Check out my summer 2024 two-week train hopping adventure around France. For this trip, I stayed in Airbnbs in every location except for Paris. I never expected to fall in love with France the way that I did. Ever since I left, I’ve been dreaming of coming back and exploring more!

My Itinerary

Day 1- Paris to Lyon- Arrive, explore, & dine at a bouchon

Day 2- Lyon- Museums and sites, Park Tete D’Or

Day 3- Dijon- Museum of Beaux Arts, Les Halles Market

Day 4- Dijon- Burgundy Wine Tour

Day 5- Dijon- Excursion to Beaune

Day 6- Aix-en-Provence- Arrive and relax in the city

Day 7- Aix-en-Provence- Tour to Provence Villages (Arles, St Remy, Le Baix)

Day 8- Aix-en-Provence- Wine Tour to Chateauneuf de Pape

Day 9- Nice- Arrive and explore

Day 10- Nice- Relaxing beach day

Day 11- Nice- Marc Chagall Museum and shopping

Day 12- Nice- Another beach day- or excursion to other French Riviera points

Day 13- Paris- Arrive and explore Paris

Day 14- Paris- Museums and sites

Highlights & Tips

I arrived during the Olympics, so I ended up planning to avoid crowds by taking the TGV train straight from the airport in Paris to Lyon. If you want to go to another destination, it’s worth doing so directly from the airport. Using the trains to get around was fairly simple to navigate. Some cities have Uber, which is also super convenient.

Lyon was a cool city, but also quite a large one. Arriving at the station, I realized there was lots to see and it was a lot of ground to cover for a two night stay. I most liked walking around and taking photos of the street art and buildings. Another highlight of Lyon is trying the traditional bouchon restaurants. My first dinner was at Les Lyonnais which was great (communal seating, but I was seated next to a friendly guy who I had a nice chat with), and the next day I went to Le Bistrot Abel, which I loved. I recommend making restaurant reservations in advance whenever possible in France- many restaurants also have very limited hours, so it’s always best to book in advance.

Dijon was my favorite city of the trip! The charming buildings looked like the backdrop from Beauty and the Beast. It was a peaceful city with a less touristy vibe, which I appreciated. Their Les Halles (market) is amazing, and cheese shopping there was one of my favorite memories. I also loved drinking cocktails on the lively patio at Monsier Moutarde and reading a book at the Delirium beer bar with seating next to the carousel. Dijon was also home to great food no matter where I went- from juicy steak and fries with mustard at Les Jacquemart in the city center, to fine dining at the Michelin listed La Maison Des Cariatides, where I enjoyed a beautiful and thoughtful tasting menu during my last day in the city. From Dijon, you can easily visit Beaune (20 minutes by train) and Burgundy wineries- but be sure to book vineyard tours well in advance, this is not a super touristy wine region and tours are quite limited.

I chose Aix-en-Provence as my base to explore Provence for a few days. Along with Avignon, it’s the best connected by train and it’s tourist center has a robust list of tour offerings. (I do realize barely scratched the surface of Provence in three days, but this is the kind of place I hope to return someday in a non-solo capacity.) Aix-en-Provence in itself is quite charming. There are some great restaurants (but some of the ones in the center places are not so great- take a moment to do the research before choosing.) My dining highlight was Cout Cours, a pretty restaurant on the main strip. Outside the city, I also loved taking a tour to Chateauneuf de Pape for wine tasting and lunch in the village.

I slowed down my trip and spent a bit of time in Nice, with the intention to relax after hopping around. It was probably a little too much time to spend in Nice, but unfortunately I had a few rainy days and didn’t end up day tripping to other Riviera points like I initially planned. When it cleared up, I took a couple beach days and swam at Nice’s rocky beach. I also went to the Marc Chagall museum with lots of stunning and colorful works. My favorite restaurants here were Lavomatique (a trendy restaurant in a former laundromat) and Fine Gueule.

With only two days in Paris, I stuck with my usual rule when I visit a big place for a short time: I pick a few things that I’ll most enjoy and make peace with saving the rest for another trip. I stayed at the 25hour Terminus Nord, right outside the Gare Nord train station. It was a convenient choice. I was able to take the metro or train around the city, then to the airport when the time came to leave. On my first day, I wandered around the city, tried cocktails at the Cambridge Public House (listed on world’s 50 best bars), then visited the Immersive Van Gogh to have my Emily in Paris moment. On my second day, I had my obligatory Eiffel Tower visit, braved the selfie-stick wielding tourists at the Orsay Museum, then walked up the Siene looking at the stands of old books and art for sale. My meal highlight was my fantastic lunch at the beautiful Le Procope, one of the oldest cafes in Paris. I also loved exploring the surrounding neighborhood. I’ve heard very mixed reviews about Paris over the years – people seem to love it or hate it – but after two days wandering all over different parts of the city (on foot or metro), I’m definitely on the “love it” side.

Next Time?

Next time I’d like to return and spend time staying in Marseille as well as Avignon to experience different corners of Provence. I’d also like to spend more time based in Dijon to relax and maybe even take a day trip to the Alsace region from there. I’d also like to go to Paris for a longer time to see more sites (I missed several key places), eat more foods, and prioritize a day trip to Versailles.