I will be staying in Provence from November 2-November 7. I plan to visit Arles, Avignon, Aix for part of a day, and Nimes, with a day trip to the Pont Du Gard. I think it will be simpler to stay in one city and just take a train or bus to another city each day. Does anyone have a personal recommendation? I was thinking Arles or Avignon as my base city.
Thank you!
I stayed in Aix. It seemed to be centrally located to the sites you mentioned. It is a university town so they have a variety of places to eat that are not just for tourists. It has a busy street scene. Avignon feels more touristy...but the Palace is a must see. Arles seems to have more layers of history. I recommend reviewing the train schedules...that could make your decision.
I know it's more work. But a few nights in each Arles and Avignon is worth the hassle of moving, especially if you like getting photos of floodlit facades in the evenings.
A similar question has been asked before in this forum, resulting in a variety of responses. Rick Steves likes Arles. Some folks want to stay in a Luberon hilltown. A car's often convenient, but you can use the train or bus to get around. As a great transportation hub, a more or less central location, and for the great city itself, I'd go with Avignon. Be sure to visit the Les Halles market!
We stayed in Arles. Rented an a "house" for 5 days. Rented a car. It looks like your itinerary is full and is mostly cities. With trains and a car, I wouldn't bother moving, myself, because most of those towns are about 30 minutes from either Arles or Aix and you have a busy enough itinerary, IMHO. A car is really useful if you want to see the countryside (Luberon, Cote de Rhone, Camargue, etc.). We drove to Pont du Gard, though I understand that if you take a train to Nimes, you can catch a round-trip bus to it.
Hi Dylan - I threw out a similar query not too long ago and after much deliberation ended up choosing Avignon. I head there Wednesday and am staying very near its center station which will hopefully provide easy access for day trips elsewhere. Unfortunately, this probably doesn't help you as I can't provide feedback before your trip.
I took a trip to this area without a car for 10 nights, split as follows: 2 nights in Marseille, 3 Nights in Arles, 3 Nights in Avignon, and 2 Nights in Aix. I am glad I had the experience of staying in the different cities, and on a trip like yours (5 nights) you can certainly stay in two locations if you want.
I personally preferred Arles to the others, and like Nimes better than any of the cities I stayed in. I didn't care for Aix, and it's less convenient for your listed destinations, as it's at the edge rather than the center of them. Although I loved Nimes, it's also not as central for transit. In terms of transit connections, Avignon is the clear winner if you won't have a car (with a car it's a pain, and I'd recommend looking at a smaller town).
So, if you want only one base, pick Avignon (unquestionably more convenient for your listed destinations) or Arles (to me, nicer than Avignon); if you don't mind two bases, you can spend some nights in each.
Note that to get between Avignon and Aix, the bus was much more convenient than the train. The bus was direct, while the train would have required changes or bus connections from the TGV stations. I'm not sure if this is still the case - check.
We stayed in Arles and Avignon without a car and loved them both! Note that Avignon has two train stations. We arrived at the TGV station and then took a shuttle to the walled entrance of Avignon. Our B&B in Avignon was within walking distance to the bus and local train station which made for easy day trips. Have you thought about staying in 2 locations? We stayed 3 nights in each city which allowed us to experience the beautiful lit up historical monuments at night and wake up to early morning events such as the amazing Arles open air market.
I just returned from Avignon, stayed there for 4 nights without a car. Arles is a 20 minutes train ride from Avignon centre station, Nimes is a 30 minutes train ride from Avignon; there is a bus from Avignon to Pont Du Gard, called A15 bus departing from the main bus station in Avignon, takes 40 minutes. I haven't been to Aix.
I think you should stay in Avignon because it is very convenient as a connection hub, and there are lots to do in Avignon itself. I personally think you need 2 full days for Avignon if not more to sight see the Petit Palace museum, the Pappal Palace, the bridge museum, walk around its winding streets and relax in cafes. Arles is beautiful too but smaller and it makes a perfect full day trip, the same for Nimes; Pont Du Gard needs a half day.
If you are full of energy, you can combine Pont du Gard with Nimes visit, as there is a bus from Pont du Gard to Nimes, and train back to Avignon from Nimes.
Enjoy!
