My husband and I will be traveling to France in July. It's a work trip, I wouldn't usually dream of going to France at this time of year. We will fly in to Paris for two nights and need to end in Narbonne for the work part. We love Rhone wines and are thinking of spending our 4 nights in Arles. I've seen plenty of Roman Ruins and also Van Gough, (both are great, just more interested in avoiding crowds and enjoying food, wine and markets, as well as just wandering the town. My question is, are we too far south to really enjoy the Rhone region? Or is there plenty of wine shops and things to do in Arles to keep us occupied? I considered Avignon, but with the Tour de France, the Avignon theater festival and so on, I feel it will be too crowded. I'd like to go to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for their market and maybe see Vaison-la-Romain or the Luberon. I considered staying in these towns instead of Arles, but was afraid they would be too small? I'd love your input!
Posted by
Paris
7300 posts
Is a car an option?
Arles is indeed a bit far from the Rhone wine country, which lies further north. Vaison-la-Romaine would be a better base for that, but it requires a car. It has a good market, so do nearby Carpentras and Nyons. I don't think it is too small for a 4-night stay; it is a proper town. Lots of cute villages to explore in that area, too: Brantes, Montbrun, Séguret, Vénasque...
Posted by
OP
California
6 posts
Yes we will have a car for that portion of the trip. Thank you for your suggestions! I sincerely appreciate it.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Vaison is a lovely town with lots of vineyards and wineries nearby. It also has extensive Roman ruins if you decide to give them another shot. One of my favorite sights was the Romanesque church with pieces of Roman columns propping up the apse. I wasn't there on market day but others have recommended it.
I think Arles would also work fine if you don't need to see the actual vineyards or wineries (you can drive past them on your way down). Plenty of good wine for sale. The market there is very large and interesting, and so are the Romanesque church and nearby cloister, plus the Roman sites and museum as you know.
Posted by
OP
California
6 posts
Thank you Dick! I appreciate the perspective. We were thinking Arles just because it's a bit larger and lots of restaurant choices, etc. We don't necessarily need to see all of the wineries, but do enjoy them. I live in a pretty great wine region, so have seen quite a few wineries. But, I do like to talk with the representatives from the wineries and learn about their product. From reading Rick's book, it would seem the wine tasting and tour options are quite a bit different from here in CA. So, perhaps a local caveau might be the better choice. OR maybe just a day trip with a few places planned ahead. It's just so hard to know! And, I'm feeling like I have very little time to actually plan the trip, having just found out we are going.
Posted by
martinez, ca, usa
2404 posts
hey hey Melissa
since you’ll have a car, read up about if you will need an IDP (AAA.com/IDP) for driving in france.
do make sure you have A/C with the heat in July plus the olympics happening in many places around france.
are you staying in an apartment or hotel in arles/narbonne? we like to have a kitchenette/fridge, with walking thru Les Halle’s marketplaces with many shops/restaurants (cotedumidi.com)
stop at a tourist info kiosk (hope they have) in city center & what they offer as in activities/tours, maybe a cooking class
petittrain-narbonne.fr
take a short tour around the town
solosophie.com/narbonne
she has info about things to do and see.
Have a great trip with lots of fun, enjoy
aloha