Travel in Provence Question

I had a car for Provence so can't answer about getting around without a car. However, I think the people here who could answer that would need a little more information from you. How are you getting to Provence? From where? How long are you planning on being there? Do you want one base that you can explore out from? Or would you want to move at least once to see a different area of Provence - it's a large area. Do you have any particular sites or cities that you want to visit?
Do you prefer small villages or larger cities? Public transportation will be easier in and from a larger city. If you answer these questions I'm sure you'll get lots of ideas to help you plan.

Sue, depending on how long you will be there, you can see Arles, Avignon, Aix and Nimes on public train transportation. The more eastern part of Provence, where several of the most beautiful villages in France are located are more difficult to get to on public transportation.

Orange is also on the rail line, and in season buses can take you to Les Baux, the Pont du Gard, the Camargue, and St. Remy. Bicycling is also an option.

We stayed in Montpellier for 3 days and Avignon for 2; were able to take trains to most of what we wanted to see, but our next-to-last day we splurged on a Provence Panorama all-day tour. It was great. We were the only two passengers, and we saw St Remy, Glanum (Greek and Roman ruins hear St Remy), les Baux, Pont du Gard, the arch and the Roman theater at Orange, the remains of the Pope's new chateau (Chateauneuf du Pape but that always sounds like a wine to me, not a building), and ended with a chocolate and wine tasting... It was great having someone else do the driving and we packed a huge amount into that one day. I did rent a car in Sicily for one day, and it was ok, but I was really happy to walk or let someone else drive during our France leg.

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is also accessible by train, and tons of smaller towns are accessible by bus. Depends on how much time you have, because bus travel isn't exactly "quick and easy."

As Larry said, some places are easy, others are much harder. We spent a week in St. Remy w/o a car. There was bus service, but pretty much everything went through Avignon. We got to see a lot, but it generally took awhile to get places, and due to the bus connection schedules, we spent a fair bit of time hanging around Avignon. I don't think it's something I would do again.

I spent 10 days in Provence without a car, staying in Marseille, Arles, Avignon, and Aix. I also saw Orange and Nimes (my favorite of all these places). I got to all of these places by bus and train, and it was easy. As others have posted above, you can see a few other places in the area without a car. But the "Provence" that most people are thinking of, the place with the lavender fields and small villages, is not readily accessible without a car. So, whether you will enjoy your carless Provence trip depends on your goals.