We’re intending to visit west Provence for the first time in late April, hoping to tour the area around Avignon, Nimes, Arles, Luberon villages etc – but do not want to hire a car.
Any advice re what would be a good choice for a base to stay in? We’re hoping for somewhere with:
1 Good public transport connections for touring the area – both standard public transport and tourist excursion coaches.
2 Plenty of moderate price hotels or B&B – we prefer old-fashioned / traditional to modern or glitzy.
3 Not too flooded with other tourists nor too busy & bustling.
Yes, there may be some conflict between these wishes! We’ve wondered about Avignon and also Nimes. Some smaller places like L’Isle sur la Sorgue sound pleasant but might be time-consuming to travel from. And there’s various other places or even a two-centre holiday.
Would welcome advice from people who know the area about the pros and cons of the various options, inc recommendations of specific hotels.
I’ve read the replies to a very recent posting here about Avignon. Would to know why some people prefer Arles over Avignon. Also whether Nimes could make a good base for us / how it differs from Avignon.
Posted by
Paris
7778 posts
If you need public transport and tours, Avignon is the top choice, easily.
Nîmes is great too, but it's not in Provence proper and it's far from the Luberon: it is better suited to touring places like Uzès, Pont du Gard, Aigues-Mortes, Arles, Montpellier.
L'Isle sur la Sorgue does have a train station but it only takes you to Avignon, then you have to change, and I don't think tours will be as readily available. Arles has slightly better train connections, and is probably better for tours too, but is still markedly less convenient than Avignon.
Late April won't be flooded with tourists and won't be too expensive, in general, despite being school holidays in France.
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
872 posts
When planning my trip to Provence last October, after reading many posts debating for and against basing in Avignon. I concluded that Avignon had the most options without a car but staying Arles appealed to me more. I stayed in Arles 4 nights and was very happy with the choice. I found Arles, smaller, quieter, more charming, and more sights of interest to me than Avignon but that is a personal preference. From Arles, I took a 20 minute train to Avignon, spent a half day there and then a 6 hour small group van tour of Luberon villages. Nimes is an easy day trip by train from Arles and Saint Remy is a reasonable day trip by bus. I also stayed in Uzes for 3 nights, visiting Pont du Gard by bus from Uzes. I stayed at a lovely B&B in Arles. In case you are interested, my trip report is here.