France Trip Recap

We had the best time in France and as promised, I’m sharing a full breakdown of our trip here. This blog post will be long, but I’m doing my best to answer all the questions you sent in.  I’ll start by giving a trip overview, then I’ll break down an itinerary for each city we went to, I’ll answer FAQ regarding VAT refund, driving, money, etc.

Disclaimer:

I first want to start by saying that I am NOT a travel expert and this is only my first time going to most of these cities in France. I highly recommend that you look to other sources for information while planning your trip. There are so many incredible people who devote all of their content to France/ South of France/ Paris recommendations, city guides, how-to’s etc. You can just go on TikTok and search “day trip to Monaco” or “Paris city guide” and you’ll find TONS of great ideas. These travel influencers/creators are way more experienced than I am and you’ll probably find better recommendations from them!

I am in NO way saying, “This is the ultimate France guide!” Or “Here’s everything you must do on your trip to France”… Please do not base every restaurant and activity off of what we did… I don’t want that kind of responsibility lol! Last thing I’ll say on this topic is that we all like to travel/vacation differently. Some people value fine dining while others value hole in the wall restaurants. Some value art and history while others value adventure. Some value peaceful beaches while others value bustling cities… France has it ALL and I would hate for someone to copy and paste our trip only to find that it wasn’t what they valued in a trip…. OKAY now that my disclaimer is out there, here’s a breakdown of each city!

Quick Trip Overview:

Our total trip was 13 days which felt like the perfect amount of time for the cities we hit and what we did...of course, we did spend some of that time traveling from city to city. We flew into Nice and went straight to Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (near Monaco) for 3 days, then drove to the French Country side (near Aix-en-Provence) for 3 days, then Drove to Geneva, Switzerland and had a day and half there, then took the train to Paris for 3 days. We flew out of Paris.

We did not use a travel agency this time around. Cort planned all of the logistics and we booked restaurants on our own.

City Breakdown

Quick note: I’m not sharing every single restaurant that we ate at because not every single restaurant was noteworthy (some I honestly don’t even remember). On some of our busy days, we’d just pop into a random place to grab a sandwich for lunch or for breakfast we’d just get a croissant and fruit. I’m mainly sharing dinner spots. I will mark my favorite restaurants and activities with ***.

French Riviera

French Riviera: 3 nights 3 days

How we got there: 

We flew into Nice where we rented a car from Hertz and drove to our hotel.

Stayed at:

Maybourne Riviera - we absolutely loved this hotel and will definitely go back. It had stunning views as it overlooked the water and Monaco. There was a gorgeous infinity pool, large balcony with our room, and a private beach club. The beach club was definitely the highlight of our stay. 

We started our trip by lounging by the pool and then got ready for dinner in Monaco. Our first full day, we went to the beach club for most of the day and then explored Nice, which we also loved. For our second day, we drove around and explored Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, and Antibe. Then we went to dinner in Eze. The nice thing about this area, is that there are so many nearby towns and villages to explore. Everything is so beautiful and picturesque, we could have spent another full day just exploring all of the nearby areas!

Ate at:

Mome in Monaco:*** Our first night we drove into Monaco for dinner and ate at a fun restaurant with a view of the water and all of the boats. We loved our meal and our dessert!! After dinner, we walked around Monaco which was so pretty.

Maybourne La Plage: We had lunch at our hotel’s beach club and the food was great! I believe the restaurant is open to the public but the beach chairs are for hotel guests only.

Hotel du Covenant in Nice: We got drinks at a new hotel in Nice. We loved the vibes and our drinks were great (very strong lol).

Bocca in Nice: This restaurant came HIGHLY recommended and was on pretty much every list we found. The food was good not great and it just felt a little touristy. We sat on the rooftop and still had a great time, but it wasn’t our favorite.

Azzurro:*** Our waitress at Bocca recommended gelato at Azzurro and it DID NOT disappoint. Highly recommend the Italian Lover (cash only).

Chateau Eza: Eze is a gorgeous little town worth exploring and we had dinner at Chateau Eza which has a gorgeous view. It’s a Michelin star restaurant, which to me, can sometimes feel a little stuffy. But the food was great and the view was amazing.

Overall Thoughts:

Overall, loved the French Riviera. I could have stayed there a whole week. The water and views are so gorgeous. All of the nearby towns and villages are just so picturesque and there was so much more we could have explored! But we were also excited to head to our next stop.

The French Countryside:

Provence: 3 Nights 3 Days

How we got there: 

We drove our rental car from The French Riviera to Provence.

Stayed at:

Villa La Coste- we absolutely loved this hotel and would definitely stay there again. It was on the most gorgeous property with a vineyard, multiple restaurants, a pool, electric bikes, gorgeous views… just absolutely idilic. We felt so at peace here and also could have stayed here for a whole week.

There are so many cute areas to explore around where we stayed. While in the area we went to Loumarin, Gordes, Aix-en-Provence, and Calanques National Park for our boat day.

Ate at: 

Francis Mallmann:** This restaurant was on property and we absolutely loved it. If you’re staying nearby, it would be worth checking out!

Vanina:** Another restaurant on the property which we loved. The pizza was incredible.

The Terrace: This was also on property and we got drinks here one night. They had live music and it was such a fun vibe.. felt like a lot of local people were there.

Airelles in Gordes: Ate at their terrace restaurant /cocktail bar outside for lunch while we were exploring Gordes and it was great! The view was gorgeous too.

Le Veux Tonneau in Aix-en-Provence:** Wine bar with a very local feel. Loved our wine and bites!

Domaine de la Citadelle: We did a wine tasting here and it was great but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of your way for it! There are sooo many wineries in the area and we did this one because it was on our way to Gordes.

Boat Day:

Bleu Evasion: We drove down to Marseille for our boat day in the Calanques National Park.. it was about an hour drive and this was another highlight of our trip!! This was maybe the prettiest water I’ve ever seen!! We had so much fun. I will note, this particular boat was not anything fancy and there was a bit of walking involved to get to the boat… I’m not sure that I’m not necessarily recommending this exact boat/company if you’re looking for something more luxe… but if you’re just wanting to get out on the water and explore, then this was great. We had a blast and loved swimming in the water. The views were just breathtaking.

Overall Thoughts:

We really loved the countryside and did not want to leave! We could have stayed for a whole week. It was so peaceful, but there are also so many surrounding areas to explore. We loved Aix-en-Provence which was just a short drive away and also loved our boat day -which was about an hour drive. Food was great, people were so nice and laid back. We will DEF be back.

Geneva, Switzerland:

Geneva, Switzerland: 2 nights, 1.5 days

Our final stop was Paris, so as a way to get to Paris without taking a flight, we decided to stop in Geneva, Switzerland on our way.

How we got there:

We left the French Countryside and drove our rental car to Geneva… but before getting to Geneva we actually stopped in Annecy for the first part of the day and we LOVED this canal town. If you’re near or driving though, I highly recommend spending some time in Annecy. We walked around, popped into a few shops, and enjoyed some bakeries/coffee shops. The water is just gorgeous and I’m so glad we checked it out! Then we continued our drive to Geneva.

Because we rented our car in France, we had to drop off our rental on the French side of the border at Hertz at the airport. We then found a Taxi at the Hertz/Airport parking lot to take us to our hotel.

Stayed at: 
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel de la Paix, Geneva: We weren’t totally obsessed with this hotel which was fine because it was just a quick stop on our way to Paris. The location was great because we were walking distance to a few restaurants that were great.

Ate at: 

Restaurant Intenso:* Amazing Italian restaurant near our hotel that we popped into and loved! The food was so good.

La Finestra:* Another amazing Italian restaurant walking distance from our hotel!! We heard to eat Italian in Switzerland and it did not disappoint!

Activities:

Since we only had one day in Switzerland, we woke up early and took the train from Geneva to Montreux, Vevey, and Lavaux. We spent the day exploring these towns. There are lots of cute wineries and cafes and honestly, just walking around was our favorite part. The views were UNREAL! After our day of exploring, we went back into Geneva for dinner and headed to Paris the next morning.

Overall Thoughts:

Our short stop in Geneva was so fun! We made this stop because it made sense logistically but it ended up being so great! I will say, we didn’t love Geneva (the city itself.. or at least where we stayed/the area we were in). BUT, we got out and explored and the areas we went to were more peaceful… and that was the highlight of our short stay. It gave us a small taste of Switzerland and from what we saw, it is absolutely breathtaking. If we go back to Switzerland someday, we would check out other areas. BUT I will day, the food we had in Geneva, was some of our favorite from the trip!!

Paris:

Paris: 3.5 nights, 3 days

How we got there:

We took the train from Geneva to Switzerland which was easy! We had a driver from our hotel meet us at the train station and take us to our hotel.

Stayed at: 

Cheval Blanc- This hotel was BOUJEE!! One of the nicest hotels we’ve ever stayed in. The service was top notch and there was also a rooftop bar with a view of the Eiffel Tower which we loved. I also took advantage of the Dior Spa and got a blowout which I loved!

Ate at:

There are obviously sooo many restaurants in Paris- some are a little more catered towards tourists, where you go for the views, some are a little more hole in the wall/local feeling.

Madonna: Loved the vibe of this restaurant but unfortunately, I ordered wrong… but I would still recommend because the rest of the food was great!

Aux Crus De Bourgogne:*** A true French restaurant… we loved and also loved the vibe. We sat outside and it felt like we were surrounded by locals.

Chez Georges 1, Rue Du Mail:***  Another true French restaurant that we loved. We sat outside and loved people watching. The food was fantastic and the creme brûlée was to die for.

Bakeries:

  • French Bastards

  • bo&mie

  • La maison de isabelle

Activities:

Our first trip to Paris was VERY sightseeing heavy. We went to multiple museums, gardens, toured Notre Dame, the Louvre, Montmartre, boat tour on the Seine, went up Arc de Triomphe…we did just about every touristy thing you could imagine. This time, we did not do any of that. We were just in the mood to walk around, shop, drink wine, eat good food, and chill. If it’s your first time in Paris, I definitely recommend doing tours, going to museums, and doing all the things!!

Shopping:

For luxury shopping, I loved Rue Saint- Honore. This street has all the luxury shops.. Prada, Miu Miu, Goyard, Celine, Dior, etc!

Saint Germain: Loved this area for more local shops, although they did have lots of recognizable names as well!

La Grande Epicerie De Paris: This grocery store/market has everything from cheese, wine, chocolate, honey, olive oil, etc. We stocked up on a ton of food here to bring home.

Paris Thoughts:

I just love Paris. I know some people think it’s too touristy, but I think you can avoid some of the over touristy areas and really enjoy the city. There really is so much to do there and again, I could have spent a few more days there for sure!

Paris Recs:

There were a ton of restaurants that I found while researching that we did not have time to go to.. I’ll leave a list here if you want to do your own research and check any out!

Restaurants

  • Loulou

  • Le bon Georges

  • Siena

  • Le bistrot Paul bert

  • Maison

  • Jones

  • Parcelles

  • Pink mama

  • Le Relais de l'Entrecôte

  • Chez Francis

  • Ferdi

  • Gigi’s


Bakeries:

  • Cédric Grolet

  • Scoop me a cookie

  • Storer

  • Du pain et des idées

  • Pain pain

  • Poilane

  • La pompadour

  • Boulangerie louvard


FRANCE FAQ:

Travel Agent: We did not use a travel agent

International Drivers Permit

    • Cort went to local AAA with his drivers license, they processed it and gave him international permit in 10 minutes…no tests or anything, just need a valid license, and need to be traveling within the next few months, and pay $20.

    • Note that not all countries internationally require an international drivers permit, so check online first. 

    • Cort felt completely safe driving! France is on the same side of the road and Google Maps helped with everything. Only difference is KM vs. MPH, which is still pretty easy to get used to.

Cash/Credit Card

    • Used debit card to withdraw money at the nearest ATM when we first landed…as bank exchange rates are usually best when there. Have an ATM card that has very low fees for international withdrawals. Just pulled out money in each city as we needed more but we really didn’t need much cash. 

    • In general, almost all restaurants / activities / merchants took credit card, and we were able to use our normal AMEX card. There were only 1 or 2 restaurants that didn’t accept AMEX, so we used cash or our non-AMEX cards. 

Reservations

We made as many reservations ahead of time, which I definitely recommend doing! You can always cancel if you change your mind, just make sure to cancel within the window so you don’t get charged. There were many times that we would just stumble into a restaurant without a reservation! Just depends!

Language Barrier

Pretty much everyone spoke English so that was not an issue at all! Of course, I think it’s good to know a few basics anywhere you travel!

Cell Phones/ Sim Cards

    • We have AT&T, who has an international feature that charges $10 per day for unlimited international talk and text automatically…so no need to call them or mess with sim cards. It’s $5 per extra line on the plan, so we were charged $15 every day that we used international texting or calls without wifi. 

France vs Italy:

A lot of you have asked if we liked France or Italy better. This is an almost impossible question to answer! We had 4 stops in Italy last summer and 4 stops in France this summer and for each, there were highlight that we loved and want to go back to. Right now I may be biased towards France from just returning.. I want to go back! But, I think I’d recommend Italy if you had to pick one to go to. The food is just incredible and there is so much of Italy that we still want to see. That said, if I could book a flight anywhere right now, I’d go straight to the French Riviera and camp out there for two weeks. Both are incredible experiences and it also depends on which cities you check out in each spot!

VAT/ Tax Refund

DISCLAIMER: DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR TAXES. I AM NOT AN EXPERT. GOOGLE IS PROBABLY BETTER THAN ME

  • In general, major purchases / designers offer tax free shopping options in Euro-based companies as a refund (VAT). So when you buy a purse or bag from a designer’s retail store in France, they ask if you want a VAT refund. If so, you have to bring your passport while shopping (some accept photos), and they will fill out a form at the time of your purchase. You pay the full tax there (~14-22%), but then can get a refund when you go to the airport to leave. 

  • The store will give you a paper form for you to scan at a kiosk at the airport, but you can also use an app called Global Blue, that keeps track of all these purchases. Then there is a kiosk where you scan your Global Blue app into and it automatically processes the refund. 

  • Note that you have to do this BEFORE checking in your bags and going into security, it’s essentially a kiosk right next to the airline check-in counters. 

  • Then when you fly back to the US and go through customs, they will ask you, are claiming any items, or did you buy any leather goods. You have to declare any of these purchases and pay a local sales tax here in the states. You can buy $800 per person ($1600 for a couple) without paying any taxes, but then pay a 3-9% tax on everything above that…which is still cheaper than paying true sales tax sometimes here domestically. This is all done at customs right when you land back in the US. They will walk you through the process. DON’T TRY AND CHEAT THE SYSTEM. IF YOU DO, YOU CAN GET INTO TROUBLE AND IT’S NOT WORTH IT. We kept all of our purchases in a carry-on bag in case they needed to physically see them but they did not ask to look (sometimes they will look). We were able to pay our tax fee with a credit card.. (they did not charge us much), and then we were on our way. It was an easy process and they were super nice and helpful! They ended up not charging us the full tax amount.. which I hear happens a lot, but don’t expect that because you never know. Even if they charge you the full tax amount, it’s still worth it! They thanked us for being honest and organized and told us they were just charging us a smaller %. This has happened to multiple friends. It’s better to just be honest in my opinion!

  • In general, designer purchases are cheaper in Europe already being that they are closer to the manufacturers home (ex. buying French designer products in France is cheapest). So you are saving two ways (1) cheaper goods in Europe sometimes and (2) lower taxes via the duty free exemption compared to sales tax depending on what state you live in here in the US. 

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