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Where to stay, Provence 4 days, coming from Nice, then going to Paris.

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So we will be arriving on a very last minute trip to Provence area on Friday the 15th of August, and staying there until Tuesday the 19th. We will take the train in Avignon and spend 5 days in Paris , and would have spent 5 days in Nice on the beach.

My fiance and I are in our late 20's, and will be traveling with my 8 yr old daughter and 16 yr old brother. I hope to do a bit of sightseeing, but mostly just want to walk around the villages and markets, have some good food and wine, take some pictures etc.
Where would be a great romantic place to have dinner for just me and my fiance, not too involved, just good comfort food.
also, I have heard that there are sometimes bullfighting in the provence area? Do you know of any during that time?

We have found some places near Saint Remy, as well as one near Apt, Saignon, Goult, and Aix. The one in Goult is the most affordable for us, but I would love to hear which location may be best.

Posted by
4132 posts

You should make this decision based on the places you will want to visit during the day. Many people are drawn to Rhone Valley attractions such as the Roman antiquities of Arles and Nimes, the Pont du Gard, and Les Baux. The bullfights, if any, would be in Arles or Nimes.

Goult is in the Luberon, which is also wonderful but removed from those sights.

Posted by
3 posts

Thing is that I genuinely love the look of the cream colored hill villages with the cobblestone steps. We do want to see a few of the sights. But plan on doing them on 1-2 days if possible, the other 2 days I just want to hang out and relax. I just don't know how to do it logistically. Maybe I should do two days in one of the hill villages and two days near one of the town. And in that case, which ones would be best. I saw many other villages available, but I am not familiar with them, so you are more than welcomed to suggest one that I had not thought of.

Posted by
4684 posts

Just a quick note that there are two types of bullfighting in southern France. Spanish-style bullfighting where the bull is killed is known in French as "tauromachie". However, there is also a specifically French tradition known as "course camarguaise", which involves teams of human players attempting to retrieve rosettes from bulls' horns, and which is less controversial from an animal welfare point of view as human fatalities are rather more common than bovine ones.

Posted by
3 posts

thank you for the information. We were wanting to see the Bull run.. I'd rather not subject the kids to the other one. I had read about COURSE CAMARGUAISE and LA CAMARGUE AUX ARENES, but I could not distinguish the difference.

Posted by
27 posts

If you have a car, Goult will probably be just fine. It's certainly a better choice than Apt, Saignon, or Aix. Are you driving from Nice?

There really is no one "best" location, but for only 4 nights I wouldn't change accommodations. Have you looked into Isle-sur-la-Sorgue or Fontaine-de-Vaucluse? They're a little closer to Avignon and Arles, but still in the Luberon.

Posted by
123 posts

I would lean toward staying in St. Remy. It's a cute little town, very walkable with nice shops and restaurants. From there you can easily get to Les Baux as well as Avignon or Arles. Check out the market days for when you will be in town as that can factor into your plans. If you can go to the Saturday market in Arles, it's fantastic. There is an incredible restaurant in the town of Fontvieille called Le Patio. The town is not far from St. Remy and you would pass through there on your way back from Arles. Here is the mini description from Rick's Provence & the French Riviera guidebook. It's tres romantic!

"For a fine dinner, consider Le Patio (menus from €29, closed Wed and Sun nights, in center of Fontvieille at 19 Route du Nord, tel. 04 90 54 73 10)."

Posted by
5678 posts

I was going to suggest St. Remy also. http://www.saintremy-de-provence.com/home.html I liked the city. I stayed in the city centre at the L'Auberge de la Reine Jeanne. I like the restaurant. My room was huge. It was in the front so there was some noise.

I also stayed in Roussillon. It's a wonderful hill top village. My first night I stayed in town at a Rick Steves recommended hotel, but I cannot remember the name. I decided to stay in the area though even though I had to change hotels and I went to Les Sables D'Ocre. They have a great pool.

Pam

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