I am planning a month long stay in the Provence area, possibly Avignon. I was hoping to rent a home with two bedrooms and full kitchen within walking distance to shops, restaurants, etc and still plan on visiting many of the sites nearby. Obviously I am looking for input/suggestions for properties.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Those self-catering options go by the name of gites; see www.gites-de-france.fr. You could also use that term in the search box above, to see some previous forum discussions.
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
355 posts
Are you planning to rent a car? If so, I would stay in a smaller town outside of Avignon. I rented a gite in L'Isle sur la Sorgue, near Avignon, and it was great. There are so many lovely little towns in Provence. While I really liked Avignon, I just don't think I would want to stay there. But if you need transportation (trains, buses, etc.) then Avignon is probably a better choice.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Yes, I was planning on renting a car - and L'Isle sur la Sorgue was on my radar. Would you recommend the title you where you stayed?
Posted by
24 posts
I agree with the "small town" recommendation :-) We've stayed in Maussane-les-Alpilles, which was a wonderful central location for exploring so much of Provence.
Or you could try Arles, for an "in-between" (size-wise) town -- there's lots to do right in town, it's completely walkable, and it's an easy drive to wherever you'd like to go.
Posted by
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
355 posts
Hi campionju - The one I stayed at is no longer listed on the gites-de-france website. I don't think it's unusual for homes to drop in and out of the gite system. But I totally trust the gites website.