We are trying to plan a trip to France for June 2017, and will be spending a week in Paris, then would like to take a train to Avignon and use that as a base for visiting towns in the area for 5 days. The towns we want to see are Nimes, Arles, St. Remy de Provence, and L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I have read that parking can be impossible in some of these towns - especially L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Sunday, when the market is open. I am wondering if we should forego the car rental and take trains to each place. Do trains run from Avignon to each of the towns I have listed, and are they reliable? Also, is this itinerary too much to do in 5 days if we don't rent a car? We are retired, so can add a few extra days, if necessary, but would like to keep the entire trip to around 14 days. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
You can look at train schedules and frequencies at www.sncf.com
Posted by
California 🦋
5222 posts
My daughter & I spent a week in Provence this June & we didn't have a car.
We decided to stay in L'Isle sur la Sorgue for 3 nights & then 4 nights in Avignon.
We visited St. Remy & Les Baux via bus from Avignon.
You can also travel to Arles & L'Isle sur la Sorgue via bus or train from Avignon.
You may also travel to Nimes via train.
I'd encourage you to read some travel guidebooks in which you'll find valuable information about all the places you wish to visit on your trip.
There are some villages, such as Roussillon & Gordes that you can only reach via bus in the summer (July & August).
Bottom line.... You can get to all the places on your list via train or bus from Avignon.
Happy planning!
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
Although I'm not a fan of Avignon, it is a very good base for visiting surrounding towns by public transportation. On one trip we spent a week in Saint Remy w/o a car, and made several connections through Avignon. As I recall, we took either a bus or a train from Avignon to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; there may have been both options. And we took a bus between St. Remy and Avignon. I would also guess that there is train and/or bus service to Nimes and Arles. So I would suggest that using public transportation for your itinerary is a good idea.
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon...Formerly Ventura, CA
2261 posts
I would encourage you to drive, unless you have reservations about that or another reason not to. The flexibility of a car was worth the 'hassle factor' for us-we tried to be strategic in what time we arrived places. Les Baux was a fail in that regard, but most other locations worked out fine. We did take a train from Marseilles Airport to see Arles on our arrival day, then to Avignon from there for our lodging, and picked up a car at Avignon TGV the next day. Roussilon and Gordes have public lots and while they were at or near capacity, it worked out fine.
You do need to be aware of security with a car, and not leave anything visible, nor anything of value in the car as break ins at car parks have been a problem.
We drove into L'Isle on a Sunday afternoon, and while it was crowded we found a parking spot on the street easily. I think you have to honestly factor in the additional time required for bus/trains and see if it's worth it to you. Adding days could make sense in that regard. We made several stops along the road that are quite memorable, just out in the middle of nowhere, and we would not have been able to do that had we not rented a car. We passed a winery, realized it, then stopped and threw the car in reverse.
Arles is notoriously hard to park in, no problem in Nimes for us though. As a side note, we arrived at the Pont du Gard in late afternoon, after the visitor center was closed, and there were about a dozen other people in the whole complex, really great sunset, and France is relatively easy to drive in.
Posted by
California 🦋
5222 posts
I forgot to mention that trains & buses are very reliable, except when there's a train strike, like the one we experienced in June.
Despite the train strike, we were able to get to/from L' Isle sur la Sorgue ( from/to Avignon) via bus, even though the bus takes longer than the train.
We traveled to Arles (from Avignon) via train (in the past) & it's also faster than traveling via bus.
Keep in mind that there are 2 train stations in Avignon. There's Avignon Centre station which is closest to the historic center (right outside the medieval wall) & the TGV station which is about 15 - 20 minutes away. You can travel between these two stations via TER train.
Keep this in mind when looking up train schedules on the SNCF website.
Posted by
Pantego, NC, USA
1014 posts
Look at https://www.captaintrain.com/en for prices and stations for trains. Buses: http://about-france.com/france-bus-travel.htm
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
Avignon is not a place I would want to have a car, at least if you're in the center. If your principal goal is to see Avignon itself and the towns you mention, there is absolutely no reason to rent a car.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Avignon is a good base if relying solely on public transport.
Map of local train connections here ... http://www.beyond.fr/map/ter_paca.html
You could add an extra day for Aix-en-Provence
Day 1 Paris to Avignon
Day 2 Arles
Day 3 Nimes & Pont du Gard
Day 4 St Remy & Les Baux (by bus #57)
Day 5 Avignon & L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Day 6 Aix-en-Provence