Romantic Side Trip Ideas for Couples to Add to Their Paris Vacation
Ready to explore beyond France beyond Paris? This episode shares the perfect romantic detour through the French countryside, featuring charming towns, incredible food, and rich history. Whether you're after lavender fields, wine tours, or Van Gogh landmarks, this episode will inspire you to add a little extra magic to your France getaway.
Let me take you along our journey through the Provence area of France! First up, Avignon!
Avignon
We took the train from Paris into the charming city of Avignon. We rented a car upon arrival, and we loved having our own vehicle.
If you plan to drive out of your home country, make sure you get an international drivers permit. This was super easy to do through AAA.
One of the highlights was staying at the most beautiful and charming Bed & Breakfast that I’ve ever seen!
It’s called La Bastide de Bellegarde and you will not be disappointed if you stay here. Our bedroom had a gorgeous terrace that overlooks the countryside!
They provide dinner most nights and it was absolutely fantastic!!! We’re talking 5 courses of some of the best food I’ve ever had.
Breakfasts included fresh fruits and veggies, tea, eggs, bacon, and endless baked goods.
If you visit during warmed weather, there is also a great pool!
We were able to visit the Palais des Papes (Pope’s Palace), which is one of the largest gothic palaces from the 14th century.
We did a self guided tour of the palace and it was amazing.
If you’re interested, you can buy a ticket that also gets you into the Pont d'Avignon.
The Pont d'Avignon is a large historic bridge in the city that is really cool to see!
Be aware that most of the shops are closed on Sunday and Monday in Avignon.
Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time during our stay, but next time I want to ride Le Petit Train d'Avignon! It kind of looks like a cheesy kids ride, but I think it looks so fun and would be a great way to see a lot of the city at once.
If you visit in late June or July, be sure to venture out to see the lavender fields!
Wine tours are also very popular in this area.
We decided to spend a full day driving to a bunch of small towns near Avignon. Here’s a rough itinerary of how we spent our day!
Drive 30 minutes from Avignon to Pont du Gard.
This is an amazing Roman aqueduct that was built in the first century to supply water to Nimes. Seriously so cool!
Here you can visit a Visitor's Center and walk around the bridge.
We spent about one hour here.
Drive 30 minutes to Nimes.
Nimes is nicknamed “The French Rome”.
There is even a miniature version of a Greek amphitheater like the Colosseum!
You can buy tickets to go inside and explore. I recommend doing this!
You can also visit the Maison Carrée, an ancient temple from the Roman Empire. The exterior of the building is stunning! You can also walk around inside, but there’s nothing exciting.
We also visited the Magne Tower which was also really cool to see!
This city is very walkable and there is so much to see!
Drive 35 minutes to Arles.
Arles is filled with Van Gogh and Roman history, so if you love to learn, this is a great historical city.
You can visit locations around the city where Van Gogh painted his iconic works. Cafe Van Gogh is very popular.
You can also check out the amitheater here!
The Luma Arles Tower is a very tall building completely covered in mirrors and twists and turns its way up. It was so cool! You can also take an elevator to the top and ride a slide down! There is also a rooftop cafe with great views.
This city was so cute!!! We had the best time roaming the city and I definitely recommend taking time to wander.
Drive 45 minutes back to Avignon!
We got an amazing dinner at L’Epicerie! Try to get a reservation ahead of time if you can.
France is one of my favorite countries in the world! I hope that you are able to make it to the French countryside someday soon!