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Would you choose Aix-en-Provence or Lyon to spend 4 weeks in Dec/Jan?

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Hi all,

My husband and I are looking to spend about a month in France this winter. We will still have some work to do, so it's not strictly a vacation, but we do plan to take long weekends and will have some downtime for exploring, especially around the holidays.

I'm looking at either Aix-en-Provence or Lyon and would love some opinions on which may make a better base for "living" for a month, probably mid-December through mid-January. Would you recommend one over the other? Or, is there a 3rd option you might suggest?

To give you some background, I've lived in both Toulon and Montpellier for a year each, so I know Aix pretty well and have a good idea of what to expect in the winter there. I've never been to Lyon, though I have spent time in places somewhat around Lyon (Annecy, Clermont-Ferrand). We are both in our early 40s and pretty active. We live in NC so we are used to mild winters.

Some things I'm considering is that Aix will be warmer, and I know we could still get out and do some hiking or just sightseeing without being too bundled up. However, Lyon is a bigger city and may offer more to do when I know days will be short. I like the idea of exploring an area I'm less familiar with, and the food scene feels like it would be cosy that time of year. I think we'd probably arrive right after the light festival, unfortunately, so that doesn't really play into our choice.

I appreciate your insight and opinions!

Posted by
926 posts

I think Lyon would be a superb choice. Can't beat the food, much larger cultural scene than Aix, and the topography guarantees a workout. ;-)

You might also look into Nice and Cannes; weather should be even better.

Posted by
10509 posts

Lyon would be better. Aix can be dead when the students leave in early December. Aix has a smaller population than Montpellier, so unlike Montpellier, a lot closes up when the students are gone. With the frequent Mistral winds coming down the Rhone Valley in winter, Aix isn’t warmer than Lyon on those days. The difficulty I had with the Mistral during the 6 months we were in Cassis, is that you don’t know it’s coming until you wake up in the morning. Then outdoor plans you might have need to be adapted or canceled. When we were there, the Mistral was about every three days. You have to go further west (Montpellier) or further east (Côte d’Azur) to avoid the winds.

Posted by
77 posts

We've spent some winter months (January - March) in Lyon three (?) times now, for work-related reasons, and we love it. Lyon and Aix are both lovely, but Lyon is much more of an all-purpose city than Aix. Most of the time I'd say Lyon winters are in the same general temperature range as central NC (I'm originally from the Triangle area). Attractions in Lyon such as museums stay open through the winter to a much greater extent than things in more rural areas, but will have shorter hours. I think you'd find plenty to do, although the week between Christmas and New Year was kind of dead, but it's almost 30 years since we were there at that time of year and I think that may be less true now. You could always do what many Lyonnais seem to do and head for a ski resort (fun even if you don't ski).

Posted by
12313 posts

I like being further south in winter months. Aix is good for a short visit. If you use it as a base to see the area, it would be fine. I used Arles as a base and was very happy with the choice (visited Aix for only a half day). I wouldn't choose Provence in Spring, because of the seasonal winds (Mithral?)

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