Most of the advice I've read and browsed seems to suggest that Arles is a better base for Provence than Avignon, but I wonder if the theater festival in July might swing it in Avignon's favor? I'm passing through for 2 nights July 8-10 and I won't have a car, traveling primarily by train.
Any suggestions?
If you want to see theater during the festival, then by all means, Avignon would be the place to be.
With only two days you will not have a lot of time to see the surrounding countryside, also giving a slight nod to Avignon as connections are a bit easier to a few more places.
It just all depends on what your interests are.
Yeah, two nights is definitely not long enough! I suppose I'm just going to peek around and whet my appetite for a longer stay in the region on my next trip. :)
I don't know anything about Arles, but Avignon was very cute and gave a nice teasing taste of the area. The Palais de Papes is neat to see and there are a couple great little wine shops hidden down cool, shady little offshoots of the main tourist drag near the Palais. Walking from the train station (there are two so make sure you know which one is which and where you're landing/taking off from) would have been easy from one and not too bad from the other if it hadn't been the middle of the night and pouring down rain!
Regardless of what you end up doing, gorgeous area! Too bad only two nights
If you were spending more time in the area, I'd agree that Avignon has more connections for day trips. But with only 2 nights, you'll just be soaking up the Provence life in one town, so I would make it Arles. It seems more typical of the other smaller towns that you otherwise might travel to, and it's still easy to reach by train. Also, Avignon is kind of a zoo during the theater festival -- it could be a fun experience itself if you're into that, but if you're looking for what Provence is normally like, you won't get it during that. It's also really hard to find any well-priced room (or any room at all!) during the festival. Both are great places though!
Although I much prefer Avignon to Arles as a base, there is a caveat about the July Festival. Prices on everything go up...hotels, restaurants, etc. Itis very very crowded and the Festival's events are in French!!! SInce you have such a short time to stay, perhaps in this instance, Arles would be a better choice. There is lots to see there and if you want, you can always the the train to Avignon for a while.
Not that it makes a huge difference, but it's up to 3 nights now! ;)
I would suggest Arles - maybe use your new "extra" day for a day-trip to Avignon. It should be somewhat less expensive and busy, especially at a festival time.
