Travel from Nice to Bordeaux

Posted by hoff.glast on 04/27/26 07:51 PM

We are considering a trip through southern France in October 2026. Our plan is to fly into Nice, pick up a rental car, and spend about a week traveling through Southern France to end up in Bordeaux. We would be interested in feedback on stops that are "must see" and stops that are more likely miss-able.

We are reasonably active seniors who don't mind walking a distance as long as the paths aren't too steep or rough. We are interested in scenery, historic and quaint castles and villages, and beautiful scenery.

Posted by balso

Paris

04/27/26 08:41 PM

7891 posts

I will say, that is a lot of ground to cover in a single week, even if you exclude time in Nice and time in Bordeaux. The area between Nice (excluded) and Marseille alone deserves a week, ideally.

I wouldn't even know where to start regarding highlights, I have on my mind from E to W:

Esterel coast (drive thru)
Verdon Gorge
Luberon villages. Can be replaced by the villages south of the Verdon (Cotignac etc.) for a more convenient route
Calanques
Arles
Pont du Gard & Uzès
Aigues Mortes ... and plenty more further west but I don't know Occitanie as well so I'll stop there. It's already too much for a week anyway.

Posted by Heather

California, U.S.A.

04/27/26 09:00 PM

48 posts

In 2024 I did a road trip from Paris moving south through the Loire Valley (stayed two nights in Amboise), then on to Provence spending 7 days in St Remy and Aix and then we drove to Nice for the last 4 days of our trip. It was fabulous. I highly suggest going thru Provence area as there’s a lot to see and do.

Posted by MaryPat

Irving

04/27/26 09:34 PM

3564 posts

I'm looking at a map and I say Cannes, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Lyon.

Posted by jules m

Twin Cities of MN

04/27/26 09:55 PM

8104 posts

I can recommend Cahors. If you are into wine, they are known for Malbec. They also have an attractive medieval town center and a picturesque bridge.

Close to Cahors is Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. It can be busy, perhaps less so in October. It is gorgeous and there is hiking in the area.

Posted by hoff.glast OP

04/27/26 09:58 PM

13 posts

Actually, we did a trip along the east side of France a couple of years ago. We stayed in Lyon and made a side trip to Avignon, but not as far South as the French Riviera. So we were planning to travel along the coast, then continue west through Toulouse toward Bordeaux.