France · best-of list
The 14 Best Bars & Cafés in France
All 14 bars & cafés our route editors picked in France, across 7 destinations, gathered in one list. Expect bars, cafés and tasting rooms, with Reims contributing the most (4).
Our curated picks
14 bars & cafés in France, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Reims 4 picks
Avenue de Champagne
Reims · On our Paris & Reims route
Épernay street of champagne houses including Moët & Chandon, lit up for the Habits de Lumière festival each December.
Tip: Épernay is 25 minutes from Reims by TER; the festival runs over one weekend in mid-December.
Photo: Gérald Garitan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Café du Palais
Reims · On our Paris & Reims route
Family-run brasserie since 1930 near the cathedral, with an Art Deco glass roof and champagne by the glass.
Photo: Gérald Garitan · CC BY-SA 4.0Pommery
Reims · On our Paris & Reims route
Estate with Elizabethan-style buildings over 18 km of chalk galleries reached by a 116-step staircase.
Tip: Bring a layer; the cellars stay at about 10 C.
Taittinger
Reims · On our Paris & Reims route
Champagne house whose cellar tour descends into Gallo-Roman chalk pits and the crypt of a medieval abbey.
Tip: Book tours ahead; December slots sell out and the house closes on some holidays.
Photo: Victor Grigas · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kaysersberg 2 picks
Domaine Weinbach
Kaysersberg · On our Colmar, Kaysersberg & Strasbourg route
Family estate at the walled Clos des Capucins vineyard, known for Riesling and Gewurztraminer.
Tip: Tastings are by appointment.
Photo: Michal Osmenda · CC BY-SA 2.0
Famille Hugel
Kaysersberg · On our Colmar, Kaysersberg & Strasbourg route
Wine house on Riquewihr's main street since 1639, with a tasting room open to walk-ins.
Photo: Photo Claude TRUONG-NGOC · CC BY-SA 4.0
Paris 2 picks
Café de Flore
Paris · On our Paris to the Riviera route
Saint-Germain café open since the 1880s, linked to Sartre and de Beauvoir.
Tip: Pricey; order a coffee or hot chocolate and watch the boulevard.
Photo: Celette · CC BY-SA 4.0
Le Baron Rouge
Paris · On our Paris to the Riviera route
Standing-room wine bar by the Aligre market, wine from barrels and oysters in season.
Tip: Go Sunday late morning after the market.
Photo: Phill Gillespie · Google
Saumur 2 picks
Ackerman
Saumur · On our Loire Valley Châteaux route
Saumur's oldest sparkling-wine house, with cellar visits and tastings.
Photo: Caves Ackerman · Google
Bouvet-Ladubay
Saumur · On our Loire Valley Châteaux route
Sparkling Saumur house with tours of extensive tuffeau cellars.
Photo: Didier Chevallier · Google
Tours 2 picks
Cave de Vouvray
Tours · On our Loire Valley Châteaux route
Growers' cooperative with tours of rock galleries and sparkling Vouvray tastings.
Photo: Neil Savla · Google
Marc Brédif
Tours · On our Loire Valley Châteaux route
Historic Vouvray house with tastings in troglodyte cellars cut into the hillside.
Tip: Cellars are chilly; bring a layer.
Photo: Brédif Marc (Ets) · Google
Avignon 1 pick
Château La Nerthe
Avignon · On our Paris to the Riviera route
Historic Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate with cellar tours and tastings.
Tip: Book a tasting ahead; Châteauneuf is 20 minutes north.
Photo: Château La Nerthe · Google
Nice 1 pick
Les Distilleries Idéales
Nice · On our Paris to the Riviera route
Old-town bar for apéro, with a wood-paneled room and sidewalk tables.
Tip: Go at aperitif hour, around 6–8 pm.
Photo: Les Distilleries Idéales · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the bars & cafés in France?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 14 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of France has the most bars & cafés on this list?
Reims has the most (4 of 14), followed by Kaysersberg (2) and Paris (2).
More lists for France
Best bars & cafés nearby
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.