Paris to Nice to London

Which month?
Certainly would make sense to fly from Nice to the UK. Suggest Gatwick and then by rail to Southampton.

We arrive Paris July 18

I’d save the Riviera for another trip. You would be needing to depart for SouthHampton for your cruise departure almost as soon as you arrived in the Riviera.

I agree with Kenko, don't try to do too much in the very limited time you have. If this is your first trip to France, focus on Paris and maybe add a day trip or two.

I don't think you have time.

How many nights will you want in Paris?

Assuming you go immediately to Nice, the train will literally take all day.

You need to leave for the UK at least by the day before your cruise. I don't think you will find anything Nice to Southampton. As said above, you will need Gatwick so you need to see if either EasyJet or RyanAir (either may be tough if you have done the traditional packing for a cruise) from Nice on the 21st or 22nd.

If you are in Paris just before leaving for England you can take the Eurostar to London easily, but fares will be selling out by this time.

Is this a last minute trip?

Yes this is somewhat last minute. The cruise is organized for a work event. We are coming in early to enjoy time off the ship on our own. The thought of Paris and London taking all of the time didn’t sound so appealing as both such large busy cities. So I thought we could get out of Paris right away and spend time in the French Riviera. But I do agree. Just too much. I should have flown us into Southern France if that is what we wanted to do.

I can see the point in staying in a smaller town to avoid the big cities, but there are other options that are closer. Maybe a few days in Lille?

You could take the TGV to Tours, be there in an hour and spend time in the Loire Valley.

Yes, this is very much feasible. Transportation in France is phenomenal, so you can easily take a train south (albeit, a 6 hour scenic ride) or fly to Nice from Paris, and then fly anywhere out of the Nice Airport. We stayed at the Hotel Suisse Nice, which was absolutely perfect - lovely rooms, beautiful views, and ideal location.

Fly directly to Nice. Air France/ Delta flies NY to Nice. Then fly to Gatwick on the 21st or 22nd. Just beware that your Nice-England flight could have hiccups that affect arriving for your cruise.

Sorry I have been busy and not able to further research to determine what to do. Thank you all for your tips. Hopefully today I can look into your recommendations.
Our flight from the states is already booked taking us into Paris.

The Loire Valley looks lovely.
So I am thinking stay in Paris the 18-20. Then head to Tours 20-22. I need to check the itinerary for the cruise that departs on the 23rd but maybe go from Tours directly to Southampton?

Tours to Southampton is a complicated journey. If you must go to the Loire Valley, head there immediately upon arrival, then go to Paris, then to Southampton.
But frankly, with just 5 days I would stay in Paris...there is so much to see and do, including many, many chateaux to visit in the vicinity.

what balso said.

The trip to Southampton (just one "h" and all one word) is complicated on both sides of the Channel from the Loire Valley.

You could go north to Normandy/Brittany, harder without a car, then a long ferry (beware of cancellations) to Portsmouth and you are nearly there. Or train back to Paris, change to Gare du Nord, then Eurostar to London St Pancras International, cross London to London Waterloo, then train to Southampton.

Or maybe there will be a puddle jumper by then. Or not.

What balso said, be in Paris before you start to Southampton.

Thank you for correcting me on the spelling of Southampton!

We have decided to do three days in Paris and two days in London. Feeling we just don’t have enough time for going out into the countrysides of France for this last minute adventure. Now I need to get to organizing that for our stay.

I'm glad you're making progress

Yes thank you all for your help and time