Earlier I asked questions about visiting Carcassonne & have now decided against staying there. When we leave Nice, we have 5 days before we arrive in the Dordogne. For those 5 days we will not have a car. Originally we thought we'd spend 3 ngts in Avignon & 2 elsewhere?? We then thought perhaps we should go to Aix for 2 & then Avignon for 3. Now I'm wondering if perhaps we should just base ourselves in Avignon for 5, or is Nimes a better base? Thanks to anyone that can help out!
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
I cant advise on where to stay, but be sure to see the triple ?Aqueduct at Pont Du Gard, just 20 km northeast of Nimes. It was built by the Romans and is in excellent condition.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Personally I like Arles, though without a car Avignon is arguably a slightly better transit hub.
Posted by
San Leandro, CA, USA
632 posts
Aix 2 nights...Avignon 3 nights...both have lots to offer and even without a car, you can catch local nearby sites via tours...(Pont du Gard is definitely worth the trip). Our last trip to Provence, we home based in St Remy and drove all over visiting Les Baux, Arles, Pont du Gard, Avignon, and Isle sur la Sorgue...we spent a night in Aix and could have stayed longer (and we stayed only one night in Cassis we should have stayed at least 2 nights).
Posted by
St. Saturnin-Les-Apt, Provence, France
44 posts
Gail -
Without a car, I'd recommend splitting your time between Aix and Avignon. They are quite different in terms of feeling and atmosphere - both well worth the visit.
Aix is a university town and always has a lively feel to it. It's beautiful - though sometimes in a subtle way. If you can time it so that you are there for the morning market (Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday) that would be ideal.
Avignon, by contrast, has a more monumental feel to it, architecturally, with the Pope's Palace dominating. Always feels a bit like Paris to me somehow. It definately has better public transport connections - if you could manage to be there Sunday morning, think about taking the train to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue where there is another fantastic Provencal market.
If not, the Tourist Offices in both can point you towards tours in the countryside. Pont du gard, from Avignon, as mentioned would be a great idea. Or some wine-tasting around Chateauneuf. From either, a trip into the Lubeorn hilltowns would be easily doable.
-Kevin
Posted by
in a train schedule...
267 posts
...What Kevin said!
Aix doesn't have fabulous intra-city transportation, but it is extremely pedestrian friendly. (Watch your step for doggy poo ;) Avignon is lovely as well. For Avignon, inquire about the tourism pass. It allows you to pay full price for the first attraction, then pay discounted prices for additional ones.
Posted by
OP
Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
126 posts
Wow, thanks for all the wonderful replies. In the end though, we found a wonderful little apt right in Avignon which we are taking for the full 5 ngts. I am sure we will be doing lots of day trips around the area, but will definitely print off everyone's suggestions. Thanks a lot!
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
80 posts
Gail,
I would recommend staying in Avignon. Since they have two train stations there and 1 is for the TGV it is so much easier to do day trips from there. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
Kate
Posted by
Reseda, CA, USA
196 posts
I stayed in Hotel Donjon inside the city walls of Carcasonne it was beautiful (I hope you change your mind). Nimes is nice day trip but it isn't as good a base as Avignon. Avignon is a great stopover because of excellent train connections. Arles is great for 4 nights you can visit the Camargue and do a Safari, Van Gough slept here and there and it has an arena just like Nimes and you might find that it is a good alternate. As others have said the pont du gard is not to be missed. Without a car the pont du gard can be reached by bus from Nimes.