We will be driving from Aix en Provence to the Nice area( we will be staying in Vence) and wanted to know the most scenic way to get there. We plan to leave early in the morning and would like to arrive by late afternoon. We are not interested in seing Marseilles. What part of the coastal road should we or should we not take?
Posted by
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
172 posts
We drove from Isle sur a Sorgue (sp?) to Nice via the Gorges du Verdon (in Rick's Provence & French Riviera book). Beautiful!!! Highly recommend it. This might be out of your way, but thought I'd give you my two cents worth!
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
There are two routes possible, the most direct being via the Grand Canyon du Verdun, which is more or less on a straight line betweeen Aix and Vence.The other way is to head south to the coast and then over. This route involves a substantial deviation south, so it's longer. If you've looked at a map you'll know what I mean.If you go via the Grand Canyon, you could do the last part of the route along the coast, or not, as you prefer.
Posted by
Paris, France
81 posts
In addition, take your time... if you zip through on the highway you can do Aix-Nice in 2 hours and then driven up to Vence in another 30-45 minutes. If you go by the Gorges du Verdon it will take you a good 4 hours altogether, not to mention all the irresistible photo breaks you'll have to make along the way... In the latter case I would just say, leave in the morning and take it easy!