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Help with Provence itinerary July '08

Posted by (Davidson, NC, USA) on

We are an active family of four (mom, dad, 16yr son & 11yr daughter)with rental car staying at Mas Saint Antoine 7km from Avignon on the road to St. Remy. Any comments or suggestions on the following?
Monday 7/14 (Bastille Day)-early TGV from Paris to Avignon, pick up rental car, check-in, food shop, rest/swim. Find Bastille Day celebration (fireworks?) close by.
Tuesday 7/15 - Early drive to Vaison la Romaine for market, sightsee, wine tasting, drive to Mont Ventoux for lavendar road and picnic. Home for evening - cook in.
Wednesday 7/16 - mid-morning to Arles for market, sightsee & lunch. Go to Les Baux late afternoon to avoid crowds. Dinner in St Remy on way home.
Thursday 7/17 - morning Pont du Gard, canoe, stop in Uzes for lunch, Nimes in evening for "Jeudi de Nimes" and dinner. Friday 7/18 - In question - possibly Avignon or Chateauneuf-du-Pape & Orange, or Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, biking & Roussillon?
Saturday 7/19 - laundry & check-out..watch Tour de France somewhere near St Remy (will find out details), afternoon TGV from Avignon to Geneva and on to Switzerland.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks, Lisa

Posted by
4132 posts

This sounds like a fun and creative itinerary, obviously you've put a lot of thought into it.

I wonder what you are not saying about Tuesday when you drive to Mt. Ventoux. Consider, if you haven't already, a walk or hike in the Provencal countryside.

Will you be driving through the Luberon valley? If so, a shame not to stop and visit at least one of the hilltowns. You could change your plans a little and have dinner there.

Perhaps a fuller day than you'd planned, but what you've described--drive through the hills & picnic--sounds a bit thin. If this is intentionally a slow day, you might consider shifting it to later in the week as a kind of recovery day. Of course you know your family best.

On bikes--best to locate good machines before you leave.

Again, a fine itinerary--just trying to respond to your request for ideas.

Posted by
194 posts

Drive to Mont Ventoux...we actually drove OVER Mont Ventoux the other way. We stayed in Sault and enjoyed the lavendar fields before heading over to Vaison. If you're a Tour de France fan, climbing Mont Ventoux was one of the legs in 2002(?). We passed many Lance wannabees along the way. I can't remember how long it took, but I know it wasn't a short trip, especially if you have to head back to your home base.
Something we really enjoyed outside of Les Baux was the Cathedrale d'Images. Right now they're doing Van Gogh; we saw Portraits of China. It's an old limestone quarry that you enter with the towering stone pillars transformed into colossal screens for an incredible slide show along with music. All the walls are covered with different images that change every minute or so. They also project on the ceiling and floor. Quite impressive, and a nice refuge from the heat of July. www.cathedrale-images.com

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