We are planning a trip for early summer in Provence. We know we'd like to spend 5 nights centered around Arles and have been thinking 5 nights at the same site. But we are unsure as to whether we should stay in the city center (in a comfy, yet not commercial) hotel or stay a few minutes outside of the city in a B&B? There are benefits and drawbacks to both: city- walking distance to sites and shops, especially if you are going out for a cafe breakfast, but we plan to make many day trips so will the convenience be worth it do deal with city parking/traffic? Country - quiet, beautiful, relaxing, but no conveniences and few options for meals unless out on our day trips.
To add an extra layer of confusion, it was also suggested we break up the 5 nights and stay 2 perhaps in city and 3 perhaps in countryside, maybe a little further from Arles, more central to other day trips. Those of you have been and done, suggestions? ps: we will have already spent a week in Italy in a mix of B&B and city hotel (american chain), and 2 nights in Nice (american hotel)
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
811 posts
suggest you get a car - you see more and have the option to stay in a country house if you want. if don't plan to get a car, then stay in avignon is probably better. it has a bus barn you can use to visit small villages and the train station is also near by. i have stayed in arles without a car and can tell you on the weekends it's very frustrating with its bus system - it's so limited and not on time.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
What places do you want to see in Provence besides Arles? This would determine my answer about where to stay. Having stayed in Arles without a car for a few days, I can say that Avignon, Marseilles, and Nimes would be accessible as day trips without a car. Most other places wouldn't be. I did prefer Arles to Avignon, but these are both cities. If your goal is to see small villages and lavender fields, I would stay close to these, meaning in a village north of Avignon.
Posted by
OP
greensboro
3 posts
We will have a car and hasn't really seen critique of possible traffic issues gettin in/out of Arles. We would like to on route from Nice to see some villages of Luberon, Cotes du Rhone wine trail, maybe St Remy, around Arles, and Camarge. We may stay in Luberon as a way to slow down but just wondering if it would be easier to have 1 location and drive all around?