Provence in 6 full days

This site lists the many villages of the Luberon http://www.luberon-en-provence.com/village-luberon.html. We spent a week in the charming town of Lourmarin and did day trips to many of the surrounding towns and villages. You can click on each, see what attracts you. We wanted to visit markets, have leisurely lunches, stroll, with an occasional morning hike. This area is lovely.

We used L'Isle sur la Sorgue as our base for a 2016 stay in Provence similar to your plans. It was central; plenty of lodging and restaurant options (we rented a 1 BR apartment via VRBO); the Sunday market is terrific. You probably can't go wrong with any of the popular villages. If we ever return, we'd also put St. Remy near the top of our list as a base. Very charming town; my wife particularly enjoyed the shopping in St. Remy. Roussillon was another favorite stop; the Ocher Trail takes less than an hour and is an unusual experience. You might want to check out the Carrieres-Lumieres near Les Baux. It's hard to describe, but was a highlight of our trip: http://carrieres-lumieres.com/
Six days is a great idea. We spent a week in the area and didn't run out of things to see and do (including a day trip to Cassis, also recommended.)

Hi Alan and RCA
Can you provide me with your itineraries for the time you spent in this area. I am having a hard time deciding which villages to visit, may also want to venture outside of the Luberon to see St. Remy, Apt, Aix en Provence, Avignon. Any suggestions for which villages to visit and how long it takes to get there, etc would be appreciated. THank you !

Have you looked at Rick Steves' book on Provence ? Lots of information!

If you venture out, I would recommend Nimes over Avignon. Pont du Gard is amazing and should not be missed in our opinion. We also enjoyed visiting the Arena in Nimes. We stayed in Bedoin (so my husband could ride a bike up Mt. Ventoux) and I LOVED the market there. We also stayed near Gordes and from there saw more of the Luberon. Enjoy!

We did the flip side of your choice, visiting the Luberon but staying in St Remy and mostly sightseeing in the Rhone Valley.

I'm certainly not going to talk you out of basing yourself in the hills, which are extraordinary. But since you are interested in venturing forth for day trips (which is very feasible), I would like to suggest visiting some of the magnificent Roman antiquities, such as the theater in Orange and the Pont du Gard. Arles has great charm and is worth some time.

I do not mean to disrespect Avignon or Aix, but they are not in the same league in my view. I would certainly work them in to your itinerary for a few hours or a meal, but would not plan a whole trip around either of them.

We did go for a very beautiful walk in the Luberon, based on a book of walks in France. You might plan a little of that sort of thing too.

Have a blast!

Thanks to all for your replies! Adam. I am considering staying in St Remy and then doing day trips. Where did you stay in St Remy. Would you recommend?

@deb, St Remy made an admirable base for visiting sights in the Rhone Valley area. Possibly not the best if your focus is the Luberon.

We spent a week with friends in a rental on a farm just outside of town. Renting makes sense if you are going to stay for a week and arrive on the weekend. 6 days might still work. I'm sure the property is not available any more, and anyway it was for a group. But it was an excellent situation for us.

St Remy itself has charm but was not in itself a standout, save that we were there for Transhumance, worth catching. There were some decent restaurants too, and it's easy to get in and out of by car.

So a big thumbs up for the right situation. It's quite popular with folks on this list.

Good choice. I've been obsessed with Provence since we were there in 2014.

Because of its train connections, we stayed in Avignon and took a couple of small group tours with Provence Panorama. My favorites were Les Baux and Roussillon, but then I can't leave out St. Remy, and Chateauneuf du Pape for the wine...

You can't make a wrong choice.

http://www.provence-panorama.com/en/

Hi,

"Can you provide me with your itineraries for the time you spent in this area."

I just noticed the request, and sent you a PM with some details.

rca

I'm planning a trip to Provence as well and am so glad to find this thread. Seems everyone agrees there's plenty to do in this region for a week, especially if you slow down a bit.

My question is where do people fly into? Marseille? Paris and then train down?

Im planning to fly into Paris and take the train to Avignon. I think you can take it to Nice, also.

@steve "where do people fly into": I've visited Provence twice, both times as a stop on an itinerary that began someplace else. So we flew into Paris once and Toulouse.

Were I going to start my trip in Provence I would not prefer to ride the train from Paris unless Marseilles or Lyon proved too expensive or untenable. I don't mean to exaggerate as the trip is perfectly feasible, but on that first jet-lagged day it is the last thing I'd want to do.

I used St.Remy as my base. Also the Michelin Green Guide for Provence has more info than Rick's book. His is good but Michelin has more options and covers way more towns.

PM me if you want a list of towns.

We had 7 nights in Provence in July 2017. TGV from Paris to Avignon where we picked up a rental car. Stayed in St Remy at La Maison de Line which was fabulous with a glorious pool - much needed at that time of year. We had day trips to L'Isle sur la Sorgue (for the Sunday market), Gordes, Les Baux including Carrières de Lumières, Eygalières and Arles (mainly for Van Gogh). In St Remy the van Gogh walk is great for fans and St Paul de Mausole where Vincent "stayed" was very moving and evocative. Right next door are the Glanum Roman ruins which was a splendid visit. Best restaurants in St Remy - L'Aile ou la Cuisse, Les Saveurs de Provence and Cuisine des Anges. The Wednesday market in St Remy is a must visit, and there is a big supermarket nearby. The Lavender Museum in Coustellet was very interesting. A truly fabulous area to visit.