13 nights · Paris, Loire and Provence by train
Three regions, five beds and no rental: Paris, the Loire châteaux from Tours, then the long train south to Avignon and the Mediterranean in Marseille.
13 nights in France
For a first trip of about two weeks when you want Paris, castles and the South, and would rather read on the train than drive.
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The daily route
If you flew overnight from the US, count the day you land as day one. Get to the hotel, leave your bags if the room is still being cleaned, and take a walk near where you’re sleeping. Save the first timed ticket for tomorrow. Check your airport and terminal before choosing the train or a car.
Pick Orsay for the late nineteenth century or the Louvre for a collection that runs much wider. Choose a few rooms, then go outside. Orsay usually closes on Monday and the Louvre on Tuesday. Move this day around the official calendar and the ticket you can actually book.
Musée d’Orsay · visit informationLouvre · visit hours and admission
Start at Saint-Germain-des-Prés and walk toward the Luxembourg Gardens. Take lunch when you find a table you want, then keep going only as far as your feet are willing. If rain changes the day, use the museum slot you moved from yesterday or keep the route short around Saint-Germain.
Versailles is closed on Monday. Book the Passport time slot and take RER C to Versailles Château–Rive Gauche, a 10-minute walk from the Palace.
Château de Versailles · hours, trains and the A13 noticeChâteau de Versailles · 2026 Passport and time slots
Take the TGV from Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, about an hour, then the short local train into Tours.
Chenonceau · station and directionsSNCF · Saint-Pierre-des-Corps to Tours
About 25 minutes by TER from Tours; the station is about 400 meters from the ticket office. Find the train back first.
Chenonceau · station and directionsSNCF · Tours to Chenonceaux
The royal château is about a 10-minute walk from Amboise station; paid luggage storage is on the approach.
SNCF Connect lists about 13 journeys a day from Saint-Pierre-des-Corps to Avignon, the fastest just under five hours, most with a change. Check which Avignon station your ticket ends at.
SNCF Connect · Saint-Pierre-des-Corps to AvignonSNCF · Avignon Centre and the TGV shuttle
Give the palace the morning and leave the bridge as an afternoon decision.
Trains from Avignon Centre reach Arles in about a quarter of an hour. Pick the amphitheater or the antiquities museum as the main visit, and check its opening day.
SNCF · Avignon to ArlesArles Tourism · Roman and Romanesque monuments
Take the train to Marseille Saint-Charles and walk down to the Old Port for the evening.
The Mucem and Fort Saint-Jean are closed on Tuesdays; the footbridge between them closes 30 minutes before the site.
Take the TGV from Saint-Charles to Paris and choose the last night by your flight time.
Read the airport code and terminal from the airline confirmation. Plan the journey from the hotel door and use the airline’s check-in guidance. Look up any engineering work or service changes before you go to bed.
The parts to time
Before paying
Free printable
Three pages to save before you fly: passport and EES/ETIAS status, the proof the border police can ask for, cards and phones, driving rules and the bookings worth making early. Every line links an official source, checked November 9, 2026.
See what’s insideResearch desk
Checked . Rail times are examples for planning. Recheck opening days, direct trains, tour stops and rental arrangements before booking.