15 nights, but only 3 bases

I'd pick a smaller town in Burgundy as a base. Small enough to be charming but big enough to have a few good restaurants. We used Semur en Auxois as a base and just loved it but there are many small towns that might work. https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/medieval-towns/ I'd probably do the same thing in Provence. With smaller towns, it is easier to get on the road to visit other towns and sites in the area without having to cope with city traffic. We once stayed in Bedoin and enjoyed the little town and driving to places in the area.

3 bases is plenty for 15 nights -- and you could rent an apartment probably which we find lets you really become part of the area -- getting acquainted with the butcher and the greengrocer etc. In more rural areas the minimum is often a week, sat to sat so you might have to change to two bases -- but with the rise of Airbnb etc short term rentals are more common. We have rented a place for 5 nights in Vienna this fall in a complex that generally requires a weekly rental so sometimes it is possible.

The idea of 3 bases in 15 days is an excellent one. Here are a couple of thoughts regarding your plans. Arles and Nimes are fairly close to each other, so I'd choose one or the other. Roussillon is a bit isolated, so not so suitable for a base. Depending on where you live, you might find it efficient to do open-jaw flights; e.g., into Paris and out of Nice.

Last year, my wife and I had less time (8 nights) in the same area as part of a longer trip. We started in Nice, went on to Lacoste, and then to Nimes.

Lacoste was a great base for exploring the Luberon, and a quiet respite after the bustle of Nice. We rented a great apartment that had a terrace where we enjoyed food and wine from local markets and vineyards with a view across the valley of Bonnieux. There weren't many restaurants, but we had a car and it gave us a chance to see other villages.

We also enjoyed Nimes, where we had another great apartment near the arena. Nimes is smaller and less touristy than Arles, where we had spent the day along the way. If you enjoy Roman ruins, Nimes has the Castellum and Maison Carrée, along with the aforementioned arena which was spectacular. Moreover, with a car we did the Pont du Gard and Orange with the Triumphal Arch and Theatre. With more time in Nimes we would like to have explored Uzes nearby.

If you plan to stay in Arles, I'd suggest going to Nimes as a day trip rather than including it as a base. We only had dinner in Roussillon but it seemed nice, and like Lacoste, would be a good base for exploring the Luberon.

Have fun!

If you have a car and want a great experience in Provence, stay at Sous l'Olivier. Check it out in Rick's France book under the Isle-sur-la-Sorgue listings. Also, read reviews on Trip Advisor. It's a well located place to act as a "base" to get into surrounding villages (including Roussillon) and countryside and still have a restful oasis of calm to return to! You can dine with other guests in the evening-- a home made four course dinner with wine for under 35 Euros a person. You could just train to Avignon and rent a car to get to Olivier. Arles is also a fun place to see and stay if you've not been there. We enjoyed it a lot, but my original recommendation is geared towards taking some time to relax and inhale what Provence has to offer! Good luck, and enjoy!

I have to respectfully disagree with Rosalyn. I stayed in Roussillon for 5 nights and found it a very suitable base for visiting the other towns in the area. I will qualify it though with a couple of comments. I traveled solo and didn't need a place with lots to do in the evening. What I wanted was a quiet place to lay my head after a long day of sightseeing and it was perfect for that. It's quite small and there are not a lot of restaurants there but I usually had my dinner somewhere that I was sightseeing and since I don't usually have wine with dinner I didn't have a problem driving back to my hotel after dinner. I saved my wine drinking for late evenings on my balcony overlooking the beautiful valley below Roussillon. I was able to visit all of the following from Roussillon: Vaison la Romaine, Isle sur la Sorgue, Arles, Bonnieux, Joucas, Gordes, Gigondas, the Julian Bridge, and of course Roussillon and the ochre cliffs nearby. I took the TGV from Paris to Avignon, stayed one night there, then picked up a rental car and visited Pont du Gard on the way to Roussillon.

Day 1-3 Beaune (3)
Day 4-5 Lyon (2)
Day 6 Train to Arles (5)
Day 7 Excursion to Nimes+Pont du Gard
Day 8 Excursion to Avignon+Orange
Day 9 Excursion to Marseille or Aix en Provence
Day 10 Excursion to St Remy+Les Baux
Day 11 Train to Nice (4)
Day 12 Excursion to Monaco
Day 13 Excursion to Cannes+Antibes
Day 14 Excursion to St Paul de Vence
Day 15 Fly out

Thank you all for replying. My wife and I now have a better overview of what we should do.

I noticed that the last poster did not allot any time to Nice, though he has you staying there. In my opinion that's a big mistake. Nice has many attractions, much more than Monaco. Myself, I can't see any reason for wanting to view the exterior of casinos (you probably would be refused admission) or other places where the mega-rich hang out. I suggest you plan to spend at least one of those days in Nice itself.

I was thinking perhaps to spend the morning and evening in Nice, with an afternoon outing.

We've been to Nice twice, an afternoon and evening was plenty of time for us.

Another vote for Nimes as one of your bases. I did not have a car but visited the Pont du Gard, Arles, Orange from Nimes. I was there for four or five nights.

I guess I will respectfully disagree again. I personally think Nice deserves at least a full day and 1/2 in itself, then a couple of side trips, Monaco and St Paul de Vence can both be easily done in one day.

I sent you a PM the other day. But I will add now for you or anyone...Probably the single best B&B we have ever stayed at, anywhere: The Carpe Diem Guesthouse in Massangis, about 45 minutes from Beaune. The house and gardens lovely, the room was just plain gorgeous, the bathroom large and sparkled as if built yesterday, breakfast wonderful and the hosts incomparable. That's a lot of superlatives, but I stand by them all. And the price will knock your socks off..in the best possible way. With a car we toured many sights in Burgundy over 4 or 5 days. I found them on tripadvisor.com I heartily suggest Burgundy and the Carpe Diem.

Hi,
We stayed two weeks in Burgundy in one place. our 3 places in 15 mights is a good idea. In Burgundy...Pick any of the medieval cities that are on the smaller size. Noyers, Saulieu, Semur en Auxois, Avallon, or Flavigny-sur-Ozerain are nice sized with good road connetions to many days worth of short drive visits. Try Gites de France or HolidayLettings for booking self catering accommodations. You get a whole house or apartment for less than the price of a hotel room. And unlike a B&B where you eat at your stay location, your can make a cup of coffee at home then go to a French bakery for fresh croissants...oh gosh, I am drooling. Makes visiting the markets more enjoyable too because you can cook at home at night if you so choose. The food is of such high quality it will make your cooking taste better than normal.

Larger cities...maybe Sens. I found Dijon a bit too much. Good for a day visit, but wouldn't want to stay there five days. Vezelay is a bit too touristy for me. Dramatic place but it has had too many years (500) of too many tourists.

Don't change your mind about traveling slow. As I said, we did 14 days in a village outside of Avallon (Vassy) and did not run out of things to see or do.

wayne iNWI