Crazy to go Provence/Crowds in August?

Your post: "Are we crazy to head to Provence in August, with the rest of Europe?"
Well, it's not the best idea I ever heard of: the heat and crowds of August.
If you can't change your dates to earlier in the summer, then what you want to try to figure out is: where do the French go on their traditional long August vacations. And then don't go to those places.
And some place cooler.
And not to Paris, either (there's actually a book with a chapter titled "Whatever you do, don't go to Paris in August.")
And not the beach resorts, that's where the French will be.
Provence couldn't be worse than anywhere else in France in August.
Maybe you'll even find some places where the French aren't taking their long August vacations.
Aix is a university town; although their academic schedule isn't the same as ours, maybe not so many locals would be vacationing in Aix.
Or Arles.
You want to look for touristy places, because the locals wouldn't be there.
Nothing against the locals, it's just that where they are in August will be the crowds, lines, and high prices.

Funny, Paris is my favorite in August, I always find it less crowded and our family friend lives there, so we are headed there for a week: ). I was wondering about other locations along the coast that are not beach resorts, smaller towns or in Provence, like St Remy? And the heat, I lived in Phoenix so I can handle heat but not too much, thanks for your response Kent: )

I am not a great fan of Provence compared to say the Dordogne or Burgundy or Normandy or Paris -- so take this with a grain of salt -- but this is a dry arid region and August is IMHO a bit hellish as well as crowded. I would not choose this area at this time of year.

Well, I disagree with the first post. There is nothing wrong with Paris in August. I spent the whole month of August there 2 years ago and it was very nice. Some days were hot (think 90's) some days were cool (think barely 70's), very little rain and as far as I was concerned nothing important was closed - maybe some small shops/restaurants but very few. August actually has smaller crowds than July or Sept so it can be a good time to go. I think that whole idea of 'don't go to Paris in August' was started many many years ago when it probably was a bad time to go, supposedly all the Parisians packed up and left town for other climes, the idea doesn't fly anymore and I wish people would quit saying it.

As for Provence, I was there in mid-July and a lot of the lavender had already been harvested but I know there are different types of lavender and they do harvest until early August. Also, the sunflowers are pretty much done by then. If that's your main reason for choosing Provence, then it's probably not the best idea. As Janet said it's very hot and dry there that time of year so consider that also.

The riviera on the other hand could be nice then, water would be at it's warmest. I loved Nice and the area around there so that's certainly an option.

You might want to look at the slightly cooler areas of France - Alsace, Normandy, Rhone-Alpes for August. Oh, and I loved the Brittany coast too.

I say you are not crazy and to go for it. It's crowded but not unbearably so if you choose carefully. You could do the beach in the Cote d'Azur in eastern Provence where it will be very crowded. No need for a car, which is often the big problem in crowded towns. You could go west of Provence to Languedoc-Roussillon where it is less crowded. You could head inland in western Provence off the beaten trail after a few days at the beach towns. For example, Vaison La Romaine is a lovely town, with a great market and Roman ruins and in August it was not crowded and there many more places like that. If you love warm weather, I say go for it. I don't know if you will melt and be miserable. It has to be over 90 degrees F for me to even start to think about being irritated by heat, but my daughter gets cranky at around 72, but even she loved summer in Provence because she "chilled" there (her word).

Friends wanted to celebrate their anniversary with an August cruise in France. We loved them enough to shut our eyes to the "never go to France in August" and went. We had a wonderful time and really weren't bothered by crowds or heat. Do know that the lavender will have been harvested and I don't remember the sunflowers, but if it's later in the month they will have started harvesting grapes in Provence. We stayed at a B&B in Tavel, home of some fabulous rose wines. The property overlooked a vineyard next door, had a swimming pool and the owner had fresh croissants every morning - loved it. Avignon was crowded, but we really didn't seem to be bothered by crowds in Arles, Les Baux. There are lots of properties in Provence that have swimming pools.

I would rather be in Provence and have it hot and crowded than to not be in Provence:) There are always drawbacks to travel, but if that is when you can go I would just adapt. If you have a car you can always drive to a smaller village or in the countryside to escape the crowds and to find a nice place for a wonderful picnic. I have stayed in St. Remy a number of times and it is perfectly pleasant in the evening even if it is hot midday. Lots of hotels have pools and you can visit the markets early (before the heat and the crowds) One of my favorite beach towns is St. Maximes. Not as busy as some others but beautiful beach. The drive along the coast was busy, but what a view! Also, a day trip off to the Carmague would be fun. Have a great trip.

If you decide to stay in St. Remy, check out this hotel's website. As you can see from the pictures it has a very leafy, shady setting. Even the parking area is shaded. Has a pool. We loved this place.

http://www.hotelsouslesfiguiers.com/en/

Wow, thank you to you all for your suggestions! It is on my bucket list to go Provence, so I think we will go for it. Experiencing the French Riviera and then heading to Provence, I am hoping trains will do just right for us and will book in advance but the explorer in me wants a car. I am thinking of finding a non resort town on the coast and then basing in St Remy, I hope my research will provide me with details: ).

Warmly,

Stacy

Depending upon where you want to go, I think the train connections in Provence are quite good. I would not go in August myself, but on our next trip that includes that region of France I would consider ditching the car after keeping it long enough to visit the Pont du Gard. Les Baux is also one that might be difficult on public transit, yet very worthwhile. I would splurge on hotels with AC and still expect to sweat a lot. June would be a lot better. Any place near the ocean sound like a recipe for disaster, but I am very averse to crowds.

Yes I agree, I do not like crowds and usually travel off season but I have teenagers in school now, so off we go: ). I will be traveling alone with my two girls and am a bit nervous about renting a car alone and would prefer not to, but seems like it offers more flexibility at times. I lived in Croatia for a long time and drove around no problem, how much different can France be??? Might as well be in traveling than not: ). I appreciate your suggestions, June would be lovely!

You will be able to easily drive in France... no different than home! If you base in St. Remy it is a beautiful drive in and out of the town to any number of wonderful villages. I usually rent in Avignon and then return the car there and take the train to Paris for my flight home, or I have flown out of Marsailles as well... either one is a good option for a car in Provence. Might help to take your own GPS.