Arles or St. Remy?

Greg,
My husband and I stayed in both towns last year for a week long stay in Provence. We loved St Remy. From there we visited Les Baux and Van Gogh's sanitarium. However from Arles we could visit Avignon, the Luberon region, Pont de Gard and even the Cotes de Rhone region. So I would vote for Arles even though it is a little harder to get in and out of. If you don't have a hotel yet, we stayed at Hotel Calendal in Arles. The parking is far from the hotel but on the ring road so you can get out of the city easier. In St Remy we stayed at Hotel Du Soleil, a very nice place. Both are recommended by Rick Steves in his book. Have fun. Either town/city are wonderful. Jennifer

Greg, I posed the question to my husband and he came up with an entirely different response. He votes for St Remy because it is centrally located, easier to get in and out of, parking is free, there was a pool at our hotel, and it is very quiet but the town does have activity at night. I still like Arles because I love walking by the river and seeing the roman ruins. At night St Remy is quieter but still nice to walk around, Arles is busier with more to see. As I said you really can go wrong with either.

Love both, but I have spent over a month on a few separate trips and I love St. Remy as my home base, but I like smaller villages. There is still great shopping there and a fabulous market. Also plenty of restaurants are open late, but to wander around in the evening through the streets is delightful. Also a morning walk to the hospital where Van Gogh was is not to be missed.

I enjoyed both towns but have used Arles as my base 2X. You can't go wrong either way. However Arles worked for me becuz of the nearby villages and I love to stroll Arles day or night. If a pool is imp then maybe you should stay in St R. but you must stroll Arles and see the Roman coliseum there and views from.

We were in Provence in June and based ourselves in St Remy wo any regrets at all. It was a perfect size and location for day trips. OTOH, we did not love Arles-drove for an hour to find parking. Other than the 12th C Romanesque Church we found it charmless-way larger than we expected. The small villages were wonderful: Rousillon, Gordes, Bonnieux, Isle sur La Sorgue, Les Baux, etc. Parking was an issue in many places-start early in the day if possible.

Greg, You sent me a PM for a few of my favorite towns but before I got a chance to reply all the above towns are winners. Also the Abbey de Seneague. Another really fun day we had was an olive oil tasting at Chateau d' Estoublon just outside of Fontieville, which is very near St. Remy. I also agree that Arles was much larger and more confusing than I care for. I stayed there once and it took me over an hour to find my hotel, but it still was worth a day. It was fun, but St. Remy is more the size of town I really like. I also don't remember how long it takes to get to the coast, but I love the little beach town of St. Maxime. I think its a bit larger than St. Remy, but great beach area to sunbathe or just walk, good restaurants and lots of fun shopping. I just can't go to Europe without spending some time at my beloved Mediterranean Sea!

St Remy if you have a car, Arles if you don't. But both good.

@Terry Kathryn or all, Where do you find out about these events like the olive oil tastings? Is there an event listing somewhere or do you just comes across it as you travel?

I am a fairly spontaneous traveler and usually have a car, so I have come across many amazing adventures. This particular olive oil tasting happened because we were on a photo sabbatical in St. Remy. One of the men in our group was at a restaurant and someone dining at the next table noticed he had on a Breitling watch. Funny, they owned the company and also owned the Chateau. After a bit of dinner conversation he and our whole group (almost 30 of us) were invited for the tasting and lunch and a private tour of the house they were going to renovate. Since out plans are typically flexible we jumped on the opportunity...but, now I can recommend it to you. I tend not to overplan and always ask at the hotel I am staying or the waitstaff for suggestions once I get there. Has to be a lot of surprises for me on a trip. If I know everything I am doing and it is too planned out I am not a happy traveler.