Provence

There is an Avignon airport, but it is mainly for general aviation and has few scheduled flights, none from within France. There are definitely direct trains from CDG to Southern France, but I don't know immediately if they stop at Avignon - check at www.capitainetrain.com. If they don't stop at Avignon, you will probably need to change in Lyon. This will probably be faster than flying to Nice and then returning to Avignon. Avignon is much closer to Marseille than Nice - you could fly to Marseille instead but you'd probably have to travel into central Marseille to get an Avignon train.

I don't think I would fly into Nice to get to Avignon. Yes, there is a TGV train from CDG to Avignon that would be faster and easier - that would be my recommendation.

Regarding suggestions about your time in Provence, will you have a car? Or will you be relying on public transportation and organized day tours?

Fly into Marseilles. Free shuttle from the airport to the train station. Take the train directly to Avignon Centre, and when you arrive in Avignon walk to your hotel. Easy.

Rachele, if they can fly direct to Marseille then that would be a good option. However, if they would have to change planes at CDG it would make more sense to take the train from there.

EDIT That goes for Nice also, if you have to change planes at CDG then it's easier to get the train from there rather than another flight, then a bus or train to rail station, then the train to Avignon.

Nancy, he asked about flying into Nice.
Marseille is closer to Avignon. I did it last year and it was super easy.

Lee, I think Avignon will make a nice base. We started our trip in Avignon -- flew to CDG and took direct TGV to Avignon. The only trouble with taking the TGV directly from CDG is that you have to commit to a time for your train and purchase your train tickets well in advance to get a good fare. We had a couple of hours extra to give us margin in case the plane was late. In our case, it all worked.

I looked at flying to closer airports but you need time between connections so I decided to go with CDG-Avignon train.

Thanks everyone for your advice. There is no substitute for getting information from people who have actually made the trip. It appears that Houston to CDG and then train to Avignon is the best choice. In looking at the Air France website, they actually offer a package of Houston to CDG, then S.N.C.F. rail from CDG to Avignon (3 hours). The connection (layover) at CDG is about one hour. Total cost RT Houston to Avignon: about $1500. I don't plan to rent a car in Avignon - just use excursions to various sites in Provence. Any additional comments will be greatly appreciated! LB

One hour layover sounds very short, too short. You'll need to go through immigration at CDG. I don't see how you can do this in one hour.

Lee - you might want to look into one of the half or all day Tours of Provence. It is a good introduction and you are able to visit a lot of places. I did the all day tour which was 10 hours which sounds like a long time for a tour but the day flew by with the numerous stops and was a lot of fun as well as being very informative. They will pick you up at or near your hotel in Avignon. Cost about 100 euros.

The AF air-train package protects you in case the plane is late. Air France will handle your bags, usher you, etc. That's a good way to book instead of separately.

I agree that an hour between landing and catching a train is not enough time.

We used Provence Panorama for a couple of day tours in 2014 and were extremely satisfied with their services. Check them out on TripAdvisor.

There is TGV from Paris direct to Avignon (takes approx. 2 1/2 hours)
Just get from CDG to Paris Gare L'Est

I don't agree with Nancy's statement that it's easier to take a train from Charles de Gaulle than to connect to another flight, at least as a blanket statement. Flights work fine to get you to Marseille or Nice (but not all the way to Avignon). If you book the connecting flight all on one ticket with your trans-Atlantic crossing, then it's the airline/partner's responsibility to get you and your luggage to Marseille or Nice, even if delays occur.

If you pre-purchase a separate ticket on a train (or on a budget airline) and miss that connection, then you're out the price of the ticket and have to buy a new one at full fare. (Full fare is over €100 for a 2nd-class CDG-Avignon train ticket.) However, if Air France's package deal air/rail protects you from that issue, and gets you closer to your actual destination, then it's a fine choice.

Lee, since you are looking for Roman history in Provence, I warmly recommend Ina Caro's book The Road from the Past. I read it before my daughter and I did our Sicily/southern France trip in 2013 and found it very helpful and an interesting read. Caro covers different aspects of French history in different parts of France, and for the Roman time period she focuses on Provence/Languedoc, with chapters on Nimes, Orange, and the Pont du Gard.

We stayed in Avignon for several days and took the train to Nimes, but used Provence Panorama for Orange, Pont du Gard, and some other sights. Because we were the only people on our tour in early June, we were able to skip some things of less interest to us [like an olive oil tasting] and spend time at the Roman town of Glanum, outside St Remy. They don't seem to offer the exact tour we took, but the one called History, Chocolate, and Wine looks similar - including the stop at the Castelain wine and chocolate factory at the end of the day, which was a great way to finish up our trip.

Happy planning, and have a wonderful time!