Hamilton & Chase Tours
Epic France — Private Package 12-day France tour: Paris to Nice — châteaux, vineyards, lavender & the Riviera

12-Day Private Package Journey

Epic France

Paris to Nice — châteaux, vineyards, lavender & the Riviera

Available as Private Semi-Private Self-Guided
From €4,690 per person 12 days / 11 nights
View Itinerary

Tour Overview

12 days across France.

Twelve days from Paris to the Riviera — the grand tour of France that covers the country's greatest hits without ever feeling rushed. Begin with the monuments and museums of Paris, continue through the fairy-tale châteaux of the Loire Valley, pause in Lyon for the finest food city in France, then south into the lavender fields of Provence and along the dazzling Côte d'Azur. Every region has its own rhythm, its own flavours, its own light — and this itinerary gives you time to feel the difference.

Detailed Itinerary

Your journey, day by day.

Every day is designed with breathing room. Sleep in, take a detour, linger at lunch — the itinerary flexes around you, not the other way around.

Day 1 — Arrival in Paris
Day 1
1

Day 1

Arrival in Paris

The grandest city in Europe says bonjour.

Your private driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. After check-in, the afternoon is yours — the Luxembourg Gardens, the riverside bouquinistes, or a coffee at Café de Flore where Sartre and de Beauvoir once argued about existence. In the evening, a welcome dinner at a Left Bank restaurant that represents everything Paris does best: seasonal ingredients, a short wine list chosen with care, and the kind of service that makes you feel like a regular even on your first visit.

  • Private airport transfer
  • Welcome dinner at a Left Bank restaurant
4–5★ hotel, Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Day 2 — Paris: Louvre, Musée d'Orsay & Montmartre
Day 2
2

Day 2

Paris: Louvre, Musée d'Orsay & Montmartre

Two museums and a hilltop — three centuries of art in one day.

Morning at the Louvre with a private art historian — skip-the-line, focused on the masterpieces: the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory, Vermeer's Lacemaker, and the Italian Renaissance rooms. After the Louvre, walk through the Tuileries to the Musée d'Orsay for the Impressionists — Monet, Renoir, Degas, and the Van Gogh rooms that change how you see colour. Lunch in the museum's stunning Belle Époque dining room. Afternoon, take the funicular (or walk) up to Montmartre — Sacré-Cœur, the artists' quarter, and the panoramic view over Paris that explains why this hill has drawn painters since the 19th century. Free evening.

  • Private Louvre tour with art historian
  • Musée d'Orsay Impressionist galleries
  • Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur panorama
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Day 3 — Versailles & Departure for the Loire
Day 3
3

Day 3

Versailles & Departure for the Loire

From royal excess to the garden of France.

Early morning at Versailles — the Hall of Mirrors, the King's Grand Apartments, and Marie-Antoinette's Petit Trianon before the afternoon crowds arrive. Walk the formal gardens where fountains still perform on schedule, then return to Paris for lunch and bag collection. Afternoon, your driver takes you southwest to the Loire Valley. Arrive in Amboise by early evening and check into your château hotel. Walk along the Loire at sunset — the light is extraordinary — then dinner in the old town.

  • Versailles Hall of Mirrors and gardens
  • Marie-Antoinette's Petit Trianon
  • Scenic drive to the Loire Valley
Meals: Breakfast 4★ château hotel, Amboise
Day 4 — Loire Valley: Chambord & Chenonceau
Day 4
4

Day 4

Loire Valley: Chambord & Chenonceau

Two of the most extraordinary buildings in Europe.

Morning at Chambord — the vast Renaissance hunting lodge with Leonardo's double-helix staircase, 440 rooms, and a rooftop terrace that turns the Loire into a stage. From Chambord, drive through the forest to Chenonceau — the Ladies' Castle, arching gracefully over the River Cher. Your guide tells the stories of the women who built, saved, and used it as a World War II escape route. Lunch at a family vineyard in Vouvray — Chenin Blanc and local fare in the cellar. Free afternoon in Amboise — the Clos Lucé (Leonardo's final workshop), the château, or simply the river.

  • Chambord — Renaissance excess and Leonardo's staircase
  • Chenonceau over the River Cher
  • Vouvray vineyard lunch
Meals: Breakfast 4★ château hotel, Amboise
Day 5 — Loire Valley to Lyon
Day 5
5

Day 5

Loire Valley to Lyon

From fairy tales to France's food capital.

A leisurely morning — perhaps the gardens of Villandry, or a bike ride along the Loire (we can arrange rentals). Late morning, your driver takes you southeast to Lyon — France's second city and, by consensus, its gastronomic capital. The drive passes through the rolling Beaujolais hills, and if time allows, a stop at a domaine for a tasting of Fleurie or Morgon. Arrive in Lyon by late afternoon and check into your hotel in the Presqu'île — the peninsula between the Rhône and Saône rivers that forms the heart of the city. Walk to Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse — the covered market named after the chef who made Lyon famous — for provisions and a first taste of what this city does better than anywhere else.

  • Scenic drive through the Beaujolais hills
  • Optional Beaujolais domaine tasting
  • Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse food market
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Lyon Presqu'île
Day 6 — Lyon: Bouchons, Traboules & Two Thousand Years of History
Day 6
6

Day 6

Lyon: Bouchons, Traboules & Two Thousand Years of History

Roman ruins, Renaissance passages, and the best meal of the trip.

Lyon is a city with two thousand years of visible history and a food scene that ranges from Michelin-starred temples to the bouchons — the traditional Lyon restaurants where the portions are enormous and the recipes haven't changed in a century. Morning walk through Vieux Lyon — the Renaissance quarter with its traboules (hidden passageways between buildings that were used by the Resistance during WWII). Take the funicular up to the Basilica of Fourvière for the panoramic view, then visit the Gallo-Roman amphitheatres carved into the hillside. Lunch at a legendary bouchon — quenelles, andouillette, praline tart — the full Lyon experience. Free afternoon: the Confluence Museum of contemporary art, or the Croix-Rousse silk-workers' quarter. In the evening, a signature dinner at one of Lyon's finest tables.

  • Vieux Lyon traboules and Renaissance quarter
  • Fourvière Basilica panorama and Roman amphitheatres
  • Traditional bouchon lunch
  • Signature dinner at a top Lyon restaurant
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Lyon Presqu'île
Day 7 — Lyon to Avignon
Day 7
7

Day 7

Lyon to Avignon

South by TGV into the land of lavender.

A morning to linger in Lyon — one more coffee at a Place Bellecour café, or a final browse through the Marché de la Création on the Saône quay. Late morning, TGV south to Avignon — just over an hour, watching the landscape turn golden as you cross into Provence. Your driver meets you at the station and takes you to your hotel inside the medieval walls. Afternoon guided tour of the Palace of the Popes — the largest Gothic palace in Europe, built when the papacy moved to France. Walk the ramparts at sunset, then dinner at a Provençal restaurant where the menu is a celebration of the south: lamb, olive oil, and a carafe of Côtes du Rhône.

  • TGV from Lyon to Avignon
  • Palace of the Popes guided tour
  • Provençal dinner inside the medieval walls
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Avignon old town
Day 8 — Provence: Luberon Hilltop Villages
Day 8
8

Day 8

Provence: Luberon Hilltop Villages

Gordes, lavender fields, and a terrace with a view.

A full day in the Luberon. First stop: Gordes — the clifftop village that glows gold in the morning light, with stone houses tumbling down the hillside in a way that painters and photographers have never quite been able to resist. From Gordes, the Sénanque Abbey with its lavender fields. Continue to Roussillon, where the ochre cliffs turn the village red and orange, then Bonnieux for a Provençal lunch on a terrace above the valley. Afternoon, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate for a private tasting — the wines are bold, sun-ripened, and unlike anything you've tasted from a shop. Return to Avignon in the late afternoon.

  • Gordes hilltop village
  • Sénanque Abbey and lavender fields
  • Roussillon ochre cliffs
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape private tasting
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Avignon old town
Day 9 — Avignon to Aix-en-Provence
Day 9
9

Day 9

Avignon to Aix-en-Provence

The Pont du Gard, Cézanne, and the light that changed painting.

Morning detour to the Pont du Gard — the Roman aqueduct spanning the Gardon river, two thousand years old and three tiers high. Walk across the top, then descend to the riverbank to appreciate the scale from below. Continue to Aix-en-Provence — Cézanne's city, where the plane trees shade the Cours Mirabeau and the fountains have been running since the 17th century. Walking tour through the old town: the daily market at Place Richelme, the Quartier Mazarin, and Cézanne's studio on the hill with views of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Free evening in Aix — the restaurant scene here is exceptional.

  • Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct
  • Aix-en-Provence walking tour
  • Cézanne's studio and Mont Sainte-Victoire views
Meals: Breakfast 4★ boutique hotel, Aix-en-Provence
Day 10 — Aix-en-Provence to Nice via the Coast
Day 10
10

Day 10

Aix-en-Provence to Nice via the Coast

Lavender gives way to the azure Mediterranean.

A morning in Aix — the flower market, the calisson shops, or a café on the Cours Mirabeau. Late morning, your driver takes the scenic route east along the coast — through the Var countryside, past red-roofed villages, and along the Corniche roads with views of the Mediterranean that explain why the Riviera has been seducing travellers for two centuries. Arrive in Nice by mid-afternoon. Check into your seafront hotel on the Promenade des Anglais. Walk through Vieux Nice — Baroque churches, the Cours Saleya flower market, and gelato shops tucked into narrow alleys. Free evening on the Riviera.

  • Scenic Corniche coastal drive
  • Promenade des Anglais seafront arrival
  • Vieux Nice old town
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Nice Promenade des Anglais
Day 11 — Nice, the Hilltop Villages & the Riviera Farewell
Day 11
11

Day 11

Nice, the Hilltop Villages & the Riviera Farewell

Matisse, Chagall, and a rooftop dinner to end all rooftop dinners.

Morning at the Matisse Museum and Chagall Museum — two of the finest single-artist museums in the world, both shaped by the Riviera light that drew these painters south. After the museums, drive up into the hills to Saint-Paul-de-Vence — the walled medieval village where artists still live and work, home to the Maeght Foundation gallery. Continue to Èze, perched on a rocky peak with vertiginous views of Cap Ferrat. Lunch in the village, then back down to Nice for a free afternoon — the beach, the promenade, or the antique shops in the port quarter. In the evening, a farewell dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking the Baie des Anges — seafood, Bellet wine, and a sky that puts on its best show for your last night in France.

  • Matisse and Chagall museums
  • Saint-Paul-de-Vence and the Maeght Foundation
  • Èze hilltop panorama
  • Farewell rooftop dinner over the Baie des Anges
Meals: Breakfast 4–5★ hotel, Nice Promenade des Anglais
Day 12 — Departure
Day 12
12

Day 12

Departure

Au revoir, la France — à très bientôt.

A final Riviera breakfast with the Mediterranean beyond your window. Your private driver transfers you to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. If time allows, a morning walk along the Promenade des Anglais or through the Cours Saleya market one last time. Twelve days, six regions, and a lifetime of memories. Your travel specialist remains on call until you're home.

  • Private airport transfer from Nice
  • Optional final morning promenade walk
Meals: Breakfast

Where You'll Stay

Hand-picked hotels, every night.

We choose properties for character, location, and the kind of service that makes you feel looked after — not just checked in. Every hotel can be swapped for an alternative if you prefer.

4–5★ hotel, Paris

Paris

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Heart of the Left Bank, steps from the Seine

4★ château hotel, Amboise

Amboise

2 nights

4★ château hotel

Loire Valley

Overlooking the Loire river

4–5★ hotel, Lyon

Lyon

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

Presqu'île

Between the Rhône and Saône rivers, near Place Bellecour

4–5★ hotel, Avignon

Avignon

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

Old town (intra-muros)

Inside the medieval walls

4★ boutique hotel, Aix-en-Provence

Aix-en-Provence

1 night

4★ boutique hotel

Centre-ville

Near the Cours Mirabeau

4–5★ hotel, Nice

Nice

2 nights

4–5★ hotel

Promenade des Anglais

Seafront location

Hotels shown are indicative of the standard we book. Upon request, we will provide a detailed itinerary with specific hotel options tailored to your preferences and budget.

What's in the Price

Included

  • 11 nights in 4–5★ hotels (double occupancy)
  • Daily breakfast at each hotel
  • 4 signature dinners (welcome, Lyon, Provence, Riviera farewell)
  • 3 curated lunches (Musée d'Orsay, Loire vineyard, Luberon terrace, Lyon bouchon)
  • Private airport transfers in Paris and Nice
  • All inter-city transfers in private vehicles
  • TGV tickets (Lyon–Avignon)
  • Private expert guides in every region
  • Skip-the-line Louvre and Versailles
  • Chambord, Chenonceau, and optional Villandry entries
  • Lyon traboules and Fourvière guided tour
  • Palace of the Popes and Pont du Gard entries
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape private wine tasting
  • Cézanne's studio in Aix-en-Provence
  • Matisse and Chagall museums in Nice
  • 24/7 travel specialist support
  • All entrance fees and museum tickets
  • Hamilton & Chase digital travel booklet

Not Included

  • International flights to Paris / from Nice
  • Travel insurance (required — we can arrange coverage)
  • Meals not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Personal expenses
  • Gratuities for guides and drivers (optional but appreciated)
  • City tax (typically €2–5 per person per night)

Good to Know

  • This itinerary is a starting point — every detail can be adjusted.
  • Hotels confirmed at booking. Upgrades always available.
  • All guides and experiences are exclusively for your party.
  • Comfortable walking shoes essential — cobblestones, châteaux, and hilltop villages.
  • Flexible booking: adjust or postpone dates up to 60 days before departure at no charge.

Make It Yours

Optional add-ons & upgrades.

Every trip is different. These extras can be woven into your itinerary — just let your travel specialist know what catches your eye.

Seine dinner cruise in Paris

Glass-roofed barge passing Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower at night

From €180 pp

Hot air balloon over the Loire

Sunrise flight over the châteaux

From €250 pp

Monaco & Monte Carlo day trip

Prince's Palace, the Casino, and harbour-view lunch

From €180 pp

Champagne day trip from Paris

Two Champagne houses in Reims and Épernay

From €320 pp

Cooking class in Provence

Half-day Provençal cooking at a countryside mas

From €140 pp

Professional photo session

1-hour portrait session at iconic locations in Paris or Nice

From €350

"Twelve days wasn't enough — we could have spent another week. Paris was spectacular, the Loire châteaux were like stepping into a painting, Lyon's food scene blew us away, and ending on the Riviera was perfection. This trip changed how we think about France."

James & Victoria S.

New York, NY · Epic France, September 2025

Common Questions

Questions about this trip.

Can I change the hotels?

Absolutely. We'll adjust the itinerary and pricing for any property you prefer.

Is this trip suitable for children?

Yes. The châteaux, cooking classes, and Riviera beaches are great for families. We'll adjust pacing for younger children.

Private Package Journey

Epic France

12 days / 11 nights

From €4,690

per person

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+1 646-466-6841 explore@hamiltonandchase.com

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