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Best slow travel base in Provence

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We are planning a full year of slow travel and have penciled in France for 2 months in Sept/Oct 27. We plan to start in Antibes for 2 weeks then are thinking of splitting the next two weeks between Sanary-sur-Mer and another town inland (possibly L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue) before moving over to Occitanie for 2 weeks in Pézenas.

My preference would be a smallish Provencal town with at least as many locals as tourists and worried that L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue might be too well known. We will have a car and are a fairly active couple in our 60's. We are looking for charm and authenticity as well as a thriving weekly or daily market. Is there another town which would be a better base for exploring Provence? Saint-Rémy-de-Provence has come up on my radar but prior posts seem to favor L’Isle over Saint-Rémy. Thoughts?

Any other suggestion are welcome too!

Thanks

Posted by
1641 posts

When faced with this type of situation, especially when I will have a car, I often set the map wide and search for properties that suit my needs and budget, make a list of favorites and narrow by location. For Provence, I would use https://www.gites-de-france.com/fr. One word of caution. Gites are typically country homes and not all offer linens, so (as with any booking site) read the description closely. I have seen some very beautiful homes on this site. They are not all out in the country. Many are in villages and even cities. Bon chance!
Edited to add: I'm going to assume you're aware of the 90-day Schengen rules and that you have a non-US passport that allows you to remain longer and/or that your year of travel will extend beyond Europe.

Posted by
661 posts

I would recommend Maussane Les Apilles. We spent a month in 2022. We could not have been happier with our choice. It’s a lovely small town with weekly market, small shops, 2 bakeries, beautiful central square, restaurants, cafes. It’s just a bit south of St Remy but if you have car very easy to access there and around between Arles, Avignon and Aix en Provence. It’s not over touristed but is tourist friendly. Heres a link to their tourist information website https://maussane.com/en/. We stayed in a big house with friends and family but there are a few small hotels and available smaller rentals. Enjoy the planning!

Posted by
294 posts

Both Isle sur la Sorgue and St. Remy have their fair share of tourists. And they are larger towns. I was disappointed with the large numbers of tourists in st
Remy on Market day, but it's a big market with lots of market tours going on. I actually felt like Isle sur la Sorgue was a bit more French. We also visited Roussillon and Menerbes which are smaller and very charming.

Posted by
818 posts

I stayed in Bonnieux twice because I loved the location and the small town, non-touristy vibe. It is located right up against the Luberon National Park which is accessible by walking. It’s a lovely little town with easy access to other villages in the Luberon such as Lacoste, Gordes, and Roussillon.

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