Stella29

Good afternoon

I hope someone can help me because I feel totally out of my depth.
We will be arriving in Lyon after 20:00 on 30 June. Since we are traveling with our daughter of 9 months we decided to stay over at the airport hotel in Lyon and pick up our rental car on the morning of 1July - around 08:00

From here we must make our way to st Remy where I have booked for 9 nights...
My first question is: what is the best scenic route to get from Lyon to St Remy. We'd prefer to stay off the highways as much as possible.
Check in is only after 14:00 in st Remy so there is no rush.

Once in st Remy, I am clueless regarding what activities/towns I should combine for day trips from st Remy. Seems like there is so much to do, Aix, Arles, Nime, Orange etc and then all the Luberon villages...
I don't want to end up driving in all directions on one day... need to get it sorted out to have a sensible itinerary per day.
I have researched the Luberon towns and when they have their respective market days...
Are all the markets in the Luberon similar, or is it worthwhile to go to several of them?

We love dining, historic sites, shopping, strolling through small villages and taking in the beauty.
Also, if you have suggestions for cooking classes in the area I'd appreciate any advice. So far I haven't managed to find a place that assist me with a half day cooking class.


After st Remy we will have 3 nights in Annecy and 1 night in Geneva before we head home.

Please could you assist me with some suggestions regarding grouping activities/scenic drives/villages/towns etc together per day so that I could structure our itinerary for the first 9 nights in St Remy?

Kind regards
Christel


Sent from my iPhone

PalenQ

Don't forget Les Baux just a few miles from St-Remy and the modern town has a ***-star Michelin restaurant for a splurge last I knew.

And a day out in the Camargue -take horses into the wilds to see the famed wild horses of the Camargue and flamingos.

AJPeabody

Backroads France is a good guidebook for good routes. If all else fails, Michelin maps color scenic routes green.

massimop

There are a lot -- and I mean a LOT of mosquitos in the Camargue in July. I would avoid it with a baby. You might also want to avoid towns right on the River, like Arles, in the evening or on overcast days.

Sorry I can't help you with your other questions, but I think you'll want to stay out of mosquito territory on your vacation with the baby. You can find a lot about mosquitos in Provence on the internet.

Robert2016

Unless you stick with the main highway, the A-7, you could easily spend 5 or more hours behind the wheel, making for a very long day. I would take the TGV from Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu to Nimes and pick up the rental car there. There is a 13h36 departure (1hr 25min). Or take the 10h36 TGV to Avignon (1hr 7min).

Saint-Rémy is about a 50-minute drive from Nimes and only 30 minutes from Avignon.

StCirq

The way to get it all sorted out and have a sensible itinerary each day is to get hold of Michelin Map #527 and plan your trips, being mindful of the scale of the map, the types of roads, and what you want to see in every location.

There is no need to market-hop all over the Lubéron. Some are better than others, but frankly most of them are offering the same goods (may even be the same vendors).

dugi_otok

>>My first question is: what is the best scenic route to get from Lyon to St Remy. We'd prefer to stay off the highways as much as possible.
Check in is only after 14:00 in st Remy so there is no rush.<<

Via Gorges de l'Ardeche could make a very scenic route.

https://goo.gl/maps/LiT5aWhLwTS2

https://goo.gl/maps/iiHJoNpoizC2

https://about-france.com/tourism/ardeche.htm

Stella29

Thank you all for the suggestions. Good to know about the mosquitos ��
I do have the Michelin green guide for Provence.
Will I be able to buy the maps at the Lyon airport? Won't be able to order now - as we are leaving on 29 June
I also need to get a sim card- would I be able to get it form the airport?

PalenQ

Will I be able to buy the maps at the Lyon airport?>

Probably -any newsstand has Michelin maps -widely available everywhere IME. Get the 1:200000 scale maps - again cafes, tobacconists and newstands and gas stations have them - your car rental should provide a good enough one to get to St-Remy!

Bonne route!

Stella29

Robert2016: We will be travelling with our daughter - 9 months old - hence we prefer to not use public transport when we still have all our luggage, carriers and pram with us
Having the car also makes it easier to take a break - little ones get tired of being strapped into a pram/carrier
PalenQ: Thanks for info regarding maps - at least that is one thing I have sorted out now.

Any information on sim cards and where I it would be easiest to buy?

StCirq

You can pick up a SIM card at almost any Relay store at an airport, a tabac, a supermarket, a phone store.

aliced

Where are you staying in St. Remy? Loved Le Soleil, which is on a nice street and quiet from which to stroller up 2 blocks to the "old village" as well as being across the street from the Tourist Office which was helpful. We had the Michellin driving map which was handy out in the villages.

billandcindy

Stayed in St. Remy a few times, from a weekend to 10 days. We always try to map out what we want to do each day. With a (very) young one, I wouldn't try to do too much on any one day. There is a lot to see in or near St. Remy: Roman ruins (Glanum), the monastery where Van Gogh spent a year towards the end of his life (Monastery Saint-Paul de Mausole), a beautiful lake a short drive or long walk from the center of town (Lac du Peiroou), Les Baux, Egalyières, vineyards, a nice little museum downtown, and a twice weekly market (Wed & Sat). I would also recommend day trips outside St. Remy at least every other day to, for example: Avignon; Arles; Gordes and the Luberon; Ménerbes, Oppède and Lacoste; Nimes, Uzes, and Pont du Gard; and maybe Salon-de-Province (if you're a Nostradamus fan; although born in St Remy, he spent his last years here). Until recently, there was a cooking school in St. Remy, but I think the owner retired and is (was) trying to sell it -- a large "mas" near downtown. There may be others though.

kerouac

Unless you really love spending a lot of time in small tourist oriented town, I can't imagine spending 8 days just in Saint Rémy. But since you have a rental car, I'm sure you know that there are lots of places to go every day -- Les Baux, Arles, Aigues Mortes... I suppose that it is a pretty good base after all.

Underhill

Use viamichelin.com to plot your routes.

JAD867

What cellular carrier do you have? I am traveling to France in July and called Verizon, and for $10 per day, I am now enabled to make calls and send texts on my regular plan. No visit to the verizon store required and no change to phone. And you only get charged for days you use it.Might want to call your carrier....

PalenQ

Yeh St-Remy is fairly quiet at least compared to Avignon (which I prefer because of the active strolling scene in evening) but many here say the quietness is what attracted them. And as a base great -much easier to drive out of than say Avignon.

I never stayed in St-Remy but went thru it a few times - always seemed kind of sleepy but others say that ain't really so. Yet I remember a dog lying in a main centre ville street.

StCirq

8 days in St-Rémy would drive me to delerium, but I imagine many people would enjoy it immensely. To me it is way overpriced, precious for a day or two, worth a visit to the market and a few shops (especially Joël Durant's chocolate shop), a convenient launch for places nearby in Les Alpilles and the Camargue. It might suit you fine if you plan to leave during the day most days and just come home and enjoy it in the evenings.

Pal, it hasn't struck me as sleepy at all in the past 15 years. More like overcrowded, especially with English speakers and few native French.

Stella29

Thank you for all the comments and advice.
We are from South Africa- will get Orange SIM card as SA carriers don't offer any special packages when traveling abroad and the cost of data on roaming is just ridiculous.

We decided to rent the apartment in St Remy because it is very central and comes with extras we will need (washer, drier, free parking, huge kitchen, park across the road with play area etc.
Not planning to spend every day in st Remy- will do daytrips to the Luberon and other towns.
I have booked a few private cooking classes (we are very much into that- local chef just 25 min drive from st Remy.

Feeling a bit frustrated because I am not able to buy the Michelin maps here. Will have to wait until we get to Lyon airport ...
I prefer planning ahead so this really sucks.

Been using other apps and at least I now have a better idea of the area and which busy routes to avoid.

Thank you once again for all the input. Much appreciated

Stella29

Viamchelin.com is amazing. Problems solved. Thank you Underhill