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6 days in France without a car

We will be in Paris for a week and have another 6 days in another area of France which is easy to reach by train and is a good base for public transport in the area. We love to walk and hike and wander but also love exploring towns. What would be a good base for such a trip? We were considering Nimes, Nice, Aix? Any suggestions? We will not have a car.

Posted by
2537 posts

Avignon - the transportation hub for western Provence. You can easily visit: Arles, Aix-en-Provence, St Rémy, Ile sur la Sorgue, Nîmes, even Pont du Gard and Uzès, among many others.

Posted by
6264 posts

Bookmarking! We're thinking about spending a week or so in France next year, and will not have a car. Knowing the best regional hubs is very helpful. Thank you.

Posted by
343 posts

What about Bordeaux? I haven't been there, but did research it for a Covid-cancelled trip. It looks amazing, with tours to the wineries and good train access to beach towns and San Sebastian just over the border in Spain.

What a lovely dilemma-where shall I spend 6 days in France?!

Posted by
2537 posts

6 days is a good amount of time. Without a car, I might suggest either Côte d'Azur or western Provence as these locations have much to see and excellent transportation options to explore. With 2-4 days and no car, I might look at the Loire Valley, Upper Normandy, Dijon/Beaune, or maybe Strasbourg.

Posted by
6773 posts

Nice would be excellent. A car is more an annoyance than an asset there, and there is plenty to see and do for 6 days in that area.

Nîmes is also a good choice, with easy access to Arles, Avignon, Uzès, Pont du Gard, Aigues-Mortes and Montpellier.
Avignon has slightly better transportation links, but I find that there is more to do in Nîmes itself than in Avignon, and Nîmes has been "spruced up" in a way Avignon has not been (yet?).
Aix is less good, as you would rely in buses for almost all day trips.

Alsace (Strasbourg or Colmar) could work as well.

Bordeaux mentioned above: not so sure; 6 days would be too long. You need maybe 1 day in the city, 1-2 days for wine country depending on your level of interest, and 1 day for Arcachon if you wish - San Sebastián is definitely out of reach for a day trip.

What time of the year, by the way?

Posted by
820 posts

Avignon for sure, a centrally located transport hub, lots of half and full day minivan tours to sights in the area.

Posted by
6773 posts

Ok, so anywhere in France is a reasonable choice at that time of the year. I would have avoided inland Provence in summer, and northern France in winter.

Posted by
4324 posts

perhaps Dijon/Beaune? Beautiful wine country you can hike and bike

Posted by
15560 posts

Nice is a great idea. Visit all the coastal towns on the riviera by local train: Villefranche (my favorite), Antibes, Menton, Monaco, and more. Lots of restaurant choices in Nice and even several Irish pubs.