My son is studying abroad in Aix next year. We would like to visit him. His break is in March. Is there enough to do in the Provence region in March? What parts of region would you recommend, or, would you suggest a short trip elsewhere? We will have 4-5 days with him. Please note- my son is not interested in returning to Paris at this time. (We will probably say bonjour to Paris before or after we see him.) We will likely not have a personal car. Thank you.
Posted by
Paris
7026 posts
There is plenty to do in Provence in March. It can still be cold but winter is typically over by then, and the days are getting longer. Small, touristy villages such as those in the Luberon should still be very quiet, sometimes a bit too quiet, but it is a very good time to visit places like Marseille, Arles, Nimes or Avignon. Without a car, it would be ideal to take your son to Avignon and stay there for a few days as a hub, but if you would rather stay in Aix, there is plenty of day trips from there. Or you could spend 2 days in Aix and 3 in Avignon, for example.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10327 posts
With only 4-5 days, I'd take him over to the Riviera. It's sunny, full of activity, and not likely to suffer the Mistral winds that still hit Provence in March. I remember a miserable visit to Avignon and Tarascon in the Rhone Valley during my kid's late February break where we were fighting the wind everywhere. We've had other days that were fine, but generally the winds hit a third of the time.