The classic mistake on a first trip is linking Paris, Provence and Brittany in seven days. The result is four different hotels and twenty hours of driving. Here are three routes that genuinely fit into a week.
Route 1: Paris, the Loire and Normandy
Two nights in Paris, then down to the Loire for two nights in Amboise or Blois, taking in Chambord and Chenonceau. Then north into Normandy: two nights in Bayeux for the D-Day beaches and the tapestry, then Mont-Saint-Michel before returning. Around 750 kilometres, with no single drive over three hours.
Route 2: Provence and the Riviera
Fly into Marseille or Nice. Three nights in the Luberon for the villages and markets, one night in Arles or Saint-Rémy for the Alpilles and the Roman remains, then three nights on the coast between Antibes and Menton. Only around 400 kilometres, which leaves real time on the ground. This is the most restful of the three.
Route 3: Alsace, Burgundy and Lyon
Two nights in Colmar for the wine road and the half-timbered villages, one night in Beaune at the heart of the Burgundy climats, two nights in Lyon for the bouchons and the old town, with an optional run to Annecy. Around 550 kilometres, short drives and a good deal of tasting.
Train or car
The TGV links Paris to Lyon in two hours, Marseille in three, Strasbourg in one hour fifty. For a route between major cities the train is faster and far less tiring than driving. As soon as villages, châteaux or vineyards are involved, a car becomes necessary. Motorway tolls run about 9 euros per 100 kilometres, with fuel costing roughly the same again.
Realistic budget
For two people, a week excluding international transport lands between 1200 and 1900 euros: accommodation 90 to 160 euros a night, food 60 to 90 euros a day, car hire 300 to 450 euros for the week, with entries and tolls on top. Travelling in May or September cuts that total by around twenty per cent.
Practical rules for all three
Book the first and last night near your arrival and departure airport, not two hours away. Move on the same day of the week each time if you can, since Sunday transfers run into closed shops and reduced services. Keep one full day with nothing planned; it absorbs the delays, the market you did not expect and the village you want to stay in longer. And avoid changing accommodation more than three times in a week, because each move costs roughly half a day once packing, checkout and check-in are counted.
A good itinerary is measured in evenings spent somewhere, not in regions crossed.