My husband and I plan to visit Paris/Eastern France/Provence next fall -mid September into early October. 3 weeks or a bit more. Plan is to begin in Paris for 3 nights (we have been there several times before but want to see the restored Notre Dame and Giverny). This will be followed by 3 nights each in each of the following, traveling via train: Colmar, Beaune, and Lyon. Will rent a car in Lyon, then head to Vaison la Romaine for 3 nights. We wish to spend our last 5 nights in Provence. Choice of base: St. Remy, Aix de Provence, or Salon de Provence, which is pretty much equidistant between St. Remy and Aix. This will not be our first time in Provence; we have already explored Avignon, Isle sur la Sorgue, Rousillon, and Gordes. This trip we are interested in Arles, St. Remy, Cassis (Calanques), Aix, and a few other villages/markets. All suggestions welcome. Plus some time to just relax! I am leaning toward Salon as a base but would like some input. Thanks in advance!
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Massachusetts, USA
2051 posts
Well, I guess it really depends on what you are looking for in a base. I've been to all three; our oldest daughter lived in Provence for 10 years; she lived in Aix for a couple of years. So we visited quite frequently.
Aix to Arles is about an hour's drive. Salon and St. Remy are about a half hour from Arles. So any of these 3 locations are fine as far as driving to Arles goes. Aix is the closest to Cassis, which we have visited as well.
Aix is the largest of the 3 cities you mention, and it's a well-known university town. The Old Town is very pretty with numerous squares, fountains, and lovely architecture. Cezanne's studio is located in Aix. There is a wonderful art museum we visited and some interesting churches. Lots of cafes and restaurants and nice shops. I remember during one of our visits the owner of a cafe was chilling their rose in their fountain! Aix is wonderful for wandering around and exploring. I don't consider Aix geared towards tourism. Students and families live here. As did our daughter.
St. Remy is the smallest of the 3 cities. I assume you know that the asylum where Van Gogh was a patient for a year is just outside the city center. And there is the Roman ruins of Glanum. St. Remy is also very close to Les Baux. St. Remy is the most touristy of the 3 cities you are considering. But still a lovely place to stay.
Salon de Provence is not touristy at all, IMO. This is definitely a city where people live and work. The historic center is very nice. We visited here quite a few times. I remember going to a shoe store to buy shoes for our grandchildren, and we did other kinds of non-touristy shopping. We brought them to Salon for the Christmas market which had amusement rides, too. Lots of fun! Dined here several times. I think Salon would be a great place to stay where you can "live like the locals" as people say.
Basically, you can't go wrong with either location. It just really depends on what kind of ambiance/vibe you are looking for.
Regardless of where you stay, I highly recommend visiting the village of Eygalieres which is near St. Remy. We love Eygalieres! It is not overrun with tourists. You will hear very little English if any at all. Eygalieres has a wonderful market on Fridays, and on Fridays only the local restaurants serve a delicious white fish dinner. You can walk uphill to the ruins of a church/castle with amazing views from the top.