Dreaming of France and the Black Forest — Self-Launched Edition

Arrive in Paris (CDG or Orly) and take the TGV/Intercités from Paris Montparnasse to Tours in about 1h15–2h. Check into a hostel in the old town (Le Vieux Tours), then spend the afternoon wandering Place Plumereau, the half-timbered houses and the cathedral. This is the low-key warm-up day: the coach tour races through here, you get a full evening and a proper dinner.

🚌Paris Montparnasse → Tours by TGV/Intercités, book 2–4 weeks ahead (~£15–30)

🛏Hostel dorm in Tours old town (£16–24/night)

• →Walk the old town of Tours (Place Plumereau)
• →Visit Tours Cathedral and the Musée des Beaux-Arts
• →Cheap dinner of rillettes, andouillette or a plat du jour at a bouchon-style bistro

Morning train from Tours to Bordeaux (St-Pierre-des-Corps change, ~2h30). Dump your bag and walk the UNESCO-listed Port de la Lune waterfront, Miroir d'Eau and Place de la Bourse, then Saint-André Cathedral. The coach tour gives Bordeaux only a 2.5-hour stop — here you get a whole evening, including the Cité du Vin wine museum and a glass of Bordeaux at a quai-side bar.

🚌Tours → Bordeaux train, change at St-Pierre-des-Corps (~£25–40)

🛏Hostel in Bordeaux Saint-Pierre / Chartrons (£20–30/night)

• →Port de la Lune / Miroir d'Eau waterfront walk
• →Cathédrale Saint-André and old town
• →Cité du Vin interactive wine museum (self-book ~£18)
• →Dinner in Saint-Pierre district

Train south to Lourdes via Dax or Pau (3h30–4h30 including changes). The sanctuary and the Grotto are free to enter and the evening candlelight rosary procession (Torchlight Marian Procession) is open to anyone regardless of faith — a genuinely atmospheric sight. Budget a full afternoon and evening here rather than the tour's single overnight.

🚌Bordeaux → Lourdes regional TER/Intercités (~£25–35)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel dorm in Lourdes (£16–25/night)

• →Grotte de Massabielle and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes (free)
• →Torchlight procession (evening, free)
• →Château fort de Lourdes (small entry fee)

A long travel day: Lourdes to Toulouse by TER, then Toulouse to Carcassonne (~1h). Stop a few hours for the UNESCO citadel walls, then continue down the coast via Narbonne to Marseille (TGV/TER, arriving evening). Narbonne's Roman horreum and Les Halles market make a good late-lunch stop. Pre-book a Marseille hostel near Vieux-Port or Le Panier.

🚌Lourdes → Toulouse → Carcassonne → Narbonne → Marseille by TER/TGV in stages (~£45–60 total), book each leg ahead

🛏Hostel in Le Panier / Vieux-Port Marseille (£22–32/night)

• →Carcassonne medieval city walls and Château Comtal (entrance ~£9)
• →Quick Narbonne old town and covered market
• →Evening stroll at Vieux-Port, Marseille

Start early: Marseille's Vieux-Port, Mucem and Notre-Dame de la Garde before heading north. Take a bus to Arles for the Roman amphitheatre and van Gogh sights, then a bus/train to Les Baux-de-Provence for the Carrières de Lumières light show (book online, ~£12–14). Continue to Avignon for the Palais des Papes and Pont Saint-Bénézet, then TGV into Lyon in the evening — arriving with time to eat, unlike the coach version.

🚌Marseille → Arles → Les Baux → Avignon → Lyon by TER/bus + TGV (~£35–50)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lyon Presqu'île / Vieux Lyon (£20–30/night)

• →Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica (free)
• →Arles Roman amphitheatre and Roman theatre (~£8)
• →Carrières de Lumières, Les Baux (self-book online)
• →Avignon Palais des Papes and Pont d'Avignon (~£14 combined)

The itinerary's original coach schedule gives Lyon about two rushed hours at night. Here you get the day it deserves: the funicular up to Notre-Dame de Fourvière (cheap ticket ~£3), the Roman theatres, the UNESCO Vieux Lyon traboules, the Croix-Rousse murals including the Fresque des Lyonnais, and Les Halles Paul Bocuse for lunch. Finish with dinner in a real bouchon — quenelles, gratinée, andouillette.

🚌Local TCL metro/funicular day pass (~£5)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Lyon (£20–30/night)

• →Funicular to Notre-Dame de Fourvière and view terrace
• →Vieux Lyon traboule walk (free, self-guided)
• →Mur des Canuts and Croix-Rousse district
• →Les Halles Paul Bocuse food market
• →Dinner at a bouchon

Train north through Burgundy: a short stop in Tournus for the abbey and the Saône riverbank, then Beaune for the Hôtel-Dieu (Hospices de Beaune, ~£9) and the Burgundy wine museum — the coach tour only gives a drive-through. Continue to Dijon and check in before dinner; the city centre (Palais des Ducs, owl trail) is walkable and lively in the evening.

🚌Lyon → Tournus → Beaune → Dijon by TER (~£25–35)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central Dijon (£22–32/night)

• →Tournus abbey and old town
• →Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune
• →Burgundy wine tasting in Beaune (drop-in cellar ~£10–20)
• →Dijon Owl's Trail self-guided walk (free)

The Alsace Wine Route highlight day. Train to Colmar (1h45), then take the 106 bus or a short train to Riquewihr for a wine tasting at a family winery (many accept walk-ins, ~£10–15 for 4–5 tastings). Return via Colmar's Little Venice, then train to Strasbourg for the evening — Petite France lit up at night, cathedral square, and a tarte flambée dinner.

🚌Dijon → Colmar TER (~£22), Colmar–Riquewihr bus 106 (~£3), Colmar → Strasbourg TER (~£12)

🛏Hostel in Strasbourg Krutenau / Petite France (£22–32/night)

• →Colmar Little Venice and Unterlinden Museum (Isenheim Altarpiece)
• →Riquewihr medieval ramparts and Alsace wine tasting
• →Strasbourg Cathedral (free entry, astronomical clock show small fee)
• →Petite France evening walk

Cross into Germany: train to Freiburg im Breisgau (30 min, Münster and market), then the Schwarzwaldbahn through the forest. Hop off at Triberg for the waterfalls (~£6) and the Black Forest cuckoo-clock museum, then at Gengenbach for the picture-book old town. Finish in Baden-Baden — either the Friedrichsbad or Caracalla spa (from ~£20) is the perfect end to a long day.

🚌Strasbourg → Freiburg → Triberg → Gengenbach → Baden-Baden by regional train and Schwarzwaldbahn (~£30–40; Baden-Württemberg Länderticket is cheaper for the group leg)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Baden-Baden (£25–35/night)

• →Freiburg Münster and market
• →Triberg Waterfalls (~£6) and Schwarzwaldmuseum
• →Gengenbach old town and town gates
• →Baden-Baden thermal spa (Friedrichsbad/Caracalla) or Lichtentaler Allee walk

Final travel-and-highlights day. Train to Heidelberg for the funicular up to the castle (funicular + castle courtyard ~£10) and the Great Barrel; stop in Speyer for the Romanesque cathedral (UNESCO); continue to Frankfurt for a brief Römerberg stop, then TGV/ICE back to Paris via Mannheim. If you want to mirror the original's Champagne stop, break at Reims or Epernay on the way for a champagne- house tour (~£20–25) — otherwise arrive straight into Paris and toast yourself for doing it independently.

🚌Baden-Baden → Heidelberg → Speyer → Frankfurt → Mannheim → Paris by regional train + TGV/ICE (~£50–70, book 4+ weeks ahead)

🛏Hostel in Paris Montmartre / Canal Saint-Martin (£28–40/night)

• →Heidelberg Castle via funicular, Great Barrel and German Apothecary Museum
• →Speyer Cathedral (UNESCO, free entry)
• →Frankfurt Römerberg and Main riverside
• →Optional: Reims Cathedral or Epernay champagne cellar tour (~£20–25)