After my best friend moved to France for a job (and her French boyfriend!), I was thrilled to have yet another excuse to visit the country. Since she worked for the school system, she also had winter break off. What a better time to go than Christmas? So, she, our other bestie and I planned a two and a half-week trip to Southern France. After listing all of our cities we wanted to see, we narrowed down our road-trip path in order:

• Rouen (starting point, where she lives)
• Lyon
• Marseille
• Nice
• Menton (day trip)
• Monaco (day trip)
• Paris

At most of our destinations, we stayed in ibis hotels, booked through bookings.com. They are small but affordable and exactly what we needed.

Rouen (Day 1 & 2)

When I landed at the CDG airport in Paris, my friend picked me up and we navigated the 2.5 hour bus ride back together to Rouen. The first two days were rest days as we prepared for our long journey across the country by train (and drinking tons of vin chaud at their Christmas market).

Lyon (Day 3 & 4)

The train ride to Lyon from Rouen was about 4.5 hours long. As soon as we arrived, we hopped on a bus and a bearded gentleman was playing an accordion. I knew then I’d love Lyon. Not only did they have the best Christmas market out of all seven cities we visited, Lyon had some unforgettable sights. I recommend the following:

• Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
• Wander around Viuex Lyon for a view of the Notre Dame
• Take the tram up to the La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière
• Walk from the Notre Dame to Théâtre Gallo Romain de Lyon
• Visit Lyon’s Christmas Market, located in Place Carnot
• Eat at Café Mercière !!!

Marseille (Day 5 – 9)

A five hour train ride from Lyon, we found ourselves on the Southern coast of France. Oh, the Mediterranean dishes that were had. Think of your favorite salad. Now add melted cheese to it and make it 10x fresher.

Because Marseille landed on the halfway point of our adventures, we figured we might need rest and rented an Airbnb to get nice and cozy. Conveniently it was next to Vieux-Port de Marseille, a bustlin’ little area where the Christmas Market was. Marseille is a very walkable city, but their buses are super convenient too. I must say, make sure to buy a few bus passes in advance at the Port though, if you don’t carry around cash with you (I never do). Site-seeing I recommend prioritizing are:

• Mucem – Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean
• From the museum, walk to Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
• Stroll the area around the Opera
• Eat at Café Piatā, the most aesthetically-pleasing cafe we visited on this trip

Nice (Day 10 – 13)

After Christmas, we hopped back on the train and got to Nice in two hours. Technically, in the span of these three days, we stayed in Nice but took a day trip to Menton and Monaco. I’ll separate them for clarity.

Nice was my favorite city out of the trip. If I could go back in time, I would switch out a day from Marseille and spend it in Nice. The pink, yellow and orange buildings were jaw dropping. If you like Italy, you’ll love Nice. In theory, you could also take a day-trip to Italy if you find yourself in Nice, but I went while there were still COVID requirements and didn’t want to risk any delays with tests. My top favorites of Nice were:

• Wander around Old Town Nice – Vieux Nice and adore the stunning architecture
• From there, pick a restaurant by the water and sit outside during sunset (10/10)
• As always, don’t forget to catch their Christmas Market
• Visit the coziest cafe in Nice – HUG Café Nice

Menton & Monaco (Day 11)

The cities are so close together, I recommend checking them off your list in one day. About 30 minutes from Nice, my friends and I headed to Menton first. The main thing we did in Menton was take a slow and relaxing stroll through Basilica of Saint Michael Archangel and I’m SO GLAD we did. The tall, yellow basilica provides a stunning view of the sea when you reach the end. I can’t imagine what it looks like at sunset. By the way, plan your trip accordingly because it’s only open Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Lastly, don’t forget to stop by the charming and delectable La Mandragore before you head to Monaco.

A short 20-minute bus ride to Monaco, and you have arrived to one of the seven microstates of Europe! The view on the way there alone is worth the trip. While riding on the bus, you’ll notice sky scrapers ahead. I recommend getting off the stop that lands in the middle of the sky scrapers, then walking down to Monte-Carlo Casino to enjoy the view along the way. Regardless if you gamble or not, you must see it up close.

Paris (Day 14 – 18)

For $61.00 we were able take an 1.5 hour flight (easyjet airline) from Nice to Paris. It’s actually cheaper to fly in this case, as train tickets would be close to double the price.

Lucky for us, we stayed in Paris for New Years Eve! During the tail-end of COVID, fireworks were not happening and most metro stations were closed. We ended up walking to a bar and taking a taxi home! Leading up to it, we got a lot done in four days:

• Visit Square Nadar
• Take photos in front of Arc de Triomphe and make your way underground to get to the center!
• Watch the Tour de Eiffel sparkle (we looked at it from Trocadero Gardens)
• Walk the Seine at sunset
• Get a coffee and walk around Luxembourg Gardens
• Spend a day at Musée du Louvre (don’t forget to buy tickets early!)
• Check out the unique Palais Royal

Concluding our 2.5 week trip, we routed back to Rouen, our starting point. By then, it felt like home – a familiar bed, memorized routes, and sweet, sweet friends. Want to follow more adventures? Keep in touch with me on Instagram!