaker in his spare time, brings out the best of the Baux-de-Provence AOC in his l'Affectif cuvées from Domaine de Lauzière, and has been committed to biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s at neighboring Château Romanin. Not to be missed on the road to AOC Baux-de-Provence and IGP Alpilles: Domaine de Trévallon, Mas de la Dame and Domaine Hauvette.

 

Baumanière
53 rooms and suites, from €372 per night
900 Route d'Arles, 13520 Les Baux-de-Provence

La Marine in Noirmoutier | Marine cuisine awarded 3 Michelin stars

Why go there? The ocean breeze, the calm of Noirmoutier and Alexandre Couillon's auteur marine and vegetal cuisine at La Marine restaurant, which has been awarded a third Michelin star in 2023. Trained by Michel Guérard and Thierry Marx, the young chef decided to take over the family restaurant on the port of Herbaudière with his wife Céline. After a difficult start, the adventures of which can be seen in the Chef's Table episode dedicated to him (to be seen on Netflix), and by dint of tenacity, the discreet house with the blue shutters, which was awarded three Michelin stars in 2023, is a table of excellence, certainly the most accomplished on the entire Atlantic seaboard.

alexandre couillon cuisine2 0

How about a taste? The 6- or 9-episode menu, which depends entirely on what the chef finds in the morning at the Noirmoutier fish auction and the day's harvests from the 4,000 m2 vegetable garden.

How do you get there? By car or by shuttle bus (1h45) from Nantes or La Roche-sur-Yon TGV stations.

San Sebastián and the Spanish Basque Country | Rain of stars and pintxos

Why go there? San Sebastián will delight lovers of pintxos, the "Basque tapas", as well as gourmets. The gastronomic capital of the Basque Country, the city and its surroundings are home to one of the highest concentrations of Michelin stars in the world! Basque haute cuisine is embodied in the tables of legendary chefs such as Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena, three-starred since 1989 and leaders of new Basque cuisine, or Martín Berasategui, Spain's most starred chef with no fewer than 12 macaroons, including 3 for his eponymous restaurant just outside San Sebastián. The Basques also dominate the World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking, with wood-fired specialist Asador Etxebarri in fourth place, and Mugaritz in 31st. Closed during the winter, the team carries out research and creates around fifty new dishes for each new season.

We also taste? The unavoidable pintxos, simple but just as delicious, where the best of the ocean and the mountainous hinterland are mixed on a slice of bread. You can nibble them at the counters of the dozens of bars and restaurants in the historic center of San Sebastián.

How do you get there? By TGV to Hendaye station or 45 min from Biarritz airport (or 1h15 from Bilbao airport).

San Sebastián will delight lovers of pintxos, the "Basque tapas", as well as haute cuisine.

Antwerp, Belgium | Cradle of the new Flemish scene

Why do we go there? Antwerp is a creative city, the epicenter of the Flemish gastronomic scene, with a global outlook thanks to its immense port. A case in point is Nick Bril's impressive The Jane restaurant, housed in a former chapel converted into a design temple, whose tables can be reserved - in just a few minutes - three months in advance. The 2-Michelin-starred cuisine is a truly scenic experience, making it one of Europe's most glamorous restaurants. The port area of Eilandje has become the epicenter of Antwerp's gastronomic revival, with monumental Het Pomphuis and Felix Pakhuis occupying former industrial buildings, the fashionable MóNou and the plush Marcel brasserie.

The dining room at The Jane © Pieter D'Hoop

How do you get there? 2 h with Thalys from Gare du Nord in Paris, 1h15 from Lille.

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