thevacationqueen

We are planning a 10 day visit to the Provence region this fall--our dates are August 26-September 5th.

We are starting with a 3 night stay (2 full days) in Aix-en-Provence. We will rent a car as we leave Aix on Monday the 29th and keep the car for the entire week. We don't plan on using the car every day, but there are areas we'd like to visit that are not easily accessible by public transportation.

We're torn between spending a week in Arles or Avignon, but we are open to other towns/cities also. We probably would get bored in a very small village, so a mid size town or city would be best, we think. We'd like a town with an interesting "old town" area with many restaurants to choose from. We enjoy just wandering, stopping for a glass of wine or a long lunch at a sidewalk cafe. Of course, we plan on visiting the main attractions, but we're not looking to tick boxes on a list of "must-sees". We really are slow-travelers!

Here are some other towns we're considering for day trips: Nimes, L'Isle sur la Sorgue, Uzes (for the Saturday market), Orange and Carpentras. Any opinions on these towns for a base instead of Arles or Avignon? Opinions on Arles or Avignon as a base? We will most likely rent an apartment rather than stay in a hotel.

Thanks in advance for any advice, suggestions or comments!

StuDudley

You realize, of course, that the Sunday you are in Aix, almost all the shops will be closed. So that's a day for visiting churches & museums, and/or having a 2 hr lunch on the Cours Mirabeau.

St Remy is a popular place to stay - with plenty of restaurants & shops (many closed Monday morning). If this was my trip, I would not stay in Avignon, Arles, Orange, or Nimes. After 2 days in Aix - I would want to spend some time in a smaller place. Of the places you've mentioned - Uzes is my favorite. However, it is really not centrally located enough to some of the "most popular" places in Provence - the Luberon, Mt Ventoux area, Vaison, Pernes, Menerbes, Venasque, Gorges de la Nesque, Dentelles, Cote du Rhone wine area - just to name a few. Although l'Isle sur la Sorgue is a tad touristy (like St Remy) - that might be your best choice of the places you've listed. It's more centrally located than Uzes.

Opinions on Avignon - lots of ugly urban sprawl that you'll have to drive through for your day trips - except for those heading west. Arles is pretty far away from many of the places I've listed above - especially around the Vaison/Mt Ventoux area, Cote du Rhone, & perhaps the Luberon.

Stu Dudley

thevacationqueen

Thanks Stu! I'll take a closer look at Uzes and L'Isle sur la Morgue as a base. I did lookout and read about St Remy--but my impression (maybe mistaken) is that it might be a little too "chic-chic" for us!

I've read about the ugly urban sprawl around Avignon, but assumed it wouldn't bother us too much if we were just driving through it a few times. The apartment we have in mind in Avignon is in the old town area, and has private parking included--a real bonus!

Yes, I have give some thought to the Sunday/Monday closures, as we are in the area for two Sundays and Mondays. I was hoping to find a wine tour from Aix on Sunday the 28th-either a private tour or a small group tour. On Sunday Sept 4th we plan on the Sunday Market at L'Isle sur la Sorgue.

AND....Monday August 29th is our 47th anniversary--sure hoping we can find a lovely restaurant for dinner, wherever we are! We might have to settle for a nice drive and a romantic picnic, a la "a loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou"!

Anyway, thanks so much for the great information--you are ALWAYS so helpful!

StuDudley

>>St Remy--but my impression (maybe mistaken) is that it might be a little too "chic-chic" for us!<<

That's not what I would call it. I never got the impression that it was "chic-chic". It is crowded, with lots of English spoken - which can be a plus or a minus. Too many asphalt streets & not enough cobblestone. Very easy to get in & out.

>>Monday August 29th is our 47th anniversary<<

Lots of restaurants are closed on Monday. All the 2015 Michelin starred restaurants are closed on Monday in Avignon. However, we had a very nice dinner at Hiely-Lucullus - which is open on Monday.
http://www.hiely-lucullus.com/


>>On Sunday Sept 4th we plan on the Sunday Market at L'Isle sur la Sorgue.<

The next day is our 45th anniversary. We'll be in the Dordogne region in the small village of Carennac for 2 weeks. We'll have our anniversary dinner here:
http://www.chateaudelatreyne.com/en/restaurant/

I assume you already have my 31+ page itinerary for Provence. If not - e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

Images2

We returned to Sous L'Olivier http://www.chambresdhotesprovence.com last spring which is in the middle of the sites you wish to visit. This is a large farmhouse, not far from l'Isle sur la Sorgue. The same family has owned the home for a few generations. They have several bedrooms/suites to choose from, all tastefully decorated. A large breakfast is served each morning and dinner is an option most evenings, with all the guests eating together. There have always been guests who speak english. Julien and Carole are very welcoming and are carrying on Juliens parents tradition of cooking the French meals. A large swimming pool is also part of this home.

We've stayed here numberous times over the last 15 years and are always thrilled with our visits.

jpie

I would agree with Stu that St Remy isn't really all that "chic chic" I did complain on another thread that I found it way overblown expensive last August (we spent a week there)but that is true of most Provence places in Augus, so I think Sept. will be better.

We do love Uzes and it is a nice size. I love L'Isle sur la Sorgue as well but find it a bit too small for us as a base.

Arles kind of start to take you out of easy reach of what most people think of as "Provence", but one thought is to chose a most Eastern/Northern place firs for a base then exploring the Langudoc and Camargue from another base.

We did stay in a really cool hotel a number of years back in the old town section of Avignon if you decide to base there. Half of the rooms are in the old Cloisters and half in a modern building, so be sure to see which you would prefer so that you can request that.

http://www.cloitre-saint-louis.com/en/

frenchaucoeur

First off, I think your plan of enjoying where you are rather than checking off lists of must-see sights is excellent. Inevitably as you move around you'll see most of them anyway. But Provence isn't about a list of sights; its value is in the atmosphere and the style of life.

OK, enough of my philosphy. Aix is a wonderful large town that rewards wandering around, although it has a couple of excellent museums, the Granet and the new Fondation Caumont, which is in a restored hotel particulier (basically mansion) with some beautiful period rooms and a lovely cafe. But after that I agree you might enjoy being in a smaller place. I don't recommend Orange--except for the Roman ruins it's small and not particularly pretty. I'm with the Avignon haters--getting through the sprawl to the walled center is disheartening and annoying, and I don't find even the core that charming. Carpentras is a bit of a hassle; we usually try to drive around it to avoid the traffic.

We're basing in Uzes for almost a week in June. It's beautiful, small enough to be totally walkable (much is a pedestrian zone) but with zillions of restaurants. Stu is right that it's a bit out of the way but that depends on what you want to see. You can easily get to the Pont du Gard, of course, and the Alpilles area (Les Baux, Maussane, St. Remy) and even the Luberon if you're willing to drive a bit.

St. Remy is a popular base. It's very pretty and you can find areas in the town that aren't overrun with tourists. But it's also a bit crowded, and the market is a zoo.

This is getting long, so I'll just suggest you consider basing in the Cote du Rhone area, around Vaison. There are fantastic restaurants in Vaison and in the surrounding villages, and there are loads of gorgeous villages to explore--Crestet and Le Barroux are two of my favorites--along with spectacular drives through the Toulourenc Valley and the Dentelles de Montmirail. This is wine country--if you like to spend an hour with a glass of superb local wine, Gigondas is your place!

frenchaucoeur

BTW, depending on where you're based, if you're looking for a wine tour you might check out Olivier Hickman, a hybrid Brit-Frenchman who lives near Vaison and does all kinds of half- and full-day tours. We did one with him in 2014 and learned a lot. He can gear the tour to your interests and your level of knowledge, and he was just a pleasure to spend some time with.

http://www.wine-uncovered.com/

I doubt you could tour with him while you're in Aix, but you might be able to work something out for another part of your stay.

MmePerdu

As others have mentioned, don't discount Uzes as simply a day trip destination. It makes a convenient and easy place to stay, as I did for a week. No "ugly sprawl" around it, just beautiful countryside and near the Pont du Gard. Attractive options for apartments and parking appeared not difficult. Also 2 different markets a week for your entertainment, pretty walks and simply one of the best choices I've ever made.

thevacationqueen

Thank you all so much--this is just the kind of information I've been looking for!

So far, Uzes does look like a lovely small town and perfect for us. Now to find the perfect apartment!

jpie

If you decide on a hotel instead of an apartment or decide to just spend a few days there, we stayed here at the Hotel Entraigues:

http://www.hotel-entraigues.com/

It was nice having a pool since that area can be hot even in early in Sept. and it is still walking distance to everything. Most of the places with pools aren't in walking distance of the market, scenic town core, etc. It looks like it is around $170/night in September at this point.

Also, there are a couple of underground public parking lots walking distance from the hotel and also from most aprtments you would be likely to book in the historic center. That makes it pretty convenient since, like many Provencal towns of this size, much of it is pedestrian only-but of course you will want your car for sightseeing the surrounding areas.

cigalechanta

I stayed at the Entraigues and made dinner reservatons
for the first night but when we arrived they had cancelled them
due to hosting a wedding. They should have emailed us. No apology,
so we dinned at other places the rest of the week/

jpie

Yeah I wouldn't have been happy about that cigale. Luckily there are pretty good other choice in town!

madodc

I spent 6 weeks in Uzes a few years ago and thought it was perfect size town for a base. I didn't have a car most of time and used buses to Nimes and Avignon. When friends visited, I rented a car in Nimes to get around further. I rented an apartment using 2poppies.com. I recently stayed in St Remy for 2 weeks and definitely prefer Uzes. The market in March in St Remy was quite a bit smaller than later in year unlike Uzes which is still good size even out of season. Also, thought restaurants in St Remy were overpriced at least compared to what I'm used to in other towns in Provence or Côte d'Azur.

jpie

madodc, So glad to hear you weigh in on both places, since so many folks consider both of those towns as a base. I recently wrote on another thread that I was shocked at the high restaurant prices in St Remy when we were there last August. Usually we have been there off season, but it sounds like in general, prices for food at least are still higher there. No shocker I guess given the town's popularity.

Surprisingly Uzes is still a bit of a hidden gem IMO-and just in general I like the Languedoc area better in some ways than the areas people consider "postcard Provence".

grandmere

I'm another big fan of the Languedoc area. I've spent a week in Uzes on two different occasions and two weeks near Sommières, south of Uzes. With all of us singing its praises, it probably won't stay a hidden gem for long, alas.

StCirq

Uzès is happily on its way to becoming just another over-populated, over-touristed town just outside the Provence borders. I've seen the prices of goods in the market and shops there rise like crazy over the past few years, which is always a sign for me to get out of town. It was lovely 20 years ago. It simply cannot any longer be described as a "hidden gem." It's overrun like St-Rémy and Ile-sur-la-Sorgue. It's virtually impossible to find a hidden gem in Provence these days. But what's there is enough to please the palate of most mortals. I don't even understand the searching for hidden gems gene - you've never been here before and haven't even see the basics but you want to plough around in people's barns and backyards and find something "special?" So go to vide maisons and talk with the natives.

I really do not think that Uzès is still a bit of a hidden gem. Not at all. It
's a wide-open, everyone-on-the-internet-knows-about-it-now place. It's a pretty town, though.

MmePerdu

I think the big reason we find Uzès feeling more "hidden" is the lack of a train to it. I used a bus from Avignon and I suspect most get there by car, most often on market days, leaving the balance of the week feeling less touristed. I don't have a lot of experience in the area but I found, for instance Avignon, more crowded even off-season in the spring, served by 2 train stations and more to see, of course. Uzès' markets are the main attraction, so those going for the markets will feel the place overrun, but if staying a week or more, much more quiet. In theory, one might leave town on those 2 days, by bus or car, and never feel the influx on those days.

But I also found, as in most places, visitors tend to congregate in the center. So if you stay even a little out of the center, as I did, though still in the town, one can have the best of both, shop & services we want with very few tourists (besides ourselves) on the doorstep and a neighborhood feel, which I think is the experience we're really looking for.

frenchaucoeur

Having visited Uzes, most recently in 2014, but never stayed there before, I'll be curious to see what it's like when we stay there in June. I'm hoping it won't be like St. Remy, where market day attracts huge busloads of visitors and where it's really hard to walk down the street. I've seen so many articles lately about Uzes that I'm sure it has in fact been "discovered," but I'm hoping it hasn't quite caught up to the frenzy that characterizes St. Remy and Gordes, for example. When we've been there on non-market days, it hasn't been crowded at all, esp. away from the place aux Herbes; we'll see.

grandmere

My times in Uzes were in May and October (2012,2013), and it was not crowded except on market days, and we rarely heard English spoken and then not by Americans. On one of these vacations we did a day trip to Gordes, where we had not been in over 20 years, and I was saddened to see how tourist-y it had become. For sure, Uzes has been discovered, but it still has an unspoiled feel to it.
That said, I am spending a week in l'isle-sur-la-Sorgue with my 13 yr old granddaughter in June; I chose it b/c of transportation--not renting a car. But my heart will be in Uzes; happy travels to all who will be there!