San Remy de Provence to the coast

Will you have your own wheels? Two years ago, we had a rental car, and stayed at a rented gîte in Saint-Rémy for a week, and made day trips to several places in Provence, including Avignon, Nimes, and Orange. We actually flew in to Marseille, then drove to Saint-Rémy, but didn't stop to see any calanques en route. Please be aware that access to calanques during the summer is limited, because lots of trails are officially closed off due to fire danger. Access by boat can still be a possibility.

Depending on how long you planned to be on the road, and how long you spent at each stop, it's conceivable to combine Cassis and Aix in a single day trip, but I wouldn't personally do it. Too long, without adequate time to savor both places. Years ago, a friend who was staying in Avignon visited just Aix by public bus (or maybe train???), but that was the only destination for the whole day. Having your own car could allow more flexibility with time, but, again, how much time do you want to spend driving?

I believe the boats to the Calanques run frequently. It's true that pedestrian access can be limited at certain times of the year. You can check driving times at viamichelin.com. I assume you will have a car since St-Remy-de-Provence has no train service. If you are depending on buses (as I did this summer), you will move much more slowly, and I think it would be a mistake to attempt Aix-en-Provence and Cassis/Calanques in one day.

Incidentally, there is a very interesting (and time-consuming for me) historic site in Aix that is ignored by many guide books. The Camp des Milles was a World War II internment camp that now has extensive displays about that period. Nearly all the explanatory material has been translated into English. More than most such sights, it takes a "how could this have happened" approach.

If you are staying in St Remy, and want to cover a lot of ground, I think a car is very worthwhile. It will vastly extend your reach.

If you are traveling in the late spring or summer, when there is plenty of daylight, and you have a car, I think that both Cassis and Aix are feasible. It depends on how you want to spend your time at both places, though.

I always think it is a good idea to think about the hour-by-hour itinerary. E.g., "Arrive Aix 3 PM, 2 hr Cours Marebeau (including cafe break), visit Cezanne studio 1 hr, return to St Remy, dinner in St Remy."

Not that you have to stick to it religiously, but if you add in your travel times plus a little slack this exercise will tell you what you have time for.

acraven: Thanks for your recommendation of Camp des Milles. Not only would I loved to have seen this for itself, but I found Aix rather lacking in appeal, so I would have loved to have known about something different to see while I was there. If I ever go back to the area, I'll be sure to prioritize this.

Harold, I found out about Camp des Milles as I was riffling through a guide book excerpt (not Rick's, I don't think) while I was in Aix on a day-trip. I returned to the tourist office for instructions on how to get there (it's a bit out of town but city buses go very near it). Unfortunately, I arrived only about 90 minutes before closing and there was tons of info to read. I really needed much more time and was mad at myself for not having done a better job of planning before my arrival.

Some of the exhibits are in the original buildings, which were coolish in late May. Take a light wrap of some sort. I don't remember seeing any food sources in the immediate vicinity. The site itself may have something like a soda/snack machine.

My take: Cassis is a pretty but very touristy little town. I enjoyed the boat trip to the Calanques, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who was going to spend many hours traveling there and didn't plan to see other spots in that area. Lots of places are great if you're in the area, but not necessarily worth a special trip to reach them. I did see people on some of the Calanque beaches, so they are not all inaccessible. It's possible that much walking and some cliff-scaling is required, however.

I think Americans are sort of spoiled. Ours is a large country with a lot of fabulous scenery. A lot of Europe's natural-beauty spots seem nice but not truly exceptional to me. I've had that reaction to several small islands I've visited, which I later decided weren't worth the time it took to reach them, given than I am not a beach person.

There's also the issue of your point of origin. Even average-ish beach scenery may be of interest to folks from non-coastal areas of the US.