I am fine-tuning our agenda for our June trip. We are thinking of spending 3 out 4 nights in southern Provence and staying in either Avignon or Arles, We prefer traveling by train. Among other things we are curious about visiting Carmague Nature Park. When we leave this area we will be heading to Genoa. Which of these two cities who you recommend as our home base. In case it is relevant we will be headed to Genoa when we depart this area
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Donna
I was in both last fall and definitely preferred Arles. However, check to see which has better connections around the area.
Thank you Laurie Beth. What did you like better about Arles?
I would chose Avignon just because of the train trip you will be taking to Genoa when you are finished. Your trip to Genoa will be 7-8 hours long and Avignon has a TGV station. You can visit Arles quite easily from Avignon it is only a 30 minute train trip or less. I liked Arles a lot, but I found Avignon to have more options on restaurants. In the end, as was stated earlier, you should plot out your train trip to Genoa to make the decision. Any extra 30 minutes on a 7-8 hour trip is significant IMO. Enjoy your trip.
The TGV doesn’t run beyond Marseille on the route to Genoa. So it makes no difference where you stay before that trip.
I am thinking breaking up that 7+ hour train ride with a night in Nice or Ventimiglia.
Actually there is a TGV that runs from Avignon to Nice. Transfer in Nice to Ventimiglia and then a transfer in Ventimiglia onto Genoa. Stopping in Ventimiglia would be a nice break in the trip or even Nice.
Donna, Avignon seemed 'grittier' to me & there was not as much to see. I loved the Van Gogh sights and the Roman remains in Arles and the museum about Rome's time in Arles is fantastic.
It looks like there is a bus from Arles to Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer, which makes Arles a bit more central for your purposes. I visited Arles as a day trip from Avignon, where I stayed for the better part of a week. I liked Avignon a lot and thought it was a great place to stay with a great market and lots to see and do. You really can't go wrong in this part of France.
We stayed 4 nights in Arles in May. We rented a car 2 days to travel to St. Remy, Les Baux-de-Provence, Pont du Gard, and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. From SMdlM, we walked along the shore trail and viewed lots of wildlife.
I preferred visiting Camargue National Nature Reserve on a bicycle from Arles along the Petite Rhône, where we passed the farms of the famous cows and horses. On a bicycle we were higher than auto passengers and could see the flamingos on the other side of the dike that they couldn't see.
We preferred Arles, because it was more of a town feel. We loved being in the town where van Gogh paintings were staged at the spot they were painted. We found our favorite bakery for breakfast and good restaurants for dinner. You sound like you have more train travel to other sites, so Avignon may suit your needs better. It was a 20-minute train ride between the 2. We spent an overnight in Avignon, so we could take the TVG to Paris in the morning. Avignon definitely has better train connections.
Added: Our hotelier had the bicycles and recommended the car rental business. In 2011, some things were not booked in advance. Saturday was the local market day. We loved wine shopping in the caves of Les Baux.
Thank you Leonard. I have been wondering if it is an option to ride to the Carmague from Arles. Hopefully there will be somewhere we can rent bikes.
Sorry to flog a dead horse but I should have been more precise that there are no TGV tracks after Marseille. All trains go the same speed along the coast and take more or less the same amount of time. The only difference is if one takes a TER, local train, no seats are reserved. If one takes a TGV, there are reserved seats. Each has pros and cons. If ever SNCF builds TGV tracks for that route, and I’m still alive, I’ll let you know. At this time it’s not even a conversation in Paris.
Avignon to Nice, if you reserve a TGV will be between 2-3 hours, most likely bypassing Marseille, If you start in Arles, you take a local or Intercite train and change trains in Marseille. Nice to the border is a commuter train that runs several times an hour and takes about 40 minutes due to all the stops. Ventimiglia to Genoa is a short distance, too. There’s no need to stay overnight.
I'd lean to Arles for a place to be and avignon for transportation. Whichever matters most to you
Spent time in both, both are great but quite different.
I would say that Arles is much closer to the traditional image of Provence. Flower lined streets, Roman architecture, laid back, picturesque village charm, Van Gogh.
Avignon has city energy, is medieval in character, and a somewhat superior transportation hub (but Arles is just fine by train). Narrow streets, plenty of surprises, more cafes and restaurants, shopping.
We found that accommodations in Avignon were a bit more varied and interesting.
I think the RS descriptions pretty much nail these two locations.
PNW Patrick, Is there an area in Avignon you would recommend for lodging, or avoid. . We will be renting via Airbnb.
Thanks.
