Itinerary advice.

Yes, visit Paris when you will be so near. Never give up a chance to visit Paris in the future either!

See Paris! Cut time from Avignon, one of my least favorite cities in Provence, and head for Paris the day after your cruise ends (unless you have day trips planned from Avignon). Toujours Paris!

Thanks, all, for your feedback. Just curious, Judy, as to why you're lukewarm regarding Avignon? As I mentioned in my original post, this is our first trip to France, and we've shaped our itinerary based solely on what we've read and watched, and Avignon seemed interesting from historical and cultural perspectives....

jlneri,
Avignon is okay, but compared to other towns and cities in the area, it has less charm. The two major sights are the half-bridge and the papal palace, which together require only a half-day. Yes, there are museums, etc., but Arles, Aix, St. Remy, Roussillon, Gordes, winery tours...all are more interesting IMO. Avignon is a good transportation hub, and there are numerous day trips from there to see other places (above), but for Avignon itself, I prefer other Provencal towns. A lot depends on how many days you plan to spend there after the cruise. As to Marseille or Paris, we have lots of ties to Marseille, and family there, but Paris wins hands down. There is no place quite like it and I would give it as many days as you can, especially since this is your first trip to France. Honest!

Hi there! I made an account just to respond to your message, I hope I am not too late!

I completely agree with Judy about Avignon. I did a big trip in 2022 that included 3 days in the south of France: Avignon, Arles, Nîmes. Although several people told me that Avignon was wonderful, it was my least favorite of the three cities. It certainly doesn't require more than a day to cover the Palais des Papes, the bridge, and all the rest. Depending on your interests -- and I didn't know I was interested in Roman ruins until I got to these places -- Arles has much more to offer, and even that can be done in a day. Personally, I fell in love with Nîmes. The Maison Carrée is exquisite, and much of the city looks like a miniature Paris, at least to me. I'm in the process of planning a third trip to Nîmes and a second to Arles, but am bypassing Avignon completely, even though it had the best hotel of my whole trip!

I have not been to Marseille but I don't think you should skip Paris, and I say this as someone who only came to like Paris gradually.

Having done the research, I also agree with Judy that Avignon is a good base for day tours in that area.

I can’t pass up an opportunity to put Avignon on blast lol. I’ll spare the hyperbole and just agree with the others: at best Avignon is just very underwhelming especially in comparison to nearby towns/sights. Its convenience as a transport hub is kind of debatable as Arles also has a stop on the TGV line. Arles really has a lot more going on: pretty amazing amphitheater, Roman ruins, good Roman museum, huge market if that times out, and most importantly it has charm. A few hours in Avignon is more than enough.

I’m not clear on how many days you have left over, but I think ending up back in Paris before flying out of there is an easy call. The TGV is just a couple hours, comfortable and convenient. If I had three or four nights, I think I’d spend one in Arles (easy train from Avignon) with the last couple nights in Paris. Paris is the kind of place where any amount of time can feel worthwhile but almost always not enough.

The time you have allotted for Beaune and Lyon are good. Lyon is lovely.

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies and persistent attention to our inquiry. We've decided to take the advice of most posters, travel by train to Paris from Avignon at the end of our cruise, and conclude our trip with several (3-4) nights in Paris before flying home. Any additional thoughts or tips regarding our plans would be appreciated nonetheless.... Thanks again, everyone...!

Paris, as others said, is an amazing city. My favourite in the world. Try to stay in the 6th or as close to the seine as possible. If can't due to budget, look at 5th or 14th arrondissement.

Louvre, Notre Dame, D'Orsay, Saint-Chapelle and Luxembourg garden would be my top things to do as a first timer. Use bateau bus to get around on the seine. Enjoy.

Agree with much of the above, but I’ll add just a tad.

First on Avignon. We spent three nights there in our first trip to France in 1999. If you’re a history buff and want to see the Palais des Papes and if you want to rent a car to get out and around from Avignon, you can spend some time there and see other Provençal sites … Arles, villages in the Luberon, and more … but Avignon itself was not that interesting. Otherwise, after you disembark, perhaps just visit the Palais, go out and enjoy the view “sur le pont, d’Avignon” — and move on.

Back in 1999, we spent a week or so simply in Provence and did not go to Paris at all. In Provence, we also enjoyed the Luberon, Orange, Cassis, Arles, Les Baux, the Camargue and we wrapped up our trip to France nearby in Nimes — before we drove on to Barcelona.

My first other addition is that Paris is not just the big sights, it’s many smaller sights, neighborhoods, small museums, shops and parks.

Since 1999, we’ve twice been to Paris. First was a full week in Paris. We went to Paris’ majors and a few minors. Louvre, d’Orsay, Orangerie, Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon and Pompidou Center and more minor sights like the Musee Carnevalet, Sacre Bleu, Musee d’art et d’histoire du Judaisme, as well as just walking and wandering through neighborhoods … the Marais (where we were staying), Montmartre, and more on the left bank. It was a great introduction and we loved Paris so much that we simply had no time to head out to Giverny or Versailles for one or another day trips.

Two years ago, at the end of 30 days in France, we spent five nights in Paris with a focus on smaller sights and neighborhoods. Maison Balzac, Les Passages Couvertes, part of a mass and an organ recital at St. Suplice, Rue Mouffetard, the Petit Palais and we finally made our day trip to Giverny. (BTW, our least enjoyable day was a day in Versailles on our way to Paris). We’ll be back in Paris for 3 nights this fall at the end of 2-1/2 weeks in eastern France, since I really want to see the newly restored Notre Dame et plus.

And my last addition for your consideration - France has many other small towns and other gems. There are Les Beaux Villages de France - probably hundreds of them. Back in 1999, our first night in France was near one wonderful village that we literally stumbled on - Mirmande, where we had a dinner we still remember.

Enjoy your cruise, Lyon, Beaune, and the rest of your travels in France wherever you stay. Bonnes Vacances.