Self-Launched: Rome to Paris Across Italy & France (8 Days)
8 days · Italy & France (Rome to Paris)
Europamundo charges £960
No-markup version: ~£827 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Europamundo's 8-day coach circuit from Rome to Paris, covering Rome, Pisa, the Italian/French Riviera, Saint-Tropez, Marseille, Arles, Les Baux, Avignon, Lyon, Burgundy (Tournus, Beaune, Savigny, Dijon), Fontenay, Semur-en-Auxois and Vézelay before finishing in Paris. Instead of a 50-seat coach with fixed timings and out-of-town hotels, you build the same route using Trenitalia and SNCF TGV regional trains, a Riviera coastal bus, and self-booked walking tours and museum tickets. Note: 8 days for this many stops is genuinely fast — expect early starts and one-night stays. All costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP, excluding international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Rome — evening in Monti & Via Cavour
Rome, Italy
Fly or train into Rome and check into a hostel or budget guesthouse near Termini (walkable to everything, good transport). Take the Leonardo Express or local FL1 train from Fiumicino (~£12) or a Terravision/SIT shuttle bus (~£5-6). In the evening, do the operator's 'Via Cavour' introduction yourself: wander the Monti district around Via Cavour and Via dei Fori Imperiali for cheap trattorias, pizza al taglio and gelato. Book a Colosseum + Roman Forum timed ticket online in advance (Colosseum ~£16 + £2 booking fee, or the combined 24-hour ticket) — the operator's Imperial Forums entry is replaced by this self-booked ticket.
🚌Airport train/shuttle to Termini ~£5-12; all sightseeing on foot + metro/bus single ticket €1.50
🛏Hostel dorm near Termini (e.g. The RomeHello, Alessandro Downtown) or budget guesthouse, £20-30/night
- →Self-guided Monti & Via Cavour evening food wander
- →Pre-book Colosseum/Roman Forum timed entry online
Rome — Imperial Rome walking route, Vatican & Trastevere
Rome, Italy
Do the guided city tour independently: start early at the Colosseum and Roman Forum (pre-booked slot, ~2-3 hrs), then walk Via dei Fori Imperiali to Piazza Venezia. Free/cheap self-booked options: a GetYourGuide or Walks of Italy small-group Imperial Rome walk (~£30-40) if you want the guide experience, or a free-tip walking tour. In the afternoon cross to Vatican City — St Peter's Basilica is free (queue early or book a €5-10 skip-the-line slot); Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel booked direct at museivaticani.va is ~£18-22, versus the operator's €70 optional tour. Late afternoon hit Piazza Navona, the Pantheon (€5), Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps on a self-guided loop. Evening: bus or 25-min walk to Trastevere for dinner in the cobbled lanes (the operator's evening transfer, done on foot).
🚌On foot + a couple of metro/bus singles (~£3 total)
🛏Same Rome hostel/guesthouse, £20-30/night
- →Colosseum + Roman Forum self-guided (pre-booked)
- →St Peter's Basilica (free) and Vatican Museums direct-booked
- →Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps walking loop
- →Trastevere evening stroll and dinner
Rome → Pisa → Sestri Levante → Nice
Rome to Nice, France
This is the big transfer day — the coach does 718 km, but so can you by rail. Take an early Frecciabianca/Frecciarossa from Roma Termini to Pisa Centrale (~3-3.5 hrs, £25-40 if booked ahead on trenitalia.com). Walk 20 mins (or take the local 'LAM Rossa' bus, €1.50) from Pisa Centrale to Piazza dei Miracoli — the Leaning Tower exterior is free; climbing it is €20 and should be booked in advance. Then take a regional train Pisa → Sestri Levante (~1 hr, £7-8) for a couple of hours by the sea and a cheap focaccia lunch. Continue by regional train Sestri Levante → Ventimiglia (~3 hrs, £13-18), then a TER train Ventimiglia → Nice Ville (~50 mins, £8). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Nice's old town or the port; a late dinner of socca/pan bagnat keeps costs down.
🚌Roma Termini → Pisa (~£30), Pisa → Sestri Levante (~£8), Sestri Levante → Ventimiglia (~£15), Ventimiglia → Nice (~£8); total ~£60
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Nice (e.g. Villa Saint Exupéry, Les Camélias, Auberge de Jeunesse), £25-35/night
- →Leaning Tower & Piazza dei Miracoli (exterior free)
- →Sestri Levante seafront stop
- →Optional Tower climb booked direct (~£17)
Nice → Sainte-Maxime → Saint-Tropez → Marseille
Nice to Marseille, France
Morning walk along the Promenade des Anglais and through Masséna Square and the old port (free, the operator's panoramic coach tour replaced by your own feet). Then travel west along the coast: regional TER train Nice → Saint-Raphaël (~1 hr, ~£11) plus the 'VarLib' bus or a short boat shuttle to Sainte-Maxime (~£4-8) — or take the TER to Fréjus/Saint-Raphaël and the coastal bus. Admire the 16th-century Square Tower and Art Deco streets, then take the Bateaux de Saint-Tropez / Les Bateaux Verts boat across the gulf to Saint-Tropez (~£13-16 return or single; the operator's 'scenic boat trip' is this exact route). Stroll the old fishing port and yacht-watch, then bus or train onward to Marseille — regional train Saint-Raphaël → Marseille (~1h45, £15-20). Evening at the Vieux-Port and Le Panier district.
🚌TER Nice → Saint-Raphaël (~£11), bus/boat to Sainte-Maxime (~£6), boat Sainte-Maxime–Saint-Tropez (~£14), train Saint-Raphaël → Marseille (~£18); total ~£50
🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Marseille Saint-Charles/Vieux-Port (e.g. Auberge de Jeunesse Marseille, Vertigo), £22-32/night
- →Promenade des Anglais & Masséna Square walk
- →Sainte-Maxime Square Tower and old town
- →Boat across the Gulf of Saint-Tropez
- →Saint-Tropez old port
- →Marseille Vieux-Port evening
Marseille → Arles → Les Baux → Avignon → Lyon
Provence & Lyon, France
Early TER train Marseille → Arles (~50 mins, ~£8). Do a self-guided Van Gogh/Roman-Arles loop (amphitheatre €11, or just the free street trail). Then bus to Les Baux-de-Provence (bus 707/regional from Arles, ~£3-5, 30-40 mins) and book Carrières de Lumières direct online (~£13-15) — the operator's included underground light show. Continue by bus to Avignon (Les Baux → Avignon via Tarascon, ~£5) for a wander of the walled city and a look at the Palais des Papes exterior (interior ~£13 if you have time). Then TGV/TER Avignon → Lyon Part-Dieu (~1h10, £15-25 booked ahead). Evening: walk Vieux Lyon (UNESCO old town) and take the historic Funicular F2 up to Notre-Dame de Fourvière for the free city view — the operator's included funicular ride, self-operated for €2.
🚌Marseille → Arles (~£8), buses Arles–Les Baux–Avignon (~£10), Avignon → Lyon (~£20), Lyon metro/funicular (~£2)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lyon (e.g. Alter'Hostel, Ho36, Ibis Budget), £25-35/night
- →Arles Roman/Van Gogh self-guided walk
- →Les Baux medieval village
- →Carrières de Lumières (book direct)
- →Avignon old town & Palais des Papes
- →Vieux Lyon + Fourvière funicular
Lyon → Tournus → Beaune → Savigny Castle → Dijon
Burgundy: Tournus, Beaune, Dijon, France
Regional TER Lyon → Tournus (~1h15, ~£12), walk through the stone gate to the huge Romanesque abbey (free). Optional wine-tasting in the cellar at Château de Chasselas or a Mâconnais tasting room. Continue TER Tournus → Beaune (~50 mins, ~£8). In Beaune see the Hospices de Beaune (Hôtel-Dieu, ~£11-13) or the Musée du Vin de Bourgogne (~£8) — the operator lists these as paid optionals. Then visit Savigny-lès-Beaune: local bus/taxi or a 15-min train + short ride (~£5-10); the Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune's motorbike/car/plane museums cost ~£11 direct. Late afternoon TER Beaune → Dijon (~20 mins, ~£5). Evening in Dijon: free owl's trail (Parcours de la Chouette), Place de la Libération and the Ducal Palace exterior, plus a mustard-and-wine dinner.
🚌TER Lyon → Tournus (~£12), Tournus → Beaune (~£8), local bus to Savigny (~£6), Beaune → Dijon (~£5); total ~£31
🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Dijon (e.g. Ibis Budget, Auberge de Jeunesse Dijon), £22-30/night
- →Tournus abbey & old town
- →Beaune Hospices / wine museum (choose one)
- →Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune museums
- →Dijon owl's trail self-guided walk
Dijon → Fontenay Abbey → Semur-en-Auxois → Vézelay → Paris
Burgundy to Paris, France
Self-guided Burgundy village day on regional transport. First: Dijon → Montbard by TER (~40 mins, £6-8), then a taxi or the seasonal shuttle/local bus to the Abbaye de Fontenay (~15 mins, ~£8-12; book the abbey ticket online ~£11-12). Next Montbard → Semur-en-Auxois by bus/TER (~30 mins, £4-6) for the medieval walls and half-timbered alleys. Then a bus or short taxi hop to Vézelay (limited service — check the Mobigo Yonne timetable; ~£5-8) for the basilica and hilltop village, one of the Camino starting points. In the late afternoon/early evening take a TER from Sermizelles-Vézelay or Avallon to Paris Bercy via Laroche-Migennes (~2h30-3h, £20-35 booked ahead). Check into a Paris hostel or budget hotel and grab a late dinner near Rue Mouffetard or in the 10th/11th.
🚌Dijon → Montbard (~£7), local taxi/shuttle (~£10), Semur/Vézelay buses (~£12), Vézelay area → Paris (~£28); total ~£57
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Paris (e.g. St Christopher's Canal, Generator, Ibis Budget), £30-45/night
- →Abbaye de Fontenay (Cistercian UNESCO site)
- →Semur-en-Auxois medieval walls
- →Vézelay Basilica and village
- →Evening arrival Paris
Paris — the tour ends, the city doesn't
Paris, France
The coach tour ends here; give yourself the extra morning the group doesn't get. Store your bag at the hostel or a locker (€5-8) and do a self-guided Paris morning: Notre-Dame exterior, Île de la Cité, a walk along the Seine, and either the Louvre (booked direct ~£20, far calmer at opening) or free entry to the permanent collections of the Musée d'Art Moderne. Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur are free and ideal if the weather is good. Book onward travel (Eurostar to London from ~£40-60 if booked early), and remember the operator's own advice: leave slack before any flight or train.
🚌Paris metro/bus singles (~£4); onward Eurostar or flight not included in total
🛏Optional extra night in Paris, £30-45/night if you stay on
- →Seine-side walk & Île de la Cité
- →Optional Louvre or Montmartre/Sacré-Cœur
- →Onward travel booking
Self-launched vs. Europamundo
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Europamundo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£827 | £960 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £133 per person (14%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Europamundo-style trips? Check them out here.~£827
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched: Rome to Paris Across Italy & France (8 Days) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £827 per person for 8 days in Italy & France (Rome to Paris). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Europamundo?+
Yes — Europamundo charges around £960 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £827 — a saving of roughly £133 (14%) per person.
How long is the Italy & France (Rome to Paris) trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Italy & France (Rome to Paris).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, city-breaks, history trip through Italy & France (Rome to Paris), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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