With your guidance and more researching I have narrowed down our itinerary for visiting Rome and the South of France but would appreciate any input.
12/27 arrive to Rome at 0825. Tour the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hall, and possibly the Trevi underground tour.
12/28 take a train to Pompeii for the day. Any recommendations on Pompeii tours or should we just go it on our own? There is only two of us.
12/29 visit additional sites in Rome. (not interested in seeing the Vatican on this trip)
12/30 take Easyjet flight to Nice at 1205. Tour La Colline Du Chateau and Cimiez.
12/31 visit Caesar's Trophy of the Alps.
Rent a car in Nice on 12/31 and drive to Arles. Depart Arles on 1/2 for Nimes. (Any recommendations on where to stay and eat?)
1/2 tour Nimes and Pont du Gard. Drive to Orange for the night. (Recommendations on where to stay in Orange)
1/3 tour Orange and then drive to Lyon. Tour Lyon on 1/3 and 1/4. (Rexommendations on where to stay in Lyon)
1/5 depart for Guedelon Castle for the day then drive to Paris. I was going to drop the car in Lyon and take the train to Paris but I didn't realize Guedelon Castle was three hours from Lyon. If I drive to Paris where would be the easiest car drop off point?
We depart Paris on 1/10. We would like to take a day trip to Versaille.
I appreciate any guidance. This group is always amazingly helpful.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
388 posts
Consider if you really want to stay the additional different nights in each of Nimes and Orange after Arles. They are very close together, about 45 minutes driving each side of a triangle. And driving is easy between them. You could stay all 5 nights in Arles or 2 nights in one of them and drive to see the others. Or stay somewhere like St Remy for 5 nights and still do all three.
Posted by
SoCal, USA
106 posts
I agree with Laurie Ann, especially to consider St. Remy which is a charming village of around 10,000 residents. Considering a smaller village vs a larger town such as Arles, Avignon and Orange (50,000+ residents) will give you a more pleasant French experience. Saint Remy is within about 40 minutes from Arles, Avignon, and Orange.
Search for hotels that include parking and are within walking distance to the village. I do not have a first hand experience with Chateau des Alpilles in Saint Ste. Remy but looking at its website, it contains all the essential amenities including parking and is within minutes walking distance to restaurants and the old village. It may be higher than budget, however, you are traveling off season when rates will most likely be lower.
There are several other hotels in Saint Remy - research on TripAdvisor.
https://www.chateaudesalpilles.com/en/5-star-hotel-saint-remy-de-provence
Posted by
SoCal, USA
106 posts
Here is a YouTube video of Saint Remy to give you an idea of its charm.
Posted by
Paris
6899 posts
Orange is honestly not that great beyond the theater (and the small Arc de Triomphe). It is very easy to pop by Orange after a morning visit to Pont du Gard, and return to Nîmes that day. Return the car, visit Nîmes the next day, and take a late train to Lyon.
Posted by
11159 posts
You are listing too many sites to visit on your arrival day in Rome unless you arriving from another country in the EU.
Posted by
OP
9 posts
Thank you! I think staying in St. Remy and making it home base is a great idea.
Posted by
Nice, France & San Francisco
678 posts
Just be aware that some of these sites tend to close earlier in the winter. When you arrive in Nice you will need to head to le Chateau for a viewpoint before it closes (5pm ish for both). I assume you are going to Cimiez to go see the ruins. These are probably the least impressive of your itinerary, as much of the greater city is still buried. If you go to the Trophee des Alpes, be sure to stop in Eze for one of the best viewpoints.
Since you are going to stay in St. Remy, do carve some time to go to Glanum, which is just outside of town. It is a large set of ruins with some beautiful gates.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
I highly recommend staying in St Rémy the 5 nights, as Laurie Ann mentioned. It’s our favorite of all the towns and cities. We loved staying at Hotel du Soleil.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
388 posts
Another reason to stay in one place in winter is the weather. You can make decision to go out or see something nearby based on outlook day to day.
And for St Remy I can recommend blog posts and books by Keith Van Sickle with lots of local tips.
Enjoy the planning!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10192 posts
I just skimmed the word weather, thanks to Laurie Ann, and decided to look at your dates. Oops, December 31 until January 5th you are in the Rhone Valley, home of one of the coldest, most uncomfortable winds that comes roaring out of the Alps in winter. It's called the Mistral. When we spent 6 months in the area, it was about every third day. It doesn't hit the same way further east on the Riviera, and although I live only a half hour from Nîmes, I can't vouch for how sheltered Nîmes is from the wind, but it's more out of the line of fire than the other locations on your list and St. Remy. When we chose our present location, I refused to move to the Rhone Valley due to the Mistral. I would take a close look at all you want to do and see how you can shelter yourself, what sites to see when the wind is roaring. You might be ok staying in Nîmes. This cute village, St. Remy, puts you in the line of fire. I'm not sure if the Mistral hits Lyon or if it roars out of the Alps further south.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9420 posts
My understanding of the Mistral is it can happen anytime in Winter through Spring, and can last 1-2 days or a week.
Posted by
159 posts
Besides being a RS fan am one on Fodors.com. Last year a fodorite posted Provence books for the asking. i took her up on it. She sent about 20-25 books-yeh WOW! They were so spectacular I planned a trip and will be there in March 2024. Can I offer you a least some of the books and maps (I am a solo, senior, female bus/train traveler).