How to spend six days in Provence

Well, I am a sucker for Roman antiquities, and was bowled over by the arena and temple in Arles, the theater in Orange, and the Pont du Gard aqueduct. I never made it to Nimes, said to have the best-preserved arena and temple. Except for the aqueduct, all of these are served by rail. There's a bus to the Pont du Gard that terminates in Nimes and Avignon, though it may be seasonal. Personally I would want a car for more than one day, to get out into the countryside and see a few small towns in the Luberon. You are right to think that you do not need one every day, but maybe once you've read a few guidebooks and have a strong sense you will want to rent for 2 or 3 days of your 6. You might also consider Glanum, outside of St Remy; Les Baux (disparaged by some here but a spectacular site), the Camargue, and the towns of the Sorge valley. October is a wonderful time to visit Provence and I wish you a great trip!

We're going to Montpellier for three weeks in July (summer school) and I will be reading all the posts here to get some ideas myself! Thanks

We had rented a car from Arles while we were there and we did RS drive through the Cotes du Rhone area. We really enjoyed that. We actually were based out of Avignon that night but it would just be a little longer drive from Arles. Also, while we were waiting in line to get our rental car, another american couple told us that they had just been to Les Baux and thought it was great so we decided to add it to our itinerary and we really liked going there. Not very far from Arles. Great views from the ruins area...cute little town and the drive back into Arles was kind of scenic. I'm glad we went.

When my husband and I went a few years ago, we did not rent a car for anything, and we seemed to be able to reach all that we wanted to see just fine. The Roman amphitheater and museum in Arles were fascinating. We got a good dose of the mistrals when we were there (in May), so be prepared! I don't remember any of it being excessively strenuous, but it was beautiful! Have fun!

We really enjoyed Avignon, just a nice town to walk shop at the market, the Palace of Popes and the Pont d'Avignon were a nice way to spend a few hours. Another small mountain top town we liked was Le Castellet close to Toulon, as the town is not in any of the books I have read on the region it retains a lot of character, however it is known to locals. Since the TGV doesn't run into the area immediate to the village I think it keeps away a lot of tourists. However, there is a battler there right now where the local residents don't want a TGV to run through but the government is attempting to put on through the area, should be interesting to see what happens there. Bon voyage.

The Luberon should be high on your list. Public transport isn't an option for getting around. There is much to see and do there: perched villages, pretty wineries, a Roman bridge, good restaurants. In fact, I would put the Luberon first and devote a whole day to it. On the way back to Arles you could take a small detour through Aix to see if you want to return for a visit. Another good day trip would be a drive to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue, onto Aigues-Mortes, then up to Uzes and the Pont du Gard, and back to Arles. All the places are interesting to see and don't involve strenuous walks. Use viamichelin.com to get route suggestions, estimated drive times and toll info.

What great suggestions. I'll get out the map and start figuring out an itinerary soon. Thank you!

Hi Beth - To add to the suggestions already mentioned, the medieval part of Vaison la Romaine is worth seeing. Also visiting market days in various towns and villages. Most guidebooks list market days in each town. My favorite is the Friday market in Lourmarin.

Beth, I know this has been said many, many times on this forum but it's important. If you don't already have it, get RS Provence & French Riviera guidebook. Also look at other guidebooks specificaly on Provence. They will give you the most detailed information on the places you might want to see, then you can decide how many days (if any) you would need to rent a car to get to them.
Hope you have a great trip!

Yes, I will read guidebooks and look at online web sites for the various towns. I have also learned through the years that sometimes information from people who have been to a place is a great addition to what the guidebooks say.

Beth, Absolutely agree with you about other traveller's advice!
I get the most fabulous advice on this forum - love it.