A Little Provence/French Riviera Help

Thanks for the reply Steve!

Airline tickets are already booked via our mileage plan. We indulged ourselves this year and booked business class seats; and although I regretted a trip back to Paris, it was the best value for a non-stop flight to Seattle. So that's a done deal.

The more relavent questions I should have asked are:

1. With only 6 days in the south of France what are recommendations for stays for this short amount of time. Should we try both the Provence and F/R regions; or focus on one vs. the other? What are the best stops?

2. Does anyone know of a more economical transportation choice between the Provence/FR region than my Marseille to Madrid Ryanair flight; which would be about 40E P/P? I've checked many flight and train options and have not found anything that's closely reasonable.

Grab the Ryan air tix at 40E p/p that is a great deal. In summer FR is a crowded area. if you decide anyway get your reserv for hotel very soon. I would opt however for Provence for the entire 6 days instead based out of Arles. Both areas are VERY diff from one another so you must decide what are the attractions for you and wife. Beach or countryside etc...Enjoy all is lovely in the end.

Substitute Nimes for Nice and you have a plan. See if you can slip in a few hours in Aigues Mortes. If you really need a glimpse of the riviera slip down to Bandol, St Tropez, or Cassis.

The other possibility was Eurolines coach, but I checked Marseille-Madrid on their website and they only seem to have overnight journeys at a price close to the Ryanair fare.

Jeff - I'd stay in Provence and save Nice for another trip. If you stay in Aix or even Arles, you could make a day trip to Cassis, a wonderful village on the Med so you'd at least get a taste of the Med. I recommend renting a car and using a GPS.

For history and ruins, the sights are Pont du Gard, Orange, Nimes, Les Baux, and Vaison la Romaine.

For villages and scenery, choose among Gordes, Roussillon, Vaison la Romaine, Lourmarin, the Cotes du Rhone villages near Vaison, Lacoste.

Be sure to visit at least one market day in Provence. Many guidebooks list market days.

Early July is the beginning of lavender season which is definitely worth seeing. The Abbey of Senanque near Gordes is known for its lavender fields but there are many other areas too.

I agree with Grier. Stay in Provence with only 6 days. Nice is beautiful, but a little out of the way. Anyways, there is so much to see and do in Provence, it is worth the few days.

Give at least a full day for Avignon and the Palace of the Popes. Arles has an interesting Roman Colosseum to see. I like the idea of going to the Med for a day trip, that way you get a nice taste of the area.

That is a great deal for a flight from Marseilles.

I think you've gotten some great advice and will have a very memorable trip.

In fairness I have to say that although I personally would prefer to spend all of that time in Provence you could split things up and get a taste of the Riviera as well. Given that you will be marching across Spain for 20 days, though, maybe you want to stay put for a while.

My only advice is this. Spend some time with a few guidebooks and get a good idea of what you'd like to see and do. Unless your vacation is mostly about relaxing in a posh place, let those priorities inform your choice of home base. There are lots of great places to stay and it will mean less driving.

Arles (or Nimes, or St. Remy, or any number of other places near the Rhone delta) are great, but if you really want to soak up the Luberon hills, find a hilltown. Etc.

You probably want to nail down reservations for that time of year pretty far in advance.

Have a great time!

Skip Nice. We did not like it and wished we had stayed longer in Provence. St. Remy is a really lovely town, by the way.

Nice is touristy, crowded, and there is not much to do there.

Thanks for all the input everyone!

After seeing your suggestions I think it makes a lot of sense to focus on Provence; especially since we will need to make our way back to Marseille for a flight to Madrid. During my intial planning I thought we would be able to find an affordable flight from Nice to Spain; but I'm not seeing anything resembling a good deal. Besides, we'll get some beach time in southern Spain.

It's just so easy to want to bite off a few extra destinations during your travels. So much to see; and so little time!

Thanks again for the great advise.