Hez

I would pick either Avignon/Aix/Luberon etc or Nice & French Riviera. 4 days is not much time, especially as you have to get from/to Paris. Do have a look at some guide books, or do some research online to see what appeals to you.

Do not get a rail pass. It's not worth it. Also, please reconsider driving. The driving in France is super easy and the only way you will effectively see any small villages.

As others have mentioned, the idea of going to Nice and Lourdes in 4 days is ludicrous.

Spending most of your time on trains doesn't allow you to "see as much as possible in a short amount of time" it allows you to see a very little of many places - and miss most of what there is to see.

I've made the mistake in the past of going somewhere (Nice) just because I had heard of it and thought it was a place to see and was disappointed. Other people love Nice, but it wasn't my cup of tea and I probably would have realized that if I had done more research prior.

dwdvagamundo

Hez--

I agree about Nice. However, maybe I didn't give it enough time as we were staying in Villefranche and because most of the time in Nice was spent dealing with rental car problems. Maybe in another life it will be better.