France 5 Day Itinerary
France 5 Day Itinerary
Five days is not enough for France, but it is enough for a coherent trip if you resist the impulse to cover too much ground. This itinerary moves from Paris to the Loire Valley to Lyon, which is a logical south-east diagonal and avoids backtracking. The TGV handles the long distances, and each city rewards staying put rather than rushing to the next one.
Visa Requirements
France is part of the Schengen Area. Citizens of EU countries, the UK, USA, Canada and Australia do not need a visa for stays under 90 days. Check current requirements with the French consulate or on the official diplomatie.gouv.fr website before travelling.
Getting into Paris from CDG
The RER B train from Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris (Gare du Nord or Chatelet-Les-Halles) takes 30 to 40 minutes and costs around 11.80 euros one-way, loaded onto a Navigo Easy card. Trains run approximately every 10 minutes from 5 am to midnight. A flat-rate taxi from CDG costs 50 euros to the Right Bank and 55 euros to the Left Bank, which is fair if you are travelling with luggage and in a group. Avoid unmarked or unlicensed taxis outside the terminal.
Day 1: Paris
Paris has more museums than can reasonably be addressed in a short visit. The practical decision is to pick one and do it properly rather than racing between several. The Louvre holds over 35,000 objects across three wings; a focused visit to the Denon Wing (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory) takes 2 to 3 hours. Book timed-entry tickets online before you arrive: the queue for walk-in tickets at the pyramid entrance regularly runs over 90 minutes in summer. Wednesday and Friday evenings, when the museum stays open until 9:45 pm, are notably less crowded than daytime visits.
The afternoon on Ile de la Cite (Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Sainte-Chapelle) is the most concentrated medieval architecture in Paris. Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after the 2019 fire; book entry in advance as it is currently ticketed.
For dinner, the Marais district (3rd and 4th arrondissements) has the best concentration of restaurants in Paris that are neither tourist traps nor expense-account places. Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers is the famous street-food option; for a sit-down meal, the bistros around Place du Marche Sainte-Catherine are consistently good and bookable on short notice.
A Seine river cruise at dusk is the correct way to see the bridges and riverbanks if you have not been to Paris before. The Bateaux Mouches and Vedettes de Paris operate from multiple points; the one-hour circuit is sufficient.
Day 2: Versailles
Take the RER C train from Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame or Invalides to Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche (35 to 45 minutes, trains every 15 minutes). The Palace of Versailles was the seat of the French government from 1682 to 1789, and the Hall of Mirrors, the royal apartments and the gardens are the core visit. Go early: the palace opens at 9 am and the queue builds fast from 10 am onwards. A timed-entry ticket for the palace and gardens can save two to three hours of waiting. The Grand Canal, which runs through the formal gardens, is a kilometre long; hire a rowboat in summer and the scale of the estate becomes apparent in a way that walking does not communicate.
The Musical Fountains show (Grandes Eaux Musicales) runs on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from late spring to early autumn; if your Versailles day falls on a weekend, it is worth timing your visit around it.
Return to Paris for the evening.
Day 3: Loire Valley
Take the TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Tours, a journey of about one hour. Tours is the practical base for Loire Valley chateaux: car hire from Tours station is straightforward and several chateaux are accessible within a 30 to 60-minute drive.
Chateau de Chambord is the most architecturally extraordinary of the Loire chateaux: a Renaissance building with 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces and a double-helix staircase at its centre, attributed (without certainty) to Leonardo da Vinci. It takes two hours to explore properly. Arrive before midday.
Amboise, 25 kilometres east of Tours, is a charming market town with its own royal chateau overlooking the Loire. More significantly, Clos Luce, a manor house at the edge of the old town, was Leonardo da Vinci’s final residence from 1516 until his death in 1519. The gardens contain large-scale working models of his engineering designs, which are genuinely impressive and not widely advertised. Worth the entry fee.
Dinner in Tours or Amboise. The tarte Tatin is the Loire Valley’s contribution to French patisserie and is available in every bakery in the region.
Day 4: Lyon
Take the TGV from Tours to Lyon, changing at Paris if necessary, or if you return to Paris after Day 3, take the direct TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Lyon Part-Dieu (2 hours). Lyon is widely considered the gastronomic capital of France, which is an argument Paris cooks dispute but which Lyon mostly wins.
Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon), a UNESCO World Heritage district, contains one of the largest ensembles of Renaissance architecture outside Italy. The traboules, a network of covered passageways that cut through buildings and connect streets, were used by silk workers and, during the occupation, by the French Resistance. Maps of the public traboules are available at the tourist office.
Climb to Fourviere Hill by funicular from Vieux Lyon station. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere sits at the top with a panoramic terrace overlooking the city and the Rhone and Saone valleys. The Roman theatre below it is one of the oldest in France and still hosts summer concerts.
For dinner, eat at a certified bouchon. A bouchon is a small traditional Lyonnaise restaurant serving dishes like quenelles de brochet (pike dumplings in cream sauce), andouillette (tripe sausage), and tablier de sapeur (crumbed and fried offal). Le Poêlon d’Or in the 2nd arrondissement is a century-old establishment and a listed heritage site. Bouchon Les Lyonnais in Vieux Lyon is another well-established option. Look for the official Les Bouchons Lyonnais certification plaque before trusting a place claiming to be one. Three to four courses with wine runs approximately 25 to 40 euros. Book at least a week ahead.
Day 5: Camargue Day Trip and Return
From Lyon, the TGV to Montpellier takes about an hour. Montpellier has a lively old town and a young population driven by its university, and the Place de la Comedie in the city centre is good for a morning coffee and some walking.
The Camargue wetlands are a 45-minute drive south from Montpellier, a flat coastal delta where the Rhone meets the Mediterranean. The landscape looks like nowhere else in France: pink flamingos, white horses, black bulls, salt flats and reed beds that extend to the horizon. Car hire or an organised tour from Montpellier is the practical option. The Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau is the best place to see flamingos at close range.
Return by TGV from Montpellier or Nimes to Paris for an evening or late-night departure.
Transportation Summary
France’s SNCF rail network covers all the routes in this itinerary. Book TGV tickets through the SNCF website (sncf-connect.com) at least three to four weeks ahead for the best prices; last-minute TGV tickets can cost several times the advance fare. Within Paris, the Metro and RER are reliable and a Navigo Decouverte weekly pass (which covers all zones including CDG) is good value if you are staying longer. Driving in France is straightforward outside of Paris; speed camera enforcement is consistent and the alcohol limit (0.05 percent blood alcohol) is lower than the UK or USA.