Provence in 4 days!

6 people is a lot of train tickets, but if you happen to be jammed into a standard transmission sedan, you might want the TGV train from, say, Avignon to CDG. Flight hour may require a Paris overnight.

Check April weather averages and shoulder season attraction hours.

The plan is to rent a full sized mini van (if possible). Train is cost prohibitive. I rented a small mini van in Ireland 2 yrs ago and it was not adequate. From the limited research it appears I can rent something akin to what we have available here.

I would stay in one location for four days and take day trips. Avignon might be a good choice - many and varied day trip options from there (Arles, Orange, Nimes, western Luberon villages...).

I would not want to be so far away from my departure autport the night before my flight. What will you do if you have a mechanical problem or an accident on the drive north? The cost of 6 last-minute one-way transatlantic tickets would probably be exorbitant.

Check on the availability of a suitable vehicle right away through one of the consolidators (AutoEurope, Kemwel, Gemut), then verify that you will be able to use your regular license (with IDP) to drive it.

Excellent aspirations, but many logistical challenges, with this itinerary.

With only 8 days on the ground, and the obvious imperative to visit Grenoble, consider saving either Provence or Paris for another trip.

Note: I am not saying "it's impossible" and I am not saying "those places are not so great." I am suggesting you and yours will have a better trip if you do not rush about so much and try to cram too much in.

Lyon could make a great substitute fro Paris. It is a fabulous place. Its a less obvious substitute for Provence, but a Paris > Grenoble > Lyon trip could be a blast.

You might fly into Geneva and go to Grenoble, then Lyon and then Provence, if you can fly home from Marseilles.

Otherwise, think about your end game--where you will be flying home from and how you will get there.

You could go to Aix-en-Provence for your last few days. Then fly home from Marseille Provence airport, an easy commute from Aix-en-Provence. Arrange the tickets, into Paris and home from Provence, with a multi-destination search function. It will give you most of an extra day, although the trip home will be longer because you will probably have to change planes at a gateway airport, preferably in Europe. You will get up early, too, but it saves you the time and cost of going back to Paris. And the trans-Atlantic ticket won't be much more than a simple round trip.

https://www.marseille-airport.com/

Thanks for the responses!

We already have round trip direct flights JFK-CDG. Multi city, Geneva, etc were non options due to cost, connections, especially when purchasing 5 tickets.

Since we are flying in and out of Paris it makes sense to do Paris upon arrival or departure weekend. If visiting three destinations is not advisable we could start in Grenoble and finish in Paris?

Mike, are you seriously proposing to hop in a van and drive to Grenoble from Paris, the day that you land?

I think you have seriously boxed yourself in with those plane tickets. But, you can still have a great trip, just be realistic.

Yes, Adam. I’m serious.

Easter and Easter Monday could be heavy traffic days in the direction of Paris; Sundays are always heavy and always take a long time from around Fontainebleau to CDG. It's the middle of the Paris region spring break, so families will be driving north from not only France but also Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain. It's marked as a regular weekend on the calendar, on this resource:
https://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/calendrier-bison-fute,10739,langen.html
Count on traffic jams.

Here's an article from Iceland about driving after an overnight flight. She notes that it seems to be mainly Americans who do it due to the too short vacation time: https://www.iheartreykjavik.net/why-you-should-not-drive-long-distances-after-an-overnight-flight-to-iceland/

Maybe your daughter could take the train up to Paris first to meet you, then go to Grenoble, then back to Paris on Saturday before the holiday traffic north begins.

I agree with first days in Paris. You can go from Grenoble to Avignon, then drive back to Paris and spend last day overnight near airport. The trip from Avignon to CDG is almost 4 hours by fast train, so much longer driving.

I also agree with one Provence home base. I preferred Arles, but Avignon would be fine too . Lots of places within driving distance for day trips.

Just an FYI- we rented a 9 person van in England and our American Express car insurance would not cover the van due to its size. So, you might want to look into what coverage you might have and if it covers that size van you rent.

Hello. Provence is pretty and much to see. I would suggest staying either in Arles or Avignon. Arles has a lot of ancient Roman places such as the Arena and many museums. Avignon has the famous Pope Palace. Please do not miss the Pont du Gard: a large, beautiful aqueduct from the Roman days. Still in perfect condition and over a river. You can drive across it and walk across it. Have fun!

Mike: It looks like you are flying into CDG on a Friday or Saturday. In either case, perhaps instead of moving family of 5 (assuming 4th child is daughter in Grenoble) to Grenoble, why not have your daughter come to Paris for that weekend? You are only paying for one RT ticket (plane or train) instead of 5. You will have at least one day and a half with her, send her back to Grenoble, and you have the rest of the time to spend as you wish. That would make the logistics of this trip a lot easier.

That's a brilliant suggestion, Darrel.

My daughter is also in Grenoble, teaching English. We visited her last spring. Grenoble has a lot of sites. Very senic road to drivearound chratreuse. We flew into Geneva. Visited Annecy. Then drove to and stayed in Sisteron on the was to cassis. Very beautiful drive thru the mts. Good inexpensive hotel near old town Grenoble with parking. If you want the name I’ll ask my daughter. Have fun, visit beaux if possible and arles. Get your car on the way out of paris.

Good luck getting a room for 6. We had 5 and it was challenging. Stayed in MAussene de alpines, at an air b n b bakery 20 ft out our door. They might have room there.

Everything in Provence is close together - I think you could stay in one (central) place for all four nights. Depending what you want to do, and where you want to visit, I would suggest Arles, Avignon or Nimes.

If you want to spend time in the Carmargue (Rhone delta, salt flats in Aigues-Mortes, flamingos), base in Arles. If you want to spend more time in the Luberon, base Avignon. Nimes is closer to the Pont du Gard (but Avignon is also close). If you have a stronger interest in Roman antiquities, pick Nimes or Arles. The three cities are about 20-30 minutes drive (or train ride) from each other.

Note that the direct TGV from Nimes or Avignon to CDG takes 3h30 (or less).

Thanks for all the feedback.

I considered not heading so far from CDG as last stop before flight home but it looks like we may end in Provence. The TGV advice has been helpful. I think we may pick up rental car in Paris after 3 nights there and return it in Avignon. Flight from CDG is 7:30pm 4/13.

This is how it appears to be shaping up:
Friday 4/3 arrive Orly.
Stay in Paris until Monday 4/6 (3 nights)
Drive to Grenoble until Thursday 4/9 (3 nights)
Provence Thursday to Monday 4/13 (4 nights)
TGV Avignon gets us into CDG at 1:02pm or 4:03pm. Does everyone recommend the 1pm arrival even though flight is 7:30pm?

I’m leaning towards staying in the vicinity of Arles. Do I need to be in Avignon night before TGV departure for 9:08am train? I will be dropping off rental car at train station drop location.

A rental in the town of Beaucaire is under consideration. It looks like a nice location but I haven’t seen much written about it. I am interested in smaller town recommendations. Or should I stick to Arles? We are sightseeing with kids. We’re also going to be spending some time with friends (French) who live in Toulon, not necessarily in Toulon. We may meet them for a day in Aix-en-Provence.

Thanks,
Mike

TGV Avignon gets us into CDG at 1:02pm or 4:03pm. Does everyone recommend the 1pm arrival even though flight is 7:30pm?

In my experience, the trains are either exactly on time, 10 minutes late, about an hour late (if there is a problem on the track), or on strike. I have never flown out of CDG, so I don't know how early you need to be there. Personally, I'd pick the early train - but this is because I know I wouldn't enjoy the extra half-day I gain by taking the later train - I'd be too nervous!

I’m leaning towards staying in the vicinity of Arles. Do I need to be in Avignon night before TGV departure for 9:08am train? I will be dropping off rental car at train station drop location.

If I understand correctly, you are asking about driving to Avignon TGV in the morning from Arles for the 9:08 train? I think driving in the morning should be fine. It's about a 30 min drive -- give yourself plenty of extra time, to be safe.

A rental in the town of Beaucaire is under consideration. It looks like a nice location but I haven’t seen much written about it. I am interested in smaller town recommendations.

Beaucaire is certainly small, and nice, and will have less tourists than Arles or Nimes. There's a chateau/fortress on the hill, and across the river in Taracson (walking distance) is a well preserved chateau (and the legendary tarasque!).

Beaucaire is very small. With kids, I would stay in Arles. It is enough of a small town to be completely walkable, and also has plenty of things for everyone to do and see. for me, Beaucaire would be too small to occupy a family.

I would suggest picking one place to stay entire time, rather than moving. We did 3 nights in Arles and 2 in Avignon. We could have probably stayed entire time in Arles.