Paris has some of the most glamorous city hotels in the world, so it’s hard to choose just one. First-time visitors might want to stick with the palace hotels in the 1st or 8th arrondissements. Our highest-rated property in town is Le Bristol Paris. But this being Andrew Harper, we also have wonderful recommended hideaways in other neighborhoods on both the Right Bank and the Left.

DINE

Make a pilgrimage to Chez Georges, an old-fashioned bistro just off the Place des Victoires where the menu is still handwritten daily. Opt for the duck foie gras or turbot in a béarnaise sauce. La Scène has a more modern take, with a chic subterranean dining room that feels like a luxury railroad car and a chef working in an open kitchen. Chef Stéphanie Le Quellec has reinvented haute cuisine for the 21st century, offering diners a good time instead of another long, stuffy experience. The cooking is light, lucid and precise.

EXPLORE

The Right Bank (the north side of Paris) has a justified reputation for magnificence and sophistication. Avenue Montaigne is the epicenter of the French fashion industry, while the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is home to several auction houses and upscale art galleries. South of the Seine, the Left Bank has traditionally figured as the bohemian and intellectual side of the city. The Latin Quarter is still the locus of Parisian university life and its narrow streets are crammed with cinemas, bookstores and cafés.

The Marais, which spans the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, was historically Paris’ Jewish quarter. Today, the neighborhood maintains its traditions even though it’s become one of the trendiest parts of the city. Of the many popular museums in the Marais, consider the often-overlooked Musée Cognacq-Jay (housing a fine collection of 18th-century art) and the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme. And we highly recommend the Marian Goodman, Thaddaeus Ropac and Perrotin galleries.

Though some dinner cruises on the Seine rely on the views to make up for subpar food, Ducasse sur Seine and Maxim’s sur Seine offer memorable gastronomic experiences aboard custom-designed boats with stylish interiors. Watching Paris roll by at sunset while enjoying a gourmet dinner proves just as seductive as it sounds.

No stay in Paris seems complete without a visit to one of the city’s colorful open-air food markets. Marché Président Wilson in the 16th arrondissement, held every Wednesday and Saturday, is favored by many chefs for the variety and quality of its produce.

STAY

Take the train about two hours to Lyon to discover the northern Rhône and Beaujolais. Check into the serene 34-room Villa Maïa, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte and set in the city’s ancient Antiquaille district, high on Fourvière Hill.

DINE

Across the plaza from Villa Maïa, Michelin-starred Têtedoie is an especially fashionable restaurant in Lyon, serving delicious contemporary French cuisine. The lobster-and-calf’s-head main has been the chef’s signature dish since 1987. Le Garet is one of the city’s iconic bouchons.

EXPLORE

Lyon has diverse appeal, but it’s a magnet for epicures and oenophiles in particular — the underrated Beaujolais region lies to the north and the Côtes du Rhône appellation to the south. The former’s wine route winds among many of the area’s small vineyards. At Hameau Duboeuf, renowned wine négociant Georges Duboeuf has built an outstanding wine-focused visitors center. In the Côtes du Rhône, Andrew Harper can arrange visits to wineries in the acclaimed Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu appellations.

Lyon has a variety of memorable museums that reflect the city’s long history and great wealth. The best is the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, one of the country’s leading fine arts institutions. A short metro ride from Place Bellecour, the Musée Lumiere offers a fascinating look into the pioneering work of the famous filmmaker brothers.

STAY

It’s just over two hours’ drive from Lyon to Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, the “Golden Slope,” where some of the world’s most coveted wines are produced. For the plushest home base, opt for one of region’s newest hotels: Les Sources de Vougeot, between Beaune and Dijon, which offers gorgeous interiors, unfussy elegance and a fine spa, or Château la Commaraine in Pommard, which presents scenic vistas over the estate’s premier cru vineyards and brings a sense of urbanity to often-informal Burgundy. For something right in medieval walled heart of Beaune, stay at Hotel Le Cep. Its 71 lodgings occupy several interconnected buildings and offer the atmosphere of a bygone era — slightly faded but unmistakably authentic. (Request a renovated room or suite.)

DINE

In Beaune, Le Clos du Cèdre offers seasonally inspired dishes and an excellent wine list containing more than 400 selections, plus an idyllic garden-and-mansion setting. At Hotel Le Cep, Loiseau des Vignes presents regional specialties backed by an extensive wine list with more than 30 by-the-glass selections. Château la Commaraine and Les Sources de Vougeot also both contain excellent destination restaurants.

EXPLORE

In complicated Burgundy, a wine-museum visit can be helpful. The Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du Vin in Dijon illuminates the different facets of France’s gastronomic meal and the wine heritage of both Burgundy and neighboring Franche-Comté. We also recommend visiting the Cité des Climats et Vins de Bourgogne in Beaune. Housed in a spiraling building reminiscent of New York’s Guggenheim, this museum’s digital exhibitions highlight the topographic diversity across Burgundy’s 1,247 UNESCO-recognized climats. The visit ends with a wine tasting on a stunning rooftop terrace.

If you’ve never been to the Hospices de Beaune, famous for its annual charity wine auction, be sure to stop there for its striking glazed-tile mosaic roof and luminous Rogier van der Weyden polyptych.

Also head into the Côte de Beaune, southwest of town. Start perhaps in the village of Volnay at the impressive cellars of Domaine de Montille (try the Chevalier-Montrachet, a grand cru, and the Vosne-Romanée, a premier cru). Domaine Morey-Coffinet, in the heart of the village of Chassagne-Montrachet, has a dramatic cellar that dates back to the 16th century, and its wines are a tremendous value.  (Visits to specific wineries are subject to availability.)

In Côte de Nuits, the stretch of mostly Pinot Noir vineyards between Dijon and Beaune, begin with a visit of the historic Château du Clos de Vougeot, founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks. Most of the current structure dates from the 16th century, but its immense medieval wine presses remain. In Gevrey-Chambertin, recommended Domaine Denis Mortet is a modern winery exclusively focused on reds.

Detour

Make a day trip to Chablis, a charming village surrounded by some of the best Chardonnay vineyards in the world. Explore the town, and do a tasting at Domaine Long-Depaquit, just outside the old village center.

STAY

It’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Reims, where you’ll check into Domaine Les Crayères, a grand château surrounded by a pretty English-style park with sweeping lawns and well-tended gardens. The exquisitely appointed rooms feature a refined classic French décor and may include balconies or terraces.

Alternatively, half an hour outside the city, the beautiful Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa was once a coaching inn where the kings of France would stay en route to their coronation at Reims Cathedral. Architect Giovanni Pace renovated this historic property and added a contemporary limestone-faced crescent-shaped building. Rooms feature high ceilings, spacious balconies and breathtaking views over the vineyards surrounding Épernay.

DINE

The Michelin three-star, family-run L’Assiette Champenoise, just outside of Reims, has modern dining rooms overlooking a pretty garden. Aside from perennial favorites, such as the Langoustine Royale — a generous portion of langoustines bathed in a delectable seafood broth and topped with lemon caviar — the dishes served here change with the seasons.

At Domaine Les Crayères, two-star Le Parc offers an extraordinary wine cellar boasting more than 600 varieties of Champagne. Dining options at Royal Champagne include the one-star Le Royal for seasonally inspired menus and Le Bellevue for regional specialties.

EXPLORE

For an introduction to the world of bubbles, make a pilgrimage to engaging Hautvillers, where the 17th-century cellar master Dom Pérignon invented the process for making Champagne in a Benedictine abbey. It’s also worth devoting a half-day or more to Épernay, with its Avenue de Champagne lined with mansions owned by some of the most illustrious Champagne houses.

Many of the most famous Champagne houses in Reims are open to visitors, and exploring their cellars, often occupying tunnels initially quarried by ancient Gallo-Romans, is fascinating. (Note that tours generally require advance reservations.) The neo-Gothic-style Maison Pommery has an impressive set of caves that host rotating exhibitions of contemporary art. Ruinart is the oldest Champagne house, having been founded in 1729. The hospitality here is flawless, and the visit itself — of the house, Ruinart’s art collection, chalk quarries and cellars — is highly engaging. Tours of Taittinger, a house renowned for producing some of the finest Blanc de Blancs Champagnes, also include visits of Gallo-Roman tunnels. Telmont has been owned by the same family for four generations and is one of the most hospitable of all the Champagne cellars. If you come in September during the vendage, you can walk out into their vineyards for a firsthand look at the harvesting.

Reims also contains important historic sites. In addition to seeing the famed Gothic cathedral, we recommend a visit to the moving Musée de la Reddition. You can view the very room where the Germans surrendered to the Allies during World War II. The furnishings are all original to that momentous day, as are the maps on the walls showing troop positions.

STAY

End your trip on a high note at the Auberge du Jeu de Paume, a sophisticated country house hotel just a half-hour’s drive from Charles de Gaulle Airport and a 10-minute walk from the majestic Château de Chantilly. The 72 accommodations and common areas, featuring classic toile de Jouy fabrics, Louis XV-style armchairs and ornate chandeliers, echo the aristocratic grandeur of the château itself.

DINE

Located at the hotel, Le Jardin serves sophisticated French cuisine, and a bar offers casual bistro dishes (and fine Champagnes) in a richly patterned lounge or on a tranquil courtyard patio. On the grounds of the Château de Chantilly, La Capitainerie serves delicious, and surprisingly affordable, prix-fixe lunches in an attractive vaulted dining room and on an inviting terrace. And picture-perfect Le Hameau, nestled within the estate’s gardens, is a charming afternoon stop for impeccable crème Chantilly paired with any dessert. Another excellent dinner option in town is friendly Le Cob, popular with locals, which serves top-notch regional specialties.

EXPLORE

Auberge du Jeu de Paume offers an elegant Valmont spa with an indoor pool and a compact gym. Golfers can take advantage of two Tom Simpson-designed courses nearby. Horse enthusiasts will surely be happy here: Equestrian shows hosted at the Château de Chantilly’s grand stables and horse-racing events at the prestigious Hippodrome de Chantilly are especially memorable, and the Travel Office can arrange polo lessons or horseback-riding excursions. And of course, it’s a pleasure to tour the château itself.