Need some advice as my husband and I are seeing some great airline prices to Paris next May and want to put together a trip to southern France. We are thinking about flying into Paris, training to Marseilles and renting a car there for 8 days or so. We saw Gordes a few years ago on an afternoon excursion with some Paris friends and loved it....promised ourselves we would go back and tour that area again. We love driving through small quaint villages and stopping to eat and walk the streets. Rick suggests that if we do this we should headquarter in St. Remy since we will have a car. We want to explore Provence. I would love suggestions for an 8 day trip....we always like to end our trips to France in Paris where we roam through a new neighborhood and enjoy the food before heading home.
Any ideas for us as an itinerary in Provence for next May? I love the MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN FRANCE website and we always try our best to drive through as many of these villages as possible when we are in any area of France.
Thanks so much for your help!
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7952 posts
We stayed in Saint-Remy for a week in July 2015 at a gite (www.gites-de-france.com), and drove around, but more for ancient Roman sites that trip than specifically for beautiful villages. In addition to a trip to beautiful Le Baux de Provence down the road for a sunset picnic dinner one night, we visited Nimes, Arles, Avgnon, and Orange, for starters, plus a drive up and down Mount Ventoux. Rick Steves' guidebook has a great loop driving itinerary for villages in Provence, which includes not-to-be-missed Rousillon.
Posted by
Folsom
2734 posts
We visited St. Remy but preferred our week in the lovely town of Lourmarin. We rented an apartment and used it as a base for day trips to villages in the Luberon and even as far as one day in Aix to see the market. http://www.luberon-en-provence.com/village-luberon.html
Posted by
Chicago
8166 posts
Look at locations of the most beautiful villages on the map, decide which ones you want to see and drive to them in a logical order.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12315 posts
I just got back. I visited St. Remy, and considered staying there, but chose Arles. From what I saw of the two, I'm glad I stayed in Arles. Even though it seems a little less central, there's lots more to see. I started in Paris for two nights, trained to Lyon for another two nights, picked up a rental car and drove to Chamonix for two nights, then drove south and spent four nights in Provence and four on the Riviera before flying from Nice to Paris for three more nights - then home.
In my four days in Provence (consulting Google Maps), I spent the first day in Ardeche, Orange and some of Arles. Second day more Arles, Nimes and Pont du Gard. Third day around Glanum (St. Remy), Avignon and Chateau des Baux. Fourth day Aix on the way to the Riviera.
There was a lot more to see. I could have spent double the time but decided to intentionally give myself a restful stop in Juan les Pins before returning to Paris for three nights.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Pick up your car in Avignon, not Marseilles. Base yourself in the Rhone valley. If you will be taking a lot of day trip, St Remy beats Arles just for ease of getting to and fro. (Both are lovely.) But with a car you can stay anywhere.
Roman antiquities worth seeing include the Pont du Gard, the Roman theater in Orange, and various things in Nimes and Arles. If you loved Gordes, take various trips to Luberon towns. Consider a walk in the hills.
If you will be in Provence at the end of May, catch one of the Transhuamance celebrations. The Camargue is pretty cool, and you might enjoy Fontaine de Vaucluse, despite the inevitable tourist kitch, for the spectacle of the water and also for the Resistance Museum. Les Baux is also fun.
If you and yours are gourmands, reserve a table for bouillabaisse in Marseille's old port, and at the end of your 3 hour meal roll on to stroll the Cours Mirabeau in nearby Aix (not really anything specific to see there, unless you are an extreme Cezanne fan). Warning: The only problem with eating like this is that in a couple of days, you're hungry again.
That should get you started. A few good guidebooks will also help you to craft the best experience for you.
Posted by
Truro, NS, Canada
3941 posts
We stayed in Salon en Provence 4 nights because it was pretty central to all the places we wanted to see - and I found a nice airbnb with parking. We visited Arles, Nimes, Pont du Gard (had been before but only for a short time). Went to Aix for a partial day (it was a really rainy day, so a bit of a wash...pun intended), visited Roussillon (which I loved) and Les Baux. One of our days was partially taken up by a visit to the l'Occitane factory in Manosque (they make beauty products). I'd love to haver a whole week there - sometime in the future...
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7161 posts
I stayed in Roussillon and loved it. I found the location very convenient and with a car it was very easy to get to all the other Provencal places I wanted to visit. It's a lovely village and nicely peaceful in the evening, but then I'm not a nightlife person so didn't need a 'happening' place. I usually ate my dinner in one of the other towns I was visiting and then came back to my hotel in Roussillon for the night.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
From the US you may be able to connect through to Marseille, changing planes in Paris or perhaps Amsterdam and paying very little extra. Fly home from Paris. A multi-destination search will sort the connections out for you rather than trying to piece the itinerary together yourself.
Posted by
Washington DC
28102 posts
For this year's trip I got an incredible deal from Washington DC to Nice (changing in Amsterdam) and returning on a non-stop from London. Of course, there were multiple rounds of sales for some origins and destinations last fall. I also checked Marseilles and Montpelier, but Nice was much cheaper from DC.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
551 posts
I would second the advice to fly to Marseilles. Your plan will get you there but remember you will have to collect your luggage and then connect with the train in Paris. It will probably be faster and possibly even cheaper to fly into a major city and get a connecting flight to Marseilles. As suggested, use the multi city search and just play with London, Paris, Amsterdam, etc., as your arrival city and then find the easiest and cheapest connection to Marseilles.
I also prefer Arles as your home base. There are more things to do and places to eat there and the location makes it convenient for day trips. We were able to park for free on the street by our hotel and easily walked all over the town.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Possible days out In Provence, depending on where you choose to base yourself.
By train ...
•Arles
•Nimes
•Avignon
•Aix-en-Provence
•Marseille
By car ...
•Les Baux + St-Rémy
•Pont du Gard + Uzes
•Roussillon + Menerbes
•Orange + Vaison la Romaine
•Gordes + l’Isle sur la Sorgue
Posted by
Washington DC
28102 posts
L'Isle sur la Sorgue has decent rail connections from some places, so you might be able to visit it without a car.
I enjoyed a boat trip through the Calanques. You can do that from either Marseille or Cassis. The latter is a picturesque but very touristy little town.
Posted by
Houston, TX
255 posts
I did this.flew to CDG. The I took the TGV to the Avignon TGV station outside the city. There's a bunch of car rental shops right outside the station. It's then a 29 minute drive to St.Remy. St.Remt has a huge FREE center parking lot. Easy to walk to any place you rent in the small.town. St.Remy was very nice and lots of places stay open late at night. Arles was nice...but it's to much like a city for my.liking.
From St.Rem you can get to many places in 30-2hrs.