France,
stop by stop.
A three-week loop from Paris through the best-known regions: the Normandy cliffs, the Mont-Saint-Michel, the Gulf of Morbihan, the Loire châteaux, the Périgord, the Cité of Carcassonne, Provence, the Verdon gorge, Lake Annecy and the vineyards of Burgundy. The map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.
By PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ views on Google MapsBy PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ Maps views
📄 France guide: weather, budget, what to avoid and FAQFrance guide: weather, budget, FAQ →
Paris · Photo Chabe01 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
The full tour in France
11 stops · 53 activities · ≈ 2 680 km · ≈ €2478/person11 stops53 activities≈ 2 680 km≈ €2478/person
1
Paris
Day 1
The Louvre under its glass pyramid, the hill of Montmartre with the whole city below, and Versailles on the way out.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The Louvre
Former royal palace turned into the largest museum in Paris, beneath its glass pyramid.
Montmartre
Sacré-Cœur hill and Place du Tertre, with a view over all of Paris.
The Palace of Versailles
Louis XIV's palace and its gardens, south-west of Paris, near the A13.
2
🚗 Car · 4h40 · 342 km
Bayeux
Days 2-3
The cathedral town that serves as a base for the D-Day beaches, with the cliffs of Étretat and the harbour at Honfleur on the road in.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The cliffs of Étretat
Chalk arches of the Porte d'Aval and the Manneporte, clifftop path.
Honfleur
Old Dock lined with tall narrow houses, wooden Sainte-Catherine church.
The D-Day beaches
Omaha Beach, the American cemetery at Colleville, the Arromanches artificial harbour, Pointe du Hoc.
Bayeux Cathedral
Romanesque and Gothic. The tapestry is on loan to the British Museum until 2027.
3
🚗 Car · 2h18 · 175 km
Saint-Malo
Days 4-5
A walled town on the sea, with the Mont-Saint-Michel across the bay and the oyster beds of Cancale.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The Mont-Saint-Michel
Abbey on its rock; free parking after 6.30 pm, except in July and August.
The ramparts of Saint-Malo
Walk around the walled town; Grand Bé accessible at low tide.
Cancale and the Pointe du Grouin
Oyster beds below the harbour, then a view over the whole bay.
Dinan
Medieval half-timbered town above the Rance, on the next day's route.
4
🚗 Car · 2h08 · 150 km
Vannes
Days 6-7
Ramparts and half-timbered houses round the cathedral, on the edge of an inland sea scattered with islands.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
Budget mode: focus mostly on free things below 👇
✦ Free · not to be missed
The old town of Vannes
Ramparts, the Garenne washhouses and half-timbered houses around the cathedral.
The Carnac alignments
Thousands of menhirs in rows; some sites freely accessible from October to March only.
The wild coast of Quiberon
Cliffs and coves facing the Atlantic, on the peninsula; swimming is dangerous.
The Gulf of Morbihan
Inland sea dotted with islands; boats to the Île aux Moines from Port-Blanc.
5
🚗 Car · 3h54 · 353 km
Amboise
Days 8-9
A royal château on the Loire and the last home of Leonardo da Vinci, with Chenonceau and Chambord close by.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The Château d'Angers
Fortress with 17 schist towers that houses the Apocalypse Tapestry.
The Château de Chenonceau
Château built on arches over the Cher, 15 km south of Amboise.
The Château de Chambord
The largest château in the Loire; €21 for Europeans (EEA) in 2026.
The Château d'Amboise and the Clos Lucé
Royal château on the Loire and the last home of Leonardo da Vinci.
6
🚗 Car · 4h40 · 363 km
Sarlat-la-Canéda
Days 10-11
The Périgord: the Lascaux replica, villages built into the cliffs above the Dordogne, and Rocamadour an hour away.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The royal city of Loches
11th-century keep and royal lodgings on a spur above the Indre.
Lascaux IV
Full replica of the painted cave, at Montignac, on the road to Sarlat.
La Roque-Gageac
Village set against the cliff on the banks of the Dordogne.
Rocamadour
Sanctuary town clinging to the cliff, an hour east of Sarlat.
7
🚗 Car · 4h26 · 306 km
Carcassonne
Day 12
A double ring of walls, 3 km long with 52 towers, above a lower town crossed by the Canal du Midi.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Medieval village perched on a cliff above the Lot.
The Cité of Carcassonne
3 km double ring of walls and 52 towers, restored by Viollet-le-Duc.
The Canal du Midi
Harbour and lock in the lower town, a 17th-century work listed by UNESCO.
8
🚗 Car · 3h11 · 260 km
Avignon
Days 13-14
The city of the popes on the Rhône, with the Pont du Gard and the Baux-de-Provence within a short drive.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The Pont du Gard
Three-tier Roman aqueduct over the Gardon; parking €9 per car.
The Palais des Papes
14th-century Gothic palace, residence of the popes for almost 70 years.
The Pont Saint-Bénezet
The Pont d'Avignon of the song, four arches still standing over the Rhône.
Les Baux-de-Provence
Hilltop village in the Alpilles and the Carrières de Lumières, 30 km to the south.
9
🚗 Car · 3h06 · 168 km
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Days 15-16
The village above the Lac de Sainte-Croix, at the mouth of the Verdon gorge, with the lavender of Valensole on the way.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
Sénanque Abbey and Gordes
Cistercian abbey surrounded by lavender, below the hilltop village of Gordes.
Roussillon
Village with ochre façades and the Sentier des Ocres in the old quarries.
The Valensole plateau
Fields of lavandin as far as the eye can see, in bloom in early summer.
The Verdon gorge
Route des Crêtes (D23) from La Palud, Lac de Sainte-Croix below Moustiers.
10
🚗 Car · 4h34 · 328 km
Annecy
Days 17-18
Canals, the Palais de l'Isle and a walk along the lake, with Chamonix and the Aiguille du Midi about an hour and a half away.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The citadel of Sisteron
Fortress on its rock above the Durance, at the gateway to Provence.
Mont Aiguille
Isolated limestone table, visible from the D1075 after the Col de la Croix-Haute.
The old town of Annecy
Thiou canals, Palais de l'Isle and a lakeside promenade.
The Aiguille du Midi
Cable car up to 3,842 m from Chamonix, about 1 h 30 from Annecy.
11
🚗 Car · 2h48 · 235 km
Beaune
Days 19-21
The Hospices with their coloured tile roofs, and the wine villages of the Côte de Nuits running north.
🎟️ Things to do · activities
✦ Free · not to be missed
The royal monastery of Brou
Flamboyant Gothic church and carved tombs, at Bourg-en-Bresse, near the A40.
The Hospices de Beaune
Hôtel-Dieu founded in 1443, with multicoloured glazed tile roofs.
The Côte de Nuits
Wine villages from Clos de Vougeot to Gevrey-Chambertin, north of Beaune.
Vézelay
Romanesque basilica on its hill, a 45-minute detour on the way back to Paris.
"Book" (hotels), "via GetYourGuide" (activities) and "Rent" (car) are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide). Prices, distances and times are approximate.
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The full PDF guide (France): map, day-by-day stops, hotels by budget and insider tips. Free and available offline.
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Good to know before you go
🍽️ Must-try food
Oysters at Cancale, straight from the beds below the harbour.
Crêpes and buckwheat galettes in Brittany.
Burgundy wine, tasted in a cellar in Beaune.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Cross the bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel on foot only with a guide, and check the tide times around Saint-Malo.
- Do not swim on the wild coast of Quiberon: it is dangerous.
- Free parking at the Mont-Saint-Michel only starts after 6.30 pm, and not in July and August.
- Budget for motorway tolls on the long legs outside Brittany.
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