France trip itinerary help - Paris and Nice

We didn’t care for Avignon and much preferred Arles. Avignon is a city of more than 90,000 residents and the smaller size Arles,50,000, fit our expectations much better.
Be careful about “open hours” for the chapel in Vence. We were able to enter but the open times were quite limited.
We spend several weeks in Nice each time we visit . There is do much to see and explore in the city and surrounding area. The blend of cultures( French, Italian) makes it an interesting city.

EJ Travls,
How exciting for you and your mom to be in France for her special birthday. As someone who has been there a few times in my 81 years, I do have some suggestions (hopefully) to make your mom's visit a great one.
Day 1: The HOHO bus will probably get stuck in traffic somewhat. And on arrival day, something where you sit and ride (the bus and the Seine River boat tours) will likely put you to sleep after an overnight flight from the states. The Arc and the ET are good ideas for walking around, but by nighttime you may be ready for an early bedtime, so maybe do one of these in the afternoon.
Day 2: Since the Louvre is so large, pick one wing or section of it to see. It is worth doing the research so you don't wear yourselves out backtracking or looking for that special piece of art. For most people, 3-4 hours in one stretch is about the max. Going to L'Orangerie from the Louvre on foot takes you through the Tuileries. Yay! And the Palais Royal is just over 2 km from L'Orangerie, so that is doable. I will add, however, that you need to fit in some time for lunch and just sitting and resting. You may be ready to stop your sightseeing before the Jardin de Palais Royal.
Day 3: Looking good!
Day 4: IMO a one day trip to Strasbourg is too much. But it is doable with the TGV (just under 2 hours). I would leave as early as possible to give myself more time there. Been to both, but for one day I think Strasbourg has more to offer. If you do pick Colmar, it is about another half-hour by train from Strasbourg.

Day 5: Giverny won't take a whole day, so you have time for something else when you return. (Unless you left really late for Giverny. I advise an early start to have less crowding.) The Opera Garnier is one of my favorite things, and the magnificent ceiling is by Chagall. Your mom would love it. Maybe a Seine cruise later (it takes about an hour.)
Day 6: Looks fine. Personally I am not a huge fan of Avignon (By the way, the population is over 480,000, so def not a village). But you may want to see the papal palace and the bridge and some of the old town. (Are you thinking of Avignon or maybe Arles, pop. 52,00?)
Day 7: Option 1, although you may not fit everything in. Do see Pont du Gard, Rousillon for sure.
Day 8: Option 1. Drive times will be longer than what the websites say. Add an hour to what they say for gas/food/comfort stops and traffic surprises. Picking up a rental car can go quickly or slowly. Qui sait? Personally, I get a paper Michelin map for the areas we drive in to get the big picture of our driving. (But then I am 81, soooo last century!)
Days 9 and 10: I have no opinion, but of course, go to Vence!
Amusez-vous bien!

A bit of a tough choice - essentially either pick a day in Avignon or a day in Nice. They’re my two favorite cities in France…well, Lyon’s right up there, too.

With Option 2, at least you get a night in Avignon, along with that whole day in Nice at the end, so I’d go with it, and don’t bother with an Option 3, which skips Avignon and Provençal villages entirely.

Additional notes:

Unless you have specific dining plans for Avignon on Night 6, and would like a nice dinner, I recommend Numero 75, at 75 Rue Guillaume Puy. It was started by Chef Robert Brunel, from whom I took a cooking class in Avignon years ago, and also when he used to make trips to Boulder, Colorado. He, and his restaurant, are excellent.

In Antibes, is the Picasso Museum part of your plans? I hope it is.

Depending on how much time you spend touring around Nice, it is possible to see both the Chagall and Matisse museums on Day 9. Chagall takes an hour longer if you see the film in the cinema room, and there’s also a very nice cafe in the courtyard for lunch. Inside the Matisse museum is a small model he built to help in designing the Chapel of the Rosary; not the same as the actual chapel, of course, but your mom and you might still want to make a point of seeing it if you include the Matisse museum in your plans.

On Day 1 instead of taking the Hop on Hop off bus I would recommend taking a river boat ride on the Seine. It gives a lovely overview of the city. When you go to the Eiffel Tower be sure to see it from Trocadero - the views are spectacular especially at night with the lights on.

On Day 4 it may be too much to go to Strasbourg and or Colmar for just the day. We spent 2 nights there. You would spend most of your time traveling. Instead you may consider seeing the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris and the St Germain des Pres area with Cafe de Flore and the St Germain des Pres church, the oldest in Paris. Also consider Musee D'Orsay with the impressionist paintings. We enjoyed it even more than the Louvre. Another place to visit would be Galeries Lafayette at 40 Bd Haussman. It is a great department store with a gorgeous dome.

We loved our time in the French Riviera, and the small towns near Nice are easily reached by regional train or bus. Villefranche sur Mer, Eze, and Monaco are great. You may wish to skip Avignon and take the train directly from Paris to Nice.

Whatever you choose it will be a great trip with your Mom. It is so thoughtful of you to celebrate her.

I was underwhelmed with Nice--basically another city. I walked on the promenade and saw the Chagall museum which was small. I was in and out of it in less than an hour. It was raining heavily the day I was there so that didn't help.

I was so glad I stayed in Villefranche-sur-mer instead of Nice. It was more quaint and I had a view of the cruise ships coming into port. From my room, I could actually see the villa across the water where Keith Richards once lived. Beaches were nice too. I used the train to go to Monaco and Nice. I was able to walk to Beaulieu and St Jean Cap Ferrat. If I ever went back to the French Riviera, I would stay somewhere in St Jean Cap Ferrat, I think. It was gorgeous.

A couple critiques:

1. There's no way you will do the Louvre and l'Orangerie in the same day, let alone adding in the Palias Royal. Not going to happen unless you just walk in the door and then walk out. The crowd alone will prevent it. Pass on l'Orangerie, it will be wall to wall and you can't enjoy that. Do get into the Louvre within the first or second time slots, and immediately go to the top and work you're way down. That will allow you to avoid most of the crowd for a couple hours.

2. Don't day trip to Strasbourg. You'll spend too much time in travel. If you must see that city do it enroute to the south coast. If you must have another day trip, and you love Chagall, go to Metz and see his work in the cathedral there. I'm biased, but Metz for a day is better than Strasbourg.

And something to consider; skip Avignon and stop in Lyon on the way to Nice.

Be sure to reserve ahead your tickets in Paris. I'm surprised that if your mom is an art lover you are not going to the Musee d'Orsay. Reserve well ahead and integrate these visits so you can avoid fatigue and burnout. Consider also the Picasso Museum when you are in the Marais.

If you book a reservation at Notre Dame, it won't be as time consuming. The renovations are not complete and you walk in a very tight, controlled and extremely packed circuit with all the walkups (which will have a huge line). I was there earlier in the month and I found it stiffling (but it was my return visit). The Strasbourg day may be tiring and long and might be best reserved for another trip.

Are you planning a boat tour in Cassis? Can you mother walk/hike what's required to see most of the Calanques? There is some drivable access, but days may be limited (even in May) and walking/hiking may still be required. If no boat trip or the walking/hiking is not possible. you may want to skip it.

Take care with driving in Nice, if you are ovelapping with either the Cannes Film Festival or the Monaco Grand Prix. Driving into the center can be challenging. You might consider returning your car after your trip to Vence. Return it at the airport and take the tram into town. On your trip to Vence, there is also St. Paul de Vence and the Fondation Maeght.

There really are no wineries with dining in this part of the south, unless by special booking, try that near Avignon or in Provence. You might consider lunch at the Colombe d'Or in St. Paul de Vence. Reserve ahead. Famous painters through history paid their bills through artwork that now hang on the walls. If you want a special dinner/lunch with a view, consider one of the Michelin star places in Eze or le Plongeoir in Nice (reserve ahead). There are also other beach and resort restaurants with good views, of course. The Chagall Museum is the more special of the two on the Cimiez hill, with the chapel stained glass, garden mosaics and the dedicated space he created for his series of 17 religious paintings.

I agree that it is a long day to try to see Strasbourg in a day from Paris. One thing to watch out for in Strasbourg, especially at age 81: the bicyclists. There are a lot of them and they do not seem to pay much attention to pedestrians. We liked Strasbourg, but we spent 5 days there in an apartment and were able to see it leisurely.

We saw the papal palace in Avignon and thought it was worthwhile. Cannot speak for the rest of Avignon, as that is all we stopped for. Peter