Self-Launched Highlights of France: Paris to Provence by Train

Fly or take the Eurostar into Paris. From CDG take the RER B train into the city (~€11.80) or the Roissybus (~€17). Check into a hostel in the 10th/11th arrondissement for easy metro access, then wander the Canal Saint-Martin and grab a supermarket picnic or a €10-14 plat du jour. No group welcome meeting — use the evening to download the SNCF Connect app and pre-book your train tickets for the next legs.

🚌RER B from CDG ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm, Paris (e.g. Generator or St Christopher's Canal) ~£30-40

• →Canal Saint-Martin evening walk
• →Rue Oberkampf street food

Take an early SNCF train from Paris Saint-Lazare to Vernon (~€15-20, 45 mins), then the shuttle bus to Giverny (~€10 return) and buy a timed entry to the Fondation Monet gardens (~€13). Note the gardens close 1 Nov–1 Apr — in winter swap for the Musée de l'Orangerie water lilies in Paris (~€12.50). Continue by train/bus to Rouen then Honfleur for a harbour stroll, and onward by TER train to Bayeux (~€15). Check into a guesthouse near the cathedral and eat at a crêperie (galette + cider ~£15).

🚌Trains Paris–Vernon–Rouen–Bayeux ~£30 total

🛏Bayeux guesthouse / budget hotel ~£45-55

• →Monet's Garden Giverny entry ~£12
• →Honfleur harbour walk
• →Crêperie dinner

Book a small-group D-Day tour via GetYourGuide or the local Bayeux tour operators (~£85-110) covering Omaha Beach, Pointe du Hoc and the Normandy American Cemetery. Alternatively, DIY it: rent a bike (~£20/day) or take the #70 bus to Colleville-sur-Mer and use the free shuttle. Visit the Bayeux War Cemetery and the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy (~€8). Evening free in Bayeux's medieval centre.

🚌Local bus or bike hire ~£20

🛏Bayeux guesthouse / budget hotel ~£45-55

• →D-Day beaches guided tour or DIY
• →Normandy American Cemetery
• →Bayeux War Cemetery

Take the direct TER train/bus combination from Bayeux to Pontorson (~£15, 1h15) then the Keolis shuttle to Mont-Saint-Michel (~€3). Entry to the village is free; the abbey costs ~€13. Wander the ramparts at low tide and skip the pricey island restaurants in favour of a picnic. Return to Bayeux by early evening.

🚌TER + shuttle ~£18 return

🛏Bayeux guesthouse / budget hotel ~£45-55

• →Mont-Saint-Michel ramparts
• →Abbey entry ~£11
• →Tidal flats walk

See the Bayeux Tapestry at the Musée de la Tapisserie (~€11, includes audio guide) and the Norman-Romanesque cathedral (free). Afternoon at leisure: coffee in the old town, laundry, and plan the Paris leg. Try a Norman cider tasting at a local bar (~£10).

🚌Walking

🛏Bayeux guesthouse / budget hotel ~£45-55

• →Bayeux Tapestry museum
• →Cathedral visit
• →Cider tasting

Train to Rouen (~£20) and walk the half-timbered old town: the Gros-Horloge clock, the cathedral Monet painted, and the spot where Joan of Arc was tried. Free walking tour via GetYourGuide or just download a self-guided audio route. Afternoon train back to Paris (~£22) and check into a hostel.

🚌Trains ~£42

🛏Hostel dorm, Paris ~£30-40

• →Rouen old town walk
• →Joan of Arc sites
• →Gros-Horloge

Self-guided walk of the medieval heart: Louvre pyramid, Pont Neuf, Conciergerie and Notre-Dame (free outside, ~€16 to enter the towers). In the afternoon book a small-group French wine and cheese tasting in a Marais cellar via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£55-70) — this replaces the operator's tasting lunch. Evening: Eiffel Tower picnic on the Champ de Mars.

🚌Metro carnet ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm, Paris ~£30-40

• →Notre-Dame and Île de la Cité walk
• →Wine and cheese tasting ~£60
• →Eiffel Tower photo stop

Pick your own Paris: the Louvre (~€22, book ahead), Musée d'Orsay (~€16), or the covered passages of Galerie Vivienne (free). Explore Butte-aux-Cailles for a cheap lunch, then a picnic by the Seine. Optional: rooftop bar or a €12-15 cinema in the Latin Quarter.

🚌Metro ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm, Paris ~£30-40

• →Louvre or Musée d'Orsay
• →Covered passages walk
• →Butte-aux-Cailles

Book an advance TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps or a TER to Blois (~£15-25, 1h20). Wander Blois' half-timbered streets and royal château exterior, then take the local bus or a taxi to Château de Cheverny (~€14 entry) — famous for its furnished rooms and working hounds. Overnight in Amboise or Blois in a budget hotel or hostel.

🚌TGV + local bus ~£25

🛏Amboise budget hotel / guesthouse ~£45-60

• →Blois old town
• →Château de Cheverny ~£12

Explore Amboise's riverside lanes and the Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci's final home (~€19, optional). In the afternoon cycle or take the shuttle bus to Château de Chenonceau (~€17 entry) and use the free audio guide instead of a historian — it covers the women who shaped the château. Rent a bike from Amboise for the flat riverside route (~£12).

🚌Bike hire ~£12

🛏Amboise budget hotel / guesthouse ~£45-60

• →Château de Chenonceau ~£15
• →Amboise old town
• →Clos Lucé (optional)

Book a small family vineyard tasting directly (e.g. Plou & Fils in Céré-la-Ronde, or a Vouvray cellar) — tours and tastings run £10-25. Several Loire vineyards offer cycle-in tastings. Afterwards, take a canoe or riverboat on the Cher past Chenonceau (~£15-20). Quiet evening back at the guesthouse.

🚌Bike/taxi ~£10

🛏Amboise budget hotel / guesthouse ~£45-60

• →Family vineyard tasting ~£20
• →Cher River canoe or boat ~£17

Take the TGV from Saint-Pierre-des-Corps to Bordeaux (~£35-50, 2h). Orientation stroll through the Place de la Bourse water mirror and Saint-Pierre quarter. Visit the Cité du Vin (~€22, book online) and finish with the included tasting and rooftop belvedere view. Overnight in a hostel near Gare Saint-Jean.

🚌TGV ~£45

🛏Bordeaux hostel dorm ~£30-40

• →Cité du Vin ~£19
• →Place de la Bourse
• →Chartrons riverside walk

Take the TER train to Saint-Émilion (~£8, 40 mins). Join the guided tour of the monolithic church and catacombs (~€11) and walk the medieval ramparts. Book a château tasting directly (~€15-25) — Maison du Vin can advise. Return to Bordeaux for dinner on the Quai des Chartrons.

🚌TER return ~£16

🛏Bordeaux hostel dorm ~£30-40

• →Monolithic church tour ~£10
• →Château wine tasting ~£20
• →Ramparts walk

TER train from Bordeaux to Arcachon (~£12, 50 mins), then local bus #1 to the Dune du Pilat (~€1-2). Climb Europe's tallest sand dune (free) and swim in the Atlantic. Back in Arcachon, sample oysters at the Marché at a fraction of restaurant prices (~£12). Return to Bordeaux by evening.

🚌Train + bus ~£15

🛏Bordeaux hostel dorm ~£30-40

• →Dune du Pilat climb
• →Arcachon beach
• →Oyster market lunch

Train south to Biarritz (~£25-35, 2h). Check into a surf hostel or budget hotel, then walk the Grande Plage and the Rocher de la Vierge. Evening pintxos crawl in the neighbouring Basque town of Anglet or nearby Bayonne — small plates ~€2-3 each.

🚌Train ~£30

🛏Biarritz surf hostel dorm ~£30-40

• →Grande Plage walk
• →Rocher de la Vierge
• →Pintxos crawl

Bus to Espelette (~£5, 45 mins). Visit L'Atelier du Piment or a family farm for a short tour and tasting (~£8-12) — many run walk-ins. Wander the pepper-festooned village, then continue by bus to Ainhoa or Saint-Jean-de-Luz for a Basque harbour stop. Return to Biarritz.

🚌Local buses ~£10

🛏Biarritz surf hostel dorm ~£30-40

• →Espelette pepper farm tour
• →Basque village walk
• →Saint-Jean-de-Luz harbour

Morning at Les Halles market in Biarritz — graze on cheese, ham and pastries (~£10). Take the train to Pau (~£18-25, 1h30). Stroll the Boulevard des Pyrénées for the mountain views and visit the covered market and Château de Pau exterior. Budget dinner in a local bistro.

🚌Train ~£22

🛏Pau budget hotel ~£40-50

• →Les Halles market
• →Boulevard des Pyrénées
• →Château de Pau exterior

Bus or bike out to the Jurançon vineyard villages (~£5-10). Book a winery visit and cellar tasting directly with a small producer (~£10-20), with many offering a light plate of local cheese. Return to Pau for a relaxed evening.

🚌Bus ~£8

🛏Pau budget hotel ~£40-50

• →Jurançon vineyard tour and tasting ~£15
• →Village walk

Train to Lourdes (~£7, 30 mins). Explore the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes and the vast underground Basilica of Saint Pius X (free entry). Participate in the evening candlelit procession if the timing works. Return to Pau by night train-free TER.

🚌TER return ~£14

🛏Pau budget hotel ~£40-50

• →Lourdes Sanctuary
• →Underground Basilica
• →Candlelit procession

Train from Pau to Toulouse (~£25-35, 2h30). Free volunteer-led walking tour of the pink city (tip-based, ~£5-10) covering the Capitole and Saint-Sernin basilica. Lunch at the Marché Victor Hugo — buy from traders upstairs and eat among locals for ~£12. Evening by the Garonne.

🚌Train ~£30

🛏Toulouse hostel dorm ~£28-38

• →Free walking tour
• →Marché Victor Hugo lunch
• →Capitole and Garonne

Visit the Cité de l'Espace (~€26) or the free Musée des Abattoirs, or take a day trip to Albi by train (~£15 return) to see the Toulouse-Lautrec museum and cathedral. Eat at a cheap local cassoulet spot (~£15).

🚌Metro / optional day trip ~£17

🛏Toulouse hostel dorm ~£28-38

• →Musée des Abattoirs (free)
• →Optional Albi day trip
• →Cassoulet dinner

Long rail day: Toulouse to Avignon via Narbonne/Marseille on TER or a TGV (~£35-50, 3-4h). Check into a hostel or budget hotel inside the walls. Evening walk the Rhône bridges and see the Pont d'Avignon lit up.

🚌Train ~£45

🛏Avignon budget hotel / hostel ~£40-50

• →Pont d'Avignon exterior
• →Rocher des Doms viewpoint

Join a GetYourGuide walking tour of Avignon's papal history (~£18) or use an audio guide at the Palais des Papes (~€12). Wander the Halles market for a picnic lunch (~£8). Optional afternoon: half-day tour to the Pont du Gard (~£30).

🚌Walking

🛏Avignon budget hotel / hostel ~£40-50

• →Palais des Papes ~£10
• →Avignon walking tour ~£18
• →Les Halles market

Morning TER train to Arles (~£7, 20 mins). Visit the Roman Amphitheatre and theatre (~€11 combined), then the LUMA Arles contemporary art tower (~€12). Coffee at the Van Gogh Café, then join the locals on a gravel court for pétanque by the Rhône with a pastis from a nearby bar (~£5). Overnight in Arles.

🚌TER ~£14 return

🛏Arles hostel / budget hotel ~£40-50

• →Arles Amphitheatre ~£10
• →LUMA Arles ~£10
• →Van Gogh Café
• →Pétanque with locals

Bus to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (~£5) for the famous Wednesday weekly market. Optionally visit the Saint-Paul de Mausole monastery where Van Gogh was treated (~€8). Walk the Glanum Roman ruins (~€10) if time allows. Return to Arles for dinner.

🚌Local bus ~£10

🛏Arles hostel / budget hotel ~£40-50

• →Saint-Rémy market
• →Van Gogh monastery ~£7
• →Glanum ruins (optional)

Bus to the hilltop village of Les Baux-de-Provence (~£6) — the château entry is ~€12 and the Carrières de Lumières light show ~€15. In the afternoon (seasonal) take the open-air train through the pink salt basins of Aigues-Mortes (~€10). Return to Arles.

🚌Local buses ~£12

🛏Arles hostel / budget hotel ~£40-50

• →Les Baux village
• →Carrières de Lumières ~£13
• →Aigues-Mortes salt train ~£9

Train to Aix-en-Provence (~£8, 1h). Browse the daily market on Place Richelme and the Cours Mirabeau — flowers, lavender, olives, textiles. Eat socca or a market lunch (~£10). Wander Cézanne's studio (~€7) and the moss-covered fountains.

🚌Train ~£16 return

🛏Aix budget hotel / guesthouse ~£45-55

• →Aix morning market
• →Cézanne studio ~£6
• →Cours Mirabeau

Self-guided hike or bus ride out toward Montagne Sainte-Victoire, Cézanne's favourite subject (trailheads reachable by local bus ~£5). Afternoon at leisure in Aix — a final pastis on a shaded square, plus packing and laundry.

🚌Local bus ~£5

🛏Aix budget hotel / guesthouse ~£45-55

• →Sainte-Victoire hike
• →Aix old town
• →Final pastis

Depart at leisure. For flights home, take the direct bus or train to Marseille Provence Airport (~£8-12, 30-40 mins) — cheaper than a taxi. If you've time, a TGV from Aix to Paris takes ~3.5h (~£50-80 advance).

🚌Bus/train to Marseille Airport ~£10

🛏—

• →Departure