Paris to Cannes Ramble

Consider staying in Burgundy, Beaune or Dijon would be nice for a few days.

A two night ramble sounds nice. Try staying in Dijon or Beaune (possibly Lyon) and then near Avignon or Arles. Ditch your car when you arrive in Cannes, you won't need it. If you are staying central, Cannes is very walkable and you can take the train (or Ferry) to various other places.

And as noted, the tolls are high along the main tollway. Traffic will not be an issue, except of course getting out of Paris and if you choose to go into Lyon. However, definitely consider taking a ramble through Western Provence, and hit some of the country towns. You could even choose to stay in one.

Thanks all for the suggestions and advice. Since there is not a huge difference in cost, I was exploring the option. I’ll continue to research.

I have dreamed, along with millions of others, of exploring Provence. We took the Eurostar from London to Paris and whizzed by several quaint villages at 200km/hr. However, I’m aware tootling around the French countryside is probably not what two teenage boys have in mind. We have found several prospects in Cannes and the advantage would be to let the boys loose and us going off and doing our own thing. I’m thinking the train along the coast would provide some day trip opportunities.

My wife and I were in Nice as part of a school trip in 1966 when we were teenagers. We got to go to the beach. It was the first time I saw her in a swimsuit. We now have six grandchildren.

I think this traffic info slipped Gooster’s mind: avoid driving south on a Friday late afternoon or Saturday as every weekend has a lot of people driving south eager to start their vacations. There could be heavy traffic particularly from Paris and down the Rhone Valley, but a bit lighter from Aix-en-Provence on to Cannes.

The ViaMichelin site can help calculate tolls (perhaps substantial), alternate routes, etc.
https://www.viamichelin.com/
I hope you have looked at the official SNCF site to see accurate train prices in June:

https://en.oui.sncf/en/

Thanks for the link! We are now leaning towards staying a few days in Arles. I’ll look more into transportation. Potential strikes run through June. That’s a consideration.

I thought it would be a given you don't want to exit paris on a Friday or holiday afternoon (or any afternoon, for that matter). In fact, you might even consider the TJV to Dijon and pick up your car there. Nothing you will face will be quite like that, although the other major urban centers will problematic at the commute hour.

Yes, small villages might not hold interest for teen boys, but the Roman ruins and other natural sights might. Arles is a good choice, as might Avignon. But I'm certain they'll just want to head to the beach.

Vaison la Romaine is fabulous as is Orange and Uzes.