Best base in Provence: Arles or Avignon?

Arles was definitely quiet when we visited (October), we really liked it. Not sure about the diversity and convenience of public transport tho. Avignon worked quite well for that and staying in the old town it wasn't bad crowd-wise (again October).

I would go for the convenience of Avignon. In 2014 it worked for us a base due to the rail connections and as a base for day trips.

Any exploration you do in Provence will likely involve day trips (no return to your hotel for naps). Also, public transportation from either city is limited but better from Avignon (a bus to Isle sur la Sorgue, not sure what else). Suggest that you get a Rick Steves book, read up on both Arles and Avignon, and see which appeals to you more. I preferred Arles but that may be just where I was and happened to see. A walk along the river in the evening and seeing what Vincent saw for his Starry Night was pretty magical. Enjoy!!

I preferred Arles too. Much more to see, Bullfights even, (and yes, the music was from "Carmen") and I wanted to spend time in the Camargue which was easy from Arles.

I visited both Arles and Avignon in 2009, so I DO have some sense (albeit dated) of the area, and I do have Rick Steves' books on the area. I was looking to hear others' opinions. I think Arles will be more peaceful and Avignon more convenient. So, the question is, in your opinion is the (slight) extra convenience worth the extra crowd in Avignon?

Well, we get down to WHERE do you you want to go in Provence, a big area. Once you figure that out, you can make a more informed choice.

I am also struggling with this question and would love to know what you decided. After reading Rick's book on Provence, I switched a 7 day reservation from Arles to Avignon (hotel L'Europe). We will be going in October after spending a week in Genoa where my husband is from. He prefers not to change hotels and stay with one base (actually he hates changing hotels) and also does not want to rent a car more than 1 day. Everyone, please let me know your ideas about our hotel choice (can't afford La Mirande), the Avignon vs Arles (or Aix??) and how you'll think we'll do without a car. If we are in the old part of Avignon, will it be pretty to be in and stroll around?
My current thought is:

Sunday: Train from Genoa, Italy to Nice. lunch and go to Chagall Museum in Nice. Train to Avignon
Monday: Avignon
Tuesday (our 25th anniversary): Arles stroll and special lunch (L'Atelier?)
Wednesday: return to Arles
Thursday: rent car and go to Le Baux and St Remy
Friday: Cassis by train and boat?
Saturday: More strolling through Avignon OR lunch in Chateau Neuf de Papes
Sunday: Train to Charles De Gaulle Airport --we have 5pm flight back to U.S.

We love art, hiking, being surrounded by the picturesque. In big cities, we stay near parks: Upper West Side in New York, Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. We don't want to spend the week in Nice because we will have just spent a week in a fair-sized city (Genoa).

Merci beaucoup.

I'm not sure I understand your plans. Are you thinking of making two separate day-trips from Avignon to Arles? You may not need that much time there--I'm not sure. It depends on how much you want to see and do.

You can get to St-Remy quite easily by bus, but you will need the car for Les Baux. I might try to squeeze in a second hard-to-reach spot on the car-rental day. (I say that as someone who was limited to public transportation in Provence and didn't manage to see Roussillon, Gordes or Uzes.) I figure if you have a car, you may as well get a lot of value out of it.

You may have more time in Avignon than you absolutely need (though I enjoyed the place myself). If so, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is accessible and worthwhile. Or, much closer, you have Villeneuve-les-Avignon.

I would not spend the night before my flight home in southern France. That is way too risky for me. I'd be in Paris or elsewhere near CDG on that last night. Stuff happens, and you don't want to be stuck buying replacement tickets home at last-minute prices if the universe is not kind to you. My philosophy is to be within an affordable taxi ride of the departure airport on my last night so that I don't have to worry about catastrophes like rail strikes.

That is such a good point about a possible train strike. Thank you a lot for mentioning. I'll shift to a plan to spend that night in Paris.
The two days in Arles were because on our anniversary we don't want to do serious sightseeing, just to go someplace charming and pretty and interesting with excellent food (in Europe, we tend to prefer a large late lunch and eating very lightly for dinner). Do you have a thought about a better down than Arles to do this--like Chateauneuf de Papes perhaps?

Is Avignon itself attractive and pleasant to walk around by the river?

I was in Arles and Avignon last May, without a car. I based a few nights in Arles and day tripped to Avignon and from there to Pont du Guard.

I wished I had based in Avignon. Arles, while most certainly worth a visit, was just dead at night. It felt like an abandoned town after the work day ended. I was there Sunday and Monday nights, and on Monday in particular many restaurants seemed closed up. Sunday was not much busier. Avignon, though I was not there at night, was clearly more lively even if more touristy.

I think Arles would have been better during the day, perhaps.

Avignon is pleasant long the river bank opposite the town (you can cross it via a busy bridge or with a free ferry across during the day). There's a busy road on the Avignon side along the river, but from across the river, it's picturesque. I'm just now finishing up my Avignon and Arles pictures. I regret not having a night in Avignon for photos, actually. (though some of my Arles not shots are nice.)

I have no experience with the fancier sort of restaurants so can't help there.

I very much enjoyed walking around the Avignon historic district. I did it for an hour or two on several occasions, because I stayed there for about a week. While I observed the river, I can't say that I walked along it. I guess I tend to gravitate to pretty/old buildings more than scenery, though I do like the latter.

Reading this forum just confirms that people's tastes vary widely. I like quaint places, but I don't want to spend very long in a tiny town that's packed with tourists, where it seems that every building has been turned into a shop or restaurant. I much prefer somewhat larger places where I can walk two blocks and leave the other tourists behind. I don't care if the bulk of the town is modern and business-like as long as there's an historic district for me to enjoy. I'd have been happy staying in any of Avignon, Arles, or Aix-en-Provence. (But definitely not St.-Paul-de-Vence.)

Well put. I think that many small towns cannot gracefully hold its tourists in high season (like Mendocino in Northern California where I live or the Cinqueterre in Liguria. Even Florence--hardly a small town--we only go to in low season Nov-March). We will stay put in Avignon (and like both charming buildings and nature) and I have changed our reservation for our last night to stay in Paris (near the Place des Voges instead of our usual haunt in the sixth arrondissement near the Luxembourg Gardens).

Thank you all so much for your help. More suggestions welcome.

Don't forget Aix-en-provence!

Great for wandering, with lots of little corners, fountains and side streets to explore on foot. Many choices for eating and sitting around having a quiet drink to soak up the atmosphere and warm evenings. Gorgeous architecture, markets, easy to organise day trips to visit Cassis, Les Calanques, Marseille, Camp des Milles. Just relaxed and lovely. Sometimes appears to be overlooked on this forum for some reason.

I chose Arles and was happy with the choice. Relying on public transportation, however, I think your best bet will be Avignon. I think you will have the most options from there. One of the reasons I chose Arles was to avoid the traffic of Avignon.

Has anyone stayed in Hotel D'Europe in Avignon?

I know what the best Provence base is, but I'm not saying. I'll share the second best base, but not the best one.

We really like L'Isle sur la Sorgue the best ...have used it as a base for years.

OK, FastEddie, what's the second best?

Between the two, no contest for me. Arles is much more interesting.

It's funny to see the divided opinion so here :). I found Arles to be "eh" but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Avignon. However, I was there in December. Arles was totally dead, whereas Avignon felt very much like a place people actually live. My thought is that Arles probably comes alive in the summer, but may actually be more tourist-filled than Avignon. One caveat though is to check for big events when you're going--there's a theater festival in Avignon that brings a lot of people, which you may want to avoid. Ease of public transport highly depends on what trips you intend to make.

It's not technically In Provence, but depending on what trips you're taking, I'd also suggest Nîmes. They've put a lot of effort into revitalizing their centre ville, and the history there is fascinating. It's busy during the day but pretty quiet at night, which you may enjoy. While there will definitely be tourists there, you'll probably find them to be more French than American. And you'll probably find apartment rentals much cheaper there than in either Arles or Avignon.

This webpage has links to bus schedules.

Thanks all--you've really helped. This is what I've ended up with:

Day zero: Genoa to Nice, lunch and Chagall museum in Nice, onward to Avignon by train
day 1 Avignon
day 2 Isle-sur-le-sorgue with long anniversary lunch at Le Vivier
day 3 Arles/Camarague with or without L'Atelier restaurant for lunch or dinner. Jeep tour to Camarague
day 4 Luberon villages (rental car days 4 and 5: I'll drive if DH won't)
day 5 Les Baux through St Remy or back to Arles or Pont du Gard and Uzes. A friend was very much taken by the Carriers
day 6 Paris with dinner at Spring (one of the best and relatively moderately priced meals I've eaten). Stroll through Marais
day 7 Picasso museum in morning, airport in afternoon (I don't love Picasso, but do love that museum)

Merci encore.

avignon has much more going on-i call it paris without the hassle