10 Days in France: A Classic First-Trip Itinerary
Ten days is enough to see Paris properly and add two very different regions of France. The classic first-trip route is four days in Paris and Versailles, two days in the Loire Valley or Normandy, and four days in Provence and on the French Riviera, flying into Paris and out of Nice. It works by high-speed train with a rental car for one or two countryside days.
Below you will find the day-by-day route, alternative versions for Alsace, Bordeaux and Lyon, and practical advice on trains, cars and timing.
How to Plan 10 Days in France
The biggest mistake on a 10-day trip is trying to see too much. France is large, and every change of hotel costs you half a day. Three or four bases is the realistic maximum. A few principles make the route work:
- Book an open-jaw flight into Paris and out of Nice (or the reverse). It saves a long journey back to Paris on your last day and often costs little or nothing extra.
- Use the TGV between regions. High-speed trains link Paris with Tours, Avignon, Marseille and Nice, and are usually faster than driving and flying.
- Rent a car only where you need one. Paris and the big cities are easier without a car; the Loire châteaux, Normandy’s D-Day beaches and Provence’s villages are much easier with one.
- Check closing days. Many museums close on Monday or Tuesday, and Versailles is closed on Mondays.
For the bigger picture on budgets, documents and bookings, see our guide on how to plan a trip to France. If you only have a week, our 7-day France itinerary is a shorter version of this route.
The 10-Day Route at a Glance
| Day | Base | Plan | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris | Arrive, Seine walk, Eiffel Tower at dusk | Airport to city by RER, bus or taxi |
| 2 | Paris | Louvre, Île de la Cité, Le Marais | Walk and metro |
| 3 | Paris | Montmartre, Musée d’Orsay, Saint-Germain | Walk and metro |
| 4 | Paris | Palace of Versailles | Suburban train (about 40 minutes) |
| 5 | Loire Valley or Normandy | Chenonceau and Amboise, or the D-Day beaches | TGV to Tours (about 1 hour) or train to Bayeux (about 2.5 hours) |
| 6 | Loire Valley or Normandy | Chambord and Blois, or Mont-Saint-Michel | Rental car or day tour |
| 7 | Avignon | Travel day; evening in Avignon | TGV, usually via Paris |
| 8 | Avignon | Pont du Gard and Luberon villages, or Arles | Rental car or tour |
| 9 | Nice | Old Nice, Castle Hill, Promenade des Anglais | Train (about 3 to 4 hours) |
| 10 | Nice | Monaco and Èze, or Villefranche-sur-Mer; fly home next morning | Regional train and bus |
Journey times are approximate; check current timetables on SNCF Connect when you book.
Days 1–4: Paris and Versailles
Four days in Paris gives you three days in the city plus Versailles. Arrive on Day 1, drop your bags and spend the afternoon walking along the Seine before seeing the Eiffel Tower light up after dark. Days 2 and 3 cover the Louvre, Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, the Marais, Montmartre and the Musée d’Orsay; our 3 days in Paris itinerary gives a detailed day-by-day plan grouped by neighborhood.
On Day 4 take the RER C or a suburban train from Saint-Lazare or Montparnasse to Versailles. Book a timed entry, arrive at opening time, and allow a full day if you also want the gardens and Marie Antoinette’s estate. If you are visiting several museums in Paris, a Paris Museum Pass can cover the Louvre, Orsay and Versailles, though you still need time-slot reservations.
Avoid a Monday for Versailles and a Tuesday for the Louvre. In August, many small Paris shops and restaurants close for the summer holidays, but all the main sights stay open.
Days 5–6: Loire Valley or Normandy
Choose one region for these two days. Both are an easy train ride from Paris; the right choice depends on your interests.
Option A: Loire Valley châteaux
Take a TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Tours) in about an hour and pick up a rental car, or base yourself in Amboise or Tours and join small-group château tours. A good two-day plan:
- Day 5: Château de Chenonceau, built across the River Cher, then Amboise, with its royal château and the Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s last home.
- Day 6: Château de Chambord, the largest of the Loire châteaux, and the royal château in Blois, or Villandry’s formal gardens and Azay-le-Rideau.
Our guides to things to do in the Loire Valley and getting from Paris to the Loire Valley have more detail.
Option B: Normandy
Take a train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Bayeux (around two and a half hours) and use the town as your base.
- Day 5: the D-Day landing beaches: Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Pointe du Hoc and Arromanches. A guided tour from Bayeux is the easiest option without a car. In Bayeux itself, see the Bayeux Tapestry.
- Day 6: Mont-Saint-Michel, about an hour and a half’s drive from Bayeux. Go early or stay until late afternoon when the day-trippers leave, and check the tide times.
See our Normandy travel guide for more ideas.
Day 7: Travel to Provence
Day 7 is mostly a travel day. From the Loire, a few direct TGVs run south from Saint-Pierre-des-Corps; otherwise return to Paris and take a TGV from Gare de Lyon to Avignon in about two hours and forty minutes. From Normandy you will need to go back through Paris, which means changing from Saint-Lazare to Gare de Lyon. Return your car before you board, travel light, and you will still arrive in Avignon in time for an evening walk around the Palais des Papes and the famous bridge.
Days 7–10: Provence and the Riviera
Day 8: Provence
Rent a car for the day at Avignon’s TGV or central station, or join a small-group tour. Two good options:
- Pont du Gard and the Luberon: the Roman aqueduct in the morning, then the hilltop villages of Gordes and Roussillon. From mid-June to mid-July, add the lavender fields around the Abbaye de Sénanque.
- Arles and the Camargue: Roman monuments and Van Gogh sites in Arles, then the wetlands, flamingos and white horses of the Camargue. Arles is also reachable by train from Avignon in about 20 minutes.
Our top things to do in Provence covers the region in more depth, and if you can give Provence a whole week, follow our one week in Provence road trip.
Day 9: Nice
Take the train along the coast to Nice. Some trains run direct from Avignon; others require a change in Marseille. The trip takes around three to four hours. Spend the afternoon in Old Nice (Vieux Nice), climb Castle Hill for the view over the Baie des Anges, and walk the Promenade des Anglais at sunset.
Day 10: Monaco, Èze or Villefranche
The coastal train makes day trips from Nice easy. Monaco is about 20 to 25 minutes away; combine it with the perched village of Èze, reached by bus. If you prefer something calmer, Villefranche-sur-Mer and its bay are less than 10 minutes by train. Fly home from Nice Côte d’Azur airport, which is linked to the city by tram. For a longer stay on the coast, see our 5-day French Riviera itinerary. See also our best day trips from Nice for more options.
Alternative Routes
Keep the four days in Paris and swap the rest for a different combination:
| Route | Days 5–10 | Best for | Transport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris + Alsace + Burgundy | Strasbourg and Colmar (3 days), Beaune and the Burgundy vineyards (3 days) | Wine, half-timbered villages, Christmas markets | TGV to Strasbourg (about 2 hours); car for the wine routes |
| Paris + Bordeaux + Dordogne | Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion (3 days), Dordogne castles and villages (3 days) | Wine, food, castles, canoeing | TGV to Bordeaux (about 2 hours); car essential in the Dordogne |
| Paris + Lyon + the Alps | Lyon (3 days), Annecy or Chamonix (3 days) | Food lovers, lakes and mountains | TGV to Lyon (about 2 hours); train or bus to Annecy |
| Paris + Normandy + Brittany | D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint-Michel (3 days), Saint-Malo and the Brittany coast (3 days) | History, coastline, seafood | Train to Bayeux or Rennes; car recommended |
Train vs Car: Getting Between Regions
A combination of the two usually works best.
| Train (TGV and regional) | Rental car | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Paris to the regions, city to city | Château routes, beaches, hill villages |
| Pros | Fast, city-center stations, no parking or tolls | Flexibility, reaches places without public transport |
| Cons | Fares rise close to the date; limited reach in rural areas | Tolls, fuel, parking; low-emission rules in big cities |
| Tips | Book a few months ahead; compare TGV INOUI and low-cost OUIGO | Pick up at a train station, never in central Paris |
Read more in our guides to the TGV high-speed train and renting a car in France. If you drive, remember that most French motorways have tolls, and cities such as Paris, Lyon and Strasbourg have low-emission zones that require a Crit’Air sticker (rental cars normally have one, but check).
Practical Tips for a 10-Day Trip
- Best time to go: May, June and September offer good weather without the peak crowds. July and August are busiest and hottest in the south; winter is quiet, but some countryside attractions have shorter hours.
- Book ahead: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Versailles, popular Loire châteaux in summer, and TGV seats.
- Pack light: you will carry your luggage on and off several trains.
- Watch public holidays: trains fill up around long weekends in May and in mid-August.
- Keep one buffer: if the plan feels too tight, drop the second Loire or Normandy day, or the Day 8 excursion, and spend more time where you are.
- Check entry requirements: rules for non-EU visitors are changing as the EU introduces new border systems, so check the latest official information before you travel.
Summary
A classic 10-day trip to France combines four days in Paris and Versailles, two days in the Loire Valley or Normandy, one day in Provence and two days on the Riviera, with an open-jaw flight into Paris and out of Nice. Use the TGV for long distances and a rental car only for the countryside. Keep to three or four bases, book the headline sights early, and you will see a remarkable variety of France without spending the trip in transit. For the longer journey south, see our guide on how to get from Paris to Nice.
