My husband and I will be spending five nights in Avignon in February and then three nights in Nice. We had hoped to have some tours of the wine regions as well as Roman sites, but it seems many tour guides are on vacation. On our own and without a car, we don't want to miss the best stuff. I've read others' comments on where to go, so I wonder what advice you have for us and if February is different (fewer tourists but colder and places closed?). Of course, we have studied the RS guide to Provence and the French Riviera.
We want to see Roman sites, wine region, and small villages/hill towns/countryside. (During our three nights in Nice before flying out, we're thinking we'll see coastal area then. Another topic is how easy it is to use the bus from Nice to see Cap Ferrat and the coast. Has anyone done it?)
Places we think we should see in Provence:
Pont du Gard (and Nimes? Uzes?)
Les Baux (and Arles?)
Cotes du Rhône (Chateauneuf-du-Pape? Orange?)
Luberon hill towns (though we're not sure how we would get there without a car)
I had thought Roussilon, but no one seems to mention it
We can spend Friday traveling from Avignon to Nice by train and could stop in Aix or somewhere else east of Avignon.
All advice is welcome from this great forum.