France 10-Day Itinerary 2026: Complete Day-by-Day Plan
A 10-day France itinerary covers Paris (4 days) + Loire Valley + Provence + French Riviera — the perfect first-time France trip combining history, food, landscapes, and Mediterranean glamour.
France 10-Day Itinerary: Day-by-Day Plan
Paris Arrival + Latin Quarter
Louvre + Tuileries + Champs-Élysées
Montmartre + Sacré-Cœur + Musée d'Orsay
Versailles Day Trip
TGV to Loire Valley + Chambord
Chenonceau + Villandry + Wine
TGV to Avignon (Provence)
Provence Drive: Gordes + Roussillon
TGV Avignon to Nice
Monaco Day Trip + Departure
Budget Breakdown
| Style | Daily | Total Trip Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €90/day | €900 total + €600 transit |
| Mid-Range | €150/day | €1,500 total + €700 transit |
| Luxury | €350/day | €3,500 total + €1,200 transit |
- Book Eiffel Tower + Louvre + Versailles 60+ days ahead — sell out daily
- TGV bookings open 90 days ahead — prix.com prices best
- Rent cars at TGV stations (Tours, Avignon) not airports
- Lavender fields peak last 2 weeks of June + first 2 weeks of July
- Provence villages closed Mondays + Sunday afternoons (Catholic tradition)
- Tip 5-10% in restaurants if service excellent (service compris included)
Why three regions in ten days is one too many
The common trap is trying to stack Paris, Provence, and the French Riviera into ten days and treating the train time as free. The TGV from Paris to Avignon runs about 3 hours 25 minutes, and Avignon to Nice eats another 3.5 hours, so each regional hop quietly burns most of a day once you add packing, station transfers, and check-in. Spread across three bases, you end up with one real day in each place.
The smarter move is to cut a region, not add one. Give Paris four nights, then pick either Provence or the Riviera and commit. If you choose Provence, base in Avignon or Arles for the rest of the trip and run day trips to Gordes, Roussillon, and the Pont du Gard rather than relocating again to Nice, which sits too far east to fold in cleanly. Rent your car at the Avignon TGV station, not a Paris airport, so you skip city traffic and only pay for the days you actually drive the Luberon back roads. Save the Riviera for a trip flying in and out of Nice.
France 10-Day Itinerary FAQ
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.