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Inland Route Driving from Nice to Marseille

Hello! We are considering spending the first few days of our trip to Provence in June in Nice. We will spend the rest of our trip in Western Provence, flying out of Marseille, and our daughter will fly into Marseille to join us for that portion of the trip. We plan to drive from Nice to Marseille, all in one day, stopping in St Paul de Vence and Vence first thing in the morning. We would like to avoid the beach traffic by driving an inland route, preferably stopping for an atmospheric and delicious lunch along the way. Does anyone have experience with that route? Places you can share? Pros and cons? Experiences to seek out or avoid? Thank you!

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The autoroute is away from the sea. Just a tiny part, near the Nice Airport and St. Laurent du Var are anywhere close to the sea.
You could stop in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume for lunch. It’s right off the autoroute. If it’s a Friday, there’s a large market with food and clothes.

For a bit of sightseeing, a relic of Marie Madeleine is in the cathedral crypt, her skull.