We will be taking a spring trip to Provence
We a confirmed for a week in the Luberon as part of a small group tour. With day trips thouhout the Luberon.
And looking for base for another week. We will be flying in/out of Nice or Marsaille
Will have a car for all or part of the second week.
Considering St. Remy (Steve’s rec) Arles, Antibes, Ville de Franco ( not car friendly)) or Aix
Would like to do some coastal visits and verdun Gorg
Merci
Hello paulw28627. and welcome to the forum,
St Remy is my favorite town in the Provence area. It is charming, small but large enough for multiple restaurants and several nearby attractions - Glanum, van Gogh asylum, Les Baux is a few minutes away by car. Market day in St Remy is a great experience. Be sure to figure out parking when you book a place in St Remy as all in town lots are pay and they will tow you if park where the market is on market day. Huge free lot on the edge of town.
Avignon is the biggest central town and is a good base if you don't want to have a car. It is short on sights but has many places to eat, shopping and a good Les Halles permanent marketplace.
I really like Arles but it is more blue collar and less polished than the more touristy towns. It has strong Van Gogh connections and Roman ruins.
Both Arles and St Remy are about an hour or so from Aix. I haven't been to Aix but it is - by reputation - a more upscale and chic city. It is much closer to the famous coast locations like Toulon but further from Nimes the other Provencial towns like Avignon.
I would choose St Remy, followed by Arles and the either Aix or Avignon depending on your interests. On our trip earlier this year we stayed a few days in all three as well as L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to explore the area and some of the Luberon.
Hopefully that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod
People speak very highly of St. Remy so I am sure that is a good option. I've been to Provence twice but have not made it there myself. I would always choose Arles over Avignon. I do not like the vibe in Avignon at all, but that is just me. I adored Vaison-la-Romaine and really enjoyed Orange but you may have these places already scheduled into your small group tour.
Have you considered Uzes? Though not technically in Provence, I believe, it is absolutely beautiful and has an incredible weekly market. It offers excellent proximity to Arles, Avignon, Nimes and the Pont du Gard, which isn't to be missed.
Enjoy stunning Provence!
Aix would be a wonderful choice. Larger "city" - University town. Cafes all over the place - very walkable. Home town of Cezanne.
Paul,
Aix makes for an excellent base (aixcellent?---editors). We returned coz it has that je ne sais quoi vibe, a sympa atmosphere that just hits the sweet spot. We'll soon be departing for our first-ever Euro-snowbirding, which will see us based in Antibes. The advantages of the latter would include a smaller, less-hectic vibe versus the nearby BIG CITY Nice. VG marche. The train/bus connections are good (i.e. Cannes/Nice/Menton OR nearby perched villages aplenty, some more touristy than others). Your rental car would be excluded from part of the Old Town 'Vieil Antibes'. There's also a Picasso museum, plus great local coastal hikes.
Antibes would also place one close enough to visit Saorges, in our opinion one of France's best-kept secrets.
Nothing wrong with Arles, cept it is not seaside.
If Aix visuals might help, below is some imagery courtesy of that zany Fodors poster 'zebec'.
https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/daix-a-photo-essay-of-aix-1707345/
Antibes puts you right by the water. Aix is beautiful too, but I found it a bit busier for parking.
