Hi! I will be traveling with my husband to Provence in mid-September and would love advice on what would be the best villages/towns to see while there to celebrate my 50th birthday. We fly into Marseille on a Thursday morning and leave on a Monday afternoon, and would have a car. My hope is to visit or stay in Cassis (unless too challening to do so) to have a sea view on a birthday morning mid-stay. Some places in mind for views and markets and quanit walks are St. Remy, Arles, Avignon, L'Isle de Sourge (possibly), Gordes and Rousillon. Not sure if all possible within our stay. Which are possible, or am I missing another must-see? Also, is it better to stay in one place for all the days or split into two nights each in different hotels or Airbnb's? Suggestions on a celebratory birthday resturant (by the sea or overlooking vista, would be ideal)? Thank you so very much!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2454 posts
corazon 23rd,
For the beach/ocean view, less than an hour east of Marseille is the charming seaside town of Bandol. Lovely little harbor, nice restaurants, great stroll along the water, sandy beach, wineries nearby. Great rose wines and lots of winery visits tasting options. Very relaxing. From Marseille airport just over an hour. A favorite place of ours. Next door is Sanary-sur-Mer. We had an excellent meal at Sana-Beach restaurant, overlooking the Mediterranean, great food and terrific sunset view.
Try bandoltourisme.fr/en/ or sanary-tourisme.com
Finding waterside lodging in a beach community at this late date may be difficult, but it is Sept., so you may be lucky.
Bandol is about a 2 hour drive from St. Remy, Gordes, Roussillon, a bit more from Arles.
I don't have any lodging recs as we stay with family when in Bandol, but we have always eaten well there and enjoyed to town. A great interlude!
Bonne Anniversaire etc amusez-vous bien!
Posted by
1241 posts
I love it, what a nice treat. I wouldn’t see too much of a problem basing on the coast since you’re on the back side of the busy season. However, I would focus on the area more north of there and the Luberon (Gordes, Rousillon, Aix). A lot of the places you mentioned, especially Arles and Avignon, are a bit too far west to see effectively. That’s not a bad thing, more like just dining off a different menu. Most folks have the opposite problem, staying in those larger Rhône towns with trouble seeing the coast/countryside.
Posted by
26 posts
I did a similar trip last year and honestly splitting your stay worked better for us. We based two nights near Cassis for the sea views, then moved inland to Gordes. That way you wake up with the coast one morning and vineyards the next. For a birthday meal, Cassis by the port is hard to beat
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much! I did end up booking two nights in Aix, and now wondering what would be a great stay in or near Cassis or what to do there or drive from there that is not so inland so I can take advantage of other areas nearby. I will definitely look at Bandol, but any others would be appreciated.
Posted by
Paris
7606 posts
I do not particularly like Cassis as a village. The scenery is stunning, but the place is very touristy, and there is not much to do in the village - it's just a few streets with few interesting shops.
I prefer Sanary-sur-Mer or Bandol. Sanary is prettier IMO, but Bandol has better hotels and restaurants (Sanary has, like, 2 hotels by the sea and they are super basic). If the hotels Plein Large, Les Galets or l'Ile Rousse have rooms, you're covered!
Even if you don't stay at l'Ile Rousse, they have a good (expensive) restaurant with sea views. L'Espérance is also very good, but no views.
Sana Beach in Sanary (with sea views) is a good call too, for a smaller budget.
I spend basically 2-3 weeks in Sanary every summer, so I might be a bit biased.
With a lower budget, you can also try La Ciotat. The Best Western by the port is reportedly great, has rooms with port views, and a rooftoop pool. La Ciotat is cheaper because there is a big shipyard right in the middle of the town. It is not a nuisance (they work on yachts), and for me the large cranes against the cliffs are a unique view, but some people might not like it. Also, the town itself has seen a lot of investment recently, and there are lots of cute shops, restaurants (hit-or-miss beware, check reviews), and somehow the best cluster of delicious ice cream shops I have seen anywhere.