A Grand French Romance: Paris, Bordeaux, Strasbourg & Nice in 10 Nights

Four cities, one seamless itinerary, and not a single wasted travel day between them.

Treated this as a slightly late honeymoon and came away happy with the choice. Bordeaux was the unexpected favourite between the two of us, quieter than Paris and just as charming, though the Nice leg felt a little compressed given how much there was to see there.

Enjoyed the mix of cities, especially Strasbourg which neither of us had considered visiting before this trip. Nice was a touch rushed at the end since we'd already used up most of our energy in the earlier legs, would have liked one more day there instead of Paris which we could have shortened.

Every single stop, Paris to Nice, felt handpicked for a couple wanting more than the usual landmarks.

My husband and I did this for our tenth anniversary and it exceeded what we imagined a European trip could be. Paris gave us the obvious romance with the tower lit up at night, but Bordeaux's Miroir d'eau at Place de la Bourse was the pleasant surprise, we ended up going back a second evening just to sit by it. Strasbourg felt like a different country entirely with its canals and half timbered houses, and the château outside town was worth the drive. Nice closed the trip out with beach time and flower market mornings that felt like a proper holiday after all the sightseeing.

The individual destinations were all wonderful but the train connections between cities left very little buffer, and one delay meant we lost almost half a day in Strasbourg we never got back. Worth doing but build in slack if you can.