Provence by rental car or public transportation?

You don't need to speak French to drive in France. You don't need to speak the local language to drive in western Europe. You do need to spend half an hour getting familiar with the basic road symbol signs. They are pretty much the same throughout Europe, and the French then throw in a few of their own. You need to know what the basic shapes mean, what a blue background means, what a red circle around the circumference means, what a greying out of the symbol means, what a slash means, what the town name sign means, a yellow diamond, a yellow diamond with a black sash, an exclamation mark, and what the unwritten speeds are in different places. Then just get familiar with the route you need and what towns it will go through, and follow the road signs. Simples!

Based on my experience there I would say that without a car you would be very limited. While you may find bus service to the villages it will likely be only a few times per day, not necessarily at convenient times. Michelin produces very good maps so French fluency is not required.

Get a GPS and practice with it at home. I drove around Provence and never got lost. It takes the stress out of driving. You really want a car there. Don't miss the Pont du Gard, plan to hang out for an afternoon.

If you are visiting for more than a few days you will not regret having a car. Especially this time of year ("soon") the bus system is spotty at best, so if you don't have a car you would be best off sticking to towns served by rail such as Arles, Avignon, and Nimes.

driving is very easy. don't use public transportation, unless you stay in say Avignon with a big bus barn, otherwise it's very limited. most small towns don't have bus, so you may need to hitchhike. it's very safe though, and people are willing to help.

Thanks for the replies folks. You've convinced me to rent a car (even though it probably costs more). I have driven in the Loire Valley, Sweden, Belgium, and Ireland, so I'm not totally naive.

I don't know your itinerary, but places like the perched villages and vineyards of the Luberon and the back roads of the Camargue require a car to see and enjoy. As you've driven in France before, you know what to expect.

If you want to do the villages, by all means use a car. Take a GPS that you know how to use with a euopean map card in it and back it up with some very large scal maps of Provence. GPS systems have an occaisional affinity for cow paths and there will be times when you will want to see where the heck you are in relation to the grand scheme of things. A small screen is inadequate at times. Rick's Provnece guide book has a ton of god information. Enjoy