Lyon - Provence - Dordogne trip advice?

I am shocked that you have not seen any recommendations to spend time in Lyon. It’s a great city. https://wavesandcobblestones.com/a-perfect-weekend-in-lyon-best-picks/ I suggest spending a couple of days in Lyon and skipping the Dordogne and Carcassonne because it will be too much moving around.

Yes, it's too much for the amount of time. If you go to the Dordogne, you should do it at the earliest date because the weather gets worse and the days get shorter in this mostly rural area. Also, it's a very long train ride from Provence to the Dordogne and an even longer drive. I, too, am surprised you don't read much about Lyon. I was there five months ago and recommend it.

To get to Malaga, check the Malaga airport to see which airlines fly there. You might be better off going to Occitanie (Nîmes, Montpellier, Narbonne, Carcassonne, Toulouse) and then over the border into Catalonia and Barcelona after Provence. Veuling flies from Barcelona to Malaga. The Dordogne is an outlier for your itinerary.

If you do choose the Dordogne, you definitely need a car. We just spent a week there and I would recommend you plan your days to not drive in the dark on those narrow, twisty, hilly roads. The region is also starting to go into winter mode and sites are shutting down or reducing hours until the next tourist season.

To complete the previous messages about the Dordogne:

A car is essential, there is almost no public transport and those that exist do not go to the places to visit.
You won't have enough time to go to the Dordogne anyway.

Just to also clarify that Carcassonne area and the Dordogne are two totally different regions, not the same climate, not the same culture, not the same landscapes, not the same food.

Staying around Lyon, and going to spend a couple of days in Arles or Nîmes is the best thing you can do without a car in such a short time.

As for Bordeaux, it's of course unrealistic.

We like Dordogne, ( we love a cooking class at Le Chevrefeuille). where you need a car, Provence is worth a week. We rented a car in Marseille and it was €250 for the week. Plenty to see there. We spent 4 nights in St. Remy de Provence at Mas des carrasines(?). Great place. Now we are in Vaison La Romaine. It is also a good base.

We are going northwest of Lyon to Beaujolais area and then returning to Lyon. Taking a wine tour from there into the Northern Rhône.

The Dordogne and Provence are both great. I would choose one of them. In your case Provence, with a train from Lyon to Avignon or Nimes seems most efficient. In 2019 we spent 6 nights in Provence, based in St-Rémy de Provence. There is a lot to do there, so more nights would have been good.

I agree with everyone that the Dordogne would be difficult without a car. In late March/early April of this year, we spent 2 nights in Lyon, 5 nights in the Dordogne, plus 2 nights in the nearby Lot. Our trip report follows:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-paris-lyon-dordogne-lot-toulouse

Given how much easier it is to get to Provence from Lyon, I'd recommend a few nights in Lyon (maybe 3 depending on your interest in the specific sites) and then the rest of the time in Provence, as JoLui recommended.

We spent 4 days in Lyon, and I too am shock that there are few recommendations. Do you enjoy history? The city is full of traboules, secret passage ways, that the French resistance used. Lyon was the center of the Resistance and thus the Gestapo. There is a Resistance museum that was closed when we visited, sadly one of the reasons we were there!. There is much to see and it is consider the center of French cuisine. There is a lovely old center, fully pedestrian. We did go to Avignon last fall and was not terribly impressed. It does seem that you are wasting an entire day in traveling. Good luck

We recently stayed at the Hotel Celestines. The top floor suites were really nice. Very friendly staff. Great location. Parking is somewhat expensive at a nearby underground lot.