We (a couple in our 70's) will be leaving Paris by train to spend time in Colmar, Dijon, and Beaune. About 4 days in each. We will then travel down to Provence and would like some ideas on which places to stay. We are traveling by trains and buses and we will have another two-and-a-half weeks before we head home out of Nice. We are looking at visiting Avingnon, Arles, Orange, Nimes (Pont Du Guard,in there somewhere) Cassis, Antibes(with trains to see Nice and Monaco) because we are not big on TOURISTY places. We will spend our last night in Nice, as we have a plane to catch at 6:30 AM to fly home. We had thought about Just staying in Avingnon and do train and bus trips from there. But we would like some input on whether or not that is a good idea. We will be in Paris a month, so we will have seen a lot in and around Paris, already. We love to travel, and we are not big spenders, we try and be as frugal as comfort will allow. So comments should take that in mind before suggesting a place for over $125.00 a night. Thank you.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I have spent a lot of time in Provence and always have a car, so I stay in the village of St. Remy, however there is no train, so without a car I would probably stay in Arles, as I find it to be a bit more charming than Avignon. I have also stayed in Nimes but liked the ambiance of Arles. It is a little harder to stay in non touristy places without a car, as everywhere you have listed is a tourist destination.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I agree that Arles makes a good base in Provence if you are relying on public transportation.
Train west to Nimes and Montpellier.
Train north to Avignon and Orange.
Train east to Marseille and Aix-en-Provence.
Bus connection to St Remy and Les Baux.
Along the Cote D'Azur, Antibes offers natural beauty and easy connections to Nice, Cannes and Monaco.