Paris to Rome: The Grand European Journey

Arrive at Charles de Gaulle, take the RER B express train to the city centre (35 min, €11.80). Check into your hotel near Saint-Germain-des-Prés or the Marais. Walk to the Seine embankment and cross Pont de l'Alma for your first view of the Eiffel Tower rising above the chestnut trees.

Explore the Marais district — medieval streets packed with galleries, falafel shops, and boutiques. Visit Place des Vosges, Paris's oldest planned square, and browse the Musée Carnavalet (free, Paris history). Cross to Île de la Cité to admire the restored Notre-Dame exterior (interior reopened after 2024 restoration).

Dine at a classic Parisian brasserie near the Bastille — steak-frites and a carafe of Burgundy. After dinner, ride the Eiffel Tower to the second floor for the twinkling light show that runs every hour on the hour after dark. Walk back along the Seine as the bridges reflect gold in the water.

Be at the Louvre by 9 AM (book tickets online the night before). Spend 3 hours focusing on must-sees: the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Venus de Milo — the museum is enormous so map your route in advance. Exit through the glass pyramid and grab a café crème at the outdoor terrace café in the Tuileries Garden.

Walk through the Tuileries to Place de la Concorde and up the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe — climb to the rooftop for a star-shaped view of twelve radiating boulevards. Return via Boulevard Haussmann and Palais Royal gardens for a quieter pace. Visit Musée d'Orsay (just a 20-min walk along the Seine) for Van Gogh's Bedroom and Monet's water lilies.

Take the Montmartre funicular up to Sacré-Cœur Basilica and watch street artists work on the cobbled squares of Place du Tertre. Dinner at a cosy Montmartre bistro — duck confit or beef bourguignon with a half-carafe of Côtes du Rhône. Walk back downhill through the vineyard lane as Paris spreads below in a sea of amber light.

Take RER C to Versailles (40 min) and arrive at the Palace of Versailles before the crowds. The Hall of Mirrors is staggering — 357 mirrors reflecting seventeen arched windows overlooking the gardens. Walk the Grand Canal and formal parterre gardens; rent a rowboat on the canal for a leisurely hour.

Return to Paris by mid-afternoon. Visit the Rodin Museum garden — The Thinker and The Gates of Hell amid rose bushes — a calming counterpoint to Versailles's grandeur. Wander Saint-Germain's literary cafés (Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore) where Hemingway and Sartre once argued over espresso.

Board a 1-hour Seine River cruise from Pont de l'Alma, gliding past Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and the Eiffel Tower — all illuminated. Disembark and walk to a canalside wine bar in the 10th arrondissement for natural wine and charcuterie before tomorrow's early train.

Board the TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon (2 hrs, €40–70). Check in and walk immediately to the Vieux Lyon (old town) — a UNESCO-listed Renaissance quarter of ochre facades, hidden traboules (secret passageways through buildings), and artisan bouchon restaurants. Explore Cathédrale Saint-Jean and the Roman amphitheatre ruins on Fourvière Hill.

Lunch at a traditional Lyon bouchon (try quenelles de brochet — pike dumplings in cream sauce — and andouillette sausage if you're adventurous). Visit Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, the city's legendary covered food market with 50 stalls of cheese, charcuterie, pastries, and wine. Climb Fourvière Basilica for panoramic views over the Rhône and Saône rivers.

Walk the Presqu'île (peninsula) between the two rivers as evening markets wind down. Dinner at a starred bouchon for the full Lyon experience: pike quenelles, salade lyonnaise with poached egg, and tarte praline (pink almond cream tart). Board the overnight or early-morning TGV to Florence if schedule permits, or stay the night.

Arrive Florence Santa Maria Novella station and check in near Santa Croce or the Oltrarno. Walk immediately to the Duomo — Brunelleschi's terracotta dome is the defining skyline of Florence; climb 463 steps to the lantern for a city panorama. The Baptistery doors (Gates of Paradise, gilded bronze) face the cathedral and are free to admire.

Visit the Uffizi Gallery (book tickets in advance): Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation, and Caravaggio's Medusa are unmissable. Cross Ponte Vecchio — Florence's medieval bridge lined with jewellers — and explore the Oltrarno artisan quarter on the south bank where leather workshops and picture framers still ply traditional trades.

Climb to Piazzale Michelangelo for the classic sunset panorama over Florence's rust-red rooftops and the Arno River. Descend for dinner in the Oltrarno: ribollita (Tuscan bread soup), bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak, minimum 800g), and Chianti Classico. Finish with a gelato from a gelateria on Via dei Servi.

Be first in line at the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David — 5.17 metres of carved marble that silences every room. The unfinished Prisoners (Slaves) in the corridor are equally haunting, as though figures are trying to break free of the stone. Afterwards, browse San Lorenzo Market for leather goods and souvenir bargaining.

Cross the Arno to Palazzo Pitti — the vast Medici palace housing the Palatine Gallery (Raphaels and Titians) and the Royal Apartments. The Boboli Gardens behind the palace are a Renaissance ideal of terraced hedgerows, fountains, and grottos with views of the Tuscan hillside. Treat yourself to an afternoon aperitivo at a Lungarno riverside bar.

Take a sunset drive or taxi to Fiesole — a hilltop Etruscan town above Florence with Roman theatre ruins and olive groves. Dinner at a Fiesole trattoria with views of the Arno valley below. Return to Florence for a nightcap on Piazza della Repubblica.

Take the early train from Florence to La Spezia (2 hrs), then buy a Cinque Terre Card for unlimited train hops between the five villages. Start at Monterosso al Mare — the largest village with a proper beach — for a quick swim before the trails get busy. Walk the Via dell'Amore (Love Path) from Riomaggiore to Manarola: 1 km of cliffside promenade above crashing waves.

Hop to Vernazza — the most picturesque village — and climb the castle tower for views of coloured houses tumbling to the harbour. Lunch on focaccia with anchovies and fresh pesto (Ligurian pesto is different, made with Genovese basil and pecorino). Continue to Corniglia — the highest village, 370 steps up from the station — for panoramic sea views.

End at Manarola for the famous sunset from the rocky promontory as the multicoloured buildings reflect in the harbour. Dinner at a terrace restaurant right above the sea — spaghetti alle vongole (clams) and Sciacchetrà (local sweet wine). Take the last train back to La Spezia and your overnight accommodation, or continue to Rome by night train.

Train from La Spezia to Roma Termini (3 hrs). Check in and head straight to the Colosseum — buy combined tickets online to skip queues and gain access to the arena floor for the most evocative views of the tiered seating. The Arch of Constantine outside is one of Rome's best-preserved triumphal arches.

Walk through the Roman Forum — the civic and religious centre of the Republic — past the Temple of Saturn, the Via Sacra, and the House of the Vestal Virgins. Climb Palatine Hill for views over both Forum and Circus Maximus. Cool down with a granita di caffè at a bar in the Trastevere neighbourhood and wander its medieval lanes.

Catch golden hour at the Circus Maximus and walk along Via Appia Antica (Appian Way) past ancient tomb ruins. Dinner in Trastevere — cacio e pepe (pecorino and black pepper pasta) at a paper-tablecloth trattoria — Rome's most beloved neighbourhood restaurant scene. Finish with a stroll to the Tiber Island.

Book the earliest Vatican Museums slot (8 AM). Navigate the long Raphael Rooms (School of Athens is here) to arrive at the Sistine Chapel — the ceiling by Michelangelo and The Last Judgment behind the altar are together one of the greatest artistic achievements in human history. Exit through St Peter's Basilica and climb the dome (551 steps or elevator halfway) for views of the Papal square below.

Walk across Castel Sant'Angelo — Hadrian's mausoleum converted to a fortress — and cross the Tiber to the Piazza Navona, Rome's most theatrical baroque square with Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers as its centrepiece. Visit the Pantheon (now requires a ticket) — a 2,000-year-old perfectly preserved temple; the oculus in the dome still admits rain on the floor.

Toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain at sunset (go after 8 PM to avoid daytime crush). Walk to Campo de' Fiori for the aperitivo hour — Aperol Spritz and crostini at outdoor tables. Dinner at a neighborhood osteria near Piazza Farnese — supplì (fried rice balls), saltimbocca alla romana, and tiramisù.

Wake early for a quiet sunrise walk around the Borghese Gardens — Rome's version of Central Park — and rent a rowboat on the garden lake. Visit the Galleria Borghese (book ahead, limited visitors) for Bernini's Apollo and Daphne sculpture, a marble tornado of motion that leaves viewers speechless. Enjoy a final cornetto and cappuccino at a neighbourhood bar.

Last-minute shopping on Via del Corso or Campo de' Fiori market for local olive oil, limoncello, and truffles. Take the express train to Fiumicino (FCO) airport — Leonardo Express from Termini, 32 min. Check in early and enjoy a final amaro at the departures lounge.

Board your flight home, carrying the scent of Roman coffee, the weight of a thousand years of art, and the absolute certainty that you will return.