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Shopping at this store in the Montmartre feels more like visiting a young Parisian fashionista’s flat, with independent designer duds spread out across various furnished “rooms.” Around 20 brands are carried here—and most of the items are made right in Paris by fledgling designers you likely won’t find anywhere else. Look for delicate leather jewelry by May & June, timeless dresses from Oh Suzy! and sparkly bags from Paillette Thérapie.

It’s not surprising that many Québec City chefs have been trained in classic French cooking. But a number of them are taking those skills in unexpected directions, incorporating unusual ingredients and devising their own signature preparations. One admired member of this new generation is Christian Lemelin, the innovative chef and owner of Le Restaurant SSS (Simple Snack Sympathique) and restaurant Toast! at Hôtel Le Priori. Sadly, Toast! is indefinitely closed following a fire in December 2017 (though hopes are that it will reopen soon). In the meantime, the more causal Le Restaurant SSS continues to serve its signature salmon and beef tartares, foie gras with fig spiced mustard, and mushroom risotto to Lemelin’s loyal patrons and curious visitors to Québec City. There’s a five-course tasting menu at dinner that highlights the best of Québec’s bounty, both from the Atlantic and the province’s farms, and even a young taster’s menu for kids, including croque monsieur and poutine among the options.

Menton is France’s lemon-growing capital, a fact that the whole town celebrates: The tiles in Menton’s Fontana Rossa gardens are painted with lemons, and local restaurants feature them in lick-your-spoon-clean soufflés. Every winter, the road into town closes for a lemon festival that features huge sculptures made of citrus fruits. It seems fitting, then, that a local shop, Maison Herbin, is dedicated to selling artisanal lemon jam, which is made in small batches to coax the fullest flavor from each fruit. The jam shop has become so famous that tours of the kitchen operations now require advance reservations. The shop offers much more than its citrus jams: Also on sale are strawberries preserved with pineapple, and tomatoes packed with eggplant and ginger, in addition to traditional candies, fruit jellies, local honey, condiments, and pickled onions.

Locals queue up for delicious cheeses from this fromagerie, whose namesake owner received a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, the country’s highest honor for a craftsperson (in this case, for his skills as a master of cheese). Aged Comté is king here, but there are also signature creations not to miss, including Roquefort layered with quince jam and a chèvre marinated in walnut oil. A selection of super-aged cheeses—try them if you dare—are aged right beneath the shop.

Although the prices are outrageous, the food here is beyond delicious. As Patricia Wells says, “people beg, cry, weep for a table.” It’s a wonderful place for special occasions. Don’t skip on the escargot.

There is no ice cream in the world like Berthillon’s. The mango ice cream tastes like frozen mangoes and the chocolate like frozen truffles. I particularly admire the fact that—in true French fashion—although it’s an ice cream store, it’s closed in August!

It’s a quick train ride from Paris to Vernon and the 19th-century home of impressionist artist Claude Monet. From the station, most visitors hop on the bus waiting to take them to Giverny, but right across the street, a bike rental shop can easily turn the visit into a romantic day in the country. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, pick up supplies for a picnic at the farmers’ market in the quaint Norman town. Your bucolic ride along the Seine follows a protected bike path all the way to the pastel-tinted home and gardens that inspired many of Monet’s masterpieces.

If you’ve been to the Louvre, one of the city’s top attractions, you know that most of the restaurants and bars in the near vicinity are mediocre tourist traps. Fortunately, Le Fumoir is an exception, a restaurant-bar-café-tearoom that serves a good meal and a better martini in a sophisticated setting. Despite its name, you can no longer smoke inside this Art Deco spot, but it retains a clubby feel, with a majestic wood bar, leather seating and book-filled shelves at the back.

It’s always a nice thing to see young Moroccans making their mark in a city that brings foreign investors by the droves—and the Hadni brothers have certainly done that in the shape of Baromètre. More akin to the speakeasies of New York and Barcelona than the posh hotel bars of the Red City, the brothers have come up with an innovative list of attention-grabbing cocktails that come in puffs of smoke and bespoke stemware and complement crowd-pleasing gin and tonics and Grey Goose martinis, while the decor has more in common with a glamorous turn-of-the century pharmacy than your usual drinking den. Recently they’ve added gourmet tapas so you can make a night of it, but like the cities that inspired them, the later you go, the livelier it will be.

The most traditional of Fes’s two main shopping streets is a cornucopia of carpet vendors, leather babouche makers, Berber jewelry sellers, fondouks spilling over with handmade pottery, and much more besides. The trick here is to sort the wheat from the chaff and get some proper bargains. Among the myriad carpet shops, a favorite is Kilim Berber where the charming Youssef sells an affordable collection of top-quality Beni Ouarain, Azilal, and Boucherouite rugs. Take a gander at the wares of the Fondouk Tazi, which has an excellent range of traditional Fes pottery as well as groovier striped collections. Keep strolling downhill and you’ll see wooden buckets trimmed with brass items meant for the hammam (but which look just as stunning in a modern bathroom); aim to wind up at the Henna Souk, where you can stock up on traditional cosmetics and toiletries from Ahmed and Mohammed—who can also give you a crash course in how to use them.

We admit, it’s not the easiest place to find—the entrance is through an unmarked door on a bland residential street in Menilmontant. But once you do (hint: look for the velvet rope) and take the elevator seven floors up, you’ll be rewarded with 360-degree views of Paris from the sprawling rooftop. You can sit at communal picnic tables or lounge on comfy sofas, but get there early (it opens at 6 p.m. weekdays) or late to ensure a seat. Beer and wine are your best bets. There is also a restaurant one floor below.

High atop Montmartre is this distinctive white church, Sacré-Cœur, or “sacred heart.” Constructed of travertine stone (the same used in the Arc de Triomphe), the Roman Catholic Church took nearly 40 years to complete and five more years to be consecrated (in 1919). If you choose to approach the church from below, it’s around 100 steps, and if you want to climb up into the dome, it’s another 270. Your reward for all that exercise is a stunning view of Paris unfolding below. Also worth noting: the basilica’s campanile houses La Savoyarde, the largest bell in France, weighing in at 19 tons.

On the weekend, market days in Pointe-à-Pitre are like an outdoor celebration, with gwo-ka drumming on the streets leading to the markets. Browse the attractive stalls brimming with spice-filled bags at the Spice Market before checking out the arts and crafts and madras textiles and moving on to fruits and vegetables at Marché de la Darse on the waterfront. Take a break at a nearby café afterwards, and relax some more to the sound of the drums.

Opened in 1980, Willi’s, with its bright blue facade, is a fixture in the 1st arrondissement. This French wine bar, which is actually owned by an Englishman, is perhaps most famous for its wine-themed posters, which are commissioned each year and created by contemporary artists. A selection of them hang throughout the two-room space, which includes a long wood bar area with stools and an adjacent, larger dining room. The wine list specializes in the best Rhone vintages, but also includes a nice selection of White Burgundies. Affordable a la carte dishes and prix-fixe menus of French classics, as well as Spanish charcuterie, are also a draw.

Perhaps the most picturesque street in Old Quebec, the Rue du Parloir is a tiny lane that connects the Convent of the Ursulines to the main Rue St Louis. As with most cities, come early in the morning or late in the afternoon to find the street nearly empty!