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Solo and self-guided in Provence

Posted by on

I'll be traveling solo to Provence in April. Because its just me, I can't seem to get reservations for anything from wine tours to cooking classes. Understandably so.

Any good websites for the solo traveler to help me with the logistics of everything that I want to do, but entirely unguided? There are some excellent blogs about Provence, but those don't include information on how to get to places, and other logistical information. I will be based in Aix for 7 days, and would like to visit surrounding areas accessible by train (or possible rental car or even bicycle). I would like to see some sites, but mostly am interested in a very slow-paced trip for visiting markets, cooking back at my apartment, wine tasting, and visiting smaller towns and villages on day trips, and some museums.

Again, mostly just wanting to get some website recommendations that help with trip planning, not in a large group.

Or maybe my question should really be: is it possible to not plan much of anything other than getting to and from Provence and my accommodations, leaving all else unplanned, and still have a good trip and have a nice provincial experience?

Thanks!

Posted by
7042 posts

"is it possible to not plan much of anything other than getting to and from Provence and my accommodations, leaving all else unplanned, and still have a good trip and have a nice provincial experience?"

Absolutely. I traveled solo to Provence a couple of years ago. I spent 5 nights in Roussillon with a rental car and just played it by ear, nothing planned ahead of time. I had done a lot of research regarding the towns and villages in the area and just headed out each day with a map and a general area (and a couple of towns) I wanted to visit. Through research I knew which towns had markets and on which days so I made sure to plan for that. Each night in my hotel room I sort of planned out the next day (very loose plans) and went from there. It was a lot of fun, one of my best stays anywhere.

EDIT: Oh, and once you get to Aix, get thee to the nearest TI and you'll get good information on small group tours you can join. If you do rent a car you may still want to take a tour for wine tasting. Unfortunately because I was alone and driving I couldn't partake in the wine tasting thing as I was the designated driver and France is not very forgiving regarding drinking and driving. I had to leave my wine drinking to the evenings in my room or at nearby restaurants that I could walk to.

Posted by
7 posts

Thanks Nancy! That is very helpful! I would love to rent a car, but I'm a little concerned about getting in and out of Aix. Not sure if it is worth the possible frustration. So I'll play that by ear as well.

I'm in Portland - Oregon native :)

Thanks again!

Posted by
7042 posts

Courtney, you should stop by and join the Portland/Vancouver area travel group on Mar 7th. I'm sure you could get lots of good information about driving around Aix and lots of other good advice.

Posted by
16894 posts

I don't think you'll have any trouble to leave local sightseeing plans open. If driving, get parking advice from your hotel. Drivers often choose a smaller-town home base, to reduce city driving and parking fees.

Posted by
37 posts

Check out Provencepost.com. She has links to interesting tours and events.

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