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Provence 4-5 days

My two teenage daughters and I will be travelling to France for 3 weeks in July. Our first week will be spent in and around Paris. We will be staying with the family of our former exchange student(we will meet again for our third week). The middle part of our trip will be spent in Provence 4-5 days (this is what my topic will be about). We will travel from Provence to Nice where we will meet my husband and our exchange family. We will spend a week in Nice, exploring the surrounding area.
I have an apartment rented in Aix-En-Provence July 16-20. The girls (14&17) and I will use this as a home base. Is this a good home base? Parking is included so i am thinking I should rent a car. I am a confident driver but I am somewhat nervous about driving in an unfamiliar country. ***I am looking for itinerary suggestions for our days in this area.* Our first day will be spent exploring Aix-En-Provence. Not sure where to go from there. I would like a somewhat straightforward/easy itinerary. Perhaps we could visit a couple of local Provencal(suggestions) towns and also drive through the countryside. I understand July in Lavender season. This would be a lovely sight.
We will leave Aix on Friday July 20. I would like to visit Cassis on our way to Nice. We will return the rental car in Nice and rely on public transportation while exploring the riviera. Will we have trouble getting into and parking in Cassis. I understand it is very busy in July.

Posted by
1224 posts

I haven't been to Aix so can't say whether this is a good base. I think you should read. You have a lot of time to decide an itinerary for your time in Provence, and even your base. Rick Steve's offers detailed ideas, but its hard to tell you what to do because we all could have different preferences. For example, I read about various towns and villages before deciding a base last summer (though now I can't recall why I chose against Aix, but I read about it first and decided it wasn't for us). We stayed in La Isle sur la Sorgue. We drove everywhere in Provence and elsewhere in France and driving is the same there as in the States.
As for Cassis, we also went there in July and yes, the parking is a challenge. Our rental provided street parking so that was helpful, and you can always park further uphill from the boardwalk/beach area - that town is small enough that walking a bit isnt far. We also did the Calanques hike from the center of town. So once you park, you don't need to use the car again (so it not like the parking hassle is one you deal with every day there, just the initial day). You could always google parking there and plan where you will park ahead of time, or consult the place you will stay and ask for advice. The Calanques were a highlight of our trip

Posted by
26829 posts

I also recommend a boat trip to see the Calanques; they are offered from the port in Cassis. There may be some longer trips that allow time for swimming.

If you stay in Aix, I recommend a visit to the Camp des Milles, which was a WW II internment and transit camp. The facility has now been turned into a memorial site/museum with almost all the explanatory material translated into English. There's a focus on "How could this have happened?".

I think it's best to do research on what places you hope to see and then select a base. You may find that your ideal base is a bit farther north than Aix.

Posted by
4 posts

I was in Aix in November but just for two days. I liked it so much I’m going back in June and using it as one of my home bases. It’s beautiful, fun and thriving. Lots of young people since there is a university so that may be nice for your teenagers. From what I’ve read parking and driving in Aix is a hassle but you have solved that as an issue. It’s close the Camagruge and Isle sur la Sorgue so you can visit those . Also you could do a tour into the Luberon villages if you do not wish to drive. Have fun! May I ask which car rental agency you decided on?

Posted by
8 posts

We have not decided on a car rental agency yet as I am still trying to figure out logistics & plan our days a bit.