Nice & Paris in 5 days

When you say 5 days is that 5 nights? or 6 nights/5 days.

I think this is a terrible idea -- Paris alone requires 5 full days to do much of a job scratching its surface. Nice needs about 3 nights/2 days. But if you are going to Nice and have only 6 nights/5 full days (one of which will be lost moving from Nice to Paris) then I would do 2 nights one full day in Nice and the rest in Paris. You CAN do Nice in a day and see the high points. Paris takes a lot of time.

6 days/5 nights. Length of stay is not ideal, but what is fitting into our work schedule for our first trip to France. We cram a lot into our travels, and understand we will only be scratching the surface.

Landing 10am on July 11th ... Where?
Have to be in London July 17th for a 12:30pm flight home ... Do you plan to spend the night before in London?

I don't think what you propose is making "the most of your time, all day & all night". I would advise against it.

Given your short time frame, I'd suggest choosing one or the other, but not both.

If you are flying out of London (Gatwick or Heathrow??) does that mean that you are flying on a round trip to London?

How are you getting to Nice?

Let me see how this might add up. I am fairly sure that even for the Energizer Bunny - which you say you are - this won't work.

Day zero, fly from home all night to Europe. Assume London.

Day 1
Arrive 10:00 if the flight is on time. The rest of the day is spent getting to Nice. 10-12 walking in the terminal, queueing, arrival formalities. You need a couple of hours buffer time to account to long queues and late planes. 12 noon check in for 2 pm flight to Nice (I haven't checked if there is one then, it may be later or much later, between Easyjet, BA, Air France - the Eurostar to TGV is a non-starter with such a late arrival in London).
2pm flight to Nice for around 90 minutes, add an hour for time zone, arrival Nice airport around 4:30 pm. An hour getting out of the airport and half an hour to your hotel, just in time for dinner.

You have been on the go now for how many hour? Energizer bunnies need new batteries.

Night 1 - Nice

Day 2 - you need a slow day for jetlag concerns, around Nice

Night 2 - Nice

Day 3 - around Nice, afternoon flight to Paris. Total productive time in Nice - 1 and a half days

Night 3 - Paris

Day 4 - Paris

Night 4 - Paris

Day 5 - pack up, some Paris in the morning, afternoon Eurostar to London. It is a bit late for buying tickets for the Eurostar now, the more expensive tickets will be left (that is true for your flights too). You need to be at the check in at Gare du Nord an hour before your departure. Evening in London. Productive time in Paris - one and a half days.

Night 5 - London

Day 6 - pack up and get to the airport no later than 9:30, means leaving your hotel no later than 8.

So for all that effort you get a day and a half each in Nice and Paris. Hardly seems worth it, does it?

Pick one.

We are flying directly into Nice on Tuesday, landing around 10a. Thought is to fly out of Nice to Paris on Thursday evening 6:55. Then fly from Paris to London on Sunday morning 7a flight with plenty of time to catch our 12:55p flight back to the States.

It is an aggressive itinerary, I'm aware. Unfortunately due to work schedules and pre-booked tickets that are unchangeable, this is our itinerary. We wanted just a taste of the South of France and Paris for our first and definitely not last trip to France.

"Unfortunately due to work schedules and pre-booked tickets that are unchangeable, this is our itinerary. "

I'm confused, it appears you have your itinerary set so just what is it you want from people here? My advice is just to go ahead and enjoy the little time you have.

We have only booked our flight to Nice, and from London. I did not think Rick Steves' readers would be as judgmental as these replies have been. Merely asking how many days to split between Nice & Paris for first-time visitors hoping to get a mere taste of what those areas have to offer.

Sorry, I thought all your flights were already booked, including Nice to Paris and Paris to London, since you stated flight times. If you're still looking for thoughts or opinions on this for first time visitors, I would say fly to Paris on Thursday AM instead of PM and have more time in Paris, less in Nice. Just a personal opinion. I love them both but would always recommend more time in Paris.

There's nothing judgemental here.

If you want judgemental there are places I could send you. This is - really it is - Tara, creampuff.

There are some folks on here with many many trips under their belts and who are willing to share their experience that you can benefit from it. For free.

Some of us move very quickly in our travels, some of us prefer to take it easy and enjoy our holidays. All of our inputs are valuable.

I, personally, live not far from London, regularly travel to and around Paris, sometimes by car, sometimes by train (I refuse to get involved with CDG so will never fly to Paris) and almost every winter or spring for over 15 years I go to the Côte d'Azur, around Monaco and Nice, usually by train, sometimes car, and flew once. So I do know of what I speak.

I want you to have a great time, and that's why I said what I did. I don't want you to waste your time.

If everybody comes on here and says that what you want to do won't give you as much pleasure, that isn't judgemental - that is reality speaking, based on what you have disclosed at the time.

5 nights is 4 days not 6. You get a little time the arrival afternoon but the departure day is a dead loss. It takes two nights to get a full day anywhere. Five nights gives you 4 full days plus a little fragment the day before. 2 nights in Nice and 3 in Paris is a huge expenditure of resources for very little payoff.

On my first trip to Europe, out of 4 months, I spent 0 days in Paris. I saved it for another time when I could actually "be" there. I did spend quite a bit of time on the Mediterranean coast of France.

My son took his older 2 daughters to Paris for a weekend! 3 nights, 2 days. Different strokes, eh?

If it was me with your current flight schedule, I'd spend all my time in the Nice area and fly directly from Nice to London the day before my flight home. Please do not discount the time it takes flying anywhere, both for arrivals and departures -- especially these days.

Also don't discount the time it takes to get checked into and out of your lodgings and to and from the airports.

Assuming that both Nice and Paris are non-negotiable, you might find it faster to take a fast train from Nice to Paris and the Eurostar from Paris to London.

No matter what, I would get to London the day BEFORE your flight home. Flying into London to fly out the same day when you typically have to check in 3 hours before the flight is just too iffy. I flew from LHR to Seattle June 12th on British Airways and they wanted us to check in at 12:30 for a 15:30 flight.

As someone else already said, at this late date, all these transportation options will likely be at full price. Although you don't mention it, getting lodging may also be pricey and difficult. Be prepared for the challenges.

I don't mind how you split it up.. or how brief your journey.. but arranging to fly from anywhere on the morning of your international flight is travel suicide.

If for any reason at all your plane is delayed.. you may miss your international flight.. costing you thousands of dollars. Fly into your departure city the night before.

Lo--there's no fast train from Nice to Paris. It's six hours because along the coast the train has to go slowly. It doesn't speed up until you get to Marseille. They'd be on trains or hanging around stations for 10 hours minimum.

Here's my judgement: fly directly to London from Nice, enjoy it and forget Paris. That way you may have forty-eight hours in each place. You really can't do more than that.