Traveling in Southern France in mid-June

Not too far from your other destinations, I recommend beach time around the Calenques between Marseille and Cassis. Later in the summer, fire danger can limit hiking access. See more at http://en.laciotat.info/leisure/calanques-national-park/.

With a car, I've appreciated staying at the rather basic youth hostel "La Fontasse", which is the definition of rural. No cafes here - there is a communal kitchen and you bring your own food supplies. (Get driving directions from that page or by email.)

I would not plan to do much driving along the Riviera coast. The regional train provides access to just about every coastal town except St-Tropez and the places out on the various peninsulas. Traffic along the coastal road can be grim; I sat on a bus in a very lengthy back-up in Nice in May, and I was told those situations were not predictable. A car is helpful for reaching hill-towns like Eze, St-Paul-de-Vence, Vence, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, etc., and it's useful (sometimes essential) for all but the largest towns in Provence. Do not discount the difficulty of finding convenient, affordable parking, though.

How many nights do you anticipate spending in southern France? If you expect to spend all of them in one place, I think you really need to dig into a guidebook (Rick has one focusing just on this area, with more detail than you'll find in his guide to France) and make a list of your top-priority destinations. Use ViaMichelin.com to check estimated driving times (said to be optimistic) from potential base towns to the places you want to go.

There are very interesting art museums all over southern France--at least six in Nice alone (including the Chagall Museum). But I wouldn't want to day-trip to Nice from the area around Aix or Arles--too much time on the road. I'd say the same about St-Paul-de-Vence (Fondation Maeght), Biot (Leger Museum) and Antibes (Picasso Museum), which are roughly equally long drives from Aix and Arles.

If you have something like four nights for this area, you're fine--you don't have time to see both Provence and the Riviera anyway. But with more than a week you might want to split your time in order to have access to some of the Riviera-area art museums and other sights.

I actually feel like towns like Arles and places like St. Remy are more mobbed in May/June than the coasts. Cassis and the Calanques are a good idea, but for wide open beaches not too far from Arles consider the beaches near Sete or Aigues Mortes (Espiguettes). Some beach towns in that area can be a bit ugly and built up, but others are wide open, although they can be windy. This is kind of not something people seek out, however, on their first trips outside of Paris.

I think people noted that your art interest spans a pretty large region. Chagall lived in St. Paul de Vence, and the Museum he designed for his biblical works is in Nice, in Cimiez, not far from the Matisse Musee. You'll find museums dedicated to various artists throughout the area, some better than others.

Thank you, everyone, for your very helpful responses! Since I have never travelled to this region, it is taking me a while to really get my head around it! Your answers have lead to a few more questions, of course. I think, for now, we will focus on the western side of Provence. Aix, Arles, Avignon, the towns of the Luberon, possibly wine tasting along the Rhone Valley (another post coming seeking advice on that). Are there small cities/towns that you particularly love as bases in that region? Walkable (pedestrianized centers are even better), good restaurants and cafes, some local character (not completely given over to the tourist industry). And are there coastal towns that are not completely mobbed where we might get some time by the sea? Not so much to lie on a sunbed and tan, but to enjoy the sea? I failed to mention in my original post that we have 7 days. Thank you again!

We based in Avignon last June with our two college age children. It was a wonderful, central location. Lots of shops, grocery stores, cafes, etc. all in walking distance.

As for crowds -- market days were busy in St. Remy, I'Ilse Sur La Sorgue, etc. but other than that, it was fine. Even so, those markets were amazing and it was fun to be part of the bustle. Our favorite day trips were Uze/Pont du Gard and Vaison du Romaine. As for the sea. we planned on Cassis -- but did not make it! Next time. We are planing another trip this June may go back to Provence or try Colmar. Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you, Alex! We, too, will be travelling with our college age children. Would you recommend the place you stayed in Avignon? If so, would you mind sharing?

If your children are college-age, you might consider staying in Aix-en-Provence. In addition to being a stately old town, it’s also an important university town nowadays with students, not only from France, but also from all over the world.

Hubs and I went a few years ago during the first few weeks of July. We stayed in Salon en Provence and Manosque because they are a little less touristy. Now - we had a car because I wanted to see lavender. I was expecting crowds everywhere but other than going to Forcalquier on their huge market day, I found most places surprisingly quiet. (Or what I would call quiet - Nice wasn't of course - we flew in/out of Nice and rented the car there). Bigger places like Aix and Arles were a bit busier, but the smaller places like St Remy, Sault, Roussillon, Gordes, even Orange were uncrowded.

I would not recommend where we stayed. We did a VRBO and the pictures looked lovely. When we got there, the owner had put someone in that apartment for a month but that he had a different one for us. It was terrible and certainly not the quality that we thought we were getting. I am happy to email you the VRBO listing if you want to take a look.

We loved Avignon and it was a great base for exploring the area. I think we are going to try Aix this time.

Since school vacations in France don’t begin til July 4 this year, you will miss most of the French families. So definitely less in the way of bumper to bumper crowds. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years in this region, and June is a lovely time to tour Provence: everything is open, days are long.

@pgoodpasture We are spending a month in Aix and some of our adult young children will come visit. From what I have learned, it is a charming pedestrian Old Town filled with cafes, bars, pubs and boulangeries. They hold an outdoor music festival in June and July. There also is a Cezanne Walk, his studio, the Musee Granet, Pavilion Vendome and https://www.caumont-centredart.com/en

There also are a few car rental companies in town to rent a car to tour the hill villages of the Luberon and Cassis. You can take the TGV to Avignon and a train to Marseille.