Does this make sense?
Loosely planning a trip for July 2026 (3 weeks) with no plan of renting a car, which might be the issue here.
Paris, Saint-Tropez, Bordeaux - flying into Paris. I know ST does not have a train station, but is it really a PITA to get to without a rental or private vehicle (which I have read)?
Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Not looking for itinerary advice just yet, more so logistics and navigation.
margo,
How much time do you have? That will determine a lot in your plans.
You can take a TGV from Paris to Bordeaux in just over two hours. The city has a very good tram system for getting around to the sights. (Traffic is a pain there, and even the buses get stuck in it. The tram is the way to go in Bordeaux).
Bordeaux to the Riviera can be a full day trip by train. Our train trip from Marseille to Bordeaux was 6-7 hours (no TGV). From Marseille to St. Tropez would be about 3 hours more. You might decide to stop in Marseille for a day. Of course, you could visit the Riviera first, then Bordeaux before returning to Paris (by a fast TGV). Just be aware that going to/from the Riviera and Bordeaux will take up a full day.
St Tropez is a PITA to reach even if you have a car. There are only two roads and in summer, they can really become backed up and slow moving. While there is indeed no train service, there is bus service from both Toulon and St Raphael.
https://www.sainttropeztourisme.com/fr/fiche/gare-routiere-de-saint-tropez-4839649/
There are also a number of boat options:
https://www.trans-cote-azur.com/
Otherwise, the SNCF will take you anywhere you may want to go in France:
https://www.sncf-connect.com/
https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us
Don't miss Carcassonne. It is between Bordeaux and St. Tropez.
Hi Margo,
You can get around Bordeaux easily without a car. The downtown is very walkable and there is transit. Saint-Emilion and Arcachon are reachable by train.
Visiting wineries can be more challenging without a car, but also very doable. I would recommend you take a look at this website if you are interested in visiting wineries: https://sauvistication.com/visiting-bordeaux-wineries-without-a-car/
Safe Travels
Hi Margo328,
Getting around Paris and Bordeaux (and environs) is super easy without a car. So no problem there. I haven't been to Saint-Tropez in decades so I'm no help with logistics there. However, Tocard offers good information. As I'm sure you're aware, the whole of France is crowded in July. Keep in mind French families start traveling after kids get out of school (usually around 5th of July) so trains in July fill up fast. Just a heads up for your planning.
St Tropez in July? Do you have to?
St Tropez is beautiful but it is an expensive mob scene in July-August, with terrible traffic in and out that severely curtails excursion possibilities. And there's very little you can do without a car: even the beach is 3 miles out of town.
If you want cute seaside Riviera towns, without a car I suggest Villefranche sur Mer instead.
Sometimes the fastest and easiest route is back through Paris. Can your trip start in Bordeaux, then Paris, and finally the coast?
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions.
@balso, yes, we can only go in July due to husband’s job/daughter’s summer vacation. Not ideal, I know. He really wants to visit that area. Thank you so much for the suggestion! I will definitely look into that town. I think we are going to avoid being directly in St Tropez for now. Since we are pretty intent on no car, I’m leaning stay in Nice and we can ferry or bus over to StT for a day trip or something. I know Nice might not be as “glam” but I think it’s a good home base with at least variable transportation option.
As someone mentioned, we are now planning on Paris > Bordeaux > back to Paris (for a couple nights to eat/rest/laundry) > train/bus to Nice > bus to Milan which I realized is only 4 hours away via bus, and fly out of Milan. I’d personally push a little more to visit other places, but my kid is 9 and doesn’t like to move around too much, so the plan is 4-5 nights in each town (aside from 2nd Paris visit).
The Nice area is just as "glam" as St Tropez, tbh. Pop around St Jean Cap Ferrat, you will see!
It is also much more culturally interesting around Nice than around St Tropez.
@balso thank you again for the tips! Truly helpful, and I’m excited about Nice and avoiding a little bit of the summer chaos where we can :)
