City dwellers in need of help with a Paris+South of France itinerary

That works but maybe too many places for 7 days?

Each leg is pretty long. I've been to each of those places but never went from one to the other without multiple stops between. Cordes sur Ciel lives up to the hype. I went in June and it wasn't overly crowded. Hopefully that will be true of September also. I'd give you some ideas of places in the area I really liked, but you won't have time.

To shorten some of the driving, you could fly into Toulouse rather than Paris, avoid going to Bordeaux, which is much further from Corde-sur Ciel, do your itinerary, but then take the train back to Paris for the last night's.

Sorry, Chibban. But.

This is nuts.

With a week, locked into Paris arrival and departure, split your time between Paris and a small town. Beaune is a good choice but not the only one, or you can go on a driving tour of some very charming towns in Burgundy.

Northern France will be warm, not cold, in late September.

Your plan gives you one full day in Paris, one full day in Bordeaux, and the rest of your days you'll be on trains and/or on the road, with partial days at best to see the towns and cities where you're going. I enjoy driving and scenery too, but this is too much I think. Not that you can't get where you're going, just that you'll mostly remember the driving and switching hotels.

September has good weather for the most part in northern and central France. I'd suggest Burgundy after Paris -- train to Dijon or Beaune, car from there, lots of vineyards (harvest will be happening), great food. Beaune is a nice base but if you prefer someplace smaller you might try Semour-en-Auxois or Nuit-St-Georges or any of the villages nearby. Try to stay someplace where you can have good dinners with wine and not have to drive "home."

And you need to get going on a Paris hotel if you don't have one. September is a busy month and it's already here! ;-)

Yes, as set up with a train to Bordeaux and one from Avignon, it's too much. But fly to Toulouse and get the TGV back to Paris in Narbonne or Marseille and it tightens it up into a Toulouse/Cordes/Collioure itinerary. Bordeaux and Avignon are too far apart for your timeframe. However, if you are traveling for wine tasting, Bordeaux and Châteauneuf, this wouldn't work

I assume you are locked into your flight plans, but it would have made much more sense to fly into Paris and back from somewhere like Nice on an open jaw ticket to avoid wasting time and money on backtracking. the other thing is I hope you have your reservations for Paris, as September is one of the busiest months of the year, with lots of trade shows, so rooms book up fast.. Grab something quickly!

I agree with all those who say this itinerary is much too rushed. You will, however, see a lot of train stations.

This is easily a two to three week itinerary. In not more than 6 full days, you are visiting these regions: Ile de France, Aquitaine, Languedoc, Roussillon, and Provence.

You have time for Paris and possibly one other location, maybe the Loire Valley, perhaps Burgundy or Normandy, nothing more.

September is peak hotel month in Paris and if you do not yet have a reservation, getting one should be your primary concern.