My husband and I are going to be in Provence the end of June. We've decided (based on previous posts) to use either Les Baux De Provence or St Remy De Provence as our base and then spend the days seeing the sites - Roman Aquaduct, Arles, Agvinon, Luberon, etc. We'll be renting a car so getting around shouldn't be an issue. My question is...which town is better to stay in? From looking at the hotels online, it appears that both have lovely hotels & B&Bs. We currently are holding 2 reservations, one in each town, but can't decide. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
St. Remy would be my first choice by a mile. While I enjoyed going to Les Baux for an evening...it is definitely an 'over the top' tourist place, where as St. Remy is like a real town. Also, there is a hike up to Les Baux and I think you have to park at the bottom and walk in each time. The drive in to St. Remy is also just beautiful... the quintessential road with the beautiful trees lining each side of the road. I have stayed in St. Remy a number of times and I guess my love of it is obvious. Great restaurants, shopping, markets, etc.
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
What Tk said - - except scratch out 'evening' and insert in its place 'ten minutes' for Les Baux.
Posted by
OP
Crystal Lake, IL, USA
5 posts
Thanks for the input!
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
207 posts
We did a week in St. Remy and loved every minute... convenient base for Provence, charming, friendly town...one of our best stays ever...
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
Definitely St. Remy. And there are also plenty of great walks around and from the town. But I think Ed is a little unfair to Les Baux. I think we spent a half hour there when we stayed in St. Remy.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
@Ed & Robert... maybe you were just with the wrong people in Les Baux :)))
(or you didn't have enough wine...now that we have set the bar really low for Les Baux, they will probably like it... it's all about expectations)
Posted by
St. Remy de Provence, France
1 posts
Definitely stay in St. Remy, for all the reasons mentioned above. Les Baux is lovely late in the day, a couple hours before sunset, once the crowds have started to leave. And it will be much easier to park! Take in the new show (starting March 8) at the Carrieres des Lumieres (formerly Cathedrale des Images), then leave your car or move your car, hike up to the village, stop at the Tourist Office for a map of the sites, poke around, enjoy the gorgeous views and then head out elsewhere for dinner. Enjoy!
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
@Julie... is that the quarry where they show the images on the walls, floors, etc? If so, it is amazing.
Posted by
Santa Cruz
186 posts
Excuse me for tagging on......Julie and Terry kathryn, would you recommend
getting tickets to the Carrieres des Lumieres ahead of time? We're going in early June. Thanks!