Paris to Provence in Depth — Self-Launched

Land and make your own way into the city — the RER B from CDG to Gare du Nord costs about £10 (or the Roissybus for ~£7). Settle into a hostel in the 10th/11th arrondissement or near Montmartre, then spend the evening wandering the Seine, the Latin Quarter and a cheap neighbourhood bistro. Buy a Navigo Easy card (£2) and load a carnet of metro tickets (~£1.50 a ride).

🚌RER B airport train ~£10; metro tickets ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Paris (e.g. St Christopher's Canal or similar) — ~£30/night

• →Evening walk along the Seine
• →Latin Quarter wander
• →Pick up a Navigo Easy transit card

Book a TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Blois–Chambord in advance — roughly 1h20 and from £15 if booked on SNCF Connect a few weeks out. Drop bags at your guesthouse in Blois, do a self-guided wander past the half-timbered houses and royal château, then take local bus/taxi (or rent a bike, ~£15) to Château de Cheverny for the self-guided visit including the working hounds' kennels (~£13 entry). Supermarket dinner back in Blois.

🚌TGV Paris–Blois ~£15-25; local bus/bike to Cheverny ~£8

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Blois — ~£28/night

• →Blois old town orientation walk
• →Château de Cheverny self-guided visit (~£13)
• →Cheverny kennels and gardens

Take the TER regional train Blois–Amboise (~£6, 20 mins) and walk the riverside lanes past stone cottages and bakeries. Then continue by TER to Chenonceau (~£4) and buy a standard entry ticket (~£16) — the château runs its own audio guide that covers the same history of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de' Medici that the tour's resident historian tells. Alternatively book a small-group Chenonceau + Loire wine day trip on GetYourGuide (~£85) if you'd rather be guided. Train back to Blois in the evening.

🚌TER trains Blois–Amboise–Chenonceau ~£10 total

🛏Budget guesthouse in Blois — ~£28/night

• →Amboise riverside walk and Clos Lucé area
• →Château de Chenonceau entry (~£16) with audio guide
• →Optional GetYourGuide Loire châteaux day tour (~£85)

Book a small family-winery tasting direct — options around Chisseaux, Montrichard and Vouvray run £12-25 per person for a cellar tour plus three or four wines (Vouvray and Touraine producers usually just need an email or phone call). In the afternoon, take the Cher riverboat (Le Cher Canotier / similar operators at Chenonceau, ~£10-13) to glide beneath the arches of the château. Trains back to Blois for a quiet evening with a picnic from the market.

🚌TER trains and local bus ~£8

🛏Budget guesthouse in Blois — ~£28/night

• →Family vineyard tasting (~£20)
• →Cher riverboat cruise under Chenonceau (~£12)
• →Market picnic supplies

Take the Intercités/TGV from Blois (via St-Pierre-des-Corps) south to Bordeaux, roughly 2h45-3h30 and from £25-45 booked ahead on SNCF Connect. Check into a hostel near the Gare Saint-Jean or in Chartrons, walk the pedestrian squares and limestone facades, then visit Cité du Vin — book the permanent exhibition ticket online (~£19) which includes a glass of wine on the Belvedere with 360° city views.

🚌Intercités/TGV Blois–Bordeaux ~£35; tram ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Bordeaux — ~£28/night

• →Bordeaux self-guided orientation walk
• →Cité du Vin ticket incl. Belvedere tasting (~£19)
• →Miroir d'Eau at dusk

Take the TER train Bordeaux–Saint-Émilion (~£8 return, 40 mins) and pre-book the guided tour of the Monolithic Church and catacombs via the tourist office (~£13, English departures through the day). After a picnic lunch, book a small estate tour and tasting direct with a château in the surrounding hills (~£20-30) — many are walkable or a short taxi from the village. Return to Bordeaux for a free evening in the Chartrons wine bars.

🚌TER Bordeaux–Saint-Émilion return ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm, Bordeaux — ~£28/night

• →Monolithic Church and catacombs guided tour (~£13)
• →Château tour and tasting (~£25)
• →Village ramparts walk

Catch the TER train Bordeaux–Arcachon (~£8, 50 mins) then local bus to the Dune du Pilat (~£2). Climb the 100m dune for the classic view over the pine forest and Atlantic — it's free. Stroll the Arcachon waterfront and the Ville d'Hiver district, grab oysters and a glass of white at the port (or a picnic), then train back to Bordeaux.

🚌TER Bordeaux–Arcachon return ~£8; local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Bordeaux — ~£28/night

• →Climb Dune du Pilat (free)
• →Arcachon waterfront promenade
• →Oysters at the port (~£12)

High-speed train Bordeaux–Bayonne takes about 1h45 (from £20 booked ahead). Walk Bayonne's Vauban ramparts, St Marie's Cathedral and the timber-framed Grand Bayonne lanes, then take the local bus or TER (~£3) the 10 minutes to Biarritz. Book a hostel a short walk from the Grande Plage and spend a free evening watching the surfers at Côte des Basques.

🚌TGV/Intercités Bordeaux–Bayonne ~£22; bus to Biarritz ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Biarritz — ~£32/night

• →Bayonne ramparts and cathedral walk
• →Grand Bayonne medieval streets
• →Sunset at Côte des Basques

Start at Les Halles market in Biarritz. Then take the TER train to Cambo-les-Bains or Bayonne-adjacent Basque villages plus a local bus (or a shared taxi / GetYourGuide Basque countryside half-day tour, ~£65) into the hills to Espelette — the Atelier du Piment farm visit and tasting is around £6-8 and walkable from the village centre. Continue by bus/train to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the medieval fortified town at the foot of the Pyrenees and the start of the Camino Francés, then loop back to Biarritz in the evening.

🚌TER trains and buses around the Basque country ~£12; optional shared tour ~£65

🛏Hostel dorm, Biarritz — ~£32/night

• →Les Halles market, Biarritz
• →Espelette pepper farm visit and tasting (~£7)
• →St-Jean-Pied-de-Port ramparts and Camino start point

Train from Biarritz/Bayonne to Pau takes about 1h15 on the TER (~£12). Check into a budget hotel or hostel near the centre, then walk the Boulevard des Pyrénées for the mountain panorama and dive into Les Halles market, where you can eat cheaply at the market bistros (a plate of local produce for ~£10-12). Optionally pay the ~£8 entry to the Château de Pau, birthplace of Henri IV.

🚌TER Biarritz–Pau ~£12

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Pau — ~£30/night

• →Boulevard des Pyrénées viewpoint
• →Les Halles market lunch
• →Optional Château de Pau (~£8)

TER train Pau–Lourdes is 25-30 minutes and about £6 return. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Rosary Basilica mosaics and the vast Underground Basilica of St Pius X are free to enter — download the sanctuary's free audio guide or join a free guided pilgrimage tour run daily in English by the sanctuary's own volunteers. Lunch in town, then train back to Pau.

🚌TER Pau–Lourdes return ~£6

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Pau — ~£30/night

• →Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes (free)
• →Basilica of the Rosary mosaics and Underground Basilica
• →Free English sanctuary tour

Take the local bus from Pau to Lescar (~£2) for a gentle walk with Pyrenean views, then continue to Gan in the Jurançon wine district. Book a small-producer cellar visit and tasting direct (Clos Lapeyre, Domaine Cauhapé and others charge roughly £12-20, often with a light plate of local cheese and charcuterie; most need an email ahead). Bus back to Pau for a free evening.

🚌Local buses Pau–Lescar–Gan ~£5

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Pau — ~£30/night

• →Lescar walk and cathedral
• →Jurançon winery tour and tasting (~£18)
• →Local produce lunch

Train Pau–Toulouse takes around 2h30 by TER/Intercités (~£20). Check into a hostel near Capitole or St-Cyprien, then walk the pink-brick old town: Place du Capitole, the Jacobins church with its palm-tree vault, and the Garonne riverside at sunset. Cook dinner at the hostel or grab a cheap cassoulet in a bistro.

🚌TER/Intercités Pau–Toulouse ~£20; metro ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Toulouse — ~£28/night

• →Capitole and old town walk
• →Couvent des Jacobins
• →Garonne riverside sunset

Join a free (tip-based) walking tour of Toulouse with a local guide (~£8-10 tip) to cover the same ground as the tour's guide. Finish at Marché Victor Hugo: browse the stalls and eat at one of the upstairs market restaurants — a lunch of regional produce runs £12-15. Afternoon free for the Cité de l'Espace or the Aeroscopia museum if aviation appeals.

🚌Metro/tram ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, Toulouse — ~£28/night

• →Free tip-based walking tour (~£10)
• →Marché Victor Hugo tastings and lunch (~£14)
• →Optional Cité de l'Espace (~£20)

Toulouse to Avignon by Intercités/TGV via Narbonne or Montpellier takes roughly 3h30-4h (from £30 booked ahead). Settle into a hostel inside or just outside the medieval walls, then explore the Rocher des Doms gardens and the free riverside view of the Pont d'Avignon. Pick up market supplies for the next few days.

🚌Intercités/TGV Toulouse–Avignon ~£35

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Avignon — ~£30/night

• →Rocher des Doms gardens
• →Pont d'Avignon from the riverbank
• →Old town evening wander

Book the combined Palais des Papes + Pont Saint-Bénézet ticket online (~£16) with the included Histopad tablet, which effectively gives you the history tour. Optionally add a GetYourGuide walking tour of Avignon's old town (~£18) for the local-guide angle. Afternoon free to explore the Halles market and the Calvet museum (free).

🚌Walking; local bus ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Avignon — ~£30/night

• →Palais des Papes + Pont d'Avignon combined ticket (~£16)
• →Optional old-town walking tour (~£18)
• →Les Halles market

Morning TER train Avignon–Arles is 20 minutes and about £7 return. Buy the Arles monument pass (~£14) covering the Roman amphitheatre and theatre, visit the free LUMA tower and grounds, and stop for a coffee at the Van Gogh Café on Place du Forum. In the evening, join the locals on a shaded pétanque court (the Arles pétanque clubs welcome visitors; a pastis is ~£4) before the train back.

🚌TER Avignon–Arles return ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Avignon — ~£30/night

• →Arles Amphitheatre and Roman theatre pass (~£14)
• →LUMA Arles tower (free grounds, small fee for tower)
• →Van Gogh Café coffee
• →Pétanque with locals and a pastis (~£5)

Take the TER to Nîmes or Montpellier then a local bus to the walled town of Aigues-Mortes (~£12 total). Ride the little tourist train through the salt basins and pink waters (~£11) and walk the perfectly preserved medieval ramparts (~£8). Back to Avignon in the evening.

🚌TER and local bus to Aigues-Mortes ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Avignon — ~£30/night

• →Salt basin tourist train (~£11)
• →Aigues-Mortes ramparts (~£8)
• →Walled town wander

Bus from Avignon to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (~£4) — if it's Wednesday, the weekly market fills the whole town. Continue by local bus or a short taxi (~£8) to the hilltop village of Les Baux-de-Provence; walk the village free and optionally visit the Carrières de Lumières immersive art show (~£13). Return to Avignon for the evening.

🚌Local buses/taxi ~£12

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Avignon — ~£30/night

• →Saint-Rémy-de-Provence weekly market
• →Les Baux-de-Provence hilltop village
• →Optional Carrières de Lumières (~£13)

Train Avignon–Aix-en-Provence takes about 1h15-1h40 via Marseille (~£15). The morning market on Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and the Cours Mirabeau (antiques, textiles, produce, flowers on Tue/Thu/Sat) is free to browse — the same Provençal market experience as the tour, just unguided. Walk to Cézanne's studio (~£7) or up to the Bibémus quarry if you have time.

🚌TER Avignon–Aix via Marseille ~£15

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Aix — ~£32/night

• →Aix morning market and Cours Mirabeau
• →Old town fountains walk
• →Optional Atelier Cézanne (~£7)

Catch local bus 140 to Vauvenargues or take a taxi-share to the trailheads beneath Mont Sainte-Victoire, the mountain Cézanne painted dozens of times — the Croix de Provence walk is free and takes 3-4 hours. Back in Aix for a final evening of rosé and a bowl of soupe au pistou.

🚌Local bus ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Aix — ~£32/night

• →Mont Sainte-Victoire hike (free)
• →Croix de Provence viewpoint
• →Final evening in Aix old town

Depart at leisure. Aix TGV station is a 15-minute shuttle bus from the centre (~£5) with direct TGVs to Paris in about 3h (~£45-70 booked ahead), or fly out of Marseille Provence airport (bus ~£8).

🚌Shuttle to Aix TGV ~£5 plus onward train/flight

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• →Departure