Aix en Provence

If you are looking a staying in Avignon, I would suggest Hotel Le Colbert. #1 on Tripadvisor and very reasonable. We have stayed there and it was very nice. Great owners. The hotel is within about 3-4 blocks from the train station. If you have a rental car, there is a large underground parking garage 1 block from the hotel. Parking on the streets is hard to find for the evening and overnight.

How long will you be in Aix for your meeting? Is that separate from the 5 days? You might consider renting an apartment in either location if you will be there long enough. We stayed in Aix for a week at an apartment owned by an American: http://www.provencesejour.com/index.html. We stayed in the Aix Mirabeau, but If you go to the website you will see that she has others. Both the Aix ones are in the center of things within easy walking distance of what we wanted to see, do and eat.

We preferred staying in the larger city and underground parking was close by. We drove all over the area and had a great time. The distances are short, but not easily reached by public transportation.

We particularly liked the Pont du Gard, the Esterel Mountains and visiting the Camargue. That we loved visiting Cezanne's studio and looking at Mont St. Victoire from the spot he sat to paint it so many times goes without saying ... but I did anyway.

One heads up. We experienced the worst traffic I have ever been in anywhere on the south side of Arles as we headed toward the Pont du Gard from the Camargue. We must have just hit the area at a very bad time.

Hi Lynne. As I mentioned in another thread, my wife and I will be in Provence in May.Though I haven't been there yet, Avignon seems like a logical choice if you'll also be in Aix. We decided to stay in Nimes nearby instead. We'll have a car and it seemed less touristy. There's also the Jardin de la Fontainean and plenty of Roman ruins to walk past on evening strolls.

If you'll have a car, you might find that Nimes is more centrally located for excursions. It's easier to get in and out of than Aviginon, has it's own attractions, and has batches if places to eat along the pedestrian drag.

For digs in Aix, the quirky Cardinal is a real bargain located just off the Cours and maybe a ten-minute walk to the square where the twice/thrice weekly markets are held. The one on Saturday shames the much-vaunted one in Sarlat.

If using public transportation, different towns have better connections to one or another popular side-trip destination. I have really enjoyed staying in Arles on a couple of occasions. However, Avignon and Nimes both have the advantage of the bus and train stations being together (with several hotels convenient to the stations in Avignon) and of offering direct bus service to Pont du Gard (which Arles doesn't).

Hi Lynne,

Aix en provence is a wonderful city. This fall will be our 4th trip to Aix and we have always stayed at Hôtel des Augustins. We love this hotel. It is in a great location. Aix has an incredible market thoughout the town on Saturday.

Here is a descrption of the hotel:

"Located just off of the famous Cours Mirabeau in the heart of the historic quarter of Aix-en-Provence, Hotel Les Augustins is set within the walls of a 12th-century convent."

Here is a link:

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.en-us.html?aid=318615;label=New_French_Hotel-0wy2Qjl4HJ9S6FNEvMkVmgS18359295265%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg%3Akw_inurl%3Abooking.com%2Fhotel%3Aws%3D;sid=3c209e4ccbe6faa0fbfa16d2f689e46b;dcid=1;dest_id=-1406939;dest_type=city;highlighted_hotels=23132

Hope this helps,

Sue

We stayed at Hotel des Augustins in Aix a couple of times several years ago and recommend it too. As far as hotels go, it's a pretty unique place, being a former convent. It's deep inside the twisty, narrow streets of the old city but behind its walls it opens onto a large courtyard.