We have done a number of trips to France such as Normandy and the Loire Valley, and we already suspect that we will be back again to see more of this beautiful country. There is much to see and it’s nice to be able to speak French too, even if they smile at our accent.
This time we set our sights on the wonderful walled city of Carcassonne and built a road trip around this iconic location by adding Lyon and Avignon with a few stops along the way in Provence and Occitanie.
It would be a fairly short trip with only 8 nights but enough time to sample some unique French cuisine and even sleep in a castle hotel for a couple of nights.
Initially we had planned to drive from CDG airport all the way but in looking over the plan we opted to try the train for part of the route instead.
Traveling by train in France
France has a wonderful TGV (Très Grande Vitesse or Very Fast Train) rail system and instead of driving to Lyon which would take 5 hours if traffic cooperated, the train would whisk us there in just over 2 hours. We’ve traveled by TGV before and the cabins are spacious and it’s very comfortable.
Trains usually get you right into town and even the first-class tickets would come out cheaper than fuel and parking costs. My husband was also happy to avoid the stress of a long drive when landing after the international flight with a short night of sleep.
Arriving in CDG Terminal 2 early we had time for some real French croissants and a good coffee before walking over to the TGV station which is just a short walk away (all covered and inside).
Taking the TGV train to Lyon
We did try to get on an earlier train, but the cost would have been €260 to change to get there 2 hours earlier. No thanks! The flexible tickets used to be more reasonable but when booking these too were twice the price even months in advance. So ultimately, we preferred to relax with a good coffee and a real French croissant while saving money.
Time went by fast and we were soon on our way to our first stop on our itinerary: The culinary capital of France, Lyon.
Read our detailed account of our 3-night stay in Lyon: A Few Days in Lyon, France
As a spoiler, the food was wonderful and we really enjoyed the highlights.
Lyon to Avignon by train
Next, we were off to the picturesque town of Avignon in southern France. Getting from Lyon to Avignon was also easy to do by train and after reading that there was not much to see on the way we also opted to take a train to Avignon instead of driving.
We would end up spending two days in Avignon but splitting these up into one day before and one day after visiting Carcassonne. This worked well as there are sights to see inside the walled city of Avignon that we would do without a car, as well as other landmarks on the outskirts of Avignon which we would do on our final day when we had the car.
Read our detailed account of visiting Avignon: Two Half Days in Avignon, France
Driving to Carcassonne from Avignon
To head to Carcassonne, we did finally opt to rent a car as we wanted to make a few stops in scenic areas along the route. We were also glad to see more of Provence and Occitanie by driving to and from Carcassonne including some ancient Roman ruins and even a short stop by the Mediterranean Sea.
Read more about the various sites we visited on our road trip: South of France Road Trip: Avignon to Carcassonne
While we wouldn’t need a car in the city of Carcassonne itself, we were able to secure a parking spot and could thus have the flexibility to wander further afield if we wanted to. Ultimately there was enough to keep us busy in the medieval city itself and we left the car where it was for the duration of our stay.
Spoiler, we loved it. It was something we had dreamed of doing for years and so finally being there was like a dream come true.
Two nights and a full day proved to be enough to visit the historic city and perhaps those that only have one night could see much of it with an afternoon and a morning. But hey, how often do you get to stay in a castle!
Read more about our castle stay in Carcassonne: Two Nights in the Cité de Carcassonne, a Medieval Town in France
Back to Avignon and then CDG airport
Returning to Avignon we opted to keep the car to do some sights in the environs of Avignon. We would then return the car to the TGV station and take the TGV directly to Paris CDG T2 where we’d sleep one night before our international flight home the next morning.
If we could do it again, we might try to go out to Toulouse after Carcassonne instead as the TGV would also work well from there and it would be another interesting city to add to the adventure.
The TGV back from Avignon to CDG airport was smooth and direct with just 3 stops (no changing trains or changing seats, just a brief stop to let passengers on and off) getting us there in a mere 3 hours. We opted to stay at the airport Sheraton CDG which is literally next to where the TGV lets you out and a short walking distance to the T2 gates from where we would depart.
We were also impressed that the Sheraton’s restaurant Les Saisons had a really good menu and happy that we got back in time for dinner. On a prior trip, we had stayed and eaten at this convenient hotel before, but they had a new chef that had definitely taken it up a notch or two in the kitchen.
Conclusion
Thus ended another wonderful adventure in France with some historic sights, lots of good food, and lots of walking. Our phones said we averaged 20k steps a day and our legs felt it. But it was well worth it, and we had a wonderful time.
We were also happy to have done much of the itinerary by train. On other trips where we were driving, we often remarked how there always seemed to be a train station near the sights we visited. This was often the case in Germany, England, Italy, and Spain too.
Advantages of traveling by train
- Going by train takes a bit more planning but it was indeed convenient. There was much less wear and tear when compared to driving through traffic and worrying about scratches and dents, parking, or tickets, in the old towns.
- We saved time and money (and frustration, I’m sure!) and it is something we will do more of in the future.
- You can literally arrive a few minutes before departure and bring your luggage. Not hours before like at the airport
- Trains will often get you closer to the heart of the city unlike airports that are often on the outskirts
As we looked at the board in the CDG station we saw many trains leaving Paris not only to French towns but to international destinations in the EU as well.
Food for thought when planning other European destinations. Why not consider using the high-speed train from Paris to connect instead of a potentially more expensive flight into another EU country with another airline. It certainly opens up the options.
Related post: Getting Around by train in Europe
Provence and Occitanie were indeed beautiful, and we were surprised at how warm it was (at least in the sun) in early March. We did get some spring showers, and we were a bit early for most of the flowers. We would suggest that April or May would be a better time to come.
Another reason to come later is that after April most attractions are open all day. Here in March almost everything was split hours making it more difficult to plan full days of sightseeing. Many shops and restaurants were also closed but we did manage to have an ample selection.
We’re already thinking about checking out the Haut-de-France area or perhaps the Dijon area.
More to come for sure.