We fly into Nice, spend a couple days there, then want to get to Luberon hill towns, Arles/Les Baux, Pont du Gard, and the Cotes du Rhine before heading toward Burgundy and Paris. We will have a car. What route is most time efficient? Better to go from Nice to Luberon or to Arles?
Drive from Nice via the Gorges du Verdon and the Luberon. Arles is further away. Get a regional-level Michelin driving map or their big France driving atlas, since those have more detail than the single map for the whole country. www.viamichelin.com can also help plan "discovery" driving routes.