Trip to Paris and then Provence
After 2 day inn Paris, in August, we will take the train to Provence and rent a car. We plan to stay 4 days/night in Avignon as our home base and then head to Luberon for 4 days not sure which beautiful hill town we will stay in. I am seeking advise from fellow travelers on day trips. I have planned the following and I am not sure if it makes sense and leaves enough time to enjoy each place.
Day 1. Arrive in Avignon, tour Avignon, Dinner Avignon Any recommendations ?
Day 2 Les Baux, St Remy and Carrières de Lumières, lunch recommendations
Day 3 Arles, Camargue Possibly what are your thoughts?
Day 3. Nimes, Pont du guard possibly kayak here, Uzes possibly dinner here
Day 4 morning activity..... and Orange for dinner possible Theatre/show. Has anyone attended a show here?
Day 5 Depart for Luberon spend 3 /4 days is this enough time
Day 8 Depart Aix en Provence, Cassis Possible spend the night down in this area.
Is this realistic? Can I combine more than one town in some days. Summer the days are longer and I assume towns will be active later.
Also thought on Carcassone. I really would love to go for the day I believe its 2 hours from Nimes. spend the night and leave after 11;00 a.m Has anyone done that? If so by car or train Did you stop along the way Other excursion around there? Would it make sense to go to Carcassone by train from Paris and then rent a car or put it at the end of the trip.
I would greatly appreciate all suggestions.
Do we want a hotel/ airbnb with a/c and or pool. How hot is it at night in Provence in August.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
We drove from .Saint Didier (near L'Isle) to Carcassonne last September. We stopped en-route at the Camarque Ornithological Park to see the flamingos and at Aigues Mortes and arrived at Carcassonne about five P.M. I would suggest staying at the Hotel Donjon which is within the walls. A hotel van comes down to the private parking lot just below the walls and drives you up to the Cite. Evenings the tour-bus crowd leaves and you can enjoy the medieval atmosphere. Leave the next morning, heading off to your next destination. We stayed two nights in Carcassonne and spent the full day driving a loop south of the Cite to see the Cathar Castles. The following day we headed up to the Dordogne region.
We really liked our B and B in Saint Didier and the small village had two very pleasant restaurants.
Provence temperatures were in the 90s in mid-September. I would have been miserable without AC
Posted by
59 posts
See my Lebaux posting. We drove thru Aix, skip it. You have a lot of potential visits, i’d Narrow it down and stay in a small town 2 nights. We stayed in cassis 2 nights and did a hike and boat trip as it was too wind to kayak. Nice Airbnb 1 block front harbor. We also stayed in Avignon, nice easy to visit and drive in visited Arles too. Pretty much like everywhere else but with a Vincent twist. Ricks book mentioned hotel medevial, we stayed there had courtyard room was good.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Even though Carcassonne is only 2 hours each way by autoroute (with tolls), I think that's too far a detour when you barely have time to see the rest of the list.
Agree that you can skip the bigger city of Aix in order to have a full day and at least one night in Cassis, to allow time for boating, hiking, and swimming there. Also watch the wildfire index under "Access Calenques" at https://www.ot-cassis.com/en/, which can cause trails to close.
I hope you're the type who gets an early start each day. You can spend a full day in Arles and do the Camargue just as a drive-through.
Traffic between Avignon, Nimes, and Uzes can get pretty slow when off the autoroute. Nimes could also take a good part of the day, so you have to watch your time balance with Pont du Guard. You're recommended to book ahead for kayaking in August.
Posted by
OP
54 posts
Laura, I think that you might be right with the visit to Carcassone. As much as I would love to visit I may have to save for another time. Thank you for the advice on Aixen Provence. I think heading straight to Cassis and spending the night there would be make sense. Good to know about booking Kayaks ahead of time. We do like to get an early start to the day as I like to photograph in the morning and late afternoon light. Wondering if Nimes and Pont du Guard need their own day?
How many days do you think I should leave for Luberon?
Posted by
OP
54 posts
Cynthia would love to know the name of your B and B in Saint Didier? Did you feel the trip to Carcassone was to much? How much time did you have total?
Posted by
OP
54 posts
Jeff,
Thank you for the advice on Cassis. I would love to know the name of your B and B? Do you think I only need 2 nights in Luberon for the hill towns is 4 too much time?
Posted by
59 posts
Auriele was the hosts name 1 Rue Michel Armand, Cassis, Provence-Alpes
Shes on air bnb
Sleeps about 6 , full kitchen some supplies stocked three flights up curvy stair 50 ft or so to the dockside. All good
Posted by
59 posts
Auriele was the hosts name 1 Rue Michel+H, Cassis, Provence-Alpes
Posted by
OP
54 posts
Jeff,
Thank you for the recommendation in Cassis.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
The place we stayed in Saint Didier is called Bastide Saint Didier. It is charming and the owner speaks fluent English. We did not do Carcassonne as a day trip - we stayed there overnight enroute to the Dordogne. Carcassonne is lovely if you do it the way I suggested.
The Camargue is not a "drive-by;" you need to stop and visit one of the parks so you can see the wild-life.
Posted by
OP
54 posts
Cynthia,
Bastide Saint Didier looks lovely. How long did you stay in this area and what day trips did you take from here? We are still deciding if we will add Carcassone to our itinerary this time around If we do it will not be a day trip we will spend the night or 2.
Thank you for both the lodging recommendations as they are beautiful !