Self-guided art of tour of Provence

I've not been to Nice so have never been to either museum although I really like both artists. However, I can't imagine doing 2 museums on an arrival day after an overnight flight. My last couple of trips I've used the Timeshifter app for jet lag so have none to very little BUT I still can't imagine having the attention span to do that much indoor art on arrival.

Looks like Day 4 might have been dropped?

Everyone has their own travel style so while staying in a different hotel every night (or do you have 2 nights in Aix?) works for some it would not work for my particular travel style. Your trip, your choices.

tdrisa,
You have some packed days in your plans. I will offer some advice about your timing, if I may. Day 1, as Pam noted, sounds questionable to me regarding time. And I see day 4 isn't in there. Is that in Aix-en-Provence?
You don't seem to have factored in time for meals, except for that one lunch. Drive times should be padded as you will probably have to search for parking spots in many towns. You also may have a bit of a hike in some locations to get where you want to be after parking. Allow some time for checking in and out of lodgings. And one hint about Marseille, a town we know well (my husband lived there as a boy and we still have family there)....driving in town is awful. Allow lots of time to get to your hotel and from the hotel to the airport (where I assume you are flying from). Marignac airport is outside the city. Factor in enough time tio get there and gas up the car and turn it in.

You have some wonderful art experiences ahead of you. Allow yourself enough time to relish them.
Bon Voyage! Amusez-vous bien!

tdrisa,
One last comment. Drive times between towns, as listed in Viamichelin.com and Google, do not factor in time for gas or food or bathroom stops. We almost always drive in France, and usually add an hour to the suggested drive times, if they are over 2 hours, and uadd p to 2 hours, if the drive is 4 hours or more. It sounds like a lot, I know, but you don't want to get a speeding ticket in France. There are lots of cameras, and the ticket could arrive at your home over 6 months later. I hope you can take mostly the D roads (not autoroute) so you will see more of the countryside and have the opportunity to stop if you come upon something you want to explore or see. Bonne chance!

I apologize for the name misspell. I typed it correctly but didn't proofread and autocorrect seems to like a "d" better than a "c". So sorry.

Some suggestions: agree that the Chagall and Matisse on day 1 is probably unlikely unless you sleep in layflat seats or you are flying within Europe. The Nice City museum has some interesting paintings by Dufy and Bonnard. There is also an excellent museum of "art naif". You don't need to change hotels to closeby Antibe, just a day trips to Saint Paul and Antibes. Save yourselves time. Neither the Matisse nor the Picasso in Antibes will fill two hours, but the settings are lovely. Rousillon needs and deserves two hours.

Aix needs more time for all the Cezanne goings-on. The Caumont Art Center has a Niki de Saint Phalle exhibit until October 5th, which I'm seeing this week. Visit the cathedral. You should just stop in Cassis on your way to Aix instead of spending almost 24 hours there; I spent 6 months in Cassis and love it, but your time is limited. The view of Cap Canaille from town is spectacular. Kayaking will depend on water/wind conditions. Even the tourist boats don't take people to see the Calanques under windy conditions.

Senanque is a Cistersian site, and since Cistersians are iconoclasts, there is no art inside. Nothing. Not a sculpture, not a decoration. I found it boring. I wouldn't waste time when there is so much to see. There won't be any lavendar. There is an incredible monastary 1.5 hours beyond Senacque: Ganagobi.

Edit:
Arles: I was at the Van Gogh Foundation today. They receive Van Gogh paintings on loan to form n link with their contemporary temporary exhibits. The exhibit I saw today was very interesting and is there until October 26. The Espace Van Gogh is the hospital where he was treated and is now an exhibition space. There is also Luma in Arles, a Frank Gehry building for contemporary art.

And, to answer one of your questions, you should not regret leaving out Avignon. You're hitting the most important places.

There's a Leger Museum in Biot, in case he is a favorite, and I'm another fan of the museum of naive art n Nice.

Asking whether you will regret leaving out Avignon is kind of subjective but personally, I LOVED Avignon, it is one of my favorite places in France. One of the best days I ever had in France was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the fall when I rented a bicycle and rode for hours along the Rhône River.

The historic city center perimeter is enclosed by ramparts giving it a deliciously medieval feel, especially once you come upon the breathtaking Palais des Papes which is a "can't miss" site in Provence. Another can't miss site is the famous Pont d'Avignon.

And if you're interested in art, Avignon is the hometown of Claude-Joseph Vernet who painted stunning seaports and shipwrecks, including "Seaport by Moonlight" which hangs in the Louvre.

I would be a shame to visit Provence and not spend at least one day there!

So I'd like to tag on to these good suggestions, because I too am planning a trip from Nice to Avignon from June 18 - June 24. I too would love your excellent suggestions, because I too wanted this to be an art focused trip. We have booked a hotel in Nice for the 18th and 19th, and as advised above, we know not to plan much for the 18th after a 24 hour trip to get there.

June 18 I'm figuring at best walking around a bit, but probably no museums.

June 19 We're both 73, and my husband doesn't like to fill his day with as many activities as the person above, so I'm hoping to get to the either the Chagall and Matisse museums on the 19th or go to St. Paul de Vence and the Gallerie Maeght.
June 20 We're picking up a rental car on the 20th, and I'd like to divert to Antibes to get the views where Monet painted. Do you know exactly where to go for this? Then we're driving to Paradou where we have a hotel reserved until the 25th.

June 21 Drive to St. Remy and Arles for our Van Gogh day.
June 22 Drive to Aix en Provence which was supposed to be a Cezanne day but it turns out the Atelier and Musee Granet and most of the Cezanne related places are closed in anticipation of the grand opening of the Cezanne major exhibitions until June 28 when we'll be gone. Any suggestions????? Should we still go to Aix? Should I add a day in Nice or somewhere else?
June 23 Avignon
June 24 we take the TGV to Paris.
Any suggestions for things to do in these places, restaurants you recommend, etc. are welcome! Thanks in advance.

isfriedland,
The lavender may be in bloom when you are in Provence. Check with the tourist authority in the area or with your lodging host/hotel for suggestions of where to drive to to see the fields. They are worth it!

@lsfriedlsnd, you need to start your own post for best results. We can’t fill tcrisa’s inbox with answers for another person.

On day 4 in Aix, I think you would love visiting the Terrain des Peintres (Field of the Painters). Cezanne would go up here to paint Mont Sainte-Victoire. The view is absolutely stunning - I went in the morning and it was incredible.