Your Complete Guide to the Most Romantic European Getaway (Part 1)

A 10-Day Trip through France and Switzerland

I’m going to divide this into four parts so it’s not an overwhelming amount to read at once.   I’ll list the individual parts below so that you know what to expect from each one.

Part 1: Know Before You Go!

Part 2: Paris - Geneva

Part 3: Geneva - Nice

Part 4: Nice - Eze

Part 5: Eze - Home

So, quick back story! 

My husband, Eddie, and I hadn’t been away for more than 2 consecutive nights in over 13 years.  This was the first time we had gotten on a plane, just the two of us, since having kids (my oldest is nearly 13).  So this was a big deal for us. For all the details of how we pulled this off with zero family help, see the “Lastly, Childcare!” section below.

When my husband asked me, “Do you want to go to France while the kids are at camp?” I answered immediately, “You plan the itinerary and I’ll book the tickets!”

A cheeky photo in one of my favorite stops - Jardin Exotique in Eze, France.

Itinerary, please!

We traveled from June 24-July 4th. 

On June 24th, we left Jacksonville for our one-stop flight.

June 25th arrived in Paris, France where we spent 2 nights.

On June 27th we took a high-speed train to Geneva, Switzerland.

On June 29th we picked up a rental car a drove to Annecy and then to Nice, both in France.

July 2nd we drove to Eze, France.

July 4th we headed home!

*I'll provide all the details - hotel, restaurants, attractions, etc. in each corresponding part

View from the Villa et Jardins Ephrussi De Rothschild in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat in France.

What I’d do again and what I WOULDN’T do again.

If we were to do it again, we would have done 3 nights in Paris and 3 nights in Geneva because that part of the trip did feel a bit rushed. By the time we got to Geneva, we were exhausted but also didn’t want to miss anything. 

Our time in Paris was further compressed as our departure flight was delayed by 5 hours. I would give myself more of a cushion of time on that first day. We had booked museum tickets in Paris starting at 10:30 am assuming our flight would have no delays and arrive at 7:30 am on schedule. Needless to say, we didn’t make it to the museum that day.

France has time-ticket museums, meaning you must arrive within the 30-minute window stamped on your ticket. You forfeit your ticket if you do not arrive on time. In hindsight, I would not have made the museum reservation so close to our initial arrival time and made it later in the afternoon.  But, as in life, it all works out and you’ll see in Part 2 how the delay IMPROVED our trip to Paris!

My husband and I visiting the Château de Versailles in Versailles, France.

Flight Tips

We flew a 1 stop outbound flight from JAX (Jacksonville, Florida) to IAH (Washington Dulles) to Paris - Charles de Gaulle (CDG) , but if you live in one of the major hubs in the U.S., you can get a direct flight to Paris. Here are just some of the many hubs that you can travel directly to Paris from:

1. New York City (JFK)

2. Los Angeles (LAX)

3. Chicago (ORD)

4. San Francisco (SFO)

5. Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)

6. Atlanta (ATL)

7. Miami (MIA)

We purchased two one-way tickets because we would not be returning to Paris once we left. I used our United Airlines mileage points to pay for our tickets and money to pay for upgraded seats upon booking. However, I realized that once you use points to buy your basic fare, you cannot use points if a cabin upgrade becomes available.

You can only use money. By persistently checking the United Airlines website the week before our flight, I could score two Polaris business class seat upgrades for $1,000 each. They were previously fluctuating between $8,000-$10,000 a seat, so when I saw the $1,000 price, I grabbed them!

Having never flown business class for an international flight, I had no idea what to expect in terms of comfort or service, and it ended up being the absolute best experience. This flight had the lie-flat seats and I could truly lie down completely. It was surprisingly comfortable.

I’m a light sleeper and even I slept a portion of the night. The seat upgrade was 1000% worth it, especially as our flight was delayed five hours!

First time in a business class seat on an international flight. We were able to snag these tickets for a great price by continually checking pricing on the upgrade after I purchased my basic fare tickets. The lie-flat option was amazing, and I got to sleep!

In addition to the comfort and service on the plane, booking the Polaris seats gave us access to the Polaris Club (which was again another first for us!). While our plane was delayed five hours, we had access to a hot and cold buffet which was actually pretty good considering it’s “airport food”, and whatever beverage we wanted - hot, cold, alcohol, etc. They also had Wi-Fi, a nice view, and a dedicated United Team Member to ask questions and get updates from continuously.

I'm glad I enrolled in a United Airlines Explorer card in 2022 as it has since allowed me to use my accumulated points for 2 free one-way tickets for this trip for both my husband and I and free 1st check bag on all flights. It has 100% been worth the small annual fee. You can get all the info here on the card!

How did we pick the itinerary?

Going back to my word of the year "surrender," I let my husband do the macro-level planning. He chose the location stops and timeline with the help of ChatGPT. I also asked him if there were certain activities in each city he’d like to do, and I made sure we prioritized those and built them into our itinerary.

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in Geneva, Switzerland.

Both of us consider ourselves "foodies," and Eddie mentioned his desire to dine at several Michelin-star restaurants during our trip. To secure our dining experiences, I took the initiative to book reservations a month ahead, considering the limited capacity of these establishments compared to the frequent table turnovers in the USA. I even had to wait on a waiting list for a month before finally receiving an email informing me of a recent cancellation that opened up the date and time slot I had requested. You can find all the Michelin-star rated restaurants near you or your travels here.

How did we pick the hotels?

Having established the itinerary, I was able to proceed with booking the hotels. I utilized Trip Advisor to search for specific features and preferred locations and then took advantage of any loyalty discounts available to us (such as the free Hyatt Member program) to accumulate points through stays without needing another credit card. I was actually able to recently get a free night through the use of my World of Hyatt free membership!

How did we get from place to place?

Once the hotels were booked, I noted the check-in and check-out times for each and made a list of the activities that we’d like to do the most in each place. Then I researched how to get from one place to another. We ended up taking a train from Paris to Geneva, and then renting a car from Geneva to Nice for the remainder of the trip.

When I priced out the cost of a train from Geneva to Nice, it was the same as the cost of renting a car for five nights. However, I didn't factor in parking at the hotels, and that added another 40 euros/night. If we didn’t have the car, we would have used Uber, which I imagine would have been comparable in cost. We wouldn’t have been able to do a quick stop in Annecy if we didn't have the car so If I were to do it again, I still would have rented the car, even with the cost of parking.

Tip: Book the car as early as possible as there were no cars available in Geneva closer to us. I found a rental at the airport, which was 15-20 min away by a combination of foot and public transportation.

When staying at the hotel in Geneva, you are given a free public transportation pass which covered us everywhere that we wanted to go. We are big walkers but did use the ferry twice for the view and each included.

Taking the Ferry across Lake Geneva.

However, and this is super important, while the car rental pickup is at the airport in Geneva, you are unable to enter the Swiss border without a boarding pass dated within twenty-four hours of our car pick-up. I was not aware of this when I made the rental reservation.

Thus, my husband was told this after walking to the public transportation and then arriving. He was told the only way to get to the car was that he had to leave and enter the French side of the airport by taxi.

So that's what my husband had to end up doing. It wasn't a big deal as it only took us off schedule by about 30 minutes, but it's something I can share with you to avoid, either by scheduling a rental right in the city or by taking a taxi directly to the French side of the airport.

Also, when renting the car, make sure you know if the vehicle has an automatic or manual transmission. When booking our reservation, it wasn't specified.

Normally, I’d call to confirm before clicking “book”, but I knew that, worst case scenario, it would assign us a manual vehicle that Eddie could drive, even though I couldn’t. Of course, we were assigned a manual vehicle. Thankfully, it wasn’t a big deal for us, but it may be for you, so I wanted to mention that.

Lastly, Childcare!

As a mother without grandparent involvement, I’m always asking myself when I see someone take a kid-free vacation, how did they do that? So I want to be sure I’m being transparent in how I was able to do this. 

We were able to take a vacation just the two of us because my two sons attended a sleep-away summer camp. If they were not at a three-week-long sleep-away camp, we wouldn’t have done this. Not that it would have been impossible without grandparents, but it would have been more challenging.

The trip would have taken some meticulous planning in my case, including predominantly the use of paid help. Your particular situation with family involvement in your children’s lives may be different, but if your situation is anything like mine, I know the struggles, challenges, and what it feels like to have a lack of support which can affect all areas of your life. I get it.

Have questions on any of the above? Leave me a question in the comments below or email me at info@ceciliariveracoaching.com.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where I go into all things Paris!