Dordogne and Provence - Help with Itinerary

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With a little one you might consider fewer different places to stay. We did all of Aix, Gordes, Avignon, St Remy and more from a base in Maussane-les-Alpilles in summer 2022. We flew in and out of Marseilles. Picking up rental car there was easy. The car rental offices are a very short walk across the driveway of the terminal. Driving is easy in the area. Do look into Maussane-les-Alpilles or some of the other smaller towns in Provence as a base. In MLA there were quite a few restaurants and cafes, a beautiful central square, easy public parking. Lovely!

Pick up the car in Marseille but return it in Toulouse, the French center of aviation, and fly out from there. No need to backtrack. Include St. Remy in your initial stay in the area.

Any reason you’re not spending any time in Marseilles? It’s a great city with many things to enjoy and explore?

Thanks all!

@Pat - thank you, if there is a way to move the post, please let me know!

@Laurie Ann - we did consider fewer bases in Provence. Weighing up the pos/cons of having only a single base. Will check out Maussane-les-Alpilles

@Bets - we didn’t consider this, will look into it. Hopefully one way drop off fees aren’t too high.

@Philip - I had a feeling Marseille was a big town that may get a bit crazy with a little one, will look into the things we can see there and perhaps consider exploring for a few days before renting the car. Thanks for the suggestion!

One way drop off fees aren't bad at all in France. Conditions vary between rental companies.
And you need to consider that the one way drive from Toulouse to Marseille costs €100 with gas and tolls.

So, I'd personally split my days between l'Isle sur la Sorgue (better with a baby, it's flat!) for 5-6 nights and Uzès for 3-4 nights, then Carcassonne, then Dordogne, and perhaps a final night in Toulouse if you'd like (I've never been but I hear good things).

@Balso - thank you, just did a quick price comparison for one way drop off costs, and there doesn't to be a big difference if dropping off the car in Toulouse (even before the gas and tolls).

Yes, it makes sense to drop the car and fly out of Toulouse if you still can.

You might consider Arles as an alternative to Avignon, especially with a car. Avignon is a good public transportation hub but you don't need that. I found Arles more interesting, especially the very good Roman museum on the outskirts and the amazing St-Trophime church in the center. Avignon's papal palace didn't do much for me.

If I remember, Gordes is on top of a hill and diffcult to drive in and out of. I haven't been to l'Ile-sur-la-Sorgue, but I'm sure it would be easier as a base, and Balso knows this area very well.

In the Dordogne we liked Beynac, but the B&B where we stayed (Le Petit Versailles) seems to be out of business. There's a hotel in the very small village center that looks convenient, but I can't speak from experience.

In September of 2022 we did part of your trip during a two month travel in France, Austria, and Southern Germany.
We stayed in Beynac for 3 nights with a couple of day trips. Unless you have some specific places in mind to visit in the area of Sarlat or Beynac, I think 8 nights seems a lot to me.
From there we stopped in Albi on our way to Carcassonne. The cathedral in Albi was well worth seeing.
Carcassonne is worth at least 2 nights (we spent three nights).
If you are interested in history Pont du Gard, the arena in Arles and theatre in Orange are worth seeing.
We stayed in Les Baux des Provence for 3 nights. It is near St Remy. Les Baux has a Carrieres des Lumieres, a quarry with multimedia displays projected on the walls. Very impressive.

Definitely Uzès rather than Avignon. It's much more interesting. But I don't know how strollers do on all the walkways and roads with stone pavers.

I don't think anyone else has mentioned that L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue has twice-a-week markets that could make driving out of town or back into town, and finding parking, a challenge. At least I think that might be the case; I use only public transportation.

The same applies to Sarlat.

I liked the Dordogne/Lot very much. I traveled through the area by train and bus and really had no option other than moving from one base to another, else I'd have been too limited in where I could go on day trips. I know a car covers ground faster and gives you more options, but I wonder whether staying in one place for the entire time is best. I'd do a lot of reading about the towns and villages in the area, put together my must-see and want-to-see lists, and check driving times from my proposed base to each of those destinations on ViaMichelin.com.