Nice to Paris in nine days

Where in the Dordogne do you plan to go? For most places in that region, it is a pretty long drive (5-6 hours, at least) from Arles for an overnight stay that will be followed by another long drive -- this time to Amboise (4-5 hours). Then another day of 4 to 5 hours of driving to get from Amboise to Bayeux. If you are going to spend only one night in a place, that much driving every day seems a bit much to me but then again, maybe it's only my family that can't get on the road while on vacation until around 9 or 10 AM and so by the time we would reach each destination at around 2 PM, we would not have enough time to explore before heading out the next morning. We can do the early start maybe one day but that gets old by day 2. For the days after Arles, you will probably be spending 5 to 7 hours per day in the car until you get to Bayeux. That is all your time in the car especially in October as daylight hours get shorter. I'd probably drop some places and my inclination is to drop the Dordogne stop as well as the stop in either Honfleur or Bayeux.

Too many places, not enough time anywhere starting with Nice. Why not spend three or four nights in Nice, then 4 nights in Arles or Avignon or St-Remy to see and experience Provence,, two in Bayeux . Or Beaune instead of Bayeux. Otherwise you would be basically hopping across France.

You have major drives planned. Have you looked at the estimated driving times on ViaMichelin, recognizing that they don't allow for any stops whatsoever? They also don't account for getting lost, looking for parking, checking into and out of hotels, etc. All those 1-night stops will give you little to no time to enjoy the place you've driven to--just much time crammed into a car, big gas bills and a lot of highway tolls.

I suggest doing some thoughtful prioritizing followed by identifying no more than 3 stops other than Paris--unless you want two longer stops and one overnighter in transit.

The Dordogne is a very interesting area but not a place to travel to for just one night. I would say the same for the Riviera (where your jetlagged arrival day hardly counts) and Provence.

I know how difficult it is to set attractive destinations aside for a future trip, especially when you want to show them to your loved ones, but it will not go well if you try to see 3/4 of France in 9 days. It is a very large country with hundreds of fascinating destinations, and there's little to be gained from blasting past 90% of the highlights of southern France in order to spend a few hours in Bayeux and a few hours in Honfleur. The weather odds are better in the south at that time of year.

.

Thank you for all the response. I'm fine with dropping some places. I know it's a long haul from Nice to Paris (not my choice) it's how the plane tickets worked out for all of us. Would it be better to stay in Arles or Avignon? I was thinking Dordogne area just as a stop for the night to break up the drive. I was doing Bayeux area as a base for Mont St Michel and Omaha Beach. I want them to see the history of that area. I am not set on any particular town just the areas. I want to show them the chateaux region, but I think one may be enough for them as they are seeing Versailles when we go to Paris. Carcassonne looked beautiful and unique with the walled city and all, but again I'm open to suggestions. They want to eat lots of great food and see the beauty of the land. I am doing the driving estimates on google maps. Any other suggestions for realistic driving times is much appreciated:)

Train from Nice to Avignon then get a car at Avignon TGV ?? (We're fond of basing in St Remy.) A few days in Provence. Drive to Loire area, stay there a few nights to see some castles using the car, then train to Paris. Much more relaxing!

I get your issue. There are so many great places in France that it can be difficult to choose which to eliminate. But, if you think about, you will not have time to explore Le Mont Saint Michel and the Omaha Beach area in any real way when you would arrive at around lunchtime and leave at lunchtime on the following day. I would really scale this trip back and decide where your interests really lie. Maybe do something like Provence, the Loire Valley and then Paris or Provence, Normandy and then Paris. I would really consider if you do the Loire Valley, dropping the car at Avignon TGV station and taking the direct train (currently leaving at 9:14 AM) from there to Saint Pierre des Corps. That is a 4 hour and 13-minute trip and the drive would be about almost 8 hours. No matter where you go, it will be haul from Provence but if you do these trips by train, you will usually save a couple of hours of travel time. Please tell me that you are flying out of Paris and not having to head back to Nice to get home.

For realistic driving times, add 20% (for long highway drives) to 30% (for rural drives) to whatever Google Maps tells you. It will account for stops, and for roads where you can't drive anywhere close to the speed limit.

As for your route: I see your priorities are Provence and Normandy, so I would do
- 2 nights in Nice to unwind and see the town
- rent car, drive to Arles or St Rémy, spend 4 nights.
- drive to Marseille Airport, drop car, fly to Rennes (or Nantes if time is more convenient), rent new car, drive to Mt St Michel area for 1 night
- drive to Bayeux, spend 2 nights
- train to Paris. Drop car in either Bayeux or Caen.

Carcassonne is really out of the way sadly, and Dordogne warrants 3 full days, which you don't have.