we would like to know of villages, markets and sights not to miss!
Renting car (April) in Avignon (TGV?)
We plan to stay at Hotel Les Floret at Gigondas for 3 days, then perhaps AIX in Provence for 4 days.
Flexible.
Well, after picking up rental car in Avignon you can stop to see the Pont du Gard on the way to Gigondas. From Gigondas it's easy to visit Orange for it's Roman ruins, Vaison la Romaine and L'Isle sur la Sorgue, both of which have great markets and have wonderful historic old centers and both are extremely photogenic. Traveling from Gigondas to Aix, and then from Aix itself, you can visit any of the wonderful villages in that area of Provence - Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Lourmarin, etc.. Also from Aix it's easy to visit Arles.
There are so many great places to visit. Definitely read RS Provence guide book and I really liked the Michelin Green Guide for Provence to get an idea of which villages I wanted to see and it's really good for driving info.
Hello Georgiadot19,
Some poster here (I think that they were Canadian or something like that) did a recent trip report titled 'Provencal Echo'. The report may have answers to some of your questions.
Good luck
I am done. The end.
The Saturday market in Arles is not to be missed, and Les Baux is a very atmospheric village- one of Les Plus Beaux Villages- that is fun to walk around, and that is topped by the ruins of a castle. The views from up there are wonderful.
Here's a link to the trip report referenced.
Ah Nancy, vous-etes tres gentile. Merci!
I am done. The end.
Download the list of speed camera locations and be mindful of where you are - don't be surprised if you get a ticket anyway as they target rental cars/tourists.
The ticket will arrive by mail 6 months after you get home - - -
Or take the train -
Michelin Green Guide to Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur has things to see, driving routes, restaurant and hotel recs. DK Eyewitness Provence Côte d’Azur also good with lots of pics. Michelin Restaurant app is useful when out and about. My wife and I speak some French but needed the Collins English-French app for understanding restaurant menus.
We stayed at a B&B between Orange and Gigondas. The area has much to see, however a day and a half was plenty of time to tour around and see what we wanted. Hotel Les Florets restaurant was very good. We also stayed a couple of nights at a B&B outside Gordes. That gave us a full day to explore the Luberon which you shouldn’t miss.