Short answer: with 7 days, spend three nights in Paris, then take the TGV south for two nights in Avignon and Provence and a last night in Nice, flying home from the Riviera. With 10 days, add Lyon between Paris and Provence and give Nice two nights. With 14 days, either loop through Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel and the Loire Valley châteaux from Paris, or head east to Strasbourg, Lyon, Annecy and Chamonix under Mont Blanc. Fast trains link the big cities; you only need a car for the countryside.
This guide turns the sample trips on our France travel guide into day-by-day plans, with travel times between stops and the best area to sleep each night. May, June and September are the best months for almost every route: warm, long days and smaller crowds than in July and August. Our best time to visit France guide goes month by month, and our top 10 places to visit in France explains each stop. For a plan built around your dates and interests, use our AI trip planner. Everything here was checked as of October 2026.
The three routes at a glance
| Route | Days | Stops | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris, Provence and the Riviera | 7 | Paris (3 nights), Avignon (2 nights), Nice (1 night) | First trip, no driving, city plus sun |
| Paris, Lyon, Provence and Nice | 10 | Paris (3), Lyon (2), Avignon (2), Nice (2) | Food lovers, a bit of everything by train |
| Paris, Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel and the Loire | 14 | Paris (4), Bayeux (2), Mont-Saint-Michel (1), Saint-Malo (1), Loire Valley (3), Paris (2) | History, castles, coast; spring to early autumn |
| Paris, Alsace, Lyon and the Alps | 14 | Paris (3), Strasbourg (3), Lyon (2), Annecy (2), Chamonix (3) | Mountains and lakes in summer, Christmas markets in December |
Book an open-jaw ticket where you can: into Paris and home from Nice, or into Paris and home from Geneva after the Alps. Paris-Charles de Gaulle is the main long-haul airport and has its own TGV station; Nice Côte d’Azur is the gateway to the Riviera, and Geneva airport is often the easiest way out of the French Alps.
Travel times between the main stops
These are the legs used in the plans below. “SNCF Connect” means the time comes from the route pages of SNCF Connect, the national railway’s booking site; anything else is labelled approximate. TGV INOUI and OUIGO are SNCF’s high-speed trains and need a reserved seat, which comes with the ticket; TER regional trains have no reservations.
| Leg | How | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris (Gare de Lyon) – Lyon | TGV, up to about 29 a day | about 2 h | SNCF Connect (departures); time approximate |
| Paris (Gare de Lyon) – Avignon TGV | TGV | about 2 h 35–2 h 40 | SNCF Connect |
| Lyon – Avignon | TGV (TER is slower) | about 1 h by TGV, about 1 h 30 by TER | SNCF Connect |
| Avignon – Nice | Train, often with a change in Marseille | about 3 h 50–4 h 25 | SNCF Connect |
| Paris (Gare de Lyon) – Nice | TGV, direct | about 5 h 45–6 h (approximate) | Booking sites |
| Paris (Saint-Lazare) – Bayeux | Regional train (Nomad/TER) | about 2 h 15 | SNCF Connect |
| Paris – Amboise | Regional train, some with a change | about 1 h 30 | SNCF Connect |
| Paris (Montparnasse) – Tours (Saint-Pierre-des-Corps) | TGV | about 1 h | Château de Chenonceau |
| Paris (Est) – Strasbourg | TGV | about 1 h 45–1 h 50 (approximate) | Booking sites |
| Strasbourg – Colmar | TER or TGV, up to about 37 a day | about 30 min | SNCF Connect |
| Strasbourg – Lyon | TGV, few direct trains | about 3 h 45 fastest, 4 h 30 on average | SNCF Connect |
| Lyon – Annecy | TER | about 1 h 50 | SNCF Connect |
| Annecy – Chamonix | Coach (train needs changes) | about 1 h 35 (approximate) | Booking sites |
| Chamonix – Geneva airport | Road | about 1 h 15 (approximate) | General reference |
| Bayeux – Mont-Saint-Michel | Car | about 1 h 30 (approximate) | General reference |
| Rennes – Mont-Saint-Michel | Keolis Armor coach | about 1 h 10–1 h 15 | Mont-Saint-Michel visitor site |
Book TGV tickets on SNCF Connect or the operator’s site as early as you can: fares rise as trains fill, and bookings usually open several months ahead. OUIGO, the low-cost brand, often uses stations outside city centers and charges for big bags, so check before you book.
7 days: Paris, Provence and the Riviera
The classic first trip, all by train, with the TGV doing the long hop south. Fly into Paris and home from Nice.
- Day 1, Paris: Arrive and settle in. Walk along the Seine from Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024, past the Île de la Cité and the jewel-box chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, and end at the Eiffel Tower as it lights up. Sleep: the Marais, Saint-Germain or the Latin Quarter (3 nights).
- Day 2, the great museums: The Louvre first thing on a timed ticket (it closes on Tuesdays), lunch in the Tuileries, then the Impressionists at the Musée d’Orsay (closed on Mondays). Evening on the Champs-Élysées and up the Arc de Triomphe.
- Day 3, Montmartre or Versailles: Montmartre’s lanes and Sacré-Cœur in the morning and the Marais in the afternoon, or a day at the Palace of Versailles (closed on Mondays) by RER C train.
- Day 4, to Provence: TGV from Gare de Lyon to Avignon (about 2 h 35). Afternoon at the Palais des Papes and the famous half-bridge, the Pont d’Avignon. Sleep: inside Avignon’s walls (2 nights).
- Day 5, Provence day out: A regional train to Arles for its Roman arena and Van Gogh’s old haunts, or a day tour or hire car to the Pont du Gard and the Luberon’s hill villages. From late June to July, the lavender fields are in bloom.
- Day 6, to Nice: Train along the coast (about 4 hours, often changing in Marseille). Evening walk on the Promenade des Anglais and dinner in the old town. Sleep: Nice old town or near the Promenade (1 night).
- Day 7, Riviera morning and home: Climb Castle Hill for the view over the Baie des Anges, a swim from the pebble beach, then the tram to the airport.
Swap it: rather have more beach than Provence? Go straight from Paris to Nice by TGV (about 5 h 45–6 h) on day 4 and spend three nights there, with trains to Antibes, Villefranche and Monaco. More detail is in our Paris, Avignon, Provence and Nice guides.
10 days: Paris, Lyon, Provence and Nice
The 7-day route with a food stop in Lyon and more time in the sun. Every leg is a direct or one-change train. Fly into Paris and home from Nice.
- Days 1–3, Paris: As in the 7-day plan: the river and Notre-Dame, the Louvre and Orsay, Montmartre or Versailles. Sleep: the Marais, Saint-Germain or the Latin Quarter (3 nights).
- Day 4, to Lyon: TGV from Gare de Lyon (about 2 hours). Walk the Renaissance lanes and hidden passageways of Vieux Lyon, then dinner in a traditional bouchon. Sleep: the Presqu’île or Vieux Lyon (2 nights).
- Day 5, Lyon: The funicular up to the Fourvière basilica and the Roman theaters, lunch at Les Halles Paul Bocuse, and the Musée des Confluences or the Parc de la Tête d’Or.
- Day 6, to Avignon: TGV south (about 1 hour). The Palais des Papes and the Pont d’Avignon. Sleep: inside Avignon’s walls (2 nights).
- Day 7, Provence: Arles by train, or the Pont du Gard and the Luberon villages by tour or hire car.
- Day 8, to Nice: Train to Nice (about 4 hours). Sunset on the Promenade des Anglais. Sleep: Nice old town or near the Promenade (2 nights).
- Day 9, the Riviera by train: Coastal trains to Villefranche-sur-Mer for a swim, Monaco for the old town on the Rock, or Antibes for its ramparts and Picasso museum. The hilltop village of Èze is a short bus ride away.
- Day 10, home: Morning market on the Cours Saleya and the tram to the airport.
Swap it: castles instead of cooking? Replace Lyon with two nights in the Loire Valley at Amboise (about 1 h 30 by train from Paris), visiting Chenonceau and Chambord, then return through Paris and take the TGV south. In winter, swap the south for Strasbourg and the Alsace Christmas markets. Details: Lyon, Loire Valley, French Riviera.
14 days: Paris, Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel and the Loire
A northern loop of cathedrals, cliffs, landing beaches, a tidal abbey and Renaissance châteaux, starting and ending in Paris. Trains get you to Normandy; a hire car does the rest. Best from May to September, when every site keeps long hours.
- Days 1–4, Paris: The 7-day plan’s three Paris days plus a fourth for Versailles or a day trip to Monet’s garden at Giverny (open spring to autumn). Sleep: the Marais, Saint-Germain or the Latin Quarter (4 nights).
- Day 5, to Bayeux: Regional train from Saint-Lazare (about 2 h 15). Bayeux’s cathedral and old town; note that the Bayeux Tapestry Museum is closed for renovation until autumn 2027 while the tapestry is on loan to the British Museum in London. Sleep: Bayeux old town (2 nights).
- Day 6, the D-Day beaches: A guided minibus tour or a hire car to Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc and Arromanches.
- Day 7, to Mont-Saint-Michel: Pick up a car and drive west (about 1 h 30). Walk up to the abbey in the afternoon, then stay to see the bay and the tide at dusk, when the day crowds have gone. Check the tide calendar: on big tides, the Mont becomes an island for about an hour. Sleep: on the Mont or by the shuttle stop on the mainland (1 night).
- Day 8, Saint-Malo: A short drive into Brittany. Walk the ramparts of the walled port and, at low tide, out to the island of Grand Bé. Sleep: inside the walls (intra-muros) (1 night).
- Day 9, to the Loire: A long drive south-east (about 3 h 30, approximate), stopping in Angers or Saumur on the way. Sleep: Amboise (3 nights).
- Day 10, Chenonceau and Amboise: Chenonceau, the castle that spans the river Cher (open every day), then Amboise’s royal château and Leonardo da Vinci’s last home, the Clos Lucé.
- Day 11, Chambord and the river: Chambord, the largest of the châteaux, and Villandry’s gardens or a stretch of the flat Loire à Vélo cycle route, with a wine tasting in Vouvray.
- Day 12, back to Paris: Return the car in Tours and take the TGV from Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (about 1 hour). Sleep: Paris (2 nights).
- Day 13, Paris: Whatever you missed: a market morning, a river cruise, a picnic on the quays.
- Day 14, home: From Charles de Gaulle or Orly.
Swap it: add the white cliffs of Étretat and Honfleur’s harbor between Paris and Bayeux if you pick up the car earlier. More detail: Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo and Brittany.
14 days: Paris, Alsace, Lyon and the Alps
The eastern route: half-timbered Alsace, France’s food capital, an Alpine lake and the high mountains. In summer (June to September) it is a hiking trip; in December, swap the Alps hiking for skiing and time Strasbourg for its Christmas markets. Fly into Paris and home from Geneva.
- Days 1–3, Paris: As in the 7-day plan. Sleep: the Marais, Saint-Germain or the Latin Quarter (3 nights).
- Day 4, to Strasbourg: TGV from Gare de l’Est (about 1 h 45). The cathedral, then the canals and half-timbered houses of La Petite France. Sleep: the Grande Île or La Petite France (3 nights).
- Day 5, Colmar: Train to Colmar (about 30 minutes) for its Little Venice quarter, then a bus or tour to the wine villages of Riquewihr and Eguisheim.
- Day 6, Strasbourg: A boat trip on the Ill, a winstub lunch of tarte flambée and choucroute, and the European district by tram.
- Day 7, to Lyon: TGV south (about 3 h 45 on the fastest direct trains). Evening in Vieux Lyon. Sleep: the Presqu’île or Vieux Lyon (2 nights).
- Day 8, Lyon: Fourvière, the Roman theaters, Les Halles Paul Bocuse and a bouchon dinner.
- Day 9, to Annecy: TER (about 1 h 50). The canals of the old town and a swim or a boat on the lake. Sleep: Annecy old town or the lakefront (2 nights).
- Day 10, Lake Annecy: Cycle the lakeside path or hike above the lake; in summer the water is warm enough for swimming.
- Day 11, to Chamonix: Coach (about 1 h 35) or hire car. Afternoon in town with Mont Blanc overhead. Sleep: central Chamonix (3 nights).
- Day 12, the high mountains: The Aiguille du Midi cable car to 3,842 m on a clear morning, for the face of Mont Blanc; book the day before in summer.
- Day 13, glacier and trails: The Montenvers rack railway to the Mer de Glace, or a hike on the Grand Balcon trails with views across the valley.
- Day 14, home: Transfer to Geneva airport (about 1 h 15 by road).
Swap it: skip Lyon and give Alsace a fourth night if you are here for the Christmas markets, from late November to Christmas Eve. Details: Strasbourg, Annecy and Chamonix.
Where to sleep, by stop
| Stop | Best area for a short stay | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paris | The Marais, Saint-Germain or the Latin Quarter | Walk to the river and the big sights; good metro links |
| Avignon | Inside the city walls | Everything on foot; the central station is by the walls |
| Nice | The old town (Vieux Nice) or near the Promenade | Beach, markets and the station within walking distance |
| Lyon | The Presqu’île or Vieux Lyon | Between the rivers, close to the bouchons and the funicular |
| Bayeux | The old town near the cathedral | Quiet evenings; start point for D-Day tours |
| Mont-Saint-Michel | On the Mont, or by the shuttle stop on the mainland | See the bay at dusk and dawn without the crowds |
| Saint-Malo | Intra-muros (inside the walls) | Ramparts and beaches on the doorstep |
| Loire Valley | Amboise | Central for Chenonceau, Chambord and Clos Lucé; on the railway |
| Strasbourg | Grande Île or La Petite France | The UNESCO-listed old center around the cathedral |
| Annecy | The old town or the lakefront | Canals, lake and station all close |
| Chamonix | Central Chamonix | Cable cars, trains and buses leave from town |
Almost every town adds a small taxe de séjour per adult per night to your bill; Paris charges the most. Details are on our France guide and Paris guide.
Alternatives by interest
Beach lovers
Give the Riviera four or five nights and use Nice or Antibes as a base, with trains along the coast to coves at Villefranche and Èze-sur-Mer. Add the Calanques National Park near Marseille for boat trips and swims below white cliffs, or fly to Corsica for some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. On the Atlantic, Biarritz has surf and the Arcachon Bay has oysters and the Dune du Pilat. July and August are the warmest but busiest; June and September are calmer.
Wine and food lovers
Spend longer in Lyon and add Burgundy’s wine villages around Beaune, Champagne cellars in Reims (about 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, approximate), or Bordeaux with a day in Saint-Émilion. September and October are harvest season in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace. Lunchtime set menus are the best-value way to eat well everywhere.
Hikers
Make the Alps route your trip and give Chamonix four or five nights from late June to September, when the high trails and huts are open. Other great walking: the Gorges du Verdon, Corsica’s mountains, Brittany’s coastal path (GR34) and the Calanques in spring or autumn (from June to September, access to the massifs closes on red fire-risk days; the park publishes the map each evening by 18:00).
Families
Use fewer bases. Paris with a day at Disneyland Paris, then one Riviera town or the Loire Valley, where the châteaux, gardens and flat cycle paths suit children. Trains are the easiest way to move with kids; ask about SNCF family and youth fares when you book.
Tips for planning your route
- Match the season to the route. May, June and September suit nearly every itinerary. July and August are French school holidays, when the coast, Provence and the Alps are busiest and dearest. Hiking above Chamonix is a June-to-September plan; December is for Christmas markets and the start of the ski season.
- Watch the museum closing days. The Louvre closes on Tuesdays; the Musée d’Orsay and Versailles close on Mondays. Put travel days there.
- Book timed tickets. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Aiguille du Midi sell date-and-time slots that sell out in summer.
- Book trains early. TGV fares rise as trains fill; buy as soon as your dates are firm.
- Hire cars only where you need them. Pick one up for Normandy, Mont-Saint-Michel, the Loire, Provence’s villages or Alsace’s wine route, never for Paris. Many motorways have tolls, and some city low-emission zones require a Crit’Air sticker; see our France guide.
- Check for strikes. Rail strikes are announced in advance; SNCF publishes its reduced timetable the day before, and affected tickets can usually be changed for free.
France itinerary FAQ
Is 7 days enough for France?
Yes for Paris plus one region: three days in Paris and four in Provence and the Riviera, all by train. It is not enough to add Normandy, the Loire or the Alps without rushing; for that, plan 10 to 14 days.
Should I start in Paris or Nice?
Most long-haul flights land in Paris, so start there and travel south, flying home from Nice. If your flight into Nice is cheaper, simply run the route in reverse.
How long is the train from Paris to Provence?
About 2 hours 35 to 2 hours 40 minutes by TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Avignon TGV, according to SNCF Connect. Paris to Nice takes about 5 hours 45 to 6 hours.
Do I need a car in France?
Not for the cities: Paris, Lyon, Avignon, Nice, Strasbourg and Annecy are all on the rail network. A car is the easiest way to see the D-Day beaches, Mont-Saint-Michel, the Loire châteaux, the Luberon villages and the Alsace wine route.
Can I see Mont-Saint-Michel without a car?
Yes. Take the TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Rennes (about 2 hours) and the Keolis Armor coach to the Mont (about 1 h 10 to 1 h 15), or the direct train to Pontorson (weekends all year, daily in summer) and the local bus. It is a long day trip; staying overnight is better.
Is two weeks enough for France?
Two weeks covers Paris and two regions comfortably, such as Normandy and the Loire, or Alsace and the Alps. Trying to see both the north-west and the Riviera in 14 days means a lot of time on trains.
What is the best month for a France road trip?
May, June and September: long days, open sights, and fewer crowds and lower prices than in July and August. Lavender in Provence peaks from late June to July.
Sources
Researched and last reviewed by TravelerCenter on 8 October 2026. Train times come from SNCF Connect route pages (Paris–Avignon, Lyon–Avignon, Avignon–Nice, Paris–Bayeux, Paris–Amboise, Strasbourg–Colmar, Strasbourg–Lyon, Lyon–Annecy); the Paris–Tours TGV time from the Château de Chenonceau; Mont-Saint-Michel coach and train links from the Mont-Saint-Michel visitor site; museum closing days from the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Palace of Versailles; the Bayeux Tapestry Museum closure from the City of Bayeux museums; Aiguille du Midi altitude from the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc; and seasons from our best-time guide, based on Météo-France climate normals. Paris–Nice, Paris–Strasbourg and Paris–Reims train times, the Annecy–Chamonix coach, and drive and airport transfer times are approximate, from booking sites and general reference. Timetables, fares and rules change, so check with the operator before you travel.
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