That Cool Travel Couple

The Ultimate South of France and Paris 2 Week Itinerary!

France is hands-down one of the most romantic destinations for a travel couple. We loved driving around the romantic French countryside, filling our bellies with delicious cheese and bread. The crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean took our breath away. Paris, the city of lights, is also where Dev proposed! Read on for the ultimate South of France and Paris itinerary!

Practicalities:

Currency: Euros (credit cards accepted most places)

Recommended length of stay: two weeks 

Month of visit: April

Useful tips: Rent a car – we rented a convertible and had a blast! 

CDC’s Recommended Vaccinations: Click here!

Also great idea to download the Google Translate app before you go. In several of the smaller towns in France, many don’t speak English so it comes in handy to translate menus.

Packing List:

• 1 bathing suit
• 1 coat or jacket
• 1 light and 1 medium sweater
• 3 dresses or shirts/pants
• Sneakers
• Nice shoes
• Sunscreen
• Lightweight scarf

Check out our post on what to eat and drink while in France here!

South of France

We started our journey by flying into the Nice airport. This airport is nice and small and easy to navigate. We picked up our rental car from Sixt and upgraded to a convertible. We had a great experience with Sixt and would rent from them again! Super polite personnel and really easy to pick up and drop off. Dev re-learning how to drive a stick shift though, is another story! 

We checked into our hotel Le Royal Promenade des Anglais, dropped off our things and headed to dinner at La Trattoria du Palais. This is an amazing authentic Italian joint. We ordered a burrata pizza and a traditional Nicoise salad and were blown away. Service is quick and efficient and prices are low too. 

After much needed rest, the next day we wandered around Nice. We visited the Modern Art Museum for some culture, and have heard great things about Musee Matisse though this is further out. The Marche Aux Fleurs is an absolute must-do. There are so many little stalls selling almost everything you can imagine. Honey, nuts, oils, fresh fruits and vegetables, delectable pastries and more! We also wandered around Jardin Albert 1er and visited Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate de Nice as well. 

Nice is also home to many delicious restaurants. Join the locals at Lou Pilha Leva and order moules frites and white wine and enjoy on picnic tables outdoors. For dinner, consider La Rossettisserie if you are a carnivore, or Olim Meyerbeer for tasty French food. 

Monaco

Nice a great launching point for a day trip (or overnight stay) to Monaco. You can drive to Monaco, but we opted to take the bus which is a quick and easy option. It runs every thirty minutes and takes thirty minutes end to end. It only costs $2 per leg, then you don’t have to deal with the hassle of parking. 

Monaco is known as a playground for the rich and famous, but is also very exciting to see if you don’t have that kind of money! Definitely visit the Casino de Monte-Carlo for the breathtaking architecture and views over the French Riviera. Monaco is famous for their Gran Prix, which wasn’t going on during our trip. Instead we visited La Collection Automobiles de S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco. Here you’ll find an astonishing collection of vintage cars housed under one roof! Finally, the Roseraie Princesse Grace is a beautiful and fragrant rose garden. It is a peaceful and quiet place to relax after wandering around in the sun all day. 

Nice is also nearby to beautiful rolling fields of lavender. Several close by options are the Plateau de Calerne or Pays de Valensole fields. Keep in mind these don’t typically bloom until June. We visited in April so unfortunately missed them, but will be back on our next trip! 

Road Trip Time

Now on to your road trip through the south of France! There are multiple adorable small villages dotted along the coast of the French Riviera. Which ones you stop at is up to you, but here are the highlights of a few! 

Antibes

The Picasso museum here is a must-visit. The building itself is gorgeous and overlooks the ocean. It is also very close to the Antibes Cathedral, as well as the Marche Provencal. The Marche Provencal is similar to the one in Nice but with its own flare! Have lunch afterwards at the Restaurant Les Vieux Murs for amazing views and delicious dessert! Parking in Antibes is tight, so we suggest parking on the outskirts and walking in to the city. 

Cannes

Cannes is known for the Cannes Film Festival, an internationally renowned annual film festival. For us, it will be forever known as the place where Yas tripped and broke her arm! At least the views over the marina were phenomenal. Have lunch with a bay view and L’Assiette Provencale, and Stay at La Villa Mauresque. This used to be a private villa, and is now turned into a luxury boutique hotel. There are two pools and a smaller jacuzzi, a garden, and a delicious gourmet restaurant. The views over the water are absolutely stunning and there is a private path to the beach. 

Saint Tropez

Celebrities, sparkling blue water, yachts…this town has all of these things, and more. This town exemplifies iconic French Riviera glam. We enjoyed wandering down small streets with high end shops and boutiques. This is where we ate a delicious Tarte Tropezienne AT Tarte Tropezienne. We also wandered around the beautiful botanical garden, and visited Pampellone beach. 

One of the highlights of this stretch of road trip was visiting Domain Bertaud Belieu Winery. This authentic winery is set in the wine country of the south of France. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, and the bottles are relatively inexpensive. We heard that Leonardo di Caprio throws parties at this vineyard! 

Toulon

In Toulon, we highly recommend getting the telepherique du mont Faron and having lunch at The Panoramic for breathtaking views over the ocean. We also found an AMAZING hotel here called Grand Hotel Des Sablettes Plage. This is part of the Hilton Curio Collection and was a beautifully designed hotel with impeccable service. Our balcony had a view over the ocean and we saw surfers in the mornings! 

Definitely drive through Parc National de Calanques, which extends up the rugged south coast of France. Spectacular views await you, though be sure to download offline maps as service is spotty. I suggest downloading the south of France with Google maps to prevent getting lost. 

Marseille

This is where our road trip came to an end. Marseille is a larger city which we would describe as rough around the edges. It is still worth visiting though, and we can highly recommend the bouillabaisse – a traditional French seafood stew. Try the one at Chez Fonfon, though you can’t go wrong with any of the bustling restaurants near Vieux Port. 

Our car rental experience was again magnificently easy as we dropped off the keys at Sixt near the train station and walked a few minutes to get to our train. The train from Marseille to Paris takes nearly four hours, so sit back and relax and watch the French countryside. Light refreshments are available on board as well. We traveled in second class, and it was perfectly comfortable. Rail Europe made the ticket purchasing process easy, and we showed QR codes on our phone to get on board. 

Paris

Our train arrived at the Gare du Nord in the early evening, and the city was brimming with anticipation and life. We checked into our AirBnB which had fantastic views of the Eiffel Tower and sunset. Then we hit the streets and walked over to check out the Eiffel Tower from even closer. There are two ways to enter the Tower – either by walking up the stairs or taking the lift. We recommend buying tickets in advance for a certain time slot to minimize waiting. The last access to the Eiffel Tower via the lift is at 10:45 pm, and the stairs at 6:30 pm. This means you can be up there for sunset! There is also a Champagne Bar and a very expensive restaurant on the tower which we hope to enjoy one day. 

After you’re finished visiting the Eiffel Tower, we suggest walking through the Trocadero gardens then having dinner at the sidewalk cafe Les New York. The lights of the Eiffel Tower will twinkle across the Seine as you enjoy escargot and salmon, amongst other staples. Speaking of the Seine, one of our highlights was the dinner cruise. We met the boat at the port which was a short walking distance from our AirBnB. The service was nothing but the best and we watched the lights of the city slowly drift by us. The food and drinks were exemplary – we would definitely recommend and would love to enjoy this again. Here is the link to the cruise we booked. 

In Paris, there is so much to see and do. Here is one of our walking days itinerary which will allow you to see many iconic landmarks in an efficient way. We started at Sainte Chapelle which is famous for its beautiful stained glass, then walked to Notre Dame via the Marche aux Fleurs. This market features beautiful blooms and fragrant smells and is a must-see. At the time of writing this post, Notre Dame Cathedral is still under construction, so we weren’t able to visit inside. Outside the cathedral you can visit the Archeological Crypt of the Ile de la Cite museum. This subterranean museum showcases various remains that have been found over the years underneath the cathedral. After this, we walked to the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore and then to Odette’s for cream puffs.

After eating our fill, we then walked to the Louvre via the Ponte des Arts. This is otherwise known as the Love Lock Bridge – though the locks had to be cut off in 2015 due to the weight of them! Be prepared for a wait at the Louvre, but it is well worth it to see the Mona Lisa and other iconic pieces of art inside. Once you’re done at the Louvre, walk through the Tuileries Garden and take in the sculpture garden, blooms and shady trees it is famous for. This is also where Dev proposed to Yas, and she said yes! 

On the other side of the Tuileries Garden you will see the obelisk at Place de la Concorde, and a little more walking will get you to Avenue des Champs-Elysees. This street is famous for high end fashion and retail. Keep in mind the restaurants along this street can be quite pricey. Eventually you will get to Arc de Triomphe which is a must-see on any Paris trip. I particularly enjoy going up the internal staircase of the Arc at night, as it affords a spectacular view of the twinkling Eiffel Tower. One of my other favorite views of the Eiffel Tower is at Galeries Lafayette Rooftop (free!). The stained glass dome of this shopping center is also worth seeing. 

Walking around Paris can get tiring, but there is no end to the adorable cafes to relax and have a coffee and recuperate. We particularly enjoyed Brasserie Les Deux Palais across from Sainte Chapelle and Pavillon des Tuileries inside the Tuileries gardens. 

No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. Head to the bottom of the Butte Montmartre and take the quick funiculaire up to Sacre Coeur cathedral. Sit on the steps at sunset and enjoy the ambiance of hundreds of tourists and Parisiennes alike coming together. If you’re lucky, someone will be playing live music! Afterwards, stroll around the markets and grab dinner at Au Clairon des Chasseurs. Pro tip – sit INSIDE instead of outside to enjoy the live music! There is also a fabulous Dali Museum nearby. 

We also visited Disneyland Paris during our stay in France. It is about an hour’s drive to the park from central Paris. We arranged for transport to the park via the Disneyland shuttle, which was a smooth experience until a child vomited down the aisle as we pulled into the park. On the way back we left early, which was not a problem as the train station is near the park which allows for quick access back to Paris. Overall we enjoyed the park, but it didn’t steal our hearts as much as our own Disneyland! 

And thats a wrap, the sun sets on another beautiful trip to the South of France and Paris! Check out 10 foods you CANNOT miss while in France here!