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Comments/Suggestions on this itinerary

My husband and I are planning to spend approximately a month exploring France in Sept/October. The plan is to travel by mainly by train, and hire a private driver only when necessary. I have a rough itinerary, and I was hoping for some constructive comments/suggestions. Since we are retired, we like to take things on a slow pace, see the city sights, and only a few museums.

Tentative itinerary:
- Fly into Paris, 4 nights. (1 day would be spent in Giverny)
- Train to Tours, 3 nights (do a tour to see Chateau Chenonceaux and Chambord); train to Ambroise to see Chateau Royal d' Amboise & chateau du Clos Luce
- Train to Bordeaux, 3 nights
- Train to Toulouse, 3 nights
- Train to Arles, 3 nights
- Train to Avignon, 3 nights
- Hire a private driver to drive us to Marseille, 3 nights, stopping at Aix-de-Provence for the afternoon
- Train to Nice, 4 nights, with a day trip to Monaco and a day trip to Villefrance de Mer
- Fly to Lyon, 3 nights
- Train back to Paris, 3 nights
- Fly home to the US.

Thank you in advance for any comments/suggestions.

Posted by
1862 posts

I would take a day/night from Avignon and add it to Nice or Paris. There is a years worth of things to see and do in Paris, and your first day will be less than "productive" after your flight. And you will lose a good half-day seeing Giverny (worth every minute!)

Posted by
7840 posts

Agree with above-didn’t care much for Avignon

Why not train from Nice to Lyon?
Flight might be short but you still have to get to/from airports and deal with all security

Posted by
568 posts

First, congratulations on planning a great trip! I have a few suggestions, but they simply reflect my personal preferences.

I assume you will fly transAtIantic overnight and arrive in Paris early in the morning. I would save all the overnights in Paris for the end of the trip. This eliminates one hotel check-in and also avoids arriving at your first hotel hours before check-in time. You will undoubtedly be tired, but if you travel just another two hours from Paris you'll arrive in Tours. I'd also take one night from Paris and add it to Tours. You are planning to visit a number of chateaux but you might also want to visit the castle at Chinon or the Frontvraud Abbey.

I'd spend all the Provence time in one hotel, so perhaps cancel the overnights in Avignon and add those nights to Arles. The choice of Arles vs Avignon is often discussed in this forum, but I think Arles is more interesting with a greater range of restaurants and sites to visit. The choice between Arles and Avignon also depends on what day trips you plan to make. You may need a private driver to reach a few destinations in Provence, but the trip between Arles or Avignon and Marseille is an easy train ride.

Posted by
28956 posts

For many people Bordeaux is a jumping-off point for the Dordogne/Lot area. Three nights in Bordeaux (about 2-1/2 days) isn't really enough time to see much outside of Bordeaux. That's fine if your plan is to concentrate on that city and maybe a side trip to St.-Emilion.