Hello, I will be spending 2 to 3 months in France, February to April. Would love suggestions of where to be based, markets are essential and a large enough place that it offers good infrastructure and the ability to fly or catch the train near by. I'm coming from a northern climate so looking at somewhere where the weather is decent or we can run somewhere warmer quite easily. What are your favourite large villages or cities to be based?
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7937 posts
Five years ago I was in Nice in November, December, and part of January. It’s my favorite city in France. It has everything you list. February to April would be a livelier time.
Posted by
283 posts
Aix, Arles or Avignon. I spent the month of March 2024 there heading out almost every day to a town with a market. all cities were easy to get around, very walkable, great towns and very cheap transportation options. I had fabulous apts with washing machines in each city through booking.com. Felt right at home.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10621 posts
Beware the icy Mistral winds that blow down the Rhone Valley out of the Alps in winter; they calm by April. That would be Aix, Arles, Avignon. We spent six months there, our son went to the university in Aix. The winds blew about every three days. When moving to France, I refused to even consider the Rhone Valley although it is very beautiful.
You can escape the Mistral going east toward Nice or west toward Montpellier. Nîmes still gets some of the Mistral. Montpellier has an airport and is 3+ hours to Paris or Barcelona by train, while Nice has an airport but is 6 hours to Paris by train. Marseille is the city with an airport for the Rhone Valley, though Avignon has good train connections.