My husband and I and our two 13-year-old daughters will be visiting France/England for 3 weeks in July 2025. I've been to Paris before but my husband and kids have never been to Europe at all.
Our plan is to spend the first week seeing Paris/Versailles, then go up to London for 3 days and Bath/Stonehenge for one day/2 nights (family really wants to see England), then spend a week in Provence area. We have flight credit with British Airways that we want to use to fly from London to Nice once we are done in Bath. We'll then spend 2 days/nights in Nice, then spend 5 nights in one location in Provence.
Since we are not renting a car, we would have chosen to stay in Avignon as a central base, but are looking elsewhere to avoid the festival crowds. Would Arles be a good choice, or Aix en Provence? I currently have an Airbnb reserved in Arles for 5 nights that is only a 12 minute walk from the Arles train station so that seems easy, but many connections and tour start points seem to be in Avignon so it looks like we would have to go up there a couple of times to do some of the things we want to do.
We would like to take a minivan tour of the Luberon villages/lavender fields, and take train/bus to Avignon/Pont du Gard (1/2 day for each) and to Le Baux. If time perhaps a day trip for boat trip or kayak the Calanques as well.
Here are my questions:
1. Is Arles a good enough location to be a base for these activities if we do not rent a car?
2. Does the overall itinerary look reasonable/doable?
Any advice regarding these questions or other recommendations on things to do would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
525 posts
I might suggest another alternative, especially for a family. Skip Nice. Fly from London to Marseilles instead. Rent a car. And take more time around Provence. Marseille is an easy airport to pick up and return a car and driving around Provence is easy. You will have more flexibility and more opportunity to match your (and your teeanagers) plans to your own interests if you have a car. We spent a month in Maussane-les-Alpilles in 2022 and didn't run out of things to do within a one hour drive or less. It's great little town with bakery, shops, restaurants and free public parking if you don't have it right at your accomodation. From there we did everything you mention above except the Calanques, although we did do a sailing trip from Marseille one day. If you are interested in Pont du Gard and the Romans there are the ruins of the entire ancient city of Glanum near St Remy and the wonderful museums at Nimes and Arles. If you are interested in art there is Van Gogh (a walking tour you can do around Arles and the asylum near St Remy) and Cezannes (his studio and the Mt St Victoire from his painting near Aix en Provence). Instead of the Calanques you could do a day trip to the wildlife and beaches of the Camargue. In Luberon we had a great day with ebikes from Sun E Bikes at Bonnieux. Enjoy the planning!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1682 posts
Linnea,
As Laurie said, for just 2 days I would skip Nice this time. You will use a lot of one day going from there to Avignon or Arles, or Aix. The Marseille airport is north nof the city, so you won't encounter city traffic heading to your Arles accomodations. Of course, with a car you can stay in even more charming villages, such as St. Remy. If you really don't want a car, I would do some further research about day tours from Arles or Aix, and you might find some options that appeal to you. I am not that fond of Avignon for ambience, but, yes, it does have more tour options. (By the way, Aix is a quite short train/bus ride from the Marseille airport. And Avignon is on the TGV line from Marseille en route to Paris.) And parking in Avignon, Arles and Aix is a pain to deal with.
I recommend a car because you have so much more freedom to stop in a village for having a nice lunch, or enjoying a market or church or Roman ruins....., or just stopping to admire the scenery. We have stopped at small farms with a small hand-paintred sign, to taste wines, honey, olives and confitures, buying from the farmer and his wife for later enjoyment.
July may be a bit late for lavender viewing, especially late July. But one never knows what Mother Nature will decide!
Provence has a kind of sparkle in the air. I believe you will fall in love with it! Amusez-vous bien!
Posted by
Twin Cities, Minnesota
2091 posts
I was in Southern France without a car a couple years ago. I took the train from Nice (where my tour ended) to Aix and just loved it. Their tourist information center is very near the really nice bus station and I'm sure they could help you plan many excursions. I then took the bus to Avignon. I was not as fond of Avignon, but I know many folks like it. I did take their little golf cart train tour that leaves in front of the Pope's Palace and takes you to some of the main sights. Avignon just didn't seem charming to me, but it is a good transport hub. I then took the TGV directly to Charles De Gaulle airport.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
651 posts
Avignon vs. Arles is a classic debate on the Forum. I stayed in Avignon without a car and did a day trip to Arles, mainly to see the VanGogh easels. I can see how Avignon, because it is so compact, can be done as a day trip. I loved it, though, and was glad I stayed there. It was November, though, not July, so YMMV.
I tend to agree about having a car, and from Arles, you can easily day trip by car to the Camargue to see the flamingos. I only got to see them from the train. Sad face emoji.
Posted by
OP
California
2 posts
Wow, thanks everyone for all these great tips and suggestions. Based on your advice we've decided to skip Nice and rent a car and likely now going to stay in Saint Remy de Provence for the week as our base to explore the region. Really appreciate this forum and your input!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1682 posts
Linnea,
This is something we always do and find it helpful in making plans. We buy the Michelin paper map for a region so we can see the whole picture spread out. It gives us a way to route through the towns we want to visit, and we find it easier than looking at the small section you get on google maps, etc. I know you can pan out, but then the small roads don't show. We like the yellow maps for more detail in a smaller area. The orange ones cover a larger region. Many people turn up their nose at paper maps today, but we have marked out our drives on the map and it becomes a souvenir of our trip. Just a thought...I am somewhat of a troglodyte, and have had more than one type of gps service lead us astray over the years. You can order the maps from Amazon. Barnes and Noble used to carry them, but I don't think they do anymore. We have #527 and #245 for Provence. 527 covers more territory whereas 245 is more detailed. Both have been very helpful for us.
I think, being in our 80's, we find the maps to be a comfort, as well as helpful in plotting out our drives, which we sometimes don't plan until the night before.
Voila! Mes deux centimes!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
1682 posts
Just thought of something that might be of interest to you and your daughters. In both Nimes and Arles, the Roman arenas have concerts, sporting events and bullfights. You might want to check the town websites or tourist info sites to see if anything of interest to you will be happening when you are there. It could make for a fun memory for all of you.
And one thing our kids got a kick out of (when 8 and 10, back in the 80's) was watching some pensioner types playing boules on a public court. We had grabbed some ice cream cones to relax and cool off as we sat under a tree in a small park. Quintessential Provence! Keep your eyes and ears open as you go through the day and you may truly experience the Provencal way of life. It does still exist.....people going about their business, living their lives, kids going to or from school, playing football (soccer), women shopping for dinner ingredients, old men enjoying a coffee or pastis at a cafe table, the cigalles making a racket.....memories are awaiting you all.
Amusez-vous bien!
Posted by
Seattle, Washington USA
20 posts
Years ago we took our young teen sons to Paris and then Provence and used St Remy as our Provence base. It was perfect. We stayed just outside the center of town in a lovely hotel with a lovely garden and even a pool. It was a great, central base for the region. If you are lucky enough to be in that area on a Friday, I highly recommend market day in Eygalières. It was a true highlight for me. Enjoy!!