A month in rural France- Provence or ?

Jean,

I think Provence is your best bet. I cannot think of a region that combines such Roman antiquities with an actual transit network. Still, you will be an a zone that caters to tourists.

The sad truth is, the more rural you get, the worse the transit connections, without a car.

Picturesque rural French towns have an almost entirely tourist driven economy. It is a mixed blessing. For example in our favorite region the very picturesque Dordogne, the huge influx of British expats, buying and restoring homes and running gites has helped revitalize the region and the towns are lovely -- but they are very touristy as a result. It is very hard to get around in rural areas without a car although if you bike that will be helpful.

Thank you so much for your suggestions...lots to think about given we have a month

I agree Provence could be a good choice -- but that's a very wide area to choose. I would suggest a village with a good bus or train link is essential, without a car. This will allow you to go explore other areas quite easily to seek the things you want. You may be able to find a good gite or villa just outside of the main town center, or one that is less touristed but is still well connected.

Considering a place in Cotignac or Avignon....Avignon a lot more expensive but there is a train station. Cotignac looks very neat too.

Just looking at a map, Cotignac looks awfully isolated for a one-month stay. Where are you going to go (and how long will it take you to get there) after you've seen Brignoles and Draguignan?

The pictures do look wonderful.

Good point...re: isolation. Thanks!

Avignon is great, and isn't absolutely crammed with people except during its marvelous Avignon Festival in July. Staying inside the old city walls makes for a great experience (I've done extended stays twice) . . . but mind your step, as the locals who take their dogs for walks don't necessarily clean up after them, and "deposits" on the sidewalks and cobblestones are frequent. Access to Orange, Arles, Nimes, etc. is easy. If you're in Avignon, be sure to have dinner at restaurant Numéro 75!

Avignon's a decent-sized city, though, so if you want a more rural setting, there's the island in the Rhone river just west of the city, the Ile de la Barthelasse, but getting around would require taxis, bicycles, or other arrangements to get into the city and its train and bus stations.

Another possibility might be nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a much smaller town with a great weekly market and a more rural feel. It's just down the road from the accessible asylum where Vincent Van Gogh stayed following his ear incident, and just beyond that are the fabulous Glanum Roman ruins. Bus connections are possible in and out of town but won't be nearly as frequent or convenient as if you stayed in Avignon.

Thanks so much! Really makes things more real and exciting!

I'd suggest Arles, which is smaller and I think more interesting than Avignon, but also on the rail line.

St Remy is lovely and well situated, and i have stayed there., but I wouldn't want to be there without a car. Still, there ought to be buses that time of year. Don't miss the Transhumance festival.

I have spent a month or longer in in the summer in many regions of rural France and the only one I would recommend for travelers who will not have a car is Provence. It seems idyllic to choose a really small picturesque village but it becomes "old" fast with a car and I can only imagine how much of a pain it would be without a car because transit service will be intermittent at best. Often there will be a huge gap in service in the middle of the day making returning home an issue when you want to go someplace for a couple of hours. An authentic rural experience in France really requires a car. So assuming, you want a semi-authentic rural experience, I think Arles is your best bet mostly because it is smaller than Avignon, has a good market and some of the better transit connections in the area. I like Avignon but it is too big IMO.

In mid-June this year I spent 5 days in Olargues, getting there by bus from Montpellier. It's on a voie verte, a former rail line now restored as a linear walking and cycling track. Olargues is a village rather than a town, but offers plenty of options. The bus and the voie verte continue SW along the valley of the river Jaur to St Pons-de-Thomières (which has a pre-history museun) and back in the opposite direction to Lamalou-les-Bains. So lots of walking and cycling options; there is a bike hire place in Olargues. I found more interesting walks along beside the river and up into the hills to the north of the village. If you do go, the tucked away Auberge de Maroul offers superb meals well worth the taxi fare there and back. Good wines but no wine tours or Roman remains that I know of, definitely an authentic rural experience. Leaving, I took the bus to Bédarieux and a train from there, connecting to Bordeaux.

My thoughts would align with JHK above.
One month, in one place, relying solely on public transport, would become frustrating, if not boring. Split the time between Provence and the Côte d'Azur.

Dear All,
Just so you know, I have been looking at maps and mulling over options and considering all your great advice. Totally appreciate the time you have taken....
Jean

We spent a week in St. Remy w/o a car and thought it was beautiful. We also saw a lot in various directions, although we did waste a lot of time, particularly in Avignon, as almost all bus connections from St. Remy went through Avignon. I'm not sure I'd want to do that for a month, unless the transportation situation has improved.

I've debated about responding to your note since you seem certain this is what you want to do but finally decided to give you my thoughts.

A little background. We have spent two weeks in a gite in Isle sur la sorgue. Also six weeks, two trips, in Dordogne plus similar times in Italy, England and Ireland. We are in tune with "rural experience to relax and enjoy the vibe".

I can't imagine doing these trips without a car. There's so much to see and do that would be difficult without a car. Unless you have done this before and were happy with the experience I would suggest that you think about how difficult this might be for a month. With no French that adds to the challenge. There will be enough challenges without adding buses. :)

One example, while in Provence we wanted to take our grandson to the bull games(no killing just snatching a ribbon). It probably took us at least an hour to figure out where and when. Finally with the help of a TI center we succeeded. It was an hour or so away in a small village with only locals attending. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't imagine us trying to do that no car.

Just one person's opinion. :)

I too prefer public transit to driving, but have sucked it up after going to Brittany/Mont St. Michel without a car. When we returned to the area years later, we drove.

Is there a reason you don't want to rent a car? France is the easiest place I've driven outside of the US and I literally drove across the entire country and back last year. The roads are safe, the drivers are sane (outside the cities but you're not going to a major city that's not an issue) and villages usually have convienent parking lots so you don't have to deal with driving over tiny cobblestone streets, either.

My suggestion would be to TGV to a city in whatever region you end up deciding on (Provence is certainly a good choice for Roman ruins! I am partial to Alsace and Normandy/Brittany as well) and picking up a car rental there, even for a week or two, then maybe settling in for a more leisurely pace in a quiet but well connected town.

You may find once you have the car you don't want to give it up!

Thanks everyone- your advice is making a difference, for we are now exploring options that might seem like we have gone from frying pan into the fire... including either renting a campervan for a month and broadening our explorations OR renting a car and exploring Provence (including all your recommended villages) with a good GPS and Wifi...

Very glad I asked your advice...

Jean, I just want to reiterate that I share your instinct to not want to drive in Europe (and I've lived here 7 years!) but France is literally a place I feel incredibly comfortable driving in. So don't be afraid!

I literally sigh in relief the moment I cross the border from Germany into France. Speed limits, no Audis going 120 MPH....it's so relaxing. Stick to the country roads and it's all the easier.

Just figure out where the parking lots are in the villages you're heading to and you have relatively stress-free travel. I love driving in both Brittany/Normandy and Alsace. I haven't had the chance to drive in Provence yet but I've been a passenger and the roads are no different.

Good luck in your planning!

In my truly honest opinion, the 7,000 Kms of driving I've done in France have been WAY easier and less stressful that my home roads in and around Metro Boston.

Although sometimes French drivers can get infuriating (mostly the tailgating), I'd definitely agree with you Matt. I lived in Somerville for 17 years, so I know what you mean.

Matt, that is a pretty low bar!

If you decide to rent a car then you may want to consider the Vaucluse, which is more agricultural than the Luberon region and a good location for traveling both north and south for day trips. We stayed at a rural B&B within walking distance of Saint-Didier (http://www.bastide-saint-didier.com/en/ ) that has a kitchen and laundry facilities for guest use. It was an easy drive to the wineries of Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the Roman ruins of Orange, Saint-Remy and Arles, and the Luberon perched villages. There are numerous restaurants nearby and the owners of the B&B are knowledgeable about hiking trails and biking routes that they've described as "gorgeous." (Unfortunately, we couldn't hike or bike due to a knee injury but we plan to go back once my knee is healed!)

My favorite trip to France was done by car. I was terrified with the idea originally. We had one rule...no driving at night. We flew into Lyon, spend a month driving around the country to Rennes, the took the train to Paris. For planning we used Frommers 25 Great Drives in France. It has the country broken into 3-5 day trips on small roads. We combined that with a Michelin map. Also used this website and Rick's guidebook for ideas on things to do/see. We were in April with no reservations. You may want to make some as you go. But much of that depends if you are in touristy areas or not.

Not driving at night got us stuck in a small village in the Pyrenees with only one hotel. We were there with one other man down the hall. The owner cooked us the best dinner we have ever had (duck). It was a fabulous experience. Going with the flow allows for this type of stuff to happen. We usually spent no more than two nights in a hotel except around Brittany and Normandy. Have fun!

I'd second the idea that driving in France is not that bad! It's the parking that gets tricky!

If you're still looking at places to stay, and if you decide to rent a car, be sure to look at the parking options. Villages might be a lot easier to park in than some of the towns.

We stayed in Avignon and had a plethora of day trips by car. Our apartment came with a parking spot, albeit a 10 minute walk.

Plus there's the TGV from Avignon, if you want to take a few days to Nice or Aix, or north to other towns/cities.

Hello Jean,
I am, also, in the planning stage for our 2 week trip to Provence in June. We will be renting a car in Nice and driving to Velleron where we have rented a cottage. If you haven't secured a place to stay check out VRBO. They have hundreds of rentals available, in various locations, and they run from very reasonable to high end. I found a lovely 2 BR, 1BA cottage for $105/night. May/June are in the mid-season price range and some owners even give a discount for long term stay (such as a month). In researching rental cars, I have read that you want to rent the smallest car that will accommodate you and your luggage as many of the roads in the small villages are very narrow. Just something to think about if you decide to rent a camper van.
Good luck with the planning!

Deb H

Hi. I cannot give feedback or input on cars vs public transport or even on what a true rural experience would be. My ears did perk up, however, at the mention of roman ruins. Would you consider the small town of Vaison-la-Romaine? Do a search of this site for the town and you will see questions regarding car or no car, gites, etc. I was there only briefly; stayed in the old town on the hill. I really enjoyed it and would like to go back.

I'd suggest you go to Arles, for the convenience and for more options for things to do.

I'd stay south, Provence, Languedoc, Bordeaux. I was in Burgundy this last May and it was still too cold to really enjoy.

Roman ruins is definitely Provence.

French ins't as important as being polite. Don't forget to start each conversation with a greeting including sir or ma'am. Then ask a question. Finally, don't forget to say thank you and good-bye afterward.

You can get anywhere by bus, but getting multiple places and back in a day will be a challenge. Staying in a larger town, like Arles will give you more transportation options but won't be rural. If driving is a possibility, it's probably the best option.

I think you might like towns like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas or Vaison la Romaine but they won't afford much public transport.

If you do decide that you want a car, you might consider a lease. I believe the minimum time required is 21 days. I leased through Auto Europe, but I think there is at least one other option. I've been to Provence twice, both times with a car. For me, driving opens up sightseeing opportunities in rural areas that you can't get using only public transportation. I have driven all over France and it is very easy.