From Arles to Nice

You've got it wrong, Bets. The folks in the south are saints. A couple of years ago I'd dropped Herself off at a hotel in Marseille and went off to find a place to park way the heck up the hill. All I could find for free (being cheap) was in front of a hole-in-the-wall, really sleazy bar - - the kind I remember fondly from my early, formative years before the city got half-way cleaned up. It was way to far to move the junk back to the hotel, but, being a savy travler, I took the usual precautions (I went in and had a couple of beers with the ruffians just to show them that I was a no-nonsense kind of guy). That image went away rather promptly as I lost twenty bucks (still unreported to Herself) playing some damn board game that I thought I understood but apparently did not. Anyway, when I came back two days later to get the car, not only was the stuff still on the back seat but the gps (which I always turn off and toss on the floor, being a savy traveler and all) was still on the windshield, and still turned on, where it had been glowing away for two nights.........And for Susan: combine the rest of the mob's ideas which were better than mine - - especially Nigel's Roussillon recommendation. I've become a cynic, but that place will leave you gasping for air at sunset.

In answer to your specific question, think about Draguignan. It's a town you could actually live in without the tourist throngs and makes a nice break. It has a real good artillery museum (if you're the kind of person who prays to St Barbara) and the only handy dolmen in the region that I can think of if you've never seen one........To butt in where uninvited, I'd pick Nimes (and I'm not a fan of cities) over Arles as a base since it gives you a bit more to do in the evening after your day expeditions and it's more centrally located for visits to Orange, Pont du Gard, and the rest of the lower Rhone area. Admittedly, I'm not a champion of Arles (Orange has more and better of the same kind of stuff), so take my ideas wit a cup of salt......In response to your weighting question, I'd stuff all my time into the western area, leave early on the next to last day for the drive along the Riviera. It's about a three-hour drive from Arles to Nice, leaving enough time for the obligatory stops at Antibes, Cannes (good market and not much else, but it'll be late in your trip to buy much besides cheese and other non-perishables), etc. To me, Nice would not be much more than a place to have supper and twiddle my thumbs while waiting to go to the airport except for the Chagall museum and a walk along the promenade - - it's just too jumbled and big..........If Bets stumbles along, she'll probably have a lot better insight.

Ed has some good ideas here. I agree about Nice. I do like the first 3 or 4 blocks in from the sea but let me assure you >>you do not want a car in Nice<<. Parking is really really tough in Nice. Driving is no bowl of peaches either. If you're unlucky your car will have a dent it didn't before. You can train into Nice easily, or bus. And I drive everywhere. Really, ditch the car before Nice. Where I disagree with Ed is where to stay between Nimes (Orange, Arles, etc.) and Nice. I would (and have) drive straight through. After you pass Nice, land in a beautiful place like Villefranche, Beaulieu or Eze. The crowds should be diminished, the scenery is lovely, the views fantastic. Good inexpensive bus service or find somewhere with parking so you can (carefully) drive the corniches. If you must stop before Nice consider St Raphael which is close to where Ed said but on the coast. You've never lived until you have clambered on Calanques. I'd go with the 50/50 split. But you're the one on the trip. Do you like inland (Provence cities, Pont du Gare, Isle-sur-la-Sorge(sp), Rousillon (wow!!!); or do you prefer seaside and mountains, walking along the shore, chilling, Nice,boats, the Monet museum, Chagal museum. The choice is yours

Cassis[INVALID]it's a great place to stay between Arles and Nice. A dramatic site, it has the highest cliff overlooking the sea in all of Europe and the calanques which were mentioned earlier. It's a small town built around its harbor which makes it very walkable. Being near Marseille, the inhabitants are full of that sparkling, southern personality. By the way, the fishing boats come in very early, sell their catch on the dock, and the market is on Friday. It would be a lovely change from all the big cities you are visiting. You can do a little more in Nice than twiddle your thumbs but in some ways it is a base to drive, train, or bus out to other areas: Biot for the glassblowers, the Picassso museum, Eze, Villefranche, Monaco, Grasse perfumeries, the Rothchild chateau overlooking the sea, etc. I agree with Nigel about parking a car in Nice if you are responsible to the rental company. Also, anywhere in the south, don't leave anything visible in the car. Ed won't agree because he's never had a break-in in all his years, but I can vouch that it does happen.

Susan, no arguments with anything above. If you want to keep the car as long as possible in order to drive the corniches and see Eze, etc., we solved this by staying in Villefranche, rather than Nice. It was easy to catch the train from Villefranche to see what Nice had to offer, as well as other nearby towns. I haven't stayed in Antibes to see how parking is there, but that's our plan for next time. We actually dropped the car at the Nice train station, and it was no picnic, but doable, although the transit changes were just under construction at that point. I'm not up to date on driving in Nice now that they're finished (I believe). I think the reason we didn't drop it at the airport was that we spent the last couple of days on foot. I suspect the airport would be much easier to navigate, if that's a possibility for you.

Thank you all for your ideas! Greatly appreciated. Turns out that we had a snafu with our free flights and now we will NOT be flying out of Nice! So I am thinking we will take the train to Avignon and stay in that area for 4 days visiting towns you suggested.

If you have a chance to get over into the Var region, the perched villages such as Chateudouble and Bargeme are lovely. Lac St. Croix is also breathtaking.

You could also try the little cities or villages in Toulon area - I'm thinking of Le Vieux Castellet, La Cadière d'Azur, Le Beausset, Ollioules, all off the coast. If you prefer being on the seaside, then you could opt for Bandol, Sanary sur Mer, Six Fours, La Lecque, St Cyr sur Mer, La Ciotat. All that area is just lovely and half way between Arles and Nice.