France Road Trip Route

France is the most visited country in the world and the best way to see it is by car. The trains are excellent between cities, but the real France — the lavender fields, the vineyards, the gorges, and the villages — is only reachable by road. This route goes from Paris south through Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, Provence, and the French Riviera. Ten days, 1,500 km, and the most varied landscape in Western Europe.

Day 1-2: Paris to Burgundy

Pick up the rental car in Paris. Drive south on the A6 to Burgundy (315 km, 3.5 hours, toll €23). The A6 is the Route du Soleil — the holiday road that every French family takes in July. Drive it on a weekday to avoid the weekend exodus.

Day 1: Beaune. The wine capital of Burgundy. A medieval town with the Hôtel-Dieu (€10, a 15th-century hospital with a multicolored tiled roof — the most photographed roof in France). Walk the old town — ramparts, cobblestones, and wine cellars. Visit the Marché aux Vins (€18, a wine tasting in a 14th-century cellar — taste 15 Burgundy wines). Eat at Le Cep (€25-35, the boeuf bourguignon and the œufs en meurette — eggs poached in red wine sauce). Stay in Beaune (€80-120/night).

Day 2: The Burgundy Wine Route. Drive the Route des Grands Crus (60 km, 1.5 hours, free) — the road from Dijon to Santenay through the Côte d'Or vineyards. Stop in Gevrey-Chambertin (visit a domaine for a tasting, €15-25), Vougeot (the Château du Clos de Vougeot, €8 — a 12th-century monastery where the monks invented Burgundy winemaking), and Meursault (the most beautiful village on the route, with white wine that's the best in Burgundy). Eat in Dijon at Le Pré aux Clercs (€25-35, the jambon persillé — parsleyed ham — and the gougères — cheese puffs). Stay in Dijon (€70-100/night).

Day 3: Burgundy to Provence

Drive from Dijon to Provence (400 km, 4.5 hours on the A6 and A7, toll €30). The route follows the Rhône Valley — vineyards on both sides, the river in the middle, and the Alps on the horizon. Stop in Lyon (2 hours from Dijon) — the food capital of France. Eat at a bouchon (a Lyonnais bistro): Le Bouchon des Filles (€25-35, the quenelle de brochet — a pike dumpling in crayfish sauce — and the praline tart). Walk the old town (UNESCO world heritage — Renaissance streets and the Fourvière basilica on a hill above the city). Continue to Provence (2.5 hours from Lyon).

Arrive in Avignon — the city of the popes. The Palais des Papes (€12, the largest Gothic palace in Europe, built when the popes moved from Rome to Avignon in 1309). Walk the Pont d'Avignon (€5, the broken bridge that only reaches halfway across the Rhône — it was washed away by floods in 1668 and never rebuilt). Stay in Avignon (€70-100/night) or in a nearby village (€50-80/night).

Day 4-5: Provence

Day 4: The Luberon Villages. Drive from Avignon to the Luberon (60 km, 1 hour on the D2 and D900). The Luberon is a mountain range with perched villages — the most beautiful in France. Visit Gordes (a village of white stone on a cliff), Roussillon (a village built on ochre cliffs — red, yellow, and orange), and Ménerbes (the village where Peter Mayle lived and wrote A Year in Provence). Walk the Colorado Provençal in Roussillon (€2, a former ochre quarry with red and orange cliffs — like a mini Grand Canyon). Eat at La Trinquette in Gordes (€20-30, the ratatouille and the lamb with herbs de Provence). Stay in Gordes or Bonnieux (€80-120/night).

Day 5: The Lavender Route. Drive from the Luberon to the Valensole Plateau (80 km, 1.5 hours). The Valensole Plateau is the largest lavender-growing area in France — 800 square km of purple fields. The lavender blooms from late June to mid-July — go in the first two weeks of July for peak bloom. The fields are free to walk through (stay on the paths between the rows). Visit the village of Valensole (a market on Wednesday morning — lavender honey, lavender soap, and lavender essential oil). Drive to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (30 minutes from Valensole) — a village perched on a cliff with a star suspended on a chain between two peaks above the village (the star has been there since the 12th century). Eat at La Bastide de Moustiers (€40-60, a Michelin-starred restaurant in a Relais & Châteaux hotel — the lamb with thyme and the lavender honey ice cream). Stay in Moustiers or nearby Castellane (€60-90/night).

Day 6: The Verdon Gorge

Drive from Moustiers to the Verdon Gorge (20 km, 30 minutes). The Gorges du Verdon is the deepest gorge in Europe — 700 meters deep, 25 km long, and turquoise water at the bottom. It's called the Grand Canyon of Europe.

Drive the Route des Crêtes (D23, 24 km, 1 hour, free) — a one-way road along the top of the gorge with viewpoints at every bend. The Point de l'Escalès is the highest viewpoint — 700 meters straight down to the river. Drive to the Pont de l'Artuby (a 110-meter-high bridge — the highest bungee jump in Europe, €80 if you dare). Continue to the Point Sublime (the best view of the gorge — the river makes a 180-degree bend and the cliffs rise on both sides).

For the adventurous: hike the Sentier Martel (15 km, 7 hours, the trail through the gorge along the river — the most spectacular hike in France. Bring water, a flashlight for the tunnels, and good shoes). Or rent a kayak (€30, 3 hours) and paddle the river at the bottom of the gorge — the water is glacial-melt turquoise and the cliffs rise 300 meters on both sides.

Stay in Castellane (€60-90/night) or at the Lac de Sainte-Croix (€70-100/night — a lake at the exit of the gorge with beaches and pedal boats). Eat at La Table de Haute Provence in Castellane (€20-30, the trout from the Verdon river and the goat cheese from the local farm).

Day 7-8: The French Riviera

Drive from the Verdon Gorge to the French Riviera (120 km, 2 hours on the D952 and A8, toll €8). Arrive in Nice — the capital of the Riviera and the best base for exploring the coast.

Day 7: Nice. Walk the Promenade des Anglais (the 7-km seaside promenade). Visit the old town (Vieux Nice) — a maze of narrow lanes with Italian-style buildings (Nice was Italian until 1860). Visit the Cours Saleya market (Tuesday-Sunday, the flower and food market — buy socca, a chickpea-flour flatbread, €3). Visit the Matisse Museum (€10, in a 17th-century villa — 68 paintings and 200 works on paper). Visit the Marc Chagall National Museum (€10, 17 paintings of biblical scenes). Eat at La Merenda (€20-30, 4 rue Raoul Follereau — no reservations, no phone, no credit cards, 20 seats, the daube niçoise — beef stewed in red wine — and the stockfish niçois). Stay in Nice (€80-130/night).

Day 8: The Coast. Drive from Nice to Monaco (20 km, 30 minutes on the Basse Corniche — the lower coastal road, the most scenic). Monaco is a microstate — the casino (€18, the Monte Carlo Casino, built in 1863), the palace (€10, the Prince's Palace, the changing of the guard at 11:55 AM), and the oceanographic museum (€19, built on a cliff, with a shark lagoon). Continue to Èze (10 minutes from Monaco) — a medieval village on a cliff 400 meters above the sea. Walk the exotic garden (€6, cacti and succulents on a cliff with a view). Drive back to Nice on the Moyenne Corniche (the middle road, the one Grace Kelly drove in To Catch a Thief). Eat at La Chèvre d'Or in Èze (€50-80, two Michelin stars, the view is as good as the food — book ahead).

Day 9: Antibes and Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Drive from Nice to Antibes (30 km, 45 minutes). Antibes has the best old town on the Riviera — a walled medieval city on a peninsula, with a Provencal market (Marché Provençal, Saturday morning) and the Picasso Museum (€8, in a seaside castle where Picasso lived and worked in 1946 — 245 works on display). Walk the Cap d'Antibes (a 5-km coastal path through pine forest and past luxury villas — the most beautiful walk on the Riviera). Eat at Le Figuier de Saint-Esprit (€30-40, the bouillabaisse — the real thing, not the tourist version).

Continue to Saint-Paul-de-Vence (20 minutes from Antibes) — a medieval hilltop village that became an artists' colony in the 1920s (Chagall, Matisse, and Picasso all lived here). Visit the Fondation Maeght (€16, a modern art museum in a sculpture garden — Miró, Giacometti, Braque). Walk the village — galleries in every lane, and the Colombe d'Or hotel (€200-400/night, the restaurant has original Picassos and Miros on the walls — the artists paid for their meals with paintings). Eat at the Colombe d'Or (€40-60, the salade niçoise and the daube — reserve ahead, it's booked months in advance).

Day 10: Return

Drive from Saint-Paul-de-Vence to Nice airport (20 minutes) and drop the car. Or drive back to Paris (900 km, 9 hours on the A8 and A6, toll €60 — a long day but doable). Or take the TGV from Nice to Paris (5.5 hours, €40-100 if booked ahead on sncf-connect.com) and drop the car in Nice.

Route Summary

Day	Route	Distance	Drive time
1-2	Paris → Burgundy → Dijon	400 km	4h
3	Dijon → Lyon → Avignon	400 km	4.5h
4-5	Avignon → Luberon → Valensole	140 km	2.5h
6	Valensole → Verdon Gorge	50 km	1h
7-8	Verdon → Nice → Monaco	140 km	2.5h
9	Nice → Antibes → Saint-Paul	50 km	1h
10	Saint-Paul → Nice airport	20 km	30 min

Total: 1,200 km over 8 driving days. Tolls: ~€90 (France has the most expensive tolls in Europe — €0.10-0.15/km on highways). Gas: ~€150 (€1.75/liter, 7 liters/100km). Car rental: €35-50/day, 10 days = €350-500.

When to Go

Lavender blooms late June to mid-July — this is the best time for Provence. May-June and September are ideal for the rest of the route — 20-28°C, the vineyards are green, and the Riviera is warm enough to swim. July-August is hot (35°C in Provence) and the Riviera is packed. October is grape harvest season in Burgundy — the vineyards are full of workers and the wine cellars are busy. Avoid November-February — cold, grey, and many Provence restaurants close.

Money

France is mid-to-upper range. Hotels: €60-130/night (Burgundy and Provence are cheaper, the Riviera is expensive). Meals: €15-25 for lunch, €25-50 for dinner. Wine: €4-8 a glass at a restaurant, €5-15 a bottle at a domaine. Tolls: €90 total. Gas: €150. Budget €100-150/day including accommodation and car. The Riviera is the most expensive part — hotels there are 50% more than in Provence.