Help with Provence with my daughter

I'm not sure as to why RS thinks Arles is unpolished or dirty; we certainly didn't find it that way. It's an easy-to-walk town, has some worthwhile-to-see Roman ruins, including the arena, forum and cryptoportiques; Eglise St-Trophime; and the fantastic Musee Departemental Arles Antique (amazing Roman artifacts, well presented, and not crowded, for reasons that escape me). Whichever base(s) you select, you can't go too far wrong. But, I'd consider Avignon as your base. That would cut down the number of location changes you'd have to make. Avignon is interesting and pleasant on its own, but also, it has excellent train connections to Marseille, Arles, Aix and Nimes, and is an easy day trip to Pont-du-Gard. However, it doesn't look as convenient to St. Remy and Cassis as you'd have to go through Marseille. We didn't go, so you'd have to confirm that one. Depending on from where you are flying home, Avignon has the added advantage of being a TGV station, which allows you to get to Nice, Marseille, Paris and Lyon efficiently and quickly.

You only have three days, so realistically your might have one big day trip in there. Your choice will be less of a base and more of a home, so pick the one that sounds best. Again, on a short timeline I would not overthink it too much. I think you’ll enjoy either. Personally, I’d pick Arles. Imo there’s more to actually see in Arles. The Roman amphitheater is awesome, and the museum is also worth visiting. There’s plenty of very good cafes and restaurants, and if your stay coincides with a market day then I’d say it’s a no brainer.

Arles also has easier, shorter connections to nearby towns. Aix is less handy that way. Since you’re reliant on public transportation and organized tours, this is another advantage of Arles. Throw in that Arles is an easy train direct from/to Lyon and I think the choice is easy.

Also, one person’s “dirty and unpolished” is another person’s “rustic.” It’s not like there’s trash lying around or something (I’m looking at you Avignon.) There are plenty of flower filled lanes in Arles to discover if you wander around.

Thank you! We had actually picked Arles last night. Then somehow I came across the RS quote this morning and I wondered why that was said. Often times I actually don't agree with RS - but more on what he thinks is interesting vs. what is not interesting, so that threw me for a loop.

Correct - it's not as much of a base but a launch pad for a few tours. I originally had a place in Avignon for the transportation, but after reading tons of different forums, it seemed that many actually didn't like Avignon, which is why I then debated between Arles and Aix.

HOWEVER - for those of you who have been to both - did anyone go with young adults or teenagers and did they like Arles vs. Aix? Or maybe I'm just overthinking this. Is Cassis just too far away for this trip?

You might be worrying about her interest a tad. Is this her first time in Europe or France? I can’t help recalling how my first trips were thrilling just from how different everything was. I think you’ll both have a great time even if your itineraries don’t fully align.

Cassis is too far. It’s around 5 hours round trip, not counting time getting to/from stations, waiting etc. There are plenty of less stressful options around.

I certainly wouldn't call Arles cute. It is a mid-sized city and I did find it dirty compared to the other places in Provence that we saw last year on a 3-week trip. It does offer some good sites including the museum on the outskirts of town. With a 21 yo, I would consider kayaking under the Pont du Gard (we loved it). You could also take a boat trip out of Cassis to the Calanques. Aix is just a bigger city without too much for a tourist but is prettier in my opinion (good shopping if you 21yo is into that). I would suggest Avignon as a base that meets your criteria. But I'm sure you'll have a great trip regardless of where you go.

I'm really not a big-time shopper (more a browser), but I'd try to hit a Provencal market somewhere. If you tell us what day of the week you arrive in Arles or wherever you end up staying, we may be able to suggest some options.

Thanks to all.

We decided on Aix-en-Provence. We will be there on market day, which is a huge plus. Do people tend to stay at these markets for hours? Just trying to figure out my day.

1 to 1.5 hours is enough for a market, they do get "samey" after a while.

I have stayed in Aix and in Avignon on separate trips without a car.

I think Aix is a great choice for a 3 day stay, and I loved everything - the general casual vibe, the markets, the squares with easy dining and bars, the art scene. We easily joined a mini van group trip to Cassis/The Calanques via the tourist info centre. We also made our own day trip to Marseille using the local bus.

Avignon was nice too, and we also went on group mini-van tours which included St Remy, Arles, Rousillion Gourdes from there (again, organised via the tourist info office), but it did have less going on in the evening, was a little greyer and felt less fun. I don't mean that Aix is a party town, but it just felt like it had more life.

I think you've made a great choice :)

In 2019 I took my then 20 yo daughter and 17 yo son and we stayed in Arles. My youth contingent absolutely adored it there (save for the “canicule” - heat wave - that was sweeping France and especially Provence at that time. We drove to Cassis so I don’t know how public transport is there but both of my youth loved Cassis more than anything else they did that trip. I think some of it was the beauty of the town and the beach (and the “glace” - ice cream) but some of it was that it was small enough that they felt brave and went out exploring on their own, which they did zero other places during our one month of travel. (They had only been to the US and Canada prior to that trip)

The one thing I learned, actually, was that it was better to stay somewhere and stay put - sometimes less is more. We spent 4 nights in Arles and only left town one of those days (to the Luberon, by car). The antiquities museum (sorry, don’t remember the exact name but there’s only one) in Arles is one of the most extraordinary museums I’ve ever been to, if you like such things. The recently-discovered two thousand year old boat (emerged in the river after a storm) was worth the visit alone.