Strasbourg/Colmar vs Avignon/Aries

The spring and fall are not really off seasons anymore. The weather isn't as hot, but post-Covid, travel has greatly increased. Also, Easter is April 20, 2025, so I'd recommend avoiding the week before and after. That being said, have a great trip! Safe travels.

I've done both areas and they are pretty different. I'm guessing you mean Arles instead of Aries?

I was in Colmar in early April a few years ago and there was a very cool Easter/Spring market going on. It looked to me like they were using the little chalet stalls from their Christmas Market only decorated with bunnies, chicks and eggs. I am not a shopper but this was so cute and unexpected I loved it! I stayed in a hotel in the center of the old town in Colmar. My plan was to go to Strasbourg for a day trip but I liked Colmar so much I stayed there for my 2 full days. Colmar was busy but it seemed to me many more German speaking tourists than English speakers at that particular time. There are day trips from Colmar to the smaller towns around this wine making area.

I did Arles/Avignon in an October (just months before Covid) and it was pretty warm so it might be warmer in April than Colmar/Strasbourg. I stayed in Arles on a Road Scholar tour for a week. We did day trips to Avignon, the Camargue and other locations in the area. The hotel I stayed at in Arles was right across from the Roman theater ruins and just about half a block from their Roman arena. The local museum with the Roman artifacts is awesome.

Either will work. Both are quite interesting.

Based on the criteria of quaint + history, Arles is the winner here by a large margin.

Avignon and Strasbourg have a bit more city energy.

If you are big wine culture fans, the region around Colmar holds the edge, otherwise Arles is the one to choose for history buffs.

There are outstanding roman ruins within Arles. Even if not art fans, the van Gogh history is also interesting, and you will see where he painted some of his iconic works. A short train to Avignon adds medieval/papal history. Nimes and Pont du Gard are also within reach.

For an intimate cultural experience and to get around to some of the more remote points of interest, consider hiring a private guide with a car for a day. This will allow you to maximize your time while leaving the mental and physical stress of logistics planning to a local.

Provence should also be a bit warmer and drier in April, if also windier.

Thank you all for your comments. Its going to be hard to decide!!! We might have to make two trips!!

That's what I did. Two very long trips, and I still haven't hit Paris. France is a real challenge because it has so many wonderful cities/towns/villages scattered around a very large country. In the end I heeded a warning from my hairdresser about the inconvenience of crossing the country from east to west and did one trip up the eastern half and another up the western half.

If I had to pick based on wine, I would definitely go with Avignon/Arles. The wines of Alsace are just too sweet for my taste.

My initial reaction to Avignon was it felt like I was living in the pages of a Williams-Sonoma catalog - just so pretty, and perfect looking (and tasting) food. Strasbourg and Colmar felt like Hansel and Gretel. I also loved the Alsatian food.

If I could only pick one, I would choose Avignon/Arles for the Roman ruins throughout the region.

In case you decide to go with small-group tours instead of or in addition to public transportation, we were very happy with Provence Panorama.

https://www.provence-panorama.com/category/regular-tours-from-avignon/

I travel a bit through Alsace-Lorraine on a regular basis so I'll only comment on that. Strasbourg is expensive, and a big city. The EU is based there and nothing is cheap. It is easy to get around with public transportation. Colmar is also rather expensive. But a lot smaller. Unlike Strasbourg they make a good part of the annual earnings off tourists. I think of it as a place to spend a day.

Let me suggest you stay in Hagenau, a smaller city, nice old town, easy to walk around, nice gardens in the spring, and a transportation hub with a modern train station. It's less the 40 minutes by train from Strasbourg, and there's a lot of history in that area, to include the Maginot Line fortresses, the pottery towns of Soufflenheim and Betchdorf, the Vosage, etc.

One place you also want to put on your list is the historic town of Wissembourg on the German border. It's an easy train ride from either Strasbourg or Hagenau. It's one of my favorite places to just sit and have a coffee and pastry. Plus it's right on the wine route going both north and south.

Also, as previously mentioned, Easter is 20 April. There will be public holidays before and after, many are regional, so you'll want to be aware of that. But the patisseries and confectioners make the most fantastic Easter chocolates! You have never seen bunnies or eggs like they do.

Thank you again..........all your suggestions are great!!!