We (4 women) have a trip planned in late September and early October for my niece's wedding. Our itinerary so far is fly into Nice (3 nights), rent a car and go to Tourtour for the wedding (3 nights), drive to Gorges du Verdon (2 nights), drive to Avignon (4 nights). Avignon will be our base for exploring Provence. My niece's husband, who is from Toulon, recommended we use Avignon as it's easy to get around from there. I think we'll visit Arles, Aix-en-Provence, St. Remy. We will book a wine tour using Rick's guide recommendations. We love the markets and hope to visit several. Any suggestions for adventures in Provence would be appreciated. We also need to decide if we head home after Provence or continue??? I always appreciate input from the group!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3172 posts
PattiK,
Most of these things will be mentioned in the RS or other travel books.....Les Baux de Provence, Pont de Gard, Nimes (Roman arena and ruins and near Pont de gard), Vaison-la-Romaine, Roussilon, Gordes, Orange, Ste. Baume, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Arles, Aix and St. Remy are all worth your time. Your 4 nights in Avignon give you three full days, but IMO you only need a half-day to see the two biggies in Avignon, the Pont and the Palais des Papes. Your drive from Tourtour to Avignon will take about 3 hours, so you could do some sightseeing along the way. The route takes you through Aix-en-Provence. You could possibly stop there overnight and explore the town, then head to Avignon next morning. Just a thought.
We have spent lots of time in Provence as hubby lived in Marseille as a boy and he still has family in the area whom we visit when in Provence. His family did lots of day trips and exploration of the area. We still use the Michelin paper map to plan our routes and excursions. #527 covers Provence, etc. #725 covers southern France, so is less detailed than the regional one #527. A bonus for us is that we use a marker to record our driving routes and keep it as a souvenir of our trip. We do this whenever we do any kind of road trips. I have tons of AAA maps for our US road trips in many states, and Michelin ones for our Europe trips. The Michelin maps can be found on Amazon for about $13.00. Just a thought.
Have a wonderful time!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9235 posts
Avignon would not be our choice as a base-least favorite place in the region
It works well for those without a car
Since you will have a car you have much better options
We have based twice in St-Remy and found that just perfect
Arles would be my second choice
Add Pont du Gard, Uzes and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to your list
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1736 posts
Looks like a great trip! I hadn't heard of Tourtour before...it was picked as one of the most beautiful villages in France. Be sure to go to Villeneuve les Avignon and visit La Chartreuse du Val de Benedition. Avignon and environs has street markets which rotate thru week in various surrounding villages. Avignon has a huge indoor Market. And of course, the Papal Palace is the main thing to see. Pont du Gard and Nimes can be a Day trip from Avignon. Arles has a Roman Arena and caters to tourists nicely. Aix-en-Provence is a bigger town with lots to see and do. There is a commuter train from Aix to Marsailles. "The Count of Monte Cristo" was a prisoner in Chateau D'If...you can take a tour to the island. Watch the show about this on PBS. You will be able to visit many Wine Districts, taking tasting tours that are offered. There are several high end art galleries throughout this area that celebrate all the Famous Artist that painted in Provence. This time of year there should be several open air markets which feature Autumn Produce. Bon Voyage!
Posted by
SF Bay Area
1334 posts
If you have more time, I would add more nights to Provence. There is a lot to see, as mentioned by the previous posters. We based in St Remy. I highly recommend the Pont du Gard. Rousillon is beautiful if you can avoid weekends and holidays.
Posted by
OP
St. Louis
16 posts
I appreciate the advice and suggestions from everyone!
Judy, we're not heading straight from Tourtour to Avignon. We're going to Gorges du Verdon and spending two nights in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It looks beautiful! And I did buy the Michelin #527 map per Rick's recommendation. It's very detailed and huge!
Kathleen, the bride and groom picked Tourtour for their wedding site. I know they did a lot of research. It really helped that Gabriel is French, is familiar with the area and speaks the language! You mentioned Villeneuve les Avignon. We are actually staying there at Villa Dupont d'Avignon, not Avignon proper.
I'll talk to my group and see if we should add more days. Although we might be running out of money and patience with each other :)
Posted by
357 posts
Several years ago, I took a cooking class class in Uzes at Le Pistou, Rue Xavier Sigalon, 30700 Uzès, France, and really enjoyed it . Off to the market to shop and then prepare lunch - and dig in - I still prepare several of the recipes. Highly recommend.