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Suggestions for the South of France

My husband and I will be visiting France in the spring. We are interested in visiting the south of France and would love to hear about towns that you loved staying and sights that you really enjoyed.

I picture that we will spend time near the beautiful coast and near vineyards.

Also, is the best way to travel from Paris to the south of France by train?

Thank you

Posted by
5256 posts

By the South of France do you mean the part with the French Riviera? We thought Nice was outstanding as a base to explore the rest. However my favourite part of South France is the Dordogne region near Bordeaux. Not near the ocean, but plenty of vineyards on the way from Bordeaux. St Emilion is a gem among the vineyards. In the Dordogne our favourite town was Beynac for the history and castles.

Posted by
1641 posts

Look at RS France Tours for some sample itineraries. I took the Train from Paris to Nice which was good for me as I had interesting conversations with seat mates. You can stop off at Avignon and also visit Arles while there. Nice is a metropolitan city beyond the beach front. Be sure to see the Old Town during Market hours. Don't miss the Chagall Museum. I was surprised by how many vineyards are nearby. They do have vineyard and winery tours that leave from there. I was an Art Major so I visited many Museums and Galleries. I did enjoy visiting the Perfumeries near Grasse. Spring used to have fewer crowds; but more people are traveling to complete their bucket lists, so popular places are always crowded. Just start looking at reviews now. Bon Voyage! P.S. Avignon can be super busy during Religious Holidays with many "Pilgrims" asking for donations.

Posted by
3064 posts

You should specify which south of France you're referring to, because, as Allan pointed out, there are several possible souths (and also several norths).

Choose between the different green and orange areas on the maps below. As for the gray area, it's a "grey" zone that can be either south or north.

https://grisebouille.net/du-nord-au-sud/

Posted by
138 posts

we love the luberon, and I would suggest a several nite stay in the town of gordes, great market, sweeping views, close to many other attractions - abbaye de senanque, menerbes, etc. enjoy. nick b.

Posted by
786 posts

Besides being a bit more specific about the sub=regions on your list, be aware that some rural places open up from the week of the Easter holidays and later. (The Cote d'Azur/Riviera and larger cities are more year-round) By mid-May you will be seeing some larger crowds, especially as of late (but usually better weather and more greenery)

Posted by
334 posts

Hi, we did a Rhone river cruise last month, starting in Arles, ending in Lyon. My husband and I thought there were not a ton lot of "must see" sights on the Rhone that you might have on the Danube where you are stopping in cultural capitals of Europe. That said, highly recommend a trip to south of France to see a way of life in their towns and just soak up the sunny, relaxing vibe!

To start with your question on transportation: we took the TGV train from Gare du Lyon direct to Arles. It was about four hours, very nice journey. Definitely need a train reservation, but the SNCF app was easy to use for a schedule and ticket.

On the way home to Chicago, we flew from Lyon to FRA. We would NOT rec flying out of that airport. It's beautiful, but way over stressed on the day we were there. Took over an hour just to drop our bags (we already had boarding passes). We wondered why the cruise line insisted on arriving at a regional airport three hours before departure...maybe that airport is typically crowded? Can only report on the one day we were there.

Our fav towns:

Beaune on a Saturday, market day. Would go back there in a heartbeat.
Viviers, just what you picture a small town in France might be like, gorgeous trees lining the narrow streets.

Avignon. That one was not a place we would go back to, but it's probably because it was super hot and crowded. The "big" site there was the Palais du Papes, which was disappointing. I would defer to other posters on whether to go to Avignon. We maybe hit it on a bad day.

We passed so many beautiful places on the river, I am sure you will find a ton of things to do.

Happy travels!

Posted by
146 posts

From CDG I took a train to Avignon and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are many sites and it was wonderful to walk around. It was a nice balance of relaxing and interesting. There were good sites, restaurants, museums, and shopping. I'd say something for everyone.
Arles was interesting with ancient Roman ruins and lots of pretty streets to walk around.
My expectations were higher for Aix. I did not find it as interesting as I'd heard. Perhaps I missed some things.
The hillside towns are charming to explore. Do your research and see which appeal to you - there are MANY!!
Lee

Posted by
2353 posts

LaurieDi,
If you are not thinking of the Riviera area, but do want some coast, I would recommend some time in Bandol, just about an hour east of Marseille. It has a lovely harbor, some sand beaches (and others nearby as well), access to wineries (especially for some great roses, but Cotes de Rhone and others), a nice-sized typical street market on Tuesdays, and a lovely overall Mediterranean ambience. It is less than an hour's drive to/from Aix-en-Provence, and 1 1/2 hours to/from St Remy de Provence, really close to many charming towns in the region that are worth at least a day's visit. And a day trip to Marseille can be a treat to enjoy some terrific bouillabaisse and a visit to the Vieux Port, Notre Dame de la Garde, Chateau d'If, a boat ride to the calanques, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilasations.....lots to see and do there.

By train from the Gare de Lyon you can take a TGV to Avignon or Aix-en-Provence or Marseille, and you can rent a car at their train stations (a car is really recommended in order to see a lot). Driving out of Marseille isn't fun, so you may opt to take a train to Aix. Car rental options at Aix may be limited, but there are frequent buses to Marseille airport where there will be a much bigger selection. And you would avoid driving to or from Gare St. Charles (the train station) The bus ride is only a half hour.

The "south of France" encompasses a lot. IMO most Americans think of the Riviera when they say "the south of France", but the whole coastline, from Italy to Spain is about 675 miles long. And the "south" goes inland for some ways, up to the Drome or Basses Alps areas, even the Dordogne is considered to be in the south of France. You might take a look at a full paper map of the area of southern France. In the western part of southern France are Montpellier, Collioure, Gordes, Carcassonne, Bordeaux, Narbonne, St. Tropez....... a wealth of choices!
Whatever you choose, based on what you envision your trip to be, you will have a wonderful time!
Amusez-vous bien!

Posted by
2353 posts

To clarify, Gare St Charles is the Marseile train station.
I didn't name all the MANY towns you would enjoy north of the coast, but those in the Luberon and around St. Remy and Arles and Nimes and Albi deserve their good reputations for ambience and accessibility. They are just not coastal.

Posted by
183 posts

Thank you!

I’m interested in the French Riviera and small towns overlooking the water. I imagine St. Tropez is not in our budget so looking for options that would work for us.

Posted by
8301 posts

We've enjoyed 2 long stays in Nice- can't beat it for all it offers and transportation links.
Antibes is also quite nice- if you want a smaller town- close enough to Nice to have all the same benefits for day trips, etc.

Posted by
2353 posts

LaurieDi, with the Riviera, you won't need a car as trains and buses will take you just about anywhere you may want to go along the coast. Check the SNCF website for train schedules. You would leave from Gare de Lyon in Paris. I'm not sure if you have to change trains as we always use a car in Provence, but you should have no problems. Enjoy yourselves!

Posted by
786 posts

Ok, now that you are being specific, here are some answers for you

  • To get to the Riviera, if you are staying first in Paris, you can take the TGV from the Gare de Lyon to Nice. The shortest routes take 5 hrs and 40 minutes
  • You don't need a car if you are staying on the coast. You can reach many places by train or bus to many locations inland as well but a car can be helpful in this situation.
  • Saint Tropez is an exception; it is tougher to get to by public transit as the best options are ferry or a train/bus/taxi. But I find it more convenient to go there by car, as the best beaches, surrounding villages and vineyards are more spread out. You are more likely to find a resort with a vineyard nearby here (on the peninsula). In the rest of the Riviera, outside of Nice Bellet and a few others places, vineyards were not replanted after the big 19th century blight that hit France. However you can day trip to the vineyards, including small group tours.
  • Towns to research -- on the sea: Menton, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Antibes, Cannes, St. Jean de Cap Ferrat
  • Interrior towns -- St. Paul de Vence, Grasse, Tourettes Sur Loup, Gourdon, Mougins, Tende/Saorge
  • For extended stays, people often venture into the Italian Riviera
  • Nice has the best connections for those using public transit and many tours and other things start from there.