Provence overrun by tourists?

Without a car it is harder. We spent a month near Avignon in the summer of 2022. We found driving easy. We stayed Maussane-les-Alpilles. Lots of parking there and easy to get in and out of. It's a lovely town in its own right. They have good information on their tourism website.

https://maussane.com/en/

Even in August we did not find the crowds too much. But we went out early in the day and then after lunch relaxed at the house we rented. Or we went out later. For example we went to Les Baux at 8 am and enjoyed a coffee in the quiet town before the castle opened. We went to Pont du Gard at 5 pm and there were maybe 30 other people in the whole place. It was lovely in the late daylight.

Some lesser known places we enjoyed:

https://www.abbaye-montmajour.fr/en

https://museedelaromanite.fr/en/

arriagacelia105,
I have never been in Provence without a car, but I understand there are local tours of the area. From what I have heard, many are from Avignon, but some from Arles. If they have what you want leaving from Arles, I would stay there. It is, IMO, much more charming than Avignon. There are also buses that go from town to town, but I don't know which towns and villages are covered. Try searching the forum (filter for 1 or 2 years) for info on transportation in the area.
As far as crowds go, lately it seems that there is almost a panic tone about crowds. In May there will be a good number of tourists, but not a crush of wall-to-wall people that one reads about. To find out about day trips and tours, I would check out TripAdvisor to see what is available. I don't use Trip Advisor to reserve, just for ideas. Also, the tourist bureau websites for Arles or Avignon would be helpful. I am sure you will have a great time. May is a good month. Your main loss is that it will be too soon for the lavender fields to be in bloom, but the produce in the markets will be, as always, a great temptation!
Amusez-vous bien!

Thanks so much for your replies. We really appreciate it! For now we think we will take the train to Avignon when we arrive in Paris. We prefer not to have to transfer to another train so we can get to Arles. We will be coming from Seattle and will be tired!! We could stay in Avignon for two or three nights and while there we could take a train to Arles (it’s only 16 minutes) and come back to Avignon. Then we leave Avignon and take a bus to Uses. We found out that it’s much easier to take a bus to Uzes from Avignon. We can stay in Uzes for 3 -4 nights. While in Uzes we can take a bus to Pont du Gard. It may be a lot of jumping around. We only have 11 days.

If you have any other ideas please let us know. We value your suggestions! .

Mercie bien!!
Celia

I'm in a quandary as to why someone looking to avoid places "overrun with tourists" is visiting Avignon. It's chock full of those nasty people.

jphbucks,
It is my understanding, from what I read on the forum, that Avignon has the most options for day trips to other towns and sights in the Provence/Luberon area. So, without a car, it may well be the best choice.

Avignon has the most options for day trips to other towns and sights in the Provence/Luberon area

Peut-être. I might recommend considering Aix.

Personally, I prefer Aix-en-Provence, but have stayed in both. I did not have or want a car for either and found seeing what I wanted no problem at all.

In Avignon I went to the Tourist office (between the train station and the main square) during the day and booked half day trips to see what I wanted that would be easier with transport. The cost was inexpensive and included a guide, a minivan of others and several stops with plenty of time at each. I enjoyed the additional local commentary from the driver/guide and the additional tips and tricks for my stay. From memory I visited Roussilion and Gordes one day and then a second trip the next which was Chateauneuf du Pape, Senaque Abbey and Arles. Very easy to link whatever you wanted together, pay at the TI and they picked up and dropped off. Many options to choose from, and always the opportunity to return back another day if time if there was somewhere that required more time.

Aix - II prefer to stay here over of Avignon, because it’s beautiful, bustling with markets in lots of little corners, lively with plenty of quieter spots, and has a varied evening options, and it’s all walkable. I do note this forum seems to have a preference for Arles, and I don’t think you can make a wrong decision, but if you like wandering in the evening and not seeing the same thing twice you’ll have better luck in Aix. It’s just stunning. It’s also another transport hub with easy links to everywhere - Marseille, Paris - by bus and train. Buses seem to offer more flexibility and are mostly luxurious coach style, with frequent connections to the TGV station, Marsielle. In the town centre, there is a little trolley bus system which loops around the centre, which may also be useful, but I have no experience of this, I’ve seen people moving around on this with their luggage. From Aix, we did day trips to Marseille and a half day trip to the Calanques and winery. Again, an easy experience booked via the Tourist office. We stayed in an AirBNB above a bakery which was close to underground parking - so no issue to keep your car and still stay in the town centre.

As far as busyness - you’ll be out and about during the day and be a part of it all and then in the evenings you get to enjoy the quieter afternoon evenings and see everything in a different light from the day visitors. Perfect!!! Take time to sit and enjoy a break and your surroundings if it gets too much in the moment (people or heat!) and you’ll be great! Nothing like people watching from a cafe on holiday!

Thank you very much for all your responses and suggestions. We are actually considering going to Aix Provence instead of Avignon . Thanks again! Truly appreciate you taking the time!

Kind regards,
Celia. :)

We were there last May, and we didn’t think it was too busy. Now, everything is relative and there were still lots of people. Arles, Aix, Avignon, etc were fine. It may be challenging without a car to escape the crowds though. I find that the most interesting way to visit France is to drive in the countryside sides, going through smaller villages which are much less crowded.

Th@nk you!!

Just to reset expectations, Aix will be similarly crowded, but at least it will be a change of pace. The downside will be slightly fewer tours and longer links to that NW corner of Provence. These places have all become so populated because of places just like this one --- I've experienced crowded streets in Les Baux in May, for example. If you truly wanted a larger town in a less touristed place you would try Orange (Dutch tourists though, due to history, and few organized tours other than wine/Pont du Gard) or east, into the Var (car kind of required).

Is there a particular reason for not wanting a car? We were in Provence in the heart of summer in 2024. We found the absolute most charming villages everywhere by driving. If you really want to avoid the big crowds I would say rent a car. The drives are very easy, no traffic and lovely views everywhere. We stayed 15 mins outside of Roussillon in a gorgeous apartment on a vineyard. It was quintessential in every way.

Thanks again! We are an older couple and prefer not to drive. We are thinking maybe we can stay in Paris for a few days and go to smaller villages nearby by train or bus? We decided to take this trip in September instead. Just trying to make it easy for us. Thanks again everyone!!

It has been years since I was in Provence. The highpoint was the day trip to Avignon. We were a party of 9 , all French citizens , my being the only exception.

We went in July of 2001, it was hot to be sure, memorable, captivating historically and culturally, enjoyable and it was, as expected, crowded. Expect that. Lots of locals, tourists, school groups, etc .

Bottom line here : In May expect the streets to be crowded in Avignon.

Bravo for not getting a car! With so much public transportation available it is a luxury that is going out the window with the increasing severity of climate change. I will be basing out of Avignon and Aix for transportation hubs this spring and c’est la vie if I miss a tiny quaint village to save from adding carbon to the environment. I will be offsetting my flight and not driving in the US for 3 months, however I am still concerned that my actions are adding to the problem.