Spring Trip to France

3 days in arles is too much - you only need 1 day to tour the city and 1 evening to check out the cafes. it's pretty quiet though and if you hit a market day it could be rewarding. you must have car - public transportation is not reliable, and if you need to take it on the weekend good luck - not much services. maybe you can train from paris to avignon then rent car from there. avignon also has a pretty big bus barn and if you really want to use public transportation you should leave from there instead of arles. the train station is also larger.

Hi Roberta - I would definitely rent a car for your time in Provence. I would also stay in one place in Provence, maybe rent a house or apartment, and make day trips to various towns/cities for markets, sightseeing. We stayed in Lourmarin for a week and drove to Vaison la Romaine, Gigondas, Isle sur la Sorgue, Aix, Cassis, the Luberon hill towns, Uzes, and St Remy. We used France Homestyle for our home rental and there are others such as VRBO. My favorite market is in Lourmarin on Friday. For wine tasting, I loved Chateau Mourchon in Seguret. In Giverny, be sure to take some time to walk through the village and have lunch at the Hotel Baudy. Enjoy!

The more I read about Provence, the more time I want to spend there so here's the new plan: Paris- one week
Provence-one week split between St Remy and Vaison la Romaine Seems this would cover the Luberon and cotes De Rhone and we could do some kayaking in La sorgue.. daughter wants to bike and wine..... Ideas? Input?

Ideas? Input? I think it's a charming plan, but then I thought your first plan was great too. The wine scene is Burgundy is arguably better (and very friendly ans accessible), and the biking is superb. But Provence is wonderful tooI do not think you will regret any time there. One logistical comment: avoid returning to Paris the night before your return flight. You might arrange to fly home from Marseilles, or take the direct TGV from Avignon to Charles deGaulle the morning of.

I agree with the other poster. This past summer we spent 5 nights in Avignon and found it to be a central location for exploring Provence - you can take the train to Arles. You will need a car for getting to hill towns, etc. You could spend a day visiting the towns in each direction, N, S , E and West, and Avignon itself has a lot of history. And of course while driving you're guaranteed to get "lost in Provence" which is an adventure in itself - and fun.

Ideas for Paris Museums. We've been to most of the museums so this past summer we visited L'Orangerie - where Monet's waterlilys hang and also a nice general collection. Also The Cluny - mediveal history inside a castle, this is located near the Sorbonne and St. Michaels Fountain - which is also a great neighborhood to walk around in.

I agree with Maureen on the Orangerie and the Cluny. You could also consider the Jacquemart Andre, the Marmatton, the Rodin, and the Carnavalet, in addition to the Louvre and the Orsay. Be sure to spend some time in the Luxembourg Gardens and walk through the Palais Royale. If you're there in June, you could check out the roses in the Parc Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne.

I agree that 7 days in Paris is fine if you really intend to visit all of the great museums and monuments. It will take that long to see them all. However, if you feel that you might be "museum-ed out", 5 days would be enough. I offer this thought as there is so much to see in Burgundy and Provence. In Burgundy, there is the Grand Cru trail. Very scenic and lots of wineries. It runs both south and north of Beaune. As noted above (especially from Grier), the Eastern part of Provence has much of the scenic roads and hilltowns. Lourmarin is extremely pleasant and quiet. As for bike riding, you can do it but it could be challenging and the roads are not all that wide and the traffic goes quite fast. In the hill towns, there are bikers that wish they were in the Tour de France so as a driver, you have to watch out for them. They are part of the landscape on the French country roads.

I am looking at towns in Central Provence and am puzzled where to stay..don't want a city( Avignon, Arles) Would prefer to stay one place for a week and be able to walk to town for shopping, coffee, dinner. Was pretty sure St Remy was it and the more I read the more it seems expensive and touristy. Do you have specific towns you would recommend?

Roberta: Eastern Provence would be, for instance, Aix. That is a charming place for a day trip but I think you would be much better off with a central location in or near the Rhone valley. Note that you are unlikely to land a situation that is not in town (wherever town is) but that is a short walk from town. Land-use patterns in France are, with some exceptions, different from those here. Towns tend to be compact, sometimes walled, and cheek by jowl with farms and countryside. Little or no intervening sprawl. That said, you might find something close to town.

Roberta, Since your new question comes at the end of your first thread, you will probably get more responses if you post it as a completely new question.