2 Weeks in May- itinerary assistance

Here is a doable itinerary from 5/5 to 5/18:

Paris 3 days 5/5 - 5/8

Arles 3 days (Rent a car in Arles) 5/8 - 5/11 (Include a day trip to the town of Albi). It is 1 hr 40 min from Carcassonne by car.

Sarlat 3 days (Dordogne) 5/11 - 5/14

Amboise 2 days (Loire Valley) Drop rental car in Amboise and take train to Paris- 5/14 - 5/16

Paris 2 days 5/16 - 5/18 (fly home 5/18)

Hike in the Dordoggne or the Loire Valley

https://walkingdordogne.com/

https://www.outdooractive.com/en/hikes/loire/hiking-in-loire/9636966/

Dont count days.. count nights..

ie : two nights in Paris is one full day only..

Carcassonne is about 135 miles (one way) from Arles, which is farther than I'd want to drive on a day-trip. It is not in what I would call the Arles area, and the train schedule isn't tourist-friendly unless you are early risers. There's a 2:26 routing that leaves at 7:02 AM, a 3:17 option leaving at 7:09 AM, and all the other morning departures take far longer.

ViaMichelin.com isn't working for me at the moment, but Google Maps is suggesting a route from Arles to Sarlat-le-Canada (total driving time over 5 hours) that goes right past Carcassonne, so I think it makes a great deal more sense to see Carcassonne on the way to the Dordogne, possibly spending a night there.

You have rather a lot of moving around planned, especially for a honeymoon. I really don't think you're going to get a great deal out of such a short stay in Provence.

We travel at what many think is too fast of a clip, but even for me, that's too much. France is big and you will spend a lot of time of the road. You've got Paris, Provence, Dordogne and the loire. Both Provence and Dordogne aren't super close to the Loire or Paris. I think you need to drop Provence or Dordogne. I think it will be too early for lavender, if you are into that, so I would consider dropping Provence.

Thanks for the advice!
Font-de-Gaume is a must for me, so we don't want to drop Dordogne. I'm wondering now about dropping either Provence or the Loire area- we're not as interested in seeing chateaus.

If you are not fond of the idea of visiting Chateaus, I think you are wise, then, to think of dropping the Loire. I love Loire, but I love chateaus and wine tasting. I think you, personally, would have more fun in Dordogne and Provence. Please do a trip report when you return. Would love to hear about Dordogne!

Congratulations on your wedding. May is a perfect time for a trip like this.

The Dordogne is a worthy priority. There is so much to see, and the region is so difficult to get too, that I recommend at least 4 nights (5 would be better).

However, I wouldn't bother to go all that way just to see one cave and one town, even if the town is Sarlat.

I assume you've got your air tickets, which is unfortunate because otherwise you could fly into Bordeaux or Toulouse, both about 2 hours drive to the Dordogne area. Toulouse has a good deal of charm in its own right.

You might think of booking a flight to either city the day of your arrival. We did that once and it was like getting an extra day of our vacation.

If you stick to your plan and spend your first 2 full days in Paris, then you might take the TGV to Bordeaux, rent a car, and drive to the Dordogne.

From there you can reverse the trip back to Paris, or drive, spending the night in the Loire. I wouldn't want to do all that driving, but some people seem to like it. It really does work better open jaw; then you don't have to double back.

I suppose you could construct an itinerary that included Provence, too, if you wanted to spend most of your time enroute. I think that would be an inferior trip.