Thoughts on Itinerary - updated

Have you calculated the costs of regular point to point train tickets (see the sncf website) vs the cost of a Eurail pass plus the cost of seat reservations which are in addition to the pass?

Check the train times closely if you are planning on being in Tours the night before you go home. Trains between Tours and CDG aren't all that frequent. You might want to return to Paris the night before, unless your flight is later in the afternoon.

Hi,
Three nights in Carcassonne? It has an impressive castle, especially from a distance. Up close it is a massive stone structure filled with candy stores, t-shirt stores, plastic swords, and ice cream. If you are traveling with young kids they will love it. If you haven't already you might consider reading The Labrynth by Kate Mosse. Fiction, but will get you interested in Cathars.

Obviously you must have plans for the area surrounding Carcassonne. There are some astoundingly rugged castles on mountain tops in the Cathar territory south of Carcassonne. If not find a better place.

wayne iNWI

Thanks for the advice about trains. Yes we would spend 1 night after tours in Paris before flying home.
Is 3 nights too much in Carssconne? If so is there another place you would recommend?
I am purposely trying to do this trip in a circular type of route.

Thanks

Whether or not 3 nights in Carcassonne is too much depends on what you're interested in, and what you plan to do when you're there. And, I guess, how you will get around.

I have been to Carcassonne twice, and about 1/2 day (or less) was enough for me. I like older castles and learning about history; I'm not much for tourist tat. I am very interested in the history of the Cathars and that region, but the town of Carcassonne was heavily and somewhat inaccurately restored by Violet le Duc in the mid 1800s. So, if you care about that kind of thing, the old town is impressive but doesn't look the way it originally did. As mentioned, there are many "Cathar" castles in the area to explore, but you would need to take a tour or a private guide, you couldn't get there by public transportation (and while interesting and scenic and well worth visiting, many do not actually date from the Cathar period). Check out Queribus and Peyrepertuse to start, and closer to Carcassonne, Lastours.

Tours for 3 nights is ok, again depending on what you're interested in. I prefer Amboise as a base for the Loire and for visiting the chateaux, but I think public transportation would be an issue there, too, again unless you took a tour or got a private guide or driver. Amboise is a gorgeous town, and would be a nice variety from the larger cities that you have on your itinerary.

I've only visited Bordeaux to leave from for visiting the Bordeaux wine country and the Dordogne, but I have heard that it's an appealing city. Though also, if it were me, I would rent a car and explore the wine country. (And if it were me, I would skip Colmar and Lyons and head straight to the Dordogne area, which I love for its prehistoric and medieval history, beautiful scenery and delicious food, but an area that would be difficult without renting a car.)

I envy you the amount of time you will be able to spend in France - enjoy!

Thanks for your thoughts and ideas. I would love to spend a few nights in a quaint town but it would need to be accessible by public transportation.
I am not tied to any plans yet.

Jeff

Another note regarding Tours. Since you said you won't have a car, this recent thread may be of interest (getting to the chateaux): https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/travelling-to-chateaus-in-loire-valley-without-car

I'm actually good with three nights in Carcassonne. I stayed in a campground walking distance from the Cite but only went in at night (last June). While there, you can see some of my favorites in the area: Foix is a great castle visit southwest of Carcassonne. I also went to two castle ruins Peyrepertuse and Queribus and an old church at Alet les Bains. All were pretty ruined but go back to the 12 and 1300's. I didn't go to Puilaurens, it might be the better castle ruin. Up north I really liked the town and castle of Najac. Cordes sur Ciel isn't off the beaten path but it's a great medieval town. It wasn't crowded at all when I visited but could be in summer. Other favorites, on the way to Bordeaux, were St. Cirque Lapopie, Pech Merle and Conques (much, much better IMO than Rocamadour).

The one I'd reconsider is Tours. I don't consider it a great base because it's hard to get in and out of, the traffic is regularly congested. I'd suggest Amboise. Better yet map out the chateaux you want to see and only pick a base then. I saw Fontevraud, Chinon, Gardens at Villandry, Chenonceau, Amboise and Clos Luce. I stayed one night in Chinon and two nights in Amboise.

Check the status of the Foix case. It was closed for significant building work when I visited the town back in June.

I liked Bordeaux but wouldn't travel so many mlles to see it if I didn't have time for the Dordogne/Lot as well. Those areas are better.by car, but you can manage to see some of the towns by train or bus, albeit more slowly.

Without a car, for me 3 nights in Carcassonne is 2 nights too many. With a car, that's different, as there's a lot of interest in the area. But the town itself is easily seen in 1 night, unless you really like heavily touristed places.

You don't want a "Eurail" pass for just France. You many not even want a French rail pass. Before you get one, investigate carefully the restrictions on these; you may do better with advance purchase discount tickets.

To learn more, use rail guru The Main In Seat 61. Here's his page on whether or not to buy a rail pass: https://www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm#railpass-or-point-to-point-tickets

And here's his page on trains in France: https://www.seat61.com/France-trains.htm

Lots of great ideas and suggestions. Thanks everyone. I came across this itinerary and it sounds quite interesting.
https://www.solosophie.com/two-weeks-in-south-west-france-itinerary-occitaine-nouvelle-aquitaine/
Although I would probably start in Paris and then go to Amboise and then head to Bordeaux and hit a few of these stops before either train or plane back to Paris to fly home.

SW France is really great, but you will need a car to see it. Fly into Toulouse or Bordeaux, drive to the Dordogne, 4 or 5 nights there, then work your way south to the coast (stopping at Carcasonne). 9 nights ought to do it, though you can always spend more time.

That leaves you 10 or 11 nights. Ditch the car in Perpignan, take the train to Lyon, then Colmar, then Paris, fly home from there.

Collioure makes a lovely stop near Perpignan.

Hi Jeff,

If you could give us a little info of what would you like to do during your trip, we can probably give you better advice. For instance, we really enjoyed a few days in beautiful Annecy before going to Lyon, but I don’t know if that would appeal to you.

Agree with others - arrived in Carcassonne in the afternoon and we were ready to leave the next morning.

We just travel by train in France, and purchase tickets a few months ahead on www.sncf.com to obtain the cheaper prices.

So during our trip we want to explore towns, cities and French culture. Some museums and historical sites but also hiking and staying active. We love food and wine.

Also check to see if this actually works with a train timetable. The French network radiates out from Paris, so doing a circular route round France is actually quite tricky.