One week in France: a multi-city route
Paris to the Riviera by high-speed train, with a papal palace and a Roman arena along the way.
Photo by Julien Maculan on Unsplash
Interactive map of the route. The full stop list below works without it.
About 850 km as the crow flies
How do you spend a week in France?
One week in France works best as a one-way line: start in Paris, ride the high-speed train south to Avignon for the Palais des Papes and a day trip to Roman Nîmes, then continue to Nice and finish on the Mediterranean. Wayside has a self-guided walk waiting in Paris, Avignon, and Nice, with a Nîmes tour in the works, and the plan assumes you fly into Paris and home from Nice so you never double back.
- Days 1 to 3
Paris
Start on the islands
Paris opens best along the Seine, and the Wayside walk here crosses the two islands where the city began: the Sainte-Chapelle's glass, the Conciergerie, Notre-Dame, and the quiet streets of Île Saint-Louis. Sleep within a few métro stops of the river, reserve the sights you care about before you fly, and keep an afternoon for a second walk such as the Marais or Montmartre. When you're ready to move south, the direct train to Avignon leaves from Paris Gare de Lyon.
- TransitDirect TGV and OUIGO trains from Paris Gare de Lyon to Avignon run about 26 times a day and take as little as 2 hours 33 minutes; advance fares start around €16 on SNCF Connect and €19 on OUIGO.SourceSNCF ConnectOUIGO
Paris one-day itineraryParis walking tours
Next leg · 577 km
- Days 4 to 5
Avignon
The popes' city inside the walls
Avignon is the papal city on the Rhône, and its walled centre is small enough to cross on foot between breakfast and dinner. The Wayside walk here runs from the Palais des Papes and the cathedral to the Rocher des Doms garden and the four surviving arches of the Pont Saint-Bénézet; a second walk follows the dyers' water wheels on Rue des Teinturiers. Give the palace your arrival afternoon, shop Les Halles for a picnic, and save a day for the Nîmes excursion.
- TransitDirect regional trains between Avignon and Nîmes run about 19 times a day and take around 40 minutes, with advance fares from €1 one way.SourceSNCF Connect
Avignon one-day itineraryAvignon walking tours
Next leg · 38.2 km
- Day 5, day trip from Avignon
Nîmes
Wayside tour coming soonA Roman day out
Nîmes is the day out from Avignon: a compact southern city with one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the empire, the Maison Carrée temple from the 1st century BCE, and the Tour Magne rising over the Jardins de la Fontaine. The Roman core is within easy reach of the station, and direct regional trains run back to Avignon in time for dinner. A Wayside walking tour for Nîmes is coming soon.
- The amphitheatre in Nîmes is one of the largest and best-preserved in the Roman Empire and still hosts bullfights and concerts, and the Maison Carrée is among the finest surviving Roman temples.SourceEnglish WikipediaNîmes Tourist Office
Next leg · 234 km
- Days 6 to 8
Nice
Finish on the Baie des Anges
Nice closes the week on the Mediterranean, and the Wayside walks here cover the whole waterfront: the flower market on Cours Saleya, the Baroque lanes of Vieux Nice, the free lift and stairs up the Colline du Château for the view, and the seafront walk past the Hôtel Negresco. Inland, Cimiez stacks a Roman arena, the Matisse museum, and Chagall's Biblical cycle onto one hill. Stay near the old town, keep an afternoon free for a swim, and check museum closing days.
- Getting thereDirect TGV trains from Avignon TGV to Nice take about 3 hours, with one-way fares from around €46 when booked ahead.SourceTrainlineSNCF Connect
Less time?
With less time, cut the Riviera and end in Avignon after the Nîmes day trip, flying home from Marseille or riding the TGV back to Paris. If you need it shorter still, trim Paris and drop the day trip.
Planning your route
Is one week enough to see Paris and the south of France?
Yes, if you travel it one-way. High-speed trains link Paris, Avignon, and Nice directly, so you can spend the week moving south and fly home from the Riviera. Book the Paris to Avignon train as soon as your dates are set; advance fares start around €16.
SourceSNCF ConnectShould I book trains in advance?
Yes. Advance fares on the route start around €16 for Paris to Avignon and €46 for Avignon to Nice, and same-day tickets usually cost more; tickets generally go on sale three to six months before departure. OUIGO, the low-cost high-speed brand on the same line, sells adult seats from €19 with children's tickets at a fixed €8.
SourceSNCF ConnectTrainlineOUIGODo I need a car for this itinerary?
No. The whole route runs by train, including the day trip to Nîmes on a direct regional service, and Paris, Avignon, and Nice are all walkable once you arrive. A car would add parking and tolls in cities where the sights sit minutes apart on foot.
Where should I fly into and out of?
Into Paris, home from Nice. That open-jaw routing keeps the trip moving in one direction, and it means your longest train rides fall in the middle of the week. If an open-jaw ticket costs too much, the TGV runs the line in reverse, back to Paris from Nice.
More of France
- Walking toursWalking tours in FranceFrance runs from the chalk cliffs and cider orchards of the Channel coast to the lavender fields and limestone inlets of the Mediterranean, with the Alps and the Pyrenees standing along its eastern and southern borders. Its cities keep the layers in stone: Roman arenas and temples in the south, Gothic cathedrals in the north, Renaissance courtyards above the Saône, and the wide 18th-century squares of Bordeaux and Nancy. Paris is the capital, but Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, and Toulouse hold their own. Food is regional and serious about it, from Normandy's butter and cider to cassoulet in the southwest, bouillabaisse in Marseille, and choucroute in Alsace, with more than 400 cheeses to work through. Days pass in market mornings, long lunches, and slow walks through streets where something worth stopping for sits on nearly every block.
- Know before you goFrance essentialsThe country-wide facts to line up before France: entry rules, trains, money, plugs, holidays and the best seasons to come.
Do it yourself
Follow it in the app
Download Wayside and walk Paris, Avignon, and Nice with a guide in your ear, then keep it for the rest of France.
Provenance · last verified September 27, 2026
Researched and routed by Wayside, with inter-city detail checked against the source.
SourcesFranceAvenueItinerary FranceTrainlineSNCF ConnectEU Travel EuropeFrance DiplomatieOUIGOSNCF ConnectEnglish WikipediaNîmes Tourist OfficeSNCF Connect
Photo by Julien Maculan on Unsplash