France
Most people see only Paris. Get on a train and the country changes completely — breakfast in the Marais, lunch in Provence, and a table for one that nobody questions anywhere in between.
Where to stay
Hôtel du Petit Moulin
Paris · Marais, 3rd arrondissement
Christian Lacroix designed every room, and no two are alike.
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This was the oldest bakery in Paris, dating back to the time of Henri IV — Victor Hugo used to walk over from the Place des Vosges to buy his bread here. The façade is a listed historical monument. Lacroix kept the odd angles of the old building rather than fighting them, so it's worth asking what's available instead of booking blind. There's a small spa, and the upper Marais starts at the front door.
Interiors by Christian Lacroix, every room different
Listed historic façade, renovated in 1900
Site of the oldest bakery in Paris
Spa and wellness facilities
Hôtel des Grands Hommes
Paris · Latin Quarter · opposite the Panthéon
Ask for a Panthéon room and you wake amazed!
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Thirty rooms in an 18th-century building directly opposite the columns of the Panthéon. In 1919 André Breton and Philippe Soupault wrote Les Champs magnétiques in this building — the book that started the surrealist movement. It's a three-star, so it's the sensible-money option, with a location better than hotels charging three times as much. The Luxembourg Gardens are five minutes away.
Directly opposite the Panthéon
30 rooms, including Panthéon-view and balcony categories
18th-century building, birthplace of surrealism
Five minutes from the Luxembourg Gardens
La Mirande
Avignon · Provence
A cooking school in a 19th-century kitchen, right inside the hotel.
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A 14th-century cardinal's palace beside the Popes' Palace, with 26 rooms individually dressed in historic French cotton prints. The restaurant holds a Michelin star and a green star for sustainable cooking. But the real reason to come here alone is the cooking school, running since 1994 in the original kitchen — one of the easiest ways to spend a whole day among other people without signing up for a tour.
14th-century cardinal's palace beside the Popes' Palace
26 individually decorated rooms
Michelin star plus a green star for sustainability
Cooking school running since 1994
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France welcomed a record 102 million international visitors in 2025 — more than any other country on earth.
It holds 56 UNESCO World Heritage sites, behind only Italy and China.
The TGV runs at up to 320km/h. Paris to Avignon takes under three hours.
Eating alone at a café is completely unremarkable here. A table, a book and a coffee hold your spot for as long as you like.
Almost every town has a market day, and it's usually the best meal you'll eat all week.
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Best time — May, June and September. August is when the French take their own holidays: packed coastlines, oddly quiet cities, and a fair number of restaurants shut for the month.
Getting around — The TGV reaches almost everywhere from Paris. Book through SNCF Connect, and book early — fares climb steeply as the date approaches.
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France is straightforward for women travelling alone. In Paris, the usual advice about the RER late at night applies. And say bonjour before you ask anything — it isn't optional politeness here, it's the whole social contract, and it noticeably changes the service you get.
