2019 was filled with some pretty memorable trips. We spent two weeks traveling around Morocco, skied the Swiss Alps for the first time, spent a long weekend eating the world’s best pizza in Naples and ferry hopping and hiking along the Amalfi coast, to name a few.
We had similarly high expectations for 2020 until the start of the year when COVID-19 made it’s debut in Italy and quickly spread across Europe and the rest of the world. Like most everyone else, we found ourselves suddenly trapped indoors, adjusting to the “new normal.” After spending the first month in denial, we finally came to terms with the fact that our two-week trip to Greece in June would be canceled. Aside from a couple of weekend staycations in the Netherlands, we had little diversity in our day-to-day and no plans on the horizon to look forward to.
So when it was announced that the borders between some European countries would start reopening in July, I immediately started researching. We were in desperate need of a change in scenery but also knew that our options for responsible travel were pretty limited. The only thing we knew for sure is that we’d be going by car and wanted to spend a good amount of time in nature.
Dan and I had such an amazing time road tripping around Normandy last year, and with so much of the country left unexplored, France seemed the best choice for a long road trip. And so, with travel guide in hand, I quickly started piecing together a three-week itinerary that would string together the various regions of France neither Dan nor myself has been to before (which as it turned out, is most of France!).
This was such a memorable trip and really highlighted for me how little I actually knew of France. I was amazed at the range of cuisine, history, and landscapes available all within one country. In some ways, I’m grateful that these circumstances led to us taking a trip that would have taken us years to get to otherwise. If you have several weeks at your disposal and are a fan of road trips, then I can’t recommend this itinerary highly enough!
Overview of our trip
Our 3-week road trip started and ended in our home town of Amsterdam. The trip was bookended by a stop in Cologne and a few days in Paris, where Dan and I worked remotely to break up the long drive. So even though our trip technically started in Amsterdam, for the sake of the itinerary I’ll skip our brief stop-over in Germany and will start things off with our first night in Strasbourg. You can see the route covered by this itinerary in blue on the map below.
We clocked over 2,500 miles on this trip, which the same as if you were to drive coast to coast in the US. I’m fairly certain this is the longest road trip I’ve ever done!
Even though we covered so much ground, driving rarely felt like a hassle. The vast majority of the drive was spent on scenic backroads with plenty of sights and fun detours to pass the time. Really, the only part of the trip that felt long was the drive back on the highway from Paris to Amsterdam at the end of the trip.
The pace of the trip also helped a lot — we tried to stay at least two nights in each region and spaced out the longer (4+ hour) drives so that they wouldn’t happen back to back.
Itinerary
This trip was like several trips all combined into one, so to make things more digestible and easier to navigate for those looking to DIY their own road trip itinerary, I’ve broken up the full 21-itinerary into six parts based on region.
Below is an overview of each part with the major points-of-interest for that region:
Part 1 | Alsace & Burgundy
Days 1-5
Exploring two of France’s famous wine regions with overnights in Strasbourg, Colmar and Beaune
Part 2 | The French Alps
Days 6-8
Paddleboating on Lake Annecy, hiking in Chamonix, and driving the Route des Grandes Alpes
Part 3 | The French Riviera
Days 9-12
Touring the greatest hits of the Riviera from our home base in Villefranche-sur-Mer with day trips to Cap Ferrat, Monaco, and Nice
Part 4 | Provence
Days 13-15
Exploring Van Gogh’s Arles, kayaking the Verdon Gorge, and driving around the lavender fields of the Valensole Plateau
Part 5 | Languedoc-Roussillon & Dordogne
Days 16-17
Visiting the historic walled city of Carcassonne and enjoying all that the Dordogne River Valley has to offer: nature, kayaking and truffles.
Part 6 | Paris
Days 18-21
We spent several weeks in 2018 living in Paris and seeing all of the greatest hits, so these few days were mostly spent eating and enjoying daily Parisian life.
If you’re looking for inspiration for your own trip, you can click here to see all posts related to Paris.
Recommended Reading
We relied heavily on our well-worn copy of Rick Steves’ France travel guide, both for the initial planning of the trip and as a daily reference throughout the three weeks spent on the road.
This book contains a lot of information, so it isn’t the most portable option on the market. But I’d say if you’re looking to spend more than a couple of weeks traversing around France or intend to make multiple trips to different regions in the future, then this is definitely your best bet.
Click here to purchase Rick Steves France travel guide.
Related Posts
Looking for more travel inspiration? Check out these others posts from similar trips:
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