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6 Weeks in the South of France

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Hello fellow travelers!

My husband and I are spending 6 weeks in the South of France and I'm hoping to gather some advice from those who know the region well. We're currently based in Antibes for 2 weeks and absolutely loving it.

We're trying to decide on our next home bases, ideally staying 7–14 days in each location rather than moving every few days. One constraint is that my husband is a pilot and needs to remain within a reasonable drive of Cannes so he can occasionally fly for a client.

I'm a chef, so food is a major priority - great markets, wineries, local producers, cooking opportunities, and memorable restaurants are all high on my list. We're in our early 40s and are more interested in food, wine, hiking, and exploring than nightlife.

Current thoughts:
Part 1: Antibes (already here for another 10 days)
Part 2: Menton for easy trips into Italy and a different Riviera feel, or perhaps Grimaud/Sainte-Maxime on the western side of the Côte d'Azur - Villefranche is of interest but might be too similar to Antibes
Part 3: A mountain base for hiking, possibly near the Mercantour region
Part 4: Provence (considering areas around Aix, Luberon villages, or elsewhere)

I also enjoyed Villefranche-sur-Mer, but I'm wondering if it's too similar to Antibes to justify a longer stay.

If you had 4 more weeks and wanted a balance of food, wine, markets, hiking, beautiful villages, and day-trip potential while staying within reach of Cannes, where would you base yourselves? Appreciate everyone's perspective!

Thank you!

Posted by
12379 posts

I will let others help you with finding an area to stay, but I did want to just narrow down your time frame a bit, which will help others. I understand that your husband is a pilot and needs to stay within a reasonable distance of Cannes, but what would you consider a reasonable distance?

For example, my brother was a pilot with Delta before he retired, and when he was on call, he had to be within 2 hours of his hub airport. Is that similar for your husband, or would you prefer him to be closer (or can he be farther)?

Posted by
307 posts

Part 4: We were entranced by Arles. I looked, and it is a 2.5 hour car drive to Cannes, so not sure if that works for you.
If it does, Arles has excellent seafood restaurants. We owned one in the US for 35 years, and were absolutely amazed at the shellfish platter we ordered in an ancient Arles restaurant. Every species you could think of!
And the ancient Roman ruins in the center of town, the weekly market, just magical town for us...
Have fun exploring!

Posted by
34 posts

Perhaps you might like the area around Vaison-la-Romaine, about 45 minutes north of the Luberon and offering easy access to loads of beautiful areas, around Mont Ventoux, in the Dentelles de Montmirail, and north in the Drome Provençal . You’d be in the heart of the Rhône Valley wine villages like Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Beaumes de Venise. And there are loads of other gorgeous villages to stroll through, most with practically no tourists - I’m thinking of Le Crestet, Le Barroux, Seguret, and many others. Vaison has a great market on Tuesdays and lots of fine restaurants. One problem: it might be too far from Cannes to work for you.

We also enjoyed basing further east, in the Var village of Cotignac, for a week-long stay. We went down to the coast villages and also up to the lavender country in the Valensole. Also easy to get to the Gorges de Verdon, which we thought was stunning, although I gather some posters are less impressed than we were.

And always Aix, where we’ve based several times and which never gets old for us. Huge markets, loads of great restaurants, a young vibe, and great beauty. Among the many easy day trips are Ramatuelle and the coastal villages of Sanary and Bandol. The Luberon villages are also within easy reach.

What a wonderful dilemma to have. I’m not sure you can go wrong whatever you decide. After all, you’re in paradise.

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