You Are Missing the Most Fun Way to See the French Countryside

Have you ever been to a village randonée in France? Most tourists don’t discover them. But they are a fabulous way to see the countryside and to interact with the locals.

Une randonée in French means a hike, and there are plenty of marked trails all over France if you want to go it alone. But the village randonée is a different thing: it’s an organized fun walk (or run, or bike ride, or horseback ride, depending on your preference), showcasing the lovely countryside that surrounds the villages.

You can read all about the village randonée on my post here. But last week we went on a very special one, an annual event in the postcard-pretty wine town of Nuits St. Georges, called a Chemin Gourmand.

The hike first took us through the charming village of Nuits St. Georges.

We had an assigned start time, since they expected a couple of thousand people. The distance was 7km. They gave us all a festive straw hat  for the balade, and we started off in centre ville. After a half mile or so of walking, there was the first stop, the apéro course. Here we were handed a gougère and treated to a very lively duo singing French drinking songs.

We were treated to gougères, wine, and some rowdy French drinking songs.

The French love flavored waters, so a bonus stop along the way was a chance to choose from a dozen or so fruit sirops, to add to your sparkling water. The sack the gentleman is wearing around his neck is a wine glass holder. That and a wine glass were included with your ticket.

Then we headed up the hill into the vines. We stopped for the entrée, or starter, and sat under tents at picnic tables, serenaded by a sultry singer and a guitarist.

At the second stop, the village hunk was pressed into service to spray the women with cool water. Les femmes seemed quite pleased.

A chickpea and veggie salad with creme fraîche was the starter.

Then we walked a couple of kilometers to the main course, where we sat under the trees (American music from the 60’s this time). There was another stop for fromage of course, then one with some games for the kids, and finally le dessert (with a New Orleans style jazz band). Having reached the top of a seemingly endless hill, we then descended from the vines and into town for the last kilometer. Oh, and did I mention there was wine at every stop? This is Burgundy, you know.

Served with dessert, a jazz band

A view of the village where we started, from the top of the hill

At the summit

Even though the 7k route was mostly uphill and it was 93 degrees and sunny, we persevered. The views were incredible, the food was good, the wine was motivational, and we sweated off a few pounds. If you want to add some fun, exercise, and local color to your visit, plus an excuse to do some day-drinking, it’s the way to go!

In the COMMENTS: Vicky, loved hearing about your hiking group in France, who have committed all the “sins” and more. Julie, maybe you will make leggings chic! Natalia, I would not be able to resist stopping to pet your Yorkies—and Anne Marie, the French do love their Yorkies. Irmgard and Bonnie are dressing European. Irmgard, the Dutch are known for their continental style, maybe that is what abled you to “pass”. But Christine, you get the prize for the craziest story. I can’t believe a stranger would do that!

Favorite READS:  Natalia, who always has a good book for us, recommends A Love Letter to Paris, by one of her favorite authors. And in the TV category, Ron and I are still on a French TV kick, and we really like a series called Alice Nevers, set in Paris, about a female French prosecuter. On MHZ and comes with English subtitles.