We are planning a trip to the Provence area in late September. Our plan is to rent a villa or apartment for a week/10 days and make day trips to Provence towns, etc. I would appreciate recommendations on what town or city would be a good location to find a rental. Thanks.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Making day trips to Provence towns will be easier if you have a car.
If you have a car, you will probably want to avoid sleeping in one of the larger cities such as Avignon that is not car-friendly.
That narrows down your field of choice for places to sleep.
Perhaps others here can take it from there and suggest some towns that would be suitable.
Posted by
Milan, Italy
308 posts
Which Provencal towns do you want to visit?
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
St. Remy... my favorite place to stay in Provence. You will need a car to be able to explore this area, as most small towns are not served by the train.... maybe some by bus, but it is best to rent a car.
It is a lovely town with lots of shopping, restaurants, and a great market.... central to lots of other wonderful towns.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you for the helpful replies. We do plan to rent a car and just now researching what towns we want to visit. St. Remy is appealing, as is Aix. The radius of our visit will depend on where we find accomodations. There seem to be some nice options near Aix, but would love more suggestions.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Aix is a quite large city, and while it is beautiful, it is nothing like the smaller towns/villages that I think of as Provence. It is a college town with lots of trendy places and parking/driving can be difficult. If you want to visit the smaller villages and markets you would probably be happier to pick one that is easy to drive in and out of.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
I agree with Terry Kathryn about Aix.You want to prioritize and spend your time at the best places.
Avoid driving into places like Nimes, Aix, and Avignon, which are not car-friendly--you'll just waste time and add stress trying to drive into those cities, time you could be spending enjoying the things you want to do.
If you want to see a place like Nimes or Avignon, park your rental car at where you're sleeping or at the nearest train station and take the train to those not car friendly locations.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you all for this great information. Any insights on Noves?
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
For my bet Arles is the most centrally located with best rail links.
http://www.beyond.fr/map/ter_paca.html
Nimes & Montpellier to the west
Avignon & Orange to the north
Aix-en-Provence & Marseille to the east