A Culture-and-Food Grand Tour of France Beyond Paris

Use Avignon as a walkable introduction to Provence, entering through the preserved walls and exploring the historic heart.

Visit the Papal Palace, the defining historical experience in Avignon; allow time to explore its largely bare but impressive interiors.

Walk onto the surviving section of the bridge and return rather than expecting to cross the entire structure.

Seek out the city's churches, including the cathedral, for a quieter architectural counterpoint to the palace.

If traveling during the holidays, look for the traditional crèches displayed around the city.

Use Bordeaux as a southwest base for architecture, shopping, water reflections, and wine experiences.

See Place de la Bourse when the water forms its reflective mirror; the misting effect is part of the appeal.

Walk Bordeaux's long pedestrian shopping street for an easy urban afternoon.

Add a Bordeaux wine tour, and consider the nearby beaches if visiting in warmer weather.

Arrive in Strasbourg and visit its cathedral, one of the city's essential architectural landmarks.

See the astronomical clock inside the cathedral and ask locally whether its viewing tour is operating.

Wander Petite France for historic buildings and an atmospheric medieval neighborhood.

Visit the Alsatian Museum to learn how people lived in the region; it is worth repeating if regional history is a priority.

Order tarte flambée, the regional flatbread topped with crème fraîche, onion, and ham.

Try a Picon, beer served with a sweet liqueur, as the regionally specific drink pairing.

Use Colmar as a compact day or overnight extension south of Strasbourg, especially for its exceptionally picturesque village-like streets.

Visit the Unterlinden Museum for its remarkable altar, one of Colmar's specific cultural highlights.

Explore the canals known locally as Little Venice, with an optional small canal boat ride.

Explore Lyon's historic center and its architectural mix of churches, passageways, and river scenery.

Visit Lyon Cathedral as one of the city's central church landmarks.

See the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière for Lyon's hilltop religious architecture.

Walk through Old Lyon and its passageways, historically associated with silk workers.

Visit the Roman theaters and the Gallo-Roman Museum to connect Lyon's present-day city with its Roman past.

Eat at a bouchon for hearty Lyonnaise cooking. Plan this as your main meal because the portions are substantial. Finish with pink pralines in brioche or a praline tart.

Use Rouen's welcoming historic center as your base for northern France.

Visit the Church of Saint Joan of Arc, one of Rouen's specifically highlighted sites.

See Rouen's large historic clock, a local point of pride.

Visit Rouen Cathedral as part of the central historic walk.

Take a D-Day beaches and cemetery tour from Rouen if you want the history brought to life by a guide.

Extend the Normandy day trip to Bayeux for the Bayeux Tapestry and Second World War museums.

Explore Nancy as an eastern base near Metz, with time to absorb its architecture and local atmosphere.

Spend your first major sightseeing block in Place Stanislas, Nancy's gorgeous principal square.

Pause in the square to appreciate the investment and royal grandeur that shaped Nancy's central spaces.

Add Nancy's art museums for a cultural counterpoint to the historic squares.

Walk beyond the headline square to experience the city at a human scale and interact with local residents.

Keep this stop unhurried: its appeal is the combination of grand civic design and a less overwhelming city experience.

Use Amboise as the practical base for exploring the surrounding Loire Valley chateaus.

Climb to Château d'Amboise for the town's own hilltop castle experience.

Wander Amboise's old town between château visits for a slower village-scale interlude.

Visit Château du Clos Lucé, where Leonardo da Vinci spent the end of his life.

Explore the Clos Lucé park, where replicas of da Vinci's inventions provide an interactive outdoor extension of the museum.

Choose only two Loire chateaus on a full sightseeing day; the source warns that more can blur together.

Walk Arles independently through its Roman sights, but consider hiring a guide to make the ancient history come alive.

Visit the Roman Arena, the principal reason to include Arles on this route.

Add the Roman Theater to complete Arles's compact ancient-city circuit.

Use Annecy for the combination of medieval core, lake, canals, and access to Alpine hikes.

Walk Annecy's medieval core, then follow the canals toward the lake.

Finish in Nice on the French Riviera: explore the flower market, museums, seafood, and the Mediterranean promenade. Bring water shoes and padding for the stone beach.