Post-Tour Aix-en-Provence Suggestions Requested

Get tickets in advance for the Cezanne's studio tour!

More time visiting villages in Provence ( better with a car) or head to Nice area-lots to do there and options for flight home

Arles, Avignon, Nimes (with Pont de Gard), St. Remy de Provence, Marseille, Les Baux.....just a few places within 1-2 hours from Aix. I especially like St. Remy and Arles, Avignon not so much. St. Remy has great ambience and the Van Gogh connection. Arles has lots of Roman ruins, aside from a really good market and charming vieux ville. Nimes has a Roman arena (as does Arles) and close access to the unforgettable Pont de Gard. Marseille has a history going back beyond its position as an ancient Greek city (Massilia). I won't list the many details for these locations, but there are lots of options for you. Check out the RS book on Provence, or any other guidebook on the area. You will be hard put to narrow down your options. Have fun deciding!

Please note that I’m taking you at your word about transportation. We’ve always had a car. So my suggestions are simply based on places that I love.

You might visit Cassis and take a boat ride through the calanques. It’s touristy but very beautiful. Or do a day trip to Vaison la Romaine. There are always the Luberon villages or Uzes and the Pont du Gard.

The good news is that whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong. And I hope you’ll love Aix as much as I do. It’s built for wandering and admiring.

We were recently on a week long tour based in Aix thru AHI Travels called “Pleasures of Provence”. https://ahitravel.com/destinations/1959A?schoolId=1

The link will give you an idea of the areas and sites near Aix that were our daily excursions out to all the sites including Marseilles, Cassis, Arles, Le Baux, Pont du Gard. The markets in Aix are wonderful. Be sure to have the socca, a chickpea flatbread. The Granet Museum is a must see; they have 11 Cezanne paintings. One of the best days was a truffle hunting excursion and learning the game of Pétanque! If you can arrange a time to go to the Luberon area and to Les Pastras, it will be a highlight of your trip. https://www.lespastras.com/

We had also been in Nice prior to the tour, which we very much enjoyed. We stayed at a hotel on the Promenade and it was beautiful. Went to Le Negresco for a special dinner at La Rotonde restaurant.
Had a fabulous day with Nadia at her 4+ hour Nice Food and Wine tour (she knows Rick and he highly recommends her too!). Her website has links to many more activities in Nice. https://www.nicefoodandwinetours.com/

We flew into Nice and it was close to the city, easily reached by public transport. We flew out of Marseille.

We will not have a car, but do not have any limitations on transportation

Hopefully that means you'd be willing to rent a large car to explore more of Provence. Judy had some good suggestions above. Aix would be a reasonably good base with a car, but not so convenient if you must depend on trains and buses. Without a car, Avignon is likely the best base for exploring. My personal favorite Provence places from a few years back would be Aix, Arles, Nimes, the Pont du Gard, Orange, Vaison (where you'll be on the tour), Roussillon, and St-Remy -- my own bias is for Roman stuff.

Alternatively, take a train from Aix to Marseilles and then along the coast to Nice, a good base for Riviera exploring. For this a car is not as important as there's good train service along the coast. The RS guide to Provence and the Riviera is full of good info and ideas for both areas.

Awesome feedback and ideas so far! And yes, we are certainly willing to rent a car if that makes the most sense to reach the desired locations. I really appreciate everyone's responses!

Glad to hear you are up for renting a car. You will experience and see so much more without being constrained by bus and train schedules. We get the Michelin paper map (#527) in planning our road trips in the area and always try to take the D (departmental) roads. The map helps us to go where we want without doubling back, There will be many roundabouts, but you get adjusted to them. As mentioned elsewhere on the forum, when going through a roundabout follow the signs for direction to towns, not the GPS. That may tell you the wrong exit. With a car you may find yourselves stopping for lunch at a cafe in a village loaded with ambience. Or you can pull over to admire the scenery. The only down side is finding parking in some towns, but a car is IMO truly the best way to explore this area of Provence or the Luberon. Have a wonderful time, whatever you decide!

GoGators2024, which tour will you be on? I'm signed up for the April 18 tour and am a 'senior.' I was in Aix in 2023, but had covid, so I mostly just walked around the town, but it is lovely and I enjoyed it in spite of not feeling as well as I might have been. I also took the bus to Avignon for a few days when I was feeling better. I had already visited Arles and Pont du Garde before I got sick while on my Rick tour of the Loire and South of France and loved them. It is a fabulous area and so beautiful. Have fun, sit in lots of outdoor cafes and enjoy just being there. I think that is one of the best things about Provence.

Laurie Beth- Yes, the April 18-May 1 2027 Tour is the same one we are on. Our group of 5 includes a couple that we met on a RS Netherlands trip back in 2018 that we became friends with and who we now travel with. The RS Tours certainly offer a great chance to meet new and interesting people, and I look forward to meeting you on our Tour.