My husband and I want to see parts of Provence, South of France and try to include Cinque Terre in the same trip. We will have a full 2 weeks in country and would prefer not to rent a car this trip but we are still open to it. Not sure the best place to fly in and out of to make our time efficient but think we prefer to start with Provence. We were in Paris and Beaune 1 1/2 yrs ago so no need to start our trip that far north unless there is some huge benefit on travel time/cost.
Any comments you may have on the best fly in/fly out cities, coordination of route between Provence/South of France/Cinque Terre stops would be great including any comments about these destinations.
Posted by
winston salem, nc, usa
1078 posts
If you can, fly to Nice,rent a car and leave! Check expedia.co.uk for rates. The best way to see Provence and the south is by car(humble opinion).
Look at Aix, Nimes, Chateau neufdupape(world class wine) Utz, then on to the Dordogne, Carcasonne, Albi, and Coulierre. all this wouldn't leave time for the Cinque Terre, wich would probably take two to three days plus rail time to get to and get out of.
For the Terre, should be in pretty god shape as lots of stairs and ups and downs!
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
719 posts
If you want to experience rural, tiny village Provence (i.e. Luberon), then you'll really want a car for at least part of it. On my 3 week trip to France last spring, I spent about 8 days in Provence, starting in Arles (by train), travelled to Avignon (by train), for 3 days, then rented a car, went to Pont du Gard (do NOT miss this!) and then into the heart of the Luberon (Rousillon, Bonnieux, La Coste, Cucuron, Lourmarin, Gordes, etc.) Much of the small town/countryside allure that is Provence would be lost without a car. You can see some of the major cities, but you'll not get into the country. Incidentally, my 5 day rental for that portion of the trip was about $160 via EuropeCar. I arranged it over the phone while in Arles (when I realized that I would need a car). Well worth it.
Posted by
OP
Newport Beach, CA, USA
54 posts
Thanks for all the great tips - I think we will fly into Nice if we can arrange the frequent flier mileage and will play around with what city to fly home from. We have not been to Milan or Pisa so one of those 2 might work. Based on what some of you said I think we will get a car for part of the trip in Provence.
Darren, what time of year did you rent the car locally in Arles? I have only arranged a rental from the U.S. beforehand but our trips are normally in May to early June so I never wanted to take the risk of a car shortage.
Thanks for all of your suggestions.
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
719 posts
I was Arles in Mid-may. I just called a travel agent in the states, and he arranged the car through Europecar in Arles for the next day. I had options through Avis (I believe?) as well, but EuropeCar was a little cheaper. The reason that I waited was because I thought that I could get away without a car, but realized that it wasn't the case when I got there.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
This sounds like a fabulous trip!
It would probably be most efficient for you to fly into Marseilles and visit Provence > Cote D'Azure > CT, in that order. You should also price itineraries with flights into Nice, or even Paris (direct TGV from Charles DeGaulle to Avignon!)
You should also weigh the cost and convenience of driving to the CT (and then back to Nice to avoid huge fees) versus taking the train (and flying home from Milan or Rome). The rail connections to the CT are not great, but it's a lot of driving too (and you can't use a car once you get there).
I'd base myself near the Rhone for the Provencal part of such a trip (a nebulous area that includes the Luberon hills if that is where you would like to spend your time).
Have a great trip!