7-Day France Itinerary: Paris + Provence — Boulevards & Lavender

Day-by-day plan

1. 

   Day 1Paris →

   Arrival + Marais evening

   • •Land at CDG; RER B train to central Paris in 35 min (€11.80)
   • •Drop bags, walk Place des Vosges (1612, oldest planned square in Paris)
   • •Lunch: croque madame at Café de Flore or sandwich at L'As du Fallafel (€8 — there will be a queue)
   • •Marais boutique browse: rue des Francs Bourgeois
   • •Aperitif at Le Mary Celeste (cocktails) or Le Garde Robe (natural wine)
   • •Late dinner at Pinky (modern Asian) or classic at Le Petit Marché

   Stay in the Marais, Saint-Germain, or 11ème for walkable nights. Skip the 7ème — Eiffel-adjacent but dead at night.

2. 

   Day 2Paris →

   Louvre + Tuileries + Île de la Cité

   • •Louvre 9 AM (book ahead, $22) — Mona Lisa is mobbed; head for Vermeer or Caravaggio first
   • •Lunch in the Tuileries Garden: jambon-beurre + macaron at Carette
   • •Walk to Île de la Cité: Notre-Dame exterior (still under reconstruction), Sainte-Chapelle stained glass ($14)
   • •Coffee at Café Saint-Régis
   • •Sunset cocktails at Le Très Particulier (Montmartre)
   • •Dinner at Bouillon Pigalle ($15 three courses, no reservations) or Septime (3 weeks ahead)
3. 

   Day 3Paris →

   Eiffel + Musée d'Orsay + Latin Quarter

   • •Tour Eiffel 9 AM (book ahead, $30 to the top — second floor view is honestly better)
   • •Walk Champ de Mars + École Militaire
   • •Lunch: galette + cidre at Crêperie de Josselin in Montparnasse
   • •Musée d'Orsay afternoon (Impressionists in the old train station)
   • •Walk Latin Quarter: Shakespeare & Co, Panthéon
   • •Dinner: $14 boeuf bourguignon at Bistrot Paul Bert
4. 

   Day 4Paris →

   Versailles day trip + last Paris evening

   • •RER C from Saint-Michel to Versailles Château Rive Gauche (40 min, €7.50 round trip)
   • •Versailles Palace + Gardens ($23 passport ticket including Marie Antoinette's estate)
   • •Lunch at the gardens or back in Paris
   • •Late afternoon at Père Lachaise cemetery (Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin)
   • •Last Paris dinner: cassoulet at Au Pied de Cochon or splurge at Le Cinq
   • •Drinks at Le Comptoir Général (anti-colonial bar, hidden behind Canal Saint-Martin)

   → Next: bullet train · ~2h 40m · ~$70 — TGV Paris Gare de Lyon → Avignon TGV (then 6 min shuttle to Avignon center).

5. 

   Day 5Provence →

   Avignon: Palais des Papes + Pont d'Avignon

   • •Palais des Papes (14th-century papal palace, $14)
   • •Walk the medieval ramparts
   • •Lunch at Christian Étienne: Provençal tasting menu
   • •Pont Saint-Bénézet (the Pont d'Avignon from the song, $5)
   • •Late afternoon: rent a car for tomorrow OR book a small-group tour
   • •Dinner at L'Esclav'Agile (modern Provençal in a 12th-century cellar)

   Provence is hard without a car for day 6. Either rent (€40/day from Avignon) or book a Get Your Guide tour (€80).

6. 

   Day 6Provence →

   Luberon villages + lavender (Jun-Aug)

   • •Drive: Avignon → Gordes (clifftop village) → Sénanque Abbey (lavender fields if Jun-Aug)
   • •Roussillon ochre cliffs walk
   • •Lunch at Le Jardin des Délices in Roussillon (Provençal terrace)
   • •Lourmarin (Camus is buried here) + Bonnieux
   • •Pont du Gard (UNESCO Roman aqueduct) on the way back if time, $11
   • •Last night in Avignon: dinner at La Cuisine du Dimanche

   → Next: bullet train · ~2h 40m · ~$60 — Avignon TGV → CDG direct (avoids Paris transfer).

7. 

   Day 7Paris →

   Departure

   • •Last pain au chocolat from a station boulangerie
   • •TGV direct to CDG Airport (~3h)
   • •Allow 3 hours for international departures

Want to swap something?

Beach focus: swap Provence for Nice + Cannes (3 days on the Côte d'Azur). With kids: trade Versailles day for Disneyland Paris. Wine focus: replace Provence with Burgundy (Beaune) — 1h 35m TGV from Paris. Romantic: 2 nights Paris + 5 nights in a boutique château in Loire Valley.

Practical tips

• •TGV via SNCF Connect: book 90 days ahead for €30 fares; same-day = €130+. Le SNCF app accepts US cards.
• •Paris museum pass (€55 for 2 days) covers Louvre, Orsay, Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle — pays off if hitting 3+.
• •Servers in France don't check in repeatedly — flag them down. It's not bad service, it's the cultural norm.
• •Tipping: 10% built into bills (service compris). Round up the bill or leave a few euros extra for great service.
• •Best months: May-June (long days, lavender starts late June), September-October (warm, harvest, fewer crowds). Avoid August in Paris — locals leave, half the bistros are closed.