In and around Grasse in southern Provence, a confluence of sun, soil and climate nurture jasmine, roses and orange blossoms that make this medieval town the world’s perfume capital. Here, you can meet with the owner of a fifth-generation perfumery estate whose clients once included Queen Victoria and who now supply products to Dior.

In the villa’s laboratory, you’ll learn the process of fragrance production and make your own blend, picking and mixing essences and selecting top, heart and base notes.

From there, it’s a short drive to Cannes, where you can take a 1930s boat to explore the coastline of the Estérel Massif. Stop at a small island where a priory of Cistercian monks live among an abbey and cultivate a vineyard and olive grove using traditional techniques. Sample their wines and olive oils during a degustation lunch before walking through the grounds to an ancient fortress.

Picnics are one of the great democratizing traditions in Paris during spring and summer, when residents unfurl tablecloths onto river banks, parks and gardens to set down baskets, baguettes, charcuterie and champagne.

Create your own picnic with a celebrated Parisian chef who leads you through the finest boucheries, boulangeries, and fromageries of the French capital to give insight into artisanal products and illuminate the long culinary history of the city itself and its enduring legacy in everyday life.

Afterwards, make for a verdant hillside in Parc des Buttes Chaumont to enjoy your picnic overlooking the city’s patchwork sprawl of rooftops and boulevards, and the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in the distance.