Provence For 2+ week trip, mid April, Flexible length of trip

There are many options, as you seem to realize.
My picks would be 8 days in Arles, followed by 6 days in the Luberon.
Arles is very, very charming and a good base for "Roman Provence" + Avignon, les Baux, Camargue, Aigues-Mortes... Downside is that navigation with a car is not always easy so you'd have to pick accommodation carefully in that regard. A popular alternative in that area is Saint-Remy-de-Provence, which is more car-friendly while still retaining an attractive town center.

In the Luberon region, you have tons of charming villages. I find Goult is a very good base as it is quite central and a bit less touristy, but all villages are close to each other so it does not matter too much, and Gordes and Roussillon have more accommodation.

Thanks balso,

Great info. Wrt a car, we will have one only if it makes sense. Or just have it for a portion - its not a necessity, I was only thinking it may be of value.

Glenn

If you base yourselves in Arles, you could perhaps start out without a car to visit Arles itself, Avignon, and Nîmes, and rent a car from Day 4 onwards to visit other places. That way, you reduce rental and parking costs.

A car is absolutely mandatory to visit any place outside of the Nîmes-Orange-Aix en Provence triangle, and even within that triangle, a car makes sightseeing more efficient, except in the larger cities of Avignon and Nîmes.

I think a car is a must in Provence. I haven't stayed in Arles but it makes sense if you want two locations. I might suggest Vaison La Romaine as a nice location different from Arles. But I love the Luberon region.- not really a wine region though. I like Gigondas so staying in Vaison makes that easy ... if you are a Tour de France fan it also is close to Mont Ventoux. Vaison has pretty nice Roman ruins as well. It also seems a little more "green" with trees. Two weeks will fly by with all there is to do and see in Provence.

Thanks Donna. Agreed, 2 weeks seems short. Who knows, as we get closer, we may extend the length of the trip. What is overwhelming right now is getting idea on home bases, etc. we like to travel slow, but we also like to see things at our pace.

Thx again

Glenn

Perhaps check out untours - they do 1 or 2 week stays at local apartments/homes for rent with local guide help (if you want it) and can help arrange rental cars and other transit. We stayed in Pernes les Fontaines a few years ago with them and really enjoyed it - it was a great base for us. I think they also have apartments right now in Isle sur la Sorgue and a few other towns nearby.