Blog · 1 November 2026
France from India: Paris, Provence and the Riviera, how many days, and what a trip costs
For many Indian travellers France is the first trip to Europe, and Paris alone is worth the flight. But the country is much more than one city: fast trains take you to Lyon for food, to Provence for old towns and lavender, and the Riviera around Nice has the sea, Monaco and pretty hill villages. It's not a cheap destination, so the season you pick and how you move between cities make a big difference to the bill.
How many days do you need?
Plan on seven to ten days. Give Paris four nights, enough for the big sights plus a day trip to Versailles or Disneyland. Then fly to Nice, about an hour and a half, for three nights on the Riviera, and fly home from there so you don't have to go back to Paris. With ten days or more, add two nights in Provence around Avignon, three hours from Paris by TGV high-speed train, and two in Lyon, two hours by TGV. If you have only five or six days, stay in Paris and add one day trip.
What a trip costs
For a couple flying from Delhi and staying in a midrange hotel, a 10-day France trip in December comes to about ₹6,01,000, or ₹3,00,500 per person. That covers return flights, trains and the internal flight, the hotel, food, local transport, the attractions we pick for you, the Schengen visa, travel insurance and a 10% buffer. Hotels in Paris are the biggest cost after the flights, and they jump in summer.
You can change the dates, travellers, hotel, cities and attractions on our France trip cost page and see every line update.
Things worth paying for
- Eiffel Tower summit: about ₹3,636 per adult. Book a time slot online; the evening is the best time to go up.
- Louvre Museum: about ₹3,232. It's closed on Tuesdays, and you need a timed ticket. Pick a few rooms rather than trying to see it all.
- Palace of Versailles: about ₹2,121, a full day with the gardens. It's closed on Mondays.
- Seine river cruise: about ₹1,717, an easy hour past the main sights, nicest after dark.
- Musée d'Orsay: about ₹1,616, for the Impressionist paintings in an old railway station.
- Disneyland Paris (1 day): about ₹10,605, the one to add if you travel with children.
- Mont-Saint-Michel day trip: about ₹16,160, a long day to the abbey on its island.
- Monaco and Èze tour from Nice: about ₹6,060, for the casino square, the harbour and a perched medieval village.
- Palais des Papes, Avignon: about ₹1,313, a vast palace where the popes once lived.
- Lavender fields tour (June and July): about ₹7,575, only in early summer when the fields are in bloom.
Free and cheap things to do
Paris is full of free sights. Walk around Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter, climb the steps of Montmartre to Sacré-Cœur, and sit in the Luxembourg Gardens. In the evening, stroll the Champs-Élysées, then go to Trocadéro to watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at the start of each hour after dark. In Lyon, explore the hidden passages of the old town. In Nice, walk the Promenade des Anglais and climb Castle Hill for the view over the bay.
When to go
Spring (March to May) and early autumn (September and October) are the best months: mild weather, fewer crowds and fair prices. Summer, from June to August, is warm and lovely on the Riviera, and it's lavender season in Provence, but it's the busiest and most expensive time; December is also busy around Christmas. January, February and November are cold and grey, but they are the cheapest months for flights and hotels.
Visa for Indians
Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa for France. You apply through the visa application centre for the French embassy, with your flight bookings, hotel bookings, travel insurance and bank statements. You can apply up to six months before you travel, and appointments fill up fast before summer and Christmas, so book one early. If France is where you spend the most nights, apply to France even if you also visit other Schengen countries. The visa fee and service charge are already included in the trip cost above.
Tips that save money
- Book TGV train tickets early; the cheapest fares sell out weeks ahead.
- Fly into Paris and home from Nice, so you don't spend a day and a fare going back.
- Use the Metro in Paris rather than taxis; it reaches every sight you'll want to see.
- Children get into the Louvre, Versailles, the Musée d'Orsay and many other museums free, so family trips cost less than you might expect.
- Have a big lunch set menu instead of dinner out; it's the same food for much less money.
Want the numbers for your own dates and group? Plan your France trip and send it to us for live flight and hotel prices.