Treasures of France: Paris to Toulouse (Self-Launched)
15 days · France
G Adventures charges £5,050
No-markup version: ~£1,260 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 15-day independent version of G Adventures' National Geographic Journeys "Treasures of France" route, travelling Paris → Loire Valley → Bordeaux → Biarritz/Basque Country → Pau → Toulouse entirely by high-speed TGV, regional TER trains and local buses. You'll see the same châteaux, vineyards, catacombs, Basque pepper farms, Pyrenean foothills and the "Pink City", but booking your own hostel/budget-hotel beds and self-bookable winery, château and market experiences. Costs are approximate backpacker/mid-budget estimates per person for one traveller sharing or in a dorm/private budget room, excluding international flights into Paris and out of Toulouse.
Day-by-day
Arrive Paris
Paris
Arrive at CDG or Orly and take the RER B into the city (~€11.80/£10) or the Roissybus from CDG (~€17/£15). Book a hostel in the 10th, 11th or 18th arrondissement for easy Gare du Nord/Gare Montparnasse access later. Settle in with a supermarket picnic or a cheap crêpe, then do a free evening wander along the Seine or up to Sacré-Cœur at sunset. Get a Navigo Easy card (~€2 card + €2.15 fares) or just buy a carnet of tickets for the day.
🚌RER B from CDG, ~£10
🛏Hostel dorm in central Paris (e.g. Generator, St Christopher's Canal, or a Montmartre budget hostel), £30-45/night
- →RER B into the city
- →Evening Seine walk
- →Sacré-Cœur sunset
Paris to the Loire Valley (Blois & Cheverny)
Blois
Take the TGV from Paris Montparnasse/Austerlitz to Blois or Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (1.5-2h, ~£25-40 booked in advance on SNCF Connect). Do a self-guided orientation walk through Blois' half-timbered old town, then catch local bus 'Ligne 4' (or a short taxi) out to Château de Cheverny for the furnished rooms, gardens and the working hound kennels (~€15 entry). Stay in Blois or Amboise — Amboise is the best base for the next two days.
🚌TGV Paris-Blois, ~£30; local bus to Cheverny, ~£5
🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel in Amboise or Blois, £50-70/night
- →Blois old town walk
- →Château de Cheverny visit and kennels
Amboise and Château de Chenonceau
Amboise
Walk Amboise's riverside lanes and the Clos Lucé area, then cycle or take the shuttle/local bus to Château de Chenonceau (~€17 entry). You can pre-book an entry ticket plus an audio guide on GetYourGuide or directly via the château's own site for around £20-25 — effectively the same historian-led story the tour gives you, done your own pace. Rent a bike in Amboise (~€12/day) and ride the flat Cerisiers/Chisseaux river route. Evening back in Amboise with a cheap bistro dinner or market supper.
🚌Bike hire or local bus, ~£10
🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel in Amboise, £50-70/night
- →Chenonceau entry + audio guide
- →Amboise cycle route along the Cher
Loire vineyard tasting and Cher river
Touraine / Chisseaux
Book a small independent vineyard visit directly — Vouvray, Montlouis or Touraine-Amboise producers often run 45-60 min cellar tours and tastings for €10-20 per person; email a couple of small domaines or use Klook/GetYourGuide for a Loire Valley wine-tasting half-day. Afternoon: rent a canoe or join a short river boat trip on the Cher from Chenonceaux (~€15-25) to glide under the château arches. Stock up on local goat's cheese and rillettes from the market for dinner.
🚌Local bus/bike, ~£10
🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel in Amboise, £50-70/night
- →Family-run Loire winery tasting
- →Cher river canoe or boat trip
Train to Bordeaux + Cité du Vin
Bordeaux
Take the TER/TGV from Saint-Pierre-des-Corps or Amboise to Bordeaux (roughly 2.5-3h via a connection, ~£30-50). Check into a hostel near Saint-Pierre or Chartrons. Orientation walk through the UNESCO quays, Place de la Bourse and the mirrors, then visit Cité du Vin (~€22 with wine tasting included at the Belvedere) — book online in advance. Cheap dinner at a wine bar or the Marché des Capucins area.
🚌TGV/TER Loire-Bordeaux, ~£40
🛏Bordeaux hostel dorm or budget hotel, £30-45/night
- →Cité du Vin entry and Belvedere tasting
- →Quays and Place de la Bourse walk
Saint-Émilion day trip
Saint-Émilion
Take the TER train from Bordeaux Saint-Jean to Saint-Émilion (~45 min, ~€10-16 return). Book your underground monolithic church and catacombs visit directly with the tourist office or via GetYourGuide (~£12-15). Then do a small château tasting — many Saint-Émilion grand cru estates offer 45-min cellar tours with 2-3 samples for €15-25 if booked ahead. Eat a picnic in the cloister gardens before the train back.
🚌TER Bordeaux-Saint-Émilion return, ~£12
🛏Bordeaux hostel dorm or budget hotel, £30-45/night
- →Monolithic church and catacombs tour
- →Saint-Émilion estate tasting
Dune du Pilat and Arcachon
Arcachon / Dune du Pilat
Regional TER train from Bordeaux to Arcachon (~50 min, ~€10-15 return), then bus line 1 to the Dune du Pilat (~€2). Climb Europe's tallest sand dune for the pine-forest and Atlantic views — free. Back in Arcachon, walk the Ville d'Hiver and the waterfront, snack on oysters at the port shacks (€10-15 a dozen). Return to Bordeaux for the evening.
🚌TER Bordeaux-Arcachon + local bus, ~£15
🛏Bordeaux hostel dorm or budget hotel, £30-45/night
- →Dune du Pilat climb
- →Arcachon waterfront and oyster shacks
Train to Bayonne and Biarritz
Biarritz
Take a TGV or Intercités from Bordeaux to Bayonne (~1h45, ~£25-35, book in advance). Walk Bayonne's Vauban ramparts, the Cathédrale Sainte-Marie and the timber-framed Grand Bayonne/ Petit Bayonne streets — plus the chocolate museum area if you're keen. Then catch the frequent local bus or TER (20 min, ~€2) to Biarritz for a sunset on the Grande Plage and a hostel bed near the beach.
🚌TGV Bordeaux-Bayonne, ~£30; local bus to Biarritz, ~£2
🛏Biarritz hostel dorm or budget surf hostel, £35-50/night
- →Bayonne ramparts and cathedral walk
- →Biarritz Grande Plage sunset
Espelette pepper farm and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Basque Country
Morning at Les Halles market in Biarritz (free to browse, perfect for picnic supplies). Then take the Txik Txak regional bus or a train+bus combo inland to Espelette (~1h). Visit a family piment farm directly — L'Atelier du Piment and similar producers run short tours and tastings for ~€5-8. Continue to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the fortified Camino de Santiago start point, and walk the citadel walls before returning to Biarritz.
🚌Regional bus/train combo Biarritz-Espelette-St-Jean, ~£12
🛏Biarritz hostel dorm or budget surf hostel, £35-50/night
- →Les Halles market
- →Espelette pepper farm tour and tasting
- →Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port citadel walk
Biarritz to Pau
Pau
Take the train from Biarritz/Bayonne to Pau (~1h30-2h via Dax or direct, ~£20-30). Check into a budget hotel or hostel in central Pau. Orientation walk through the old town, then stroll the Boulevard des Pyrénées for the mountain panorama — on a clear day you can see the Pic du Midi d'Ossau. Browse Les Halles market (covered, lively, great for lunch from a traiteur stall for €8-12). Optional: Château de Pau, birthplace of Henry IV (~€8).
🚌Train Biarritz-Pau, ~£25
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Pau, £40-55/night
- →Boulevard des Pyrénées walk
- →Les Halles market lunch
- →Optional Château de Pau
Lourdes day trip
Lourdes
Regional TER train Pau to Lourdes (~30-40 min, ~€8-12 return). The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is free to enter — walk past the Neo-Gothic Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the mosaics of the Rosary Basilica and the vast Underground Basilica of St Pius X. If you want context, join the free guided tour run by the sanctuary's volunteer guides (check the daily schedule at the information desk). Lunch in town, then train back to Pau for a relaxed evening.
🚌TER Pau-Lourdes return, ~£10
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Pau, £40-55/night
- →Sanctuary of Lourdes self-exploration
- →Optional free sanctuary guided tour
Lescar and Jurançon wine country
Pau / Gan
Catch a local bus or short taxi to Lescar (~15 min) for a quiet morning walk around the old cathedral town with Pyrenean views, then continue to Gan in the Jurançon AOC. Small producers (Domaine Cauhapé, Clos Lapeyre and others) offer cellar visits and tastings by appointment for €8-15; email a day or two ahead. A 'casse-croûte' lunch of local cheese and charcuterie in Gan or back in Pau keeps it cheap. Evening free in Pau.
🚌Local bus/taxi to Lescar and Gan, ~£10
🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Pau, £40-55/night
- →Lescar old town walk
- →Jurançon vineyard tour and tasting
Train to Toulouse — Pink City orientation
Toulouse
Regional train or Intercités Pau to Toulouse (~2h30-3h via Tarbes/Saint-Gaudens, ~£25-35). Check into a hostel near Capitole or Saint-Cyprien. Wander the 'Pink City' brick streets: Place du Capitole, the Pont Neuf over the Garonne, and the riverside quais at golden hour. Cheap dinner pick — a cassoulet or a sandwich at a market hall, or a €12-15 plat du jour near Place Saint-Georges.
🚌Train Pau-Toulouse, ~£30
🛏Toulouse hostel dorm or budget hotel, £30-45/night
- →Capitole and Pont Neuf walk
- →Garonne riverside evening
Toulouse walking, Victor Hugo Market and Cité de l'Espace
Toulouse
Do a self-guided walking loop: Basilica of Saint-Sernin (free entry), the Jacobins convent with its famous palm-tree vault, and the Musée des Augustins if you're art-inclined. Lunch at Marché Victor Hugo — go upstairs to the food hall and grab regional tastings (cheese, charcuterie, foie gras) for €10-18. Optional afternoon: Cité de l'Espace (~€26) or a canal-side bike ride.
🚌Metro/tram day ticket, ~£5
🛏Toulouse hostel dorm or budget hotel, £30-45/night
- →Saint-Sernin and Jacobins walk
- →Victor Hugo Market tasting lunch
- →Optional Cité de l'Espace
Depart Toulouse
Toulouse
Final market breakfast and a last wander along the Garonne. The airport shuttle (T2 tram + bus, ~€1.80-8) or a BlaBlaCar/taxi gets you to Toulouse-Blagnac for onward flights or trains. If you're heading on toward the Pyrenees or Spain, day trains to Barcelona run from Toulouse Matabiau in a few hours.
🚌Airport shuttle/tram, ~£5
🛏—
- →Garonne morning walk
- →Departure
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,260 | £5,050 |
| Duration | 15 days | 15 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £3,790 per person (75%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,260
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Treasures of France: Paris to Toulouse (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,260 per person for 15 days in France. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £5,050 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,260 — a saving of roughly £3,790 (75%) per person.
How long is the France trip?+
This itinerary runs 15 days, covering 15 day-by-day stops through France.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, slow-travel trip through France, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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