Sarlat...Arles...Chamonix....Beaune.

Paris to Beaune to Chamonix to Arles to Sarlat all by train is the best order

Don't start and end in Paris, fly into Bordeaux or Toulouse and--that time of year--follow J + T's itinerary in reverse.

Don't go to the Dordogne without a car unless you have a lot of money for a driver or a lot of time to sightsee. You can do the rest by rail and bus, but your explorations will be curtailed.

You'll need about 3 weeks for this, assuming you are pretty nimble.

Be realistic for your best trip.

It is easy to drive in France. If you must, train travel is doable but I strongly suggest a car at each stop. You need it to move easily and not waste time waiting for transportation.

I think the order of your title is spot on (or reverse). And I agree: you don't want to be doing this itinerary by train. Too many transfers; too few options to stop spontaneously at some beautiful spot.

Take a train from Paris to either starting point and rent a car from there. Do the rest of the trip by car. The longest drive you will have is 5 hrs (Sarlat-Arles).

Beaune is large enough to have car rental companies right near the train station. If you start or end at Sarlat, you could get the car, or drop it off, in Bergerac or Perigueux (changing for both in Bordeaux), or Brive-la-Gaillarde (direct from Paris Austerlitz).

For me Sarlat, Arles, Chamonix and Beaune.

You want Chamonix as late as possible, the higher elevation trails probably still won't be open in June but you have a better shot than in May.

I visited Burgundy in May and felt I was a little early. It was still cold and the vines were barely sprouting. June is a better idea there too. Beaune is my least favorite place in Burgundy. It's only worth visiting for the sights. I'd stay in Dijon, a bigger city but much nicer center.

Sarlat and Arles might be good in May. I visited Sarlat in June and it was fine (but it had been a rainy Spring). I visited Arles in September. I decided to go at a time when the Mistral wasn't an issue. In September it was still a little too warm, so earlier (except for winds) is probably better.

If it were me, I'd probably fly in and out of Paris. I usually save a ton by using Paris as a hub - but it's worth pricing it out.

Thanks for the replies. Very useful. Dont have an option as I have already booked the in-out tickets from Paris.
We have settled on Paris to Sarlat (by train via Toulouse). Hire a car in Sarlat for local sightseeing, use the same car to go to Arles and for exploring Provence. Drive into Chamonix and give up the car. Finally hire a new car for one day to drive to Beaune. We want to cycle mostly in Burgundy.
Finally , we plan to take the train back to Paris.

Last June, we drove from Lyon to Annecy and Chamonix, then down to the Var (stayed a week), then to Arles/Les Baux and finally Sarlat (via Carcassonne) and loved the whole trip--especially Sarlat.
Re: Chamonix: Unless your only interest is in hiking, you may want to consider staying in Annecy. It's an easy drive to Chamonix for a day to hike and ride the Aiguille du Midi. (RS guide has great suggestions for hiking from the A du M and then taking a train back down into town.) There wasn't much going on in Chamonix, whereas Annecy was lively and fun. Annecy also has nice hiking and biking around the lake and in the piedmont around it.

Paris to Bordeaux is two hours by train, whereas Toulouse, which doesn’t have a TGV, would take all day. They are both a two-hour drive to Sarlat.