Paris, the Loire, Provence, Nice: a 10-day France itinerary

On a first trip to France, starting and ending in Paris has become almost a reflex. Yet the gap between the north and the south of the country is like visiting two different places: stone châteaux, grey skies and dense museums up north; the Mediterranean, open-air markets and evenings spent outdoors down south. The TGV links those two ends in 3-5 hours, which makes fitting both into one trip entirely possible.

This itinerary runs 10 days in one direction: you land in Paris, work your way south, and fly home from Nice. Because you never double back, you don't lose the last day to a six-hour train ride.

How to split the days: how many nights where?

Giving Paris too little time is the most common mistake on this route. The city looks walkable, but the museums alone need two full days.

How to split four days in Paris

Splitting Paris by district is far more efficient than splitting it by checklist. Crossing the city twice in one day means hours on the métro.

1. Day 1 — the island and around it: Notre-Dame and Île de la Cité, the island the city was founded on; every road distance in France is measured from the point marked in front of the cathedral. The interior renovated after the 2019 fire revealed the stone's original pale colour. Circle the island in an hour, then cross into the Latin Quarter — that's the right side for dinner.
2. Day 2 — museum day: the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world and displays 35,000 works; seeing all of it is impossible, so pick two or three wings before you go. Book the first slot — the Mona Lisa room is completely jammed after 10am. In the afternoon walk through the Tuileries to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées; 284 steps lead to the terrace, and the star pattern of the boulevards only makes sense from up there.
3. Day 3 — a day at Versailles: 700 rooms and 800 hectares of garden; the Hall of Mirrors alone runs 73 metres. It's 45 minutes on the RER. Do the palace in the morning and the gardens after lunch; the gardens can need a separate ticket and the fountain shows only run on certain days, so check the calendar. The site is vast — wear proper shoes.
4. Day 4 — the Eiffel Tower was built as a temporary structure for the 1889 world's fair and was meant to be dismantled; today it sparkles for five minutes on the hour every evening. If you're going to the summit, book weeks ahead — same-day tickets are almost never available at the counter. The best photograph isn't from the tower but from the Trocadéro terrace opposite. End the day in Montmartre.

The TGV: when and how to book

France's high-speed network is the country's strongest asset, but it's priced like an airline: book early, pay less. Tickets go on sale roughly four months ahead, the cheapest fare buckets sell out quickly, and prices can double or triple in the final week.

• In Paris the departure station depends on the line — check whether your ticket says Gare de Lyon or Montparnasse; they are 30 minutes apart by métro.
• Avignon has two stations: the TGV station is outside town and a shuttle train reaches the centre in five minutes.
• The cheapest fares can't be changed; if your date isn't fixed, price the flexible fare before you commit.
• Luggage racks on the TGV are limited, so boarding early helps if you're travelling with a large case.

Where a car helps and where it's a burden

A car makes two parts of this route easier and two parts harder. The Loire châteaux sit 20-40 kilometres apart and reaching them by public transport splits the day in half; the same goes for the Provence lavender fields, because that route runs from village to village.

In Paris and Nice, by contrast, a car is pure friction: parking is expensive, the centres are low-emission zones and public transport is more than adequate. Picking the car up in Tours and dropping it in Avignon is the most sensible arrangement; check for a one-way drop fee when you book.

How to extend the route

• +2 days in Normandy: Mont-Saint-Michel is an abbey on a rocky outcrop that becomes an island with the tide; the times shift daily and at high tide the causeway floods. Four hours from Paris by car. The D-Day beaches and memorial cemeteries fill the second day.
• +2 days in the Alps: Chamonix sits below the highest peak in Western Europe, and the Aiguille du Midi cable car lifts you to 3,842 metres, right above the glaciers. The ride takes 20 minutes and shortness of breath at the top is normal. Reached via Lyon; the hiking trails are open in summer.
• +1 day for Monaco and Èze: 25 minutes by train from Nice, easily done in half a day.
• +2 days in Bordeaux: two hours from Paris by TGV, with wine region tours leaving from the city centre.

When to go

Late June to mid-July is the sweet spot for this route: the lavender is in full bloom and the south is warm without being unbearable. August is when France itself goes on holiday — coastal towns fill up, prices rise, and many small businesses in Paris close. May and September are balanced alternatives; you miss the lavender but crowds and prices drop noticeably.