Tailormade tour Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon by train France

7 nights/8 days

Paris • Strasbourg • Lyon

Visit not just the French capital, Paris, but two other distinctly different and equally atmospheric regional cities, Strasbourg in Alsace and Lyon in the Rhone Valley. You stay in centrally located, characterful hotels and travel in between the cities by fast TGV trains.
Holiday price guide

Available year-round from £1,980 per person.

Luxury rail holiday to the three French cities of Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Highlights

Paris • Visit Les Invalides • Visit the Louvre and the Tuileries • Champs-Elysées • Strasbourg • River Rhine • Lyon • Place Bellecour • Notre Dame Basilica

Day by day

Begin this rail holiday of three French cities with a journey on Eurostar from London to Paris. Departures are hourly and the journey takes approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. Choose a departure time to suit although we suggest taking a mid-morning departure to arrive into Paris in the afternoon. Spend three nights in Paris.

You have two full days at leisure to explore Paris. The hotel we suggest is situated on the Left Bank, a stone’s throw away from La Place de la Concorde, the Assemblée Nationale and Les Invalides. Highlights to visit include the Eiffel Tower, perhaps the most famous of Paris’s monuments, where you can take a lift to the top floor at 899 feet and enjoy the view across Paris. Other places to visit include the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe which dates from 1836. Spend some time taking in the atmosphere of Montmartre where you can find the Sacre-Coeur basilica. Montmartre is one of the most charming areas of Paris, and it is worth exploring the narrow winding streets that make it so appealing. Another appealing district is Le Marais, on the right bank. Here you can find the elegant Place des Vosges, an attractive square known formally as the Place Royale built in the early 1700s. There are also many museums on offer. Notable museums include the Louvre, Musée Rodin and Musée d’Orsay. Take a break from sight-seeing and enjoy one of the many pretty gardens such as the Jardin du Luxembourg or the Jardin des Tuileries.

After a final breakfast in Paris, take a taxi to the Gare de l’Est where you board a direct TGV service to Strasbourg. The train departs just after 10:00 hrs arriving into Strasbourg about two and a half hours later. The journey takes you eastwards into the Champagne region and then into Lorraine before crossing the northern Vosges mountains into the rolling landscape of Alsace with its hop fields and pretty half-timbered houses. Take a taxi to your hotel in Strasbourg.  

You have one full day in Strasbourg to explore the city and surrounding region. Strasbourg is a bustling city on the river Rhine. Discover the gothic cathedral of Notre Dame and wander the cobbled streets lined with shops and cafés. The old quarter, known as la Petite France, is worth visiting with half-timbered buildings, typical of the Alsace region. Museums to visit include the Museum of Alsace and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Today you will travel by rail from Strasbourg to Lyon. There is a direct service which departs from Strasbourg just after 09:00 hrs arriving into Lyon Part-Dieu at approximately 13:00 hrs. Today’s journey by train is particularly scenic as you head south skirting the vineyards and the Vosges mountains to your right, stopping at Colmar and Mulhouse before entering the Franche-Comté and the wooded hills of the foothills of the Alps. You pass the rich vineyards of Burgundy and Beaujolais that lie between Dijon and Lyon. Check-in to your hotel for two nights.

Lyon has much to offer, with history dating back to Roman times. The old town is located on the banks of the River Saone. Spend time exploring the narrow, cobbled streets with medieval buildings and a variety of restaurants to choose from. Visit Place Bellecour, an impressive square with a statue of Louis XIV on horseback as its centrepiece. Stroll to Place des Terreaux and admire the fountains dotted about the square. The striking Notre Dame Basilica, situated in Fourviere, can be accessed on foot up several steps or by funicular. Enjoy panoramic views over Lyon from here. Lyon is also home to around 30 museums including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilisation. Dine in one of Lyon’s many restaurants or try the Michelin starred restaurant, Les Loges, at your hotel.

Depart from Lyon on a mid-morning train to Lille, retracking your route north into Burgundy towards the Champagne region.  At Lille, change onto a Eurostar service. You will arrive back into London just after 16:00 hrs. 

Special offers for this holiday>

It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.
Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,980 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room and including standard class rail travel.
Supplement for standard premier/first class about £330 per person.
Supplement for a superior room in 5* Hotel Montalembert, Paris and a classic room in 5* Hotel Regent Petite France, Strasbourg about £300 per person.

Holiday Code FRBR18

Luxury rail holiday to the three French cities of Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Special offers for this holiday>

It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.
Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,980 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room and including standard class rail travel.
Supplement for standard premier/first class about £330 per person.
Supplement for a superior room in 5* Hotel Montalembert, Paris and a classic room in 5* Hotel Regent Petite France, Strasbourg about £300 per person.

Holiday Code FRBR18

Our prices include ● Second-class travel on all trains, with standard class on Eurostar (first and standard premier can be booked at a supplement)
● 3 nights’ bed and breakfast in a superior room at Hotel Bourgogne et Montana, Paris
● 2 nights’ bed and breakfast in a classic room at Hotel Regent Contades, Strasbourg
● 2 nights’ bed and breakfast in a classic room at Hotel La Cour des Loges, Lyon
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints

Our prices do not include ● Early check-in or late check-out at any hotels (although we can arrange this on request at additional cost)
● Any other services not mentioned above, such as additional transfers, entrance fees and meals except daily breakfast at each hotel
● Personal holiday insurance. This is essential and cover should be in place from when you book the holiday.
● Local tourist tax, usually between Euros 1 and 3 per person per night, and payable locally to the hotel
● Transfers in Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Additional information This holiday can be arranged throughout the year. Additional nights can be added at any point on this itinerary. Timings can vary depending on the month and day of the week.

Luxury rail holiday to the three French cities of Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Hotels included in this tour

Special offers

Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.

It was an excellent holiday - due to excellent planning on your side. Super efficient, very professional.
Mrs F, Holiday to Norway, Oct 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,980 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room and including standard class rail travel.
Supplement for standard premier/first class about £330 per person.
Supplement for a superior room in 5* Hotel Montalembert, Paris and a classic room in 5* Hotel Regent Petite France, Strasbourg about £300 per person.

Holiday Code FRBR18

Luxury rail holiday to the three French cities of Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Highlights of Alsace

Sample Choucroute and Gugelhupf, Wine and Beer, the Cherry festivals in May, the festival of Son et Lumiere at Strasbourg cathedral in the summer, the Wine festivals in the autumn, and the Christmas markets towards the end of the year.

Climate in Alsace

Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 5.5, Feb: 5.3, Mar: 9.3, Apr: 13.7, May: 15.8, Jun: 23.0, Jul: 24.1, Aug: 26.3, Sep: 21.2, Oct: 14.9, Nov: 7.6, Dec: 4.7. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

Luxury rail holiday to the three French cities of Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Highlights of Paris

We can arrange tickets for the opera, ballet and concerts throughout France. Please let us know what you want to see and we will do our best to book tickets in advance.

Paris Climate

Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 7.5, Feb: 7.1, Mar: 10.2, Apr: 15.7, May: 16.6, Jun: 23.4, Jul: 25.1, Aug: 25.6, Sep: 20.9, Oct: 16.5, Nov: 11.7, Dec: 7.8. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

Luxury rail holiday to the three French cities of Paris, Strasbourg and Lyon

Highlights of the Rhone Valley

Cultural highlights include the Beaujolais vineyards, the Gastronomic centre of the city of Lyon, vineyards of the southern Rhone valley, jazz festivals, olive festivals, and the International shoe museum at Romans.

Rhone Valley Climate

Average air temperature in Centigrade: Jan: 12.4, Feb: 11.5, Mar: 12.5, Apr: 17.6, May: 20.1, Jun: 26.5, Jul: 28.4, Aug: 28.1, Sep: 26.1, Oct: 21.1, Nov: 15.8, Dec: 13.5. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France

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