paris to provence by train then driving to Bordeaux

Best train Paris to Provence

Search and pick the train that takes the least amount of time to get to the town you decide you want to be based in Provence using the SNCF (French National Rail) website:

https://www.sncf-connect.com/

Best base in Provence

Nimes is my vote.

How easy to drive around Provence.

From Avignon we took a small group day tour visiting all the small hilltop touristy towns(e.g. Les Baux) that are easier to get to by car; the driver had no problem getting around in summer.

Suggestions to see in Provence. Enjoy off the beaten track and historical venues.

I would go see Pont du Gard.

How long to drive from Provence area (ie: St Remy)

Google Maps says it takes around 7 hours more or less.

Best things to do in Bordeaux

We went to the Cite du Vin and also just enjoyed walking around.

Train or Easy jet back to CDG?

We took the train directly from Bordeaux to CDG and stayed overnight at the airport hotel to catch our flight the next morning.

Legally to drive in France you will need an International Drivers Permit (IDP) which can be obtained at a AAA office.
Always expect driving to take longer than the map says. Be prepared for the toll roads. Driving in France is easy. Just familiarize yourself with the driving rules.

My preferred base in Provence is St. Remy. There are many other places to choose from if you have a car. If you want something a little larger, Arles can make a good base. I’ve stayed in both.

I would plan a stop on the way from Provence to Bordeaux. Carcassonne is on the way. You could leave Provence reasonably early in the morning and drive there, explore the medieval center and then spend the night. Complete your drive the next morning.

Are you spending time in Paris after Bordeaux? If yes it less than 2 1/2 hours on the train and you would be going from city center to city center - Bordeaux St. Jean to Paris Montparnasse. I personally wouldn’t consider flying that route unless I was just going to the airport anyway.

Bonjour, msw30!

In June we will be doing somewhat what you are doing. Four of us are taking the TGV from Paris (passing through Arles and Avignon) to Marseille, where we will rent a car at Gare St. Charles. We have family in Marseille and Bandol, so will be spending a few days in Bandol, with an overnight trip to the Drome region, thus the necessity of a car. From Marseille we will go to Bordeaux. In our research, the drive from Marseille to Bordeaux would take about 6 hours. The Intercites train will take six hours also. We have opted to return our car at the train station in Marseille and take the train to Bordeaux, more relaxing for the four of us on this leg of our trip. We will rent a car again at the St. Jean station in Bordeaux. (Next day we head to La Roque Gageac in the Dordogne region). I am not sure of the drive times and train choices for you from where you will be, but you might want to check the SNCF website. You will likely need an Intercite train to Bordeaux. A car would probably take longer than from Marseille, just because of the types of roads available. Check the ViaMichelin site to find the routes and times for that drive. There are no TGVs from Marseille to Bordeaux without going back through Paris, a time and money waster.

In Provence there are many, many things to see and do. It is easy to drive around Provence. We always buy the Michelin paper maps for a region, as it helps in our planning. As others have said, St. Remy de Provence is a charming place to stay, and a car makes it easy to explore the area. Avignon is not so hot in my opinion; the Papal palace is disappointing. Arles is much nicer, and the Roman ruins (e.g. colosseum) are good ones. There are also Vaison la Romain, Les Beaux, lavender fields (late spring/early summer), Nimes, the Pont de Gard, Marseille, the calanques, Aix-en-Provence, Orange, wine-tasting for Bouche de Rhone wines and rose wines from the Bandol area.....you get the picture. Check any guidebook and this forum for ideas. Just know there are tons of villages and towns worth your time.

In Bordeaux we will have limited time, but much of the old town/city center is compact for walking around. A new Cite du Vin has opened...a museum about wine with wine tasting at the top level (a good view of the city, perhaps). Reports are good about it as a place to visit. There are many wine tours that take you to the St. Emilion area for tastings also, and a light show in the Bassin. (Check out the Bordeaux tourism website). We will walk around the city center after arriving by train, and see the Bassin show. When we return in 10 days time (after the Dordogne), we will have time to visit the Cite du Vin, return the car, then spend the night there. We will take the TGV to Paris the next day. (2 1/2 hours). There are a few other things to see and do in Bordeaux, but I feel we will not miss out on too much in our two limited half-days there.

Provence is so lovely and really captivating. And don't rule out a day in Marseille. There are lots of Greek and Roman ruins, the Chateau d'If, Notre Dame de la Garde church. Watch the film "Fanny" for inspiration. (Decades ago in historical reference, but still.....!) No matter what they say in Nice, bouillabasse originated in Marseille. If you like seafood, this is the place. I love to hear French spoken by a true Marseillaise. With its Italian lilt you want to head for a fish market at the harbor and shout out your wares to the crowds! "E ben mangea, e ben begeu, e ren paga!" (Not sure of the spelling...I did my best phonetically).

Amusez-vous bien...bon voyage!

Hello from Wisconsin,
Someone else mentioned a 7 hour drive Provence to Bordeaux. I drove St. Remy to near Bayonne. Not exactly the same, but boy is that a drive. Four lanes the whole way. I think 7 hours driving, and then ya' got to eat and relieve yourself. Maybe even take a driving break and getting gas. It is a long day behind the wheel.

I bet the train option is Provence to Paris and then to Bordeaux which seems a waste. But drop one day car rental and the gas...and you probably have the train ticket and maybe something left over. And you get to snooze a good number of those hours it you chose. But NO, you can get from Nimes to Bordeaux in under 6 hours with a noon departure. No routing to Paris.

The only thing you will miss is stopping outside of Carcassonne for a few photos and an aching neck from driving.

wayne iNWI

The train from Nîmes/Arles/Marseille to Bordeaux stops in Carcassonne, so you could stay overnight even if you did not drive.
If my destination was just the city of Bordeaux, I would return the car in Nîmes (or wherever I picked it up in Provence, could be Avignon) and take the train.
But when you ask about best things to do in Bordeaux... to me they lie out of the city, and a car is convenient to tour the wine country and get to the ocean.

A couple of comments. For the OP, yes the intercité train goes from Marseille to Bordeaux and stops in Carcassonne. The trains and tracks are due to be updated, but they'll still get you there. On the other hand, the drive can be particularly tiring along the coast with all the truck traffic heading to Barcelona.
Second, Nîmes isn't officially in Provence, but across the Rhône in Occitanie/Languadoc. If you are looking for the pretty villages, they are in Provence although Uzès near Nîmes is very interesting. I recommend it highly.

@ Judy: if you are traveling from Paris, your train goes right through Le Drôme. It would save you from backtracking if you picked up your car in Lyon or Montélimar and visited le Drôme on your way south.

Bets,
We considered that train and car option, but we need to go straight to Bandol for a family visit. We can't leave Paris sooner for the same reason. The family in Marseille is getting up there in years, so our dates to see them are pretty much set. Our drive to the Drome is to visit the Musee Archeologue in Le Pegue, a VERY small town, and should be no more than three hours each way. The musee was established by hubby's uncle, who led the bronze age digs near Le Pegue for many years, and this is by way of a pilgrimage. (Hubby even worked on the digs way back when!) Of course, the two day trip from Bandol to Le Pegue and back will entail some nostalgic wandering for hubby, me and our son. His girlfriend will get an introduction to some family history, and we will perhaps stop in some towns we remember, like Dieu-le-Fit (I love that name!), Nyons, Roussy-le-Vignes, etc. Hubby plans on finding some Cinquante-et-Un pastis to enjoy there and in Marseille and Bandol. (Impossible to find here in California) Memories, memories! At 79 and 80, with wonky backs, we aren't sure if we will want to get on a plane for 10-11 hours in the future, so this pilgrimage will be nostalgic, remembering our stays in Le Pegue with Oncle Charles and Tante Simone. And seeing cousins in Bandol and Marseille will be visits with joyful remembrances! (This trip should have happened in 2021, but we know how travel was back then.)

Seventeen days until departure! Hooray!