We are planning a trip to the south of France in August and we would like to spend time in Provence, Luberon and The Languedoc region.
We have not booked our flight as of yet and contemplating whether to fly into Paris or Barcelona. Both are cheaper and direct compared with Nice. We have 12 to 14 day sand will rent a car. If we fly into Paris we will spend 2 days and I would like to get out to Giverny. My boyfriends is not keen on spending time in Paris but he has never been before and think he will appreciate it in the end. Option 1 We could either take the train to Avignon and then rent a car there. 2. Rent a car and stop in Annecy. for a night. Thought on those two options.
Next I'm wondering if we should pick two home bases for exploring Provence and Luberon. We might like to take a day and head down to Aix en Provence and Cassis for the day. Is 7/8 days enough tie in this area? (Nimes, Arles, Orange, Les Baux St Remy Arles Pont du Gard, Hill town of Luberon)
Then we are thinking to head south west to Albi, Carcassonne, Puycelci, area. Option 1. Possibly Collioure and head into Spain to Cadaques and fly out of Barcelona. 2. Head to San Sebastian stop in Pamplona, Montserrat and fly out of Barcelona.
We can also do this trip in reverse.
Ideas and suggestions greatly appreciate. Would love to understand the distance for day trip to each town. We are early risers and love to photograph in the early morning and late day sun. We don' t mind being very active and at the end of the day catching dinner and settling in. We also enjoy diverse activities as well like kayaking, horseback riding , olive tasting tour,
Lisa
Posted by
52 posts
Lisa,
My wife and I are making the same trip in May -- two weeks in Paris, then two weeks in the Luberon. We will be taking the high-speed train from Paris to Avignon & renting a car for the Provence part of the trip. If you're interested I can send you links re our accommodations. We've gotten good reports about them but of course haven't yet experienced them ourselves.
Posted by
Folsom
2734 posts
And a month (or more) is what you would need to do what you are proposing. You are ignoring the travel times and the logistics. For 12-14 days Paris, train to Avignon, rent a car, explore Provence (you can base in 1-2 places) fly home from Marsielle. We spent a delightful week in Lourmarin and used it as a base to explore the many hill towns and did day trips to Aix and others a bit more distant. Wished we had longer.
Posted by
Washington DC
28094 posts
A few thoughts:
I traveled through that part of France in May-June 2017. It got pretty hot by the end of May, and by the time I reached Albi (which may typically be one of hottest spots, for all I know) on June 13, it was positively baking. It won't be quite so bad if you're driving, since you'll be able to retreat to your rental car when the heat gets to be too much for you, but keep in mind that not everything in Europe is air-conditioned as it is in the US. I have wandered through many a museum with perspiration trickling down my back, and if you see a café or restaurant with the door propped open, it's pretty much a dead give-away that it isn't air-conditioned. It is a lot more pleasant under the umbrellas outside, but that's where all the smokers congregate.
Go to ViaMichelin.com for driving-time estimates. They do not include traffic hang-ups, stops, getting lost, looking for parking, or walking from your (possibly inconvenient) parking place to what you actually want to see.
Go to the user-friendly Deutsche Bahn website for train schedules. You won't be able to see fares or buy tickets there, but the schedules are very helpful. You may need additional assistance from us if you need to use non-Renfe trains in northern Spain, but we can worry about that later.
If you rent a car in France and drop it off in Spain, or vice versa, you will almost certainly be hit with a very large international surcharge (many hundreds of euros).
Annecy is way, way off track if you're planning to travel from Avignon to other places in Provence or the Luberon. Perhaps you're thinking of a different "A" city--maybe Arles or Aix-en-Provence?
Barcelona is for sure not a 1- or 2-day destination, though you could of course just use the airport for convenience. Unless you just plan to head straight to the airport, I wouldn't attempt Barcelona on this trip for lack of time.
There are many great destinations in northern Spain (not just Barcelona and San Sebastian), so I wouldn't try to cram San Sebastian into this trip, given how rushed the itinerary is going to be. Save it for your next trip, when you can see a bunch of other places.
Posted by
Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
473 posts
We are leaving on 15 June to Barcelona then by train to Nimes on the 17th. We will spend 6 nights in Vaison la Romaine than 3 nights in Nimes attending a concert. Than return by train to Barcelona. We will have a car in Provence. We got airfare for 525 pp from S.F. Check out Vaison amazing Roman ruins and a medieval hill town. Two sights for the price of one.
Posted by
Folsom, California
542 posts
It does seem that you have quite a bit packed into 12 days. If you spend any time in Paris, you will probably need to give up some of Spain.
We are planning a trip to Burgundy, Rhone, Provence in late August and will most likely have more than enough to do in 12 days just in those areas. We are probably flying in and out of Paris as it is cheapest. But we don't think we could fly into Paris and get into a car and drive for several hours after an overnight flight.
Posted by
59 posts
Yes that is good
Posted by
OP
54 posts
blattner Would love to preview your trip to France in May. Since we just decided to take this trip I am still gathering information. Would love and appreciate your thoughts as well.