Help with itinerary planning- 12 days Côte d'Azur & Provence
Feb 21st, 2015, 09:17 AM
#1
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Help with itinerary planning- 12 days Côte d'Azur & Provence
Hello!
My husband &I are flying into Nice May 8th, out of Paris May 20th. Following is what I have planned
May 8th - May 14th: based in Nice staying. at Le Dortier (based on reviews in this forum). Pick up a car at the airport. We check in at 2. My husband will want to rest while I will be wanting to start exploring-
.
Our interest is seeing the villages, art museums. I thought we'd start north of Nice, with Menton, and work our way south over the next few days.
May 14th -17th: Meeting up with daughter studying in Aix. She has offered to take be our tour guide in Aix. My thought is my husband & I would stay in St Remy (at Mas Valentine). This would give us a chance to se another part of Provence.
May 17th - 20th: initially I thought the three of us would take a leisurely drive through the wine country, maybe stay around Giverney. We'd either return the car & train to the airport or drive to the airport.
My plan is evolving to where I'm thinking logistically it may be best to use mass transit to get around the villages, up and down the coast. We'd pick up a car in Aix to move around Provence.
.To get a feel for a different part of the coast I' m thinking of shortening our time based in Nice to 4days, move to Antibes for 2-3 days and then to St. Remy. We could extend our time in Provence to the 19th , giving us 5 days( maybe then stay 2nights in Aix & 3 in St Remy??? ). We'd then take the the TGV to the Paris airport.
Does the Nice/ Anitbes split make sense? Is it a reasonable commute to tour Aix while staying in St Remy? What are your thoughts in extending time in Provence vs. a 2-3 day drive up to Paris?
Looking forward to your comments!
My husband &I are flying into Nice May 8th, out of Paris May 20th. Following is what I have planned
May 8th - May 14th: based in Nice staying. at Le Dortier (based on reviews in this forum). Pick up a car at the airport. We check in at 2. My husband will want to rest while I will be wanting to start exploring-
. Our interest is seeing the villages, art museums. I thought we'd start north of Nice, with Menton, and work our way south over the next few days.
May 14th -17th: Meeting up with daughter studying in Aix. She has offered to take be our tour guide in Aix. My thought is my husband & I would stay in St Remy (at Mas Valentine). This would give us a chance to se another part of Provence.
May 17th - 20th: initially I thought the three of us would take a leisurely drive through the wine country, maybe stay around Giverney. We'd either return the car & train to the airport or drive to the airport.
My plan is evolving to where I'm thinking logistically it may be best to use mass transit to get around the villages, up and down the coast. We'd pick up a car in Aix to move around Provence.
.To get a feel for a different part of the coast I' m thinking of shortening our time based in Nice to 4days, move to Antibes for 2-3 days and then to St. Remy. We could extend our time in Provence to the 19th , giving us 5 days( maybe then stay 2nights in Aix & 3 in St Remy??? ). We'd then take the the TGV to the Paris airport.
Does the Nice/ Anitbes split make sense? Is it a reasonable commute to tour Aix while staying in St Remy? What are your thoughts in extending time in Provence vs. a 2-3 day drive up to Paris?
Looking forward to your comments!
Feb 21st, 2015, 10:28 AM
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For art, stay right in Nice: the Matisse Museum, the Beaux Arts museum, and the fabulous Chagall Museum. Then head to Antibes for the Picasso Museum and to Biot for the International Art Glass Museum (it's at the foot of the village).
Antibes and Nice are so close that taking the time to move your base just wastes precious hours.
In western Provence (Nice is in the eastern segment), travel by public transport is very difficult once you leave a major city like Avignon ,Aix, Arles, and Nîmes. To see the hilltop villages you would really need a car. In eastern Provence, however, public transport can be a good option, both train and bus.
Get a copy of the Michelin Guide to the Côte d'Azur and the companion one for Provence. You'll find them very helpful for itinerary planning and sightseeing information.
Antibes and Nice are so close that taking the time to move your base just wastes precious hours.
In western Provence (Nice is in the eastern segment), travel by public transport is very difficult once you leave a major city like Avignon ,Aix, Arles, and Nîmes. To see the hilltop villages you would really need a car. In eastern Provence, however, public transport can be a good option, both train and bus.
Get a copy of the Michelin Guide to the Côte d'Azur and the companion one for Provence. You'll find them very helpful for itinerary planning and sightseeing information.
Feb 21st, 2015, 04:36 PM
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Twelve days on the Cote & in Provence will go fast. I would just stay in these 2 regions.
It is over an hour drive from St Remy to Aix - which is a little too far away than I want to drive to for a day trip. I would spend 2 nights in Aix (our favorite city in Provence). Just make sure those two days are not Sunday & Monday morning when most non-food shops will be closed.
I certainly would not try to drive to Paris in 2 days. Take the TGV from Avignon instead.
Agree with Underhill about just staying in Nice & not Nice & Antibes.
Stu Dudley
It is over an hour drive from St Remy to Aix - which is a little too far away than I want to drive to for a day trip. I would spend 2 nights in Aix (our favorite city in Provence). Just make sure those two days are not Sunday & Monday morning when most non-food shops will be closed.
I certainly would not try to drive to Paris in 2 days. Take the TGV from Avignon instead.
Agree with Underhill about just staying in Nice & not Nice & Antibes.
Stu Dudley
Feb 21st, 2015, 04:40 PM
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Almost forgot.
Do you have my 35 page Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary? I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors. It describes our favorite villages, cities, scenic drives, markets, etc. It also has a section on Provence fabric. We've spent 40 weeks vacationing in these two regions. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.
Stu Dudley
Do you have my 35 page Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary? I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors. It describes our favorite villages, cities, scenic drives, markets, etc. It also has a section on Provence fabric. We've spent 40 weeks vacationing in these two regions. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.
Stu Dudley
