Perfect 12-Day France Itinerary: Explore Iconic Destinations, Best Stays & Top Tours

France is a beautiful country and offers lot more for tourists to discover. Most of France brought in breathtaking views and wonderful expereinces. In big cities like Paris, even though we spent only a few days, it felt like home.

We’ve put together a 12-day itinerary showcasing the best of our travels in France. We hope it fits perfectly into your vacation plans!

France Itinerary – 12 Days

• Day 1 – Flight
  Arrive in Paris and enjoy evening strolls along the Seine
• I’ve also created dedicated guides. Check out my posts One Week in Paris for a detailed itinerary and Essential Travel Tips and Tickets for Paris for practical advice and attraction passes.
• Day 2 – Paris
  Eiffel Tower, Seine River Cruise
• Day 3 – Paris
• Louvre Museum, Catacombs, Montmartre
• Day 4 – Paris
  Versailles Palace and Gardens
• Day 5 – Paris to Nice
  Take the train from Paris to Nice (5-6 hours), evening visit a popular dance venue and bar in Nice for a fun night out.
• Day 6 – Nice
  Cannes, Eze, and Monaco coastal day trip, evening Promenade des Anglais walk
• Day 7 – Nice
  Beach, Vineyard, evening Promenade des Anglais walk
• Day 8 – Nice – Chamonix
  Fly to Geneva (1.2 hours); Bus from Geneva to Chamonix (2 hours); Enjoy the time in Chamonix
• Day 9 – Mont Blanc
• Aiguille Du Midi Cable car rides
• Day 10 – A Day Hike in the French Alps
• Full day hike Grand Balcon Nord Trail
  Day 11 – Chamonix – Paris
  Bus to Geneva (2 hours), Train from Geneva to Paris (3.5 hours by Fast Speed Train; 6 hours by Regular Train)
• Day 12 – Flight
  Depart Paris for return flight

Where to Stay

• In France, staying in tourist apartments is far more common than hotels, as hotels are limited and cost much more, not surprising for the most visited country in the world with over 60 million visitors annually.
• Below, we’ve shared details of where we stayed during our trip.
• Paris:
• Eiffel Tower view
• We stayed at Rayz Eiffel, a small boutique hotel with cozy rooms, friendly staff, and a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. Waking up to it and watching it sparkle at night felt truly special. The hotel is about a 6 -minute walk from the tower, in a calm, romantic area perfect for walks along the Seine.
• Near the Champs-Élysées
• For the second half of the week, we stayed at Arc Élysées close to the Champs-Élysées. This location felt much more lively and central, with easy access to shopping, cafés, and major sights. It was ideal for busy sightseeing days.
• Nice: We spent the first four days of our stay in Nice at Hotel Le Saint Paul. We booked a sea-view room and it was great, and the hotel was also within walking distance of the beach and the promenade.
• For the next three days, we stayed at Hotel Villa Victoria, a very cozy, clean, and cute boutique hotel. The location was great, with the beach, shops, and plenty of eateries all within walking distance.
• Chamonix: We stayed at Hôtel de L’Arve by HappyCulture, which was a great base for exploring Chamonix. One of the biggest advantages was its location, the hotel is just a short walk from the Aiguille du Midi ticket office, making it convenient for early cable car departures and avoiding unnecessary travel in the morning.
• If you’re still deciding where to stay, you can also browse other hotels in Chamonix here.

Tours we Recommend

• Paris:
• Eiffel Tower:
• When booking Eiffel tower tickets, make sure to choose the option for Summit, most tours do not include this by default. Tickets to Eiffel Tower Summit gets sold out way too ahead, it is better to book them in advance.
• You can buy Eiffel Tower tickets for stair access with elevator to the summit here.
• You can purchase Eiffel Tower tickets for elevator access to the summit here.
• Seine River Cruise: We recommend booking the evening tour, preferably the last departure of the day, so you can admire the fully illuminated Eiffel Tower shimmering in the waters of the Seine.You can book a Seine River boat cruise here.
• Arc de Triomphe: You can purchase tickets for the Arc de Triomphe here.
• The Paris Catacombs are a unique experience, but tickets are very limited due to preservation concerns. Purchase Catacombs tickets in advance here. Tickets are available only for the next 7 days with a maximum of 5 per order. For larger families or groups, ensure everyone has tickets for the same time slot
• Nice:
• Eze Monte Carlo: With this tour, you’ll explore the French Riviera and beyond, journeying from Villefranche-sur-Mer to the Provençal village of Eze, and on to the legendary Casino de Monte-Carlo. It was just a half a day tour, so we got to explore Nice more after the tour.
• Vineyard Tour: We booked this Chateau de Cremat and Chateau Ste Roseline tour. This tour includes a visit to the chateau’s vineyard and winery. It was really a beautiful place. They let us go around the vineyard and we had lots of time in this tour. It took little over 20 minutes by Uber to get there from the Promenade.
• Ferry from Nice to Monaco It is a scenic cruise along the French Riviera to Monaco. We recommend this boat tour as the better way to travel from Nice to Monaco as the trains are over crowded with most of the fans not working (when we took the train) and the windows were all closed.
• Chamonix: Its a beautiful town in the French Alps. Aiguille du Midi is one of the most popular attractions in Chamonix. If you want to explore more in Chamonix, check out this list of activities.