We are going on the June Best of Eastern France tour, which ends in Aix-en-Provence on a Saturday morning. Our flight out is on the following Tuesday at 2pm from Paris. I have already booked a Paris hotel for Monday night, and am looking at exploring Provence for a couple of days before that. Wondering if Aix is the best home base or if we should consider moving.
Places we'd like to see in order of priority:
- Gorges du Verdon (excited to do some kayaking or hiking- we're very outdoorsy)
- Pont du Garde (seems fascinating)
- Arles (can skip this if we are trying to do too much)
- Saturday morning market in Aix
Because our tour ends Saturday in Aix, we'll plan to check out the market that morning. My assumption is that Gorges du Verdon is too long of a journey for a half day, so guessing we might try Pont du Garde and/or Arles Saturday afternoon, and then plan to spend all of Sunday at Gorges du Verdon. Is that way too far away to cram into this trip? Anywhere else closer to Aix that would offer similar opportunities? Monday is simply travel from Provence to Paris, but wondering if it might be possible to jump off of the TGV on the way north to check out any sites before reboarding? Given that loose plan, is Aix our best home base or should we consider moving somewhere else when the tour is over? Is it possible to reach these destinations via public transit, or would we want to consider renting a car for any of it?
Advice welcome!