We're planning a two week visit in March to Nice and Provence. Our developing plan is to fly into Nice, spend a three nights, rent a car and travel through Provence. Return car in Marseilles, where we'll spend three nights then take the train to Paris (these are extended nights to the two week Provence trip). We're asking to minimize hotel changes which towns would make good bases for visiting the region, for hotel recommendations, itinerary suggestions, things to do and general advice. Thank you
The advice so far has been excellent. We're considering these cities to visit Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Arles, St. Remy, Vaison la Romaine as possible bases. We've adjusted our itinerary 3 nights in Nice, 3 nights in Marseille and 12 nights in the Provence region. How to use those 12 nights to travel efficiently and minimize hotel stays. We'll have a car. Thank you
Posted by
Surrey, UK
646 posts
Not sure how far you want to drive, but Aix en Provence, Arles, Nimes and Avignon are wonderful cities.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
621 posts
Since you are staying 3 days in Marseilles I would recommend for your days between Nice and Marseilles two other locations. One in the Luberon (like Lourmarin or Bonnieux) and one in more western Provence (like Arles or Nimes). But if you wanted to stay the entire week between I would recommend just one location like St Remy which is more central in Provence. We stayed a month near St Remy and easily day tripped with a car to all of the above.
Highlights were:
Nimes Roman museum and Pont du Gard
Wine tour with RS recommended guide Olivier Hickman (www.wineuncovered.com)
Les Baux the castle, the Yves Brayer museum and the church (check the castle website for possible demonstrations such as catapult and archery)
St Paul the asylum and Van Gough walk to St Remy
Glanum roman site and related museum in St Remy
Electric bike tour from Bonnieux or one of their other locations (www.sun-e-bike.com/fr)
Cooking class with Gilles (www.provence-gourmet.fr/)
Arles Roman museum and arena
Aix en Provence Cezanne studio and tour with Ted (www.tedaixtours.com)
Enjoy the planning!
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
726 posts
Depending how interested you are in Roman ruins, Arles, Nimes, Orange, Pont du Gard, Vaison-la-Romain,among others are places to visit. If you search this forum, there are many discussions of Arles versus Avignon as a base. I was really happy I chose Arles, which is smaller, more laid-back and more charming (my opinion) but many people find Avignon a more convenient base for day trips.
I really enjoyed staying in Uzes, which is a much smaller town but larger than some of the Luberon villages that were suggested. Officially, Uzes is not considered Provence, I believe. Although you will have many more options with a car than I had with public transport, my recent October trip report on Nice and Provence might offer some ideas. In March, you may need to take the infamous Mistral winds into account -- hopefully someone here can advise on that.
If spending time in Paris is not a priority for you on this trip, you might consider flying into Nice and out of Marseille, which I found time-saving, and cost-efficient.
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
801 posts
Please be aware that March is still the off-season in Provence so in smaller villages you may see seasonal closures in hotels, shops and even restaurants (or more limited hours/days). Easter is when things open up more. Keep that in mind when selecting a base, that a place like St. Remy might be a better choice than a small village. The upside is the tourist traffic is down. The Mistral is still a risk, so pack accordingly. I would choose two bases for 12 days as the area is quite broad. I would also consider reallocating a day to the general Nice area if you have not been, as you tend to lose a day upon long distance travel and then must allocate 3ish hours on your departure day. It is a pretty broad area.