If you've got 10 days and a heart full of love, head to France for the perfect honeymoon getaway. Start in Paris, where you'll stroll shops and galleries by day and indulge in French wine at open-air cafés at night. See the Alps and tour Avignon, then end your tour on the sunny southern coast.

Highlights

  • Go wine tasting in the Beaujolais wine regions
  • Spend time in Cannes and Monaco
  • Wonder at the splendor of the Versailles estate
  • Take in the views of the Dombes Plains and Alps
  • Stroll through historic Lyon, France's third-most populous city

Brief Itinerary

Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Paris & Evening Eiffel Tower Tour Paris
Day 2 Pastry Tour of Le Marais & Afternoon at the Louvre Paris
Day 3 Day Trip to Versailles Paris
Day 4 Transfer to Lyon & City Tour Lyon
Day 5 Dombes Plain & Alps Lyon
Day 6 Beaujolais Tour & Wine Tasting Lyon
Day 7 Transfer to Nice, Tour of Aix-en-Provence en Route Nice
Day 8 Full Day on the Coast: Cannes, Antibes & Saint-Paul de Vence Nice
Day 9 Private Tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze Nice
Day 10 Depart Nice  

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Paris & Evening Eiffel Tower Tour

Welcome to Paris!
Welcome to Paris!

Welcome to Paris, the City of Lights! This elegant capital boasts centuries of history, art, fashion, and of course, romance. Upon arrival, you'll be picked up from the airport and transferred to your hotel by private car. Take some time to settle in and relax before heading out to explore the streets near your accommodation before dinner.

Paris is alive and thriving with activity day and night. It's the perfect city to indulge in a little shopping, with department stores like Lafayette and Printemps housing some of the best local designers around and small boutique shops offering unique, high-quality wares. 

Colorful boulevards and historic monuments invite visitors to stroll through the downtown, while narrow alleys and cozy cafés create a romantic atmosphere. For art lovers, spending time at Paris' smaller museums is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the city has one of the most impressive art collections in the world. Alternatively, lazing around in the parks or at a sidewalk café on a sunny day is simply blissful. 

After settling into your hotel, head out for your first look at the city. Spend some time walking around downtown and enjoying the sights. In the evening, meet with your private guide for a 3.5-hour exploration of the Trocadero Esplanade and Eiffel Tower. Start at the Trocadero to see its statues, monuments, and city views. Continue to the Iron Lady herself with skip-the-line tickets, giving you the most time to visit both floors and take in the incredible views from the top.

Day 2: Pastry Tour of Le Marais & Afternoon at the Louvre

The perfect way to start your day
The perfect way to start your day

Eating pastries and enjoying art is synonymous with French culture, and you'll get to do plenty of both today. Start your day with a tour of the Le Marais neighborhood with a hyper-local guide (a neighborhood resident, in fact!) to explore the secret cafés and taste the best-baked goods in the city. Spend two hours sampling crépes, crème brûlée, pain au chocolat, espresso, chocolates, macarons, and more.

Visit the city's oldest food market, the Marché des Enfants Rouges, and try your hand at haggling for your favorite treat. As you walk, learn about world-famous pastry chefs: Poîlane, Jean-Paul Hévin, Jacques Genin, Pierre Hermé, and others. 

In the afternoon, it's time to explore the Louvre, the world's largest art museum. Skip the lines and head right to the classics, as well as your personal favorites. Get up close to Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, then get some fresh air at the Tuileries Garden. In the evening, explore the Champs Elysees and the majestic Arc de Triomphe

Day 3: Day Trip to Versailles

Walk through the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles
Walk through the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles

In the morning, head outside of the big city to the resplendent Versaille Estate. Take the train there, then head directly inside with your skip-the-line access to spend a few hours exploring the palace and grounds. Travel back in time to past centuries as you discover what life was like living in the splendor of the court of the kings and queens of France. Your historian guide will walk you from hall to gilded hall, pointing out ornately painted ceilings, the Hall of Mirrors, and the private royal quarters. 

After touring the castle, head outside to the manicured gardens and lawns, where a dazzling display of flowers and exotic plants delight visitors of all ages. Enjoy lunch near the castle, then take the train back to Paris for a free afternoon in the city. Shop, enjoy the sunshine in one of the city's parks, or explore one of the city's many art museums. 

Day 4: Transfer to Lyon & City Tour

Presque Ile in Lyon
Presque Ile in Lyon

In the morning, make your way to the train station to take the train to Lyon, a five-hour trip to the southeast. Lyon is France's third most populous city—behind Paris and Marseille—and is more compact, allowing visitors to explore easily by foot. An excellent place to start is the city's UNESCO-listed Old Town and the Presque Isle—a piece of land surrounded by the Saône and Rhône Rivers. Here you can wander the narrow cobblestoned streets in search of the famous traboules (hidden passageways). Get a view of it all with a walk up to the Fourviere Basilica for a panorama of the whole city. 

In the afternoon, take a private walking tour to explore the city center. Start at the Gothic Saint-Jean cathedra to discover a cobblestone labyrinth of courtyards, passageways, Gothic staircases, and Italian galleries. For dinner, choose from hundreds of restaurants, from family-owned restaurants serving traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, informal brasseries, to Michelin-starred restaurants like the iconic Auberge de Collonges, founded by the famous chef Paul Bocuse.

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Day 5: Dombes Plain & Alps

Lake Annecy
Lake Annecy

Hit the road for your full-day driving tour of the Dombes Plains and the Alps. Head northeast of Lyons, making your way first to the plains of the Dombes Lakes, a landscape that's characterized by its horse farms.

After an hour of driving, your first stop is the medieval town of Place des Tilleuls, where 15th-century homes line the narrow streets, and 13th-century walls still stand. After a tour of the Old Town, head to the Hostellerie du Vieux Pérouges for warm Pérouges galettes served with a glass of cider. From here, continue on the road to the French Alps, arriving in Annecy two hours later in time for lunch. Choose from a selection of restaurants, with options ranging from traditional Alps cuisine to crossover Italian specialties. 

After your meal, spend the afternoon exploring the town, nestled between two mountains on the shores of Lake Annecy. Learn about the area's history, which the earls of Savoy and Switzerland used as their residence for many years. For a different perspective of the town, take a cruise on the lake and enjoy views of the mountains. Alternatively, tour a cheese factory and try some of the regional mountain specialties. In the evening, drive the 1.5 hours back to Lyon.

Day 6: Beaujolais Tour & Wine Tasting

Crushing grapes for wine
Crushing grapes for wine

In the morning, enjoy your tour of Beaujolais, a historic province and wine-growing region just north of Lyon. Often compared to Tuscany, this beautiful countryside dotted with hilltop villages offers a gentle pace of life. Your cultural and gourmet itinerary leads you around the southern part of Beaujolais, which is famous for its Beaujolais Nouveau and golden stone, which lends a unique charm to the surrounding villages. 

Along the route, your knowledgeable driver-guide will pass on his or her passion for the region to you during this rural excursion. You'll also get an introduction to wine and meet with a winemaker who will invite you to enjoy a tasting experience. Rest of the day at leisure to explore Lyon at your own pace.

Day 7: Transfer to Nice, Tour of Aix-en-Provence en Route

Quiet summer day in Aix
Quiet summer day in Aix

On your way to Nice, stop to discover the slow-paced lifestyle and the Provençal charm of Aix-en-Provence. Spend the morning exploring Aix on a two-hour guided walking tour and uncover the rich heritage, art, and culture that defines the city. Stroll a labyrinth of narrow streets, passing historic churches and squares as your guide points out famous and hidden gems.

Visit the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, a Romanesque/Gothic church built on the site of an ancient Greek temple to Apollo. Stop and see the Town Hall (known locally as the Hotel de Ville), which dates to the 14th century and sits on an equally old plaza. The tour includes a walk along the Cours Mirabeau, a busy thoroughfare lined with leafy trees and full of markets and cafés—perfect for people-watching. Search around to find ruins dating back to the days of the Roman Empire. At the end of your city tour, continue to Nice.

Day 8: Full Day on the Coast: Cannes, Antibes & Saint-Paul de Vence

Cap d’Antibes
Cap d'Antibes

Start your full-day tour of the coast with a drive to Cannes. Spend the morning exploring the city, starting at the Old Port in the heart of the city. Although it lost some of its nautical importance following the construction of the new and bigger Port Canto, the old port still welcomes yachts and boats with traditional rigging. The port marks the entrance to the Suquet, the oldest quarter and the historic center of Cannes. Built on a hill, the Suquet invites you for a stroll along its steep medieval streets as you wander to the top viewpoints.

Continue to Antibes, where you'll visit a typical provençal market and wander the streets of the old town. The town is also famous for the Picasso Museum, which chronicles Picasso's 1946 stay in the Château Grimaldi and features the paintings, drawings, and ceramics which he produced during his time there. 

Other stops today include the hilltop villages of Provence and Saint-Paul de Vence. Both towns boast exceptional culinary treats: Provençal stew, aioli, anchoïade, herbes de Provence, garlic, basil, olive oil, truffle, figs, honey, and of course, the ever-present wine. In Saint-Paul de Vence, choose from one of two tour options: a wine tasting with experts or a private guided tour of the Folon Chapel and the Maeght Foundation. Visit the keep, collegiate church, and ramparts, then head to the Matisse Chapel in Vence. Return to Nice in the evening.

Day 9: Private Tour of Monaco, Monte Carlo & Eze

Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo

In the morning, make your way to Monaco, a 12-mile (20km) drive from Nice, for a guided tour. Monaco is one of the world's smallest countries and is considered a city-state.

Visit the famous Monte Carlo district with its legendary casino and see Prince Rainier's car collection, then continue to the Rock of Monaco (Rocher de Monaco in French.) This is the location of the town's oldest neighborhood, the medieval Old Town. From here, the views of the sunny coast are unparalleled. Learn about this community's history and anecdotes about the dynasty which has reigned there for decades. 

From here, continue to the medieval village of Eze, which perches high above the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to its location and history, it's a popular destination with painters and artists. Explore the famous Chapelle Sainte-Croix and the ruins of the ancient castle, which allude to the city's strategic location on the coast. Stroll through the town's peaceful gardens and soak in the sunshine. At the end of the day, return to Nice. 

Day 10: Depart Nice

French Riviera by night
French Riviera by night

After breakfast, take a private car or train transfer to the airport to catch your flight home. A bientôt!

More Great France Itineraries

 

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Map

Map of Honeymoon Romance in France: Paris, Lyon & the French Riviera - 10 Days
Map of Honeymoon Romance in France: Paris, Lyon & the French Riviera - 10 Days