From Bayonne Westward--Will This Itinerary Work?
 

I would appreciate any input about our travel plans, for instance, will this be a pleasant trip or a logistical nightmare? We begin with 2 days in the Basque Region and then head west to the Carcassone environs for 2 days; then north to the Cordes area for 3 days. We then head back to Bayonne for an overnight before our train trip back to Paris. Also, is there a route from Bayonne to Carcassonne other than A64 thru Toulouse? Thank you!

Yes, it's a feasible (and nice) itinerary in a week time. However for the (eastbound) trip from Bayonne to Carcassonne, I'd suggest you take the motorway, since there are other main roads (nationales) but they tend to be pretty packed with trucks, and it may take you a very long time...

Whoops! I meant to say that I was traveling Eastward from Bayonne toward Carcassonne. Thank you Joelle for not pointing out my ignorance.

Trucks aren't all that bad on the N124, in my experience, and if you take that route, you can go through the lower part of Gascony, which is pretty.

On the other hand, the autoroute will be faster and it takes you through Pau and Tarbes and the Pyrénnées, which are arguably even prettier than Gascony.

Another way of doing it is to look for intermediary destinations and work out an itinerary that rules out the autoroute. Last year I went from the Dordogne to the Pyr&eacute;n&eacute;es using the autoroute only between Pau and Lourdes. I use <i>Discovering the Villages of France</i> as a way of finding towns that may be of interest along the way. I would also recommend stopping in Auch to see the cathedral.