Please sign in to post.

Itinerary for 10-day trip to France

My wife, 12yo daughter and I are planning a trip this summer to France, flying from Toronto. My wife and I visited Paris and the Loire Valley 20 years ago, and my daughter has never been to Europe.

We've bounced around some ideas:

  1. 3-4 days in Paris—all the usual stops.
  2. 3-4 days in Lyon—take TGV from Paris, see the sights, soak in the culture, eat good food.
  3. 3-4 days in Arles/Avignon—take TGV from Paris/Lyon. See some Gallo-Roman stuff. Rent a car locally if necessary.
  4. 2-3 days in the Alps—rent a car, drive up into the mountains. Hiking, zip lining (100% must, per my daughter), tram up to see mountain vistas

If we go to the mountains, perhaps fly home through Geneva. Otherwise, train back to CDG.

That seems like too much to fit into 10-12 days!

Paris is locked in.

1-2-4 Paris/Lyon/Chamonix (for example) to GVA is a relatively tight triangle.

1-2-3 Paris/Lyon/Avignon would perhaps avoid renting a car and have the least travel. Flights into/out of CDG seem cheapest from YYZ.

The ancient ruins in the south look super interesting, but that much more travel. Is Lyon distinctive enough from Paris to merit a visit, or would 1-3-4 be more interesting?

Is there a great option 5 to consider? Is more time in less places better? If the Alps, suggestions for resorts? (This would also serve as scouting for future ski trips!)

Edit 2025.05.20, corrected my daughter’s age.

Posted by
1626 posts

Check to make sure your daughter is big enough for the zip line gear. They may have a weight/height/age requirements. We have a Zipline near us: you do need enough arm strength to make adjustments as you go!

Posted by
5 posts

Thanks, will do. She’s been fine the last two summers in Quebec, but the one closest to us is minimum 13yo. [shrug]

So, yes, we will check in advance.

Posted by
600 posts

Maybe try a Paris and Arles/Avignon trip. That would be a nice mix of big city/smaller towns, and the "Gallo-Roman stuff" is probably interesting for a 10-year old. If you do this combination, consider flying into one city and out of another. And for 3 people, a rental car will be helpful to explore Arles, Avignon, and the other ancient cities in Southern France.

Posted by
227 posts

I honestly think 3-4 days in Lyon is too long. I've traveled all over France - been to many cities, towns, and villages - and Lyon is my very least favorite. I think you could see all there is to see in two days if you really want to go. I'd add more time in Avignon with side trips to Arles and Uzès and maybe even Nîmes.

Depending on your airline and home destination, you might consider flying out of Nice. For me, I can get a direct flight on Delta to Atlanta from Nice and if you could that, it would round out your South of France trip very nicely.

Posted by
7555 posts

I honestly think 3-4 days in Lyon is too long

I agree! 2 days is enough without side trips

Posted by
506 posts

As a former Lyon resident, I would disagree that Lyon warrants only two days for a visit. It's a large, fascinating city, with a variety of things to do depending on one's interests.

A few things to think about:

A walk from Place Carnot, near the Perrache train station, up rue Victor Hugo to Place Bellecour passes by many interesting shops. Rue de la Charité just to the east is an alternative, but both get you to Bellecour. It's a huge square with a large statue in the middle and there often are events set up within the square. If your daughter has read Le Petit Prince, a short walk SW from Bellecour takes you to the intersection of rue Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry and rue du Plat. There, above a fairly plain brown wooden door, is a plaque commemorating the birthplace of Saint-Exupery. Return to Bellcour and continue north a short way to Place des Jacobins to see its beautiful fountain and impressive buildings lining the place. A short walk up rue Mercière is a pretty impressive introduction to dozens of restaurants with outside dining. True, many of them cater to the tourist trade, but it's still an interesting sight. Cut east past rue du Président Edouard Herriot over to rue du République and continue north, noticing the fountains and stores. You'll pass the grand Bourse and end up at the opera house. Head west past the Hôtel de Ville to Place Terreaux to see the recently restored fountain by Bartholdi, who also sculpted the Statue of Liberty. Then, duck into the garden in front of the Musée des Beaux Arts to enjoy the peace and quiet (and cool shade if it's warm while you're there). If art is an interest, the museum is definitely worth a visit. And, if you're game, head a short distance northwest to one of the Roman ampitheaters in Lyon, the Ampithéatre des Trois Gaules.

Transport yourself back into the Middle Ages in Vieux Lyon. Visit Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste and see its incredible astronomical clock dating from the 1600s. Duck into a traboule or two. Take the funicular that ascends Fourvière Hill and visit the ornate, mosaic-filled Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière, both upstairs and downstairs. Climb up to the roofs to see close up the Saint-Michel statue and to look over cental Lyon. The still-used nearby ampitheatre is worth visiting as is the adjacent Gallo-Roman museum. Descend back to Vieux Lyon via the peaceful, leafy, winding path through the Parc des Hauters.

If you're interested in Lyon's food heritage a couple of things to look into in addition to the city's restaurants are the massive Marché Saint-Antoine stretching along the Saône river, and les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse. Just walking through les Halles to see the various shops and products on display is pretty amazing.

If your daughter is interested in flea markets, Les Puces du Canal in the suburb of Villeurbanne (accessible by bus) is pretty cool and you both will see stuff you haven't seen before.

If fabrics are an interest, a visit to the Lyon Musée des Tissus is in order. Before going, help your daughter learn about Hollerith cards and how they were used to load and run computer programs. Then, see a massive loom with its punched cards that tell the loom how to weave the pattern of the fabric -- it's essentially the same technology; separated by centuries.

The huge Parc de la Tête d'Or, Lyon's backyard, packed on warm summer weekend days and quiet most other times. Enjoy the large greenhouses with specimen plants, the free zoo, the rose garden, the classical sculptures, the pond with the War Memorial on the island, and the adjacent Cité Internationale with its modern architecture and sculptures.

If WWII is of interest, th Centre d'Histoire de la Résistance et de la Déportation is a sobering look at Lyon during those trying times.

I'm out of space now, but consider a visit to nearby Pérouges, and see the well-preserved medieval town that was used to film, if I recall correctly, three different Three Musketeers films.

Posted by
506 posts

One last thing (actually, there are several but it's late here and I need to head to bed): don't miss the massive and recently renovated Hôtel Dieu de Lyon on the Presqu'île. It's huge and worth a visit to see the shops and restaurants.

Posted by
227 posts

I would disagree that Lyon warrants only two days for a visit. It's a
large, fascinating city, with a variety of things to do depending on
one's interests

It is definitely subjective what one person enjoys and another person dislikes. But reading your response prompted me to Google the question: What is the least enjoyable city to visit in France? which led me to a Euro News article saying "the southeastern city of Lyon takes the unwanted crown of the least friendly city in France." OUCH!

But I didn't dislike Lyon specifically because it was unfriendly (actually, I have been in a French city much unfriendlier than Lyon but I won't get into that here.) I just didn't care for the city itself and I didn't find it particularly charming or beautiful. We did a river cruise which was "okay," we went up to see the Basilica which was also "okay," and we went to the Musée des Tissus which was probably the thing I enjoyed the most in that visit. Otherwise, the impression I got from the city was rather bleak. Maybe Lyon and I got off on the wrong foot, but sadly I don't plan to go back and try again only because there is so much to see and so little time to see it all. First impressions matter and I didn't get a good one in Lyon.

.

Posted by
5 posts

Bob, thanks so much for your detailed rebuttal to the "max 2 in Lyon" crowd. Writing that all out took some time and I appreciate it. The Musée des Tissus sounds very interesting!

Still at the planning stages...

Posted by
5 posts

Regarding le Museé de Tissus, I have just discovered that it is closed indefinitely for renovations. C'est dommage.

Posted by
1560 posts

Lyon has the great Roman museum adjacent to the theater ruins. Lyon is a pretty city with an interesting history but suffers from being so close to Paris.

As for GalloRoman ruins I dug out my trip reports from then:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/lyon-and-vaison-la-romaine-ancient-ruins-tour-1-2
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/avignon-pont-du-gard-orange-st-remy-arles-ancient-ruins-tour-2-2

Nimes is the place obviously missing from. This list of places.

Have a great trip,
-Tod

Posted by
29212 posts

I'm a big fan of Lyon myself and look forward to returning; however, there are aspects of the city that are reminuscent of Paris, and on a short trip like this I'd want to consider variety of atmosphere, architecture, etc.