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Strasbourg to Nice - Train and/or driving

We will be 2 adults travelling from Strasbourg, south to Nice in April 2025. We plan to fly from Canada to CDG then train to Strasbourg. We have approximately 5 days once we reach Strasbourg.

We are comfortable with some driving, but would like to take advantage of the train systems as much as is feasible.
We'd like to see Colmar and area. Perhaps drive/train through the western border area of Switzerland as far as Lausanne/Geneva area, then back to France to see Avignon and then train to Nice.

We are aware that we could spend several days in each area but unfortunately we have limited time and would like to see as much as we can while we are there.

We are looking for recommendations for must see stops for our journey and good spots along the way to spend a night - not necessarily specific hotels or cottages but towns/cities you would recommend for an overnight stay.

Does anyone have an itinerary for a similar trip they could share? Perhaps we should stay within France and exclude Switzerland for another trip....we are wary of planning too much.

We prefer the countryside over the cities. We enjoy walking and some light hiking. We are not too interested in museums or galleries but would rather walk/wander and enjoy being outdoors more than inside.

Thank you all so much for your anticipated responses.

Posted by
33810 posts

if you go into Switzerland and go onto a road signed with a green sign you MUST have a Swiss toll Vignette. Available at the border or an e-Vignette is available online. Your French car is unlikely to have one. It will cost CHF 40 (around 40€). The Vignette is valid a full calendar year, there is no short period one.

I prefer the scenery on the north (Swiss) side of Lake Geneva.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you @Nigel for your driving advice. Much appreciated.

I'm looking at maps and see that we can easily travel through Switzerland in a half day if we chose to go through by train.
Do you have favourite places to visit that we should consider?

I saw someone recommend Gites de France on this forum. Which I will explore. Do you know if there is a similar site for Switzerland.

We prefer small self contained lodging over hotels if we can find suitable.

Thank you

Posted by
12313 posts

You should consider an Air France flight. Avignon is a pretty good transportation hub, so you could continue to Nice from there. It really depends on the stops you want to make en route.

One of my trips I drove from Lyon, up to Chamonix, then down to Provence and the Riviera. Afterward I took an Air France flight from Nice back to Paris.