Side trip to provence

Hi Mary,

St Remy is nice and potentially well situated, depending on your interests. Folks on the board will likely want to know what in Provence you are interested in seeing and doing, whether or not you are traveling with kids, and whether or not you plan to rent a car.

Assuming that you will rent a car and that you want to spend the week seeing the Luberon, the Pond du Gard, Arles, Les Baux, and the Cote du Rhone, St Remy is a good choice for a centrally located, charming village with Provencal flair.

I have created a matrix of drive times between all typical Provencal tourist destinations to assist with identifying an optimal base camp. Let me know if you are interested and I can send it to you via email (you can't attach documents in the forum).

-Matt

Thank you Matt, Yes, more info would probably be helpful! We will be taking a train from Paris to Avignon and then renting a car. Our goal is to take advantage of a village atmosphere, such as the Wed market and then take some side trips. We probably dont want to spend more than 1 - 1/12 hours (one way) to get somewhere. Would love to see what you have put together for times.

And we will not be traveling with children.

Whilst a car is useful in Provence, you can do it without by using the excellent local trains, but it is best to base yourself in Arles for the transport connections.
Day 1 - Paris to Arles by TGV
Day 2 - Excursion to Avignon
Day 3 - Excursion to Nimes and Pont du Gard
Day 4 - Excursion to St Remy and Les Baux
Day 5 - Excursion to Marseille

Thank you for the response. Sorry for the delay. I would like to know how people feel about renting a car vs the train when we are going to be in Provence about 4-5 days. Your suggestion about the train sounds like a good idea??

I have traveled to Provence many times and usually stay in St. Remy. It is my favorite place to stay while in Provence and I always have a car.
It depends on what kind of traveler you are, but I want the freedom and spontaneity that the car gives me . I want to stop along the side of the road for a picnic, or turn off into any little village I see along the way, or search out that lavender field I saw from the freeway. I don't want to worry about a train schedule.
Provence is the perfect area to explore on your own if you are so inclined. There is not a ton of traffic and roads are well marked. Certainly doable if you feel you don't want to drive, just a different experience. The drive into the town of st. Remy is stunning and it always takes my breath away with those beautiful trees arching over the road. However you see it, be sure to visit some of the markets.
To rent your car take the fast train from Paris to Avignon, rent there and head out to your destinations.
If I remember correctly many of the smaller towns, st Remy I think, are only serviced by bus. Check on that one

What about Bonnieux as a central location for exploring Luberon and Provence Wpold yhis be convenient? Any thoughts on that?

We stayed in L'Isle sur la Sorgue and loved it -- it was so central to the area and we went over to the Luberon and then down to Arles/Avignon as day trips. It's large enough to have a lot of restaurants to choose from, yet isn't congested to get in/out of (which we'd heard were issues with Arles/Avignon). I only passed through St. Remy and it looked like a cute town to stay in, too.

All the villages discussed are very close if you are using a car. And the driving in the countryside is just exquisite. I definitely vote for the car.

I stayed in Vaison-la-Romaine for a couple nights and it was the highlight of my trip. The Tuesday market is incredible, probably better than Arles and an experience all its own. The Roman ruins are extensive, and the old part of town has all the village character. It's also a great jumping off point to nearby villages whose names grace some of the best wine in the region. Really, nothing seemed super far if you had a car in this area.

I love all these destinations, but if you want a true village rather than a town or city, consider Roussillon--an absolutely gorgeous city colored by its nearby ochre mines, or Lourmarin, with its market, chateau, and cobblestone charm.

We stayed in Roussillon and Fontaine de Vaucluse, 1 night each, back in Oct. Loved both. As mentioned Roussillon has the ochre color, beautiful at sunset and Fontaine de Vaucluse has the head waters to the River Sorgue, an old paper mill and a castle ruin on the hill above town.

Just reading this has me longing for Provence.... I have been to all the suggested locations and each one has its own special feeling. My heart is in st. Remy , as I said earlier, but no matter where you stay be sure to visit as many of these as possible. Also try to get to the Abbey de Senague near Gordes.