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Help with 10-day Provence itinerary in May

Posted by on

Hi All,

I'm looking for help with my itinerary. I have 10 days to see Provence and am flying into and out of CDG (mid-May). First trip to France and I'd like to spend most of it in Provence. The goal is to relax, spend some time outside, enjoy beautiful views, visit the markets, possibly do a wine tasting and cooking class, etc. This isn't a trip to see all of the must-do spots; it's a trip to slow down.

I don't have a good sense of how to structure my itinerary. I would like to stay in St Remy and/or Lourmarin. So I may need to rent a car to make these things happen. But honestly, I'd prefer to avoid the stress of driving if possible (or minimizing the driving needed). I'm open to taking a tour or two or a taxi if that's useful. I arrive to CDG after an overnight flight at 8:30 am on Wednesday. I'd like to visit the Friday market in Lourmarin but is it worth rushing there to see it? I'd almost rather do a few tours from Aix before needing to rent a car to get my bearings. What would you suggest? Any great tour operators/tours you recommend from Aix or St. Remy? Mostly interested in sightseeing of a few villages and possibly a wine/food tour. Thanks so much!
**
Day 1: CDG-Aix by train (spend the night in Aix)
Day 2: Rent car, Lourmarin
Day 3: Lourmarin (visit market)**
Day 4: St. Remy
Day 5: St. Remy
Day 6: Aix (drop off car)
Day 7: Aix
Day 8: Train to Paris
Day 9: Paris
Day 10: Depart

Posted by
950 posts

Our time in this area was sidelined last October by a health emergency and hospital admission. However, prior to that, during the days we were staying in Aix, we found their Tourist Office website and staff there to be exceedingly helpful. They have information on a range of tours.
https://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/en/

Posted by
7918 posts

What are your dates? Train tickets might already be impossible to find on some days between 7-17 May due to major public holidays. Cars might be scarce too.

Otherwise, many towns have markets and I don't know if the one in Lourmarin is special, and Lourmarin & St Rémy de Provence are relatively close to each other so I wouldn't stay in both.

Posted by
692 posts

A few thoughts for you based on our month in Provence in 2022.

Don’t worry about driving in the area it’s not hard. Maybe watch a couple YouTube videos on the topic. I like https://youtu.be/jn8ZncjrZ6Q and https://youtu.be/pBlLwB4S8WY

Consider to stay in St Remy the whole time. Much of Provence is within a 1 hour drive. I like the books and blog of Keith Van Sickle who knows SR well. https://keithvansickle.com/

I highly recommend our guide in Aix https://tedaixtours.com/ He is kind, patient, fun and so knowledgeable.

There are similar markets in many Provence towns every day of the week so I wouldn’t necessarily rush to get to any particular one. Here’s a list https://curiousprovence.com/a-list-of-market-days-in-provence/

Enjoy the planning

Posted by
22 posts

@balso, Oh, thanks for letting me know about the holidays! I have 2 possible arrival dates (May 13 or May 14). I see May 14 is a public holiday. I had wanted to take the train upon arrival to Aix. Will trains be running on May 14 from CDG to Aix or is it best to arrive on the 13th?

Also, is the 14th a day that a tour would be nice in Aix or a day in which tours will not run? Will car rentals be open? Wondering what types of things would be good to do on a public holidays -- ie. better for a day to transit to Aix or better to just rest/walk around Aix or Lourmarin to get my bearings since many things will be closed?

Thanks!

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