France itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Build every France trip around Paris plus one TGV spoke. The parent country guidance is 4–5 nights in Paris and 3–5 nights at a second base; the itineraries that fail try to see three regions in a week by car.

For 7 days, take Paris 4 nights and the Loire 3 nights, using Tours or Amboise as the base and the TGV back to Paris for the flight home. Versailles and Giverny work as day trips from Paris. For 10 days, run Paris 4, Avignon 3, Nice 3 and fly home from Nice, with Arles and the Pont du Gard from Avignon and Monaco, Èze and Menton by TER from Nice. For 14 days, the classic loop is Paris 4, Bayeux 2, Tours or Amboise 2, Lyon 2, Avignon or Arles 2 and Nice 2, with a hire car only from Bayeux to the Loire (about 4 h, check) and trains for the rest.

Three weeks goes north to south: Paris, Reims, Strasbourg, then down through Lyon and Provence to Nice, or west through the Loire, Bordeaux and the Dordogne. Keep two nights as the minimum per stop; one-night stops cost a half day each in packing and transfers.

The TGV does the long legs: Paris to Tours about 1 h 15–1 h 30, Paris to Avignon about 2 h 40, Paris to Lyon about 2 h, Lyon to Avignon about 1 h 10, Avignon to Nice about 3 h 30–4 h (check). Book seats about four months ahead for the lowest fares; a rail pass only pays off on long, flexible routes (check).

Hire a car for the parts trains cannot reach: the Loire châteaux between Chenonceau, Chambord and Villandry, the Normandy landing beaches from Bayeux, and the Luberon hill villages from Avignon. Pick it up at one station and drop it at the next so you never backtrack. In Paris, use the Métro and walk; driving and parking there waste a day.

Fly into Paris (CDG or Orly) and home from the far end of the route, usually Nice or Marseille, so the trip is a line rather than a loop. One-way car hire between regions can carry a drop-off fee; ask when you book (check).

Costs below are 2026 estimates for one person per day, mid-range, and vary by season and city. Paris and the Riviera run highest; the Loire, Dordogne and Auvergne are cheaper. See cost of travel in France for a full breakdown.

Book the two anchors first: TGV seats and the Paris hotel. TGV fares rise as the train fills, and Paris rooms sell out for fashion and trade weeks. Village hotels in the Luberon and the Loire are small, so summer weekends need booking months ahead (check).

April to June and September to October are the best windows: mild weather, longer days and fewer crowds than July and August. July and August bring heat in Provence, packed Riviera beaches and the Avignon theatre festival, so book early or shift the route north to Brittany, Normandy or Alsace. December suits Strasbourg and Colmar for the Christmas markets, and the Alps for skiing.

Change the plan for closures and strikes. Many museums and restaurants close one day a week, often Monday or Tuesday, so check each one you care about (check). Rail strikes can cancel trains at short notice, so keep a buffer day before an international flight and know the bus alternative (check). In ski season, Chamonix and the Alpine valleys require snow tyres or chains on signed routes (check).