mikster

Hello fodorites....my husband and I had planned a trip that we had to cancel to to St. Remy and the surrounding area last year. We are trying to do it next June. Ror that trip, we had planned to fly in and out of Paris and then take the train to Avignon where we would pick up a car. This time we will skip Paris because we are going to Paris in October for our anniversary. Just wondering what makes most sense in terms of flying as close as possible to that area (south of France) on a direct flight. Should we fly into Nice and are there direct flights from New York? Is it easy to get from Nice to Avignon or near St. Remy. We had pretty much decided on St. Remy as our home base in order to travel around to Arles and Aix. Does that make sense? Do we train it from Nice or drive? We will be renting a car so whatever is easest.If we go in June, does it get crazy crowded by the end of June? Would like to see the sunflowers and lavendar, if possible. Any reasonably priced places to stay would also be appreciated. I should define reasonably priced, which I would say no more than maybe $300 a night??? Again, we thought St. Remy was a good central location but are open to suggestions. Many of you gave me suggestions for our last cancelled trip, which I will revisit but always interested in hearing new feed back for Fodorites!

Thanks in advance.

mikster

oops...meant to review and edit typos before submitting this.

doug_stallings

As far as I know, the only nonstop to Nice is on Air France from JFK. There are no nonstop flights to Marseille. So that's your choice if you want to go nonstop.

travelgourmet

<i>the only nonstop to Nice is on Air France from JFK.</i>

The flight is actually operated by Delta, though it can be bought as an Air France flight.

Agreed that this is the only nonstop flight from New York (or anywhere else in the US) to the South of France.

<i>Do we train it from Nice or drive? We will be renting a car so whatever is easest.</i>

If you are renting a car anyway, I would just drive.

StCirq

Flying into Nice and driving to St-Rémy would't be much easier than flying into CDG and taking a direct TGV to Avignon, from which you'd have just a short drive to St-Rémy. If you flew into Nice, you'd have a longer flight, then a 2- to 3-hour drive, which after an all-night flight isn't exactly advisable.

St-Rémy is a good base for the Bouches-du-Rhône area, not so much for the Lubéron, so it depends on what you want most to see. In June you might be a bit early for the lavender, but it depends entirely on the weather patterns. Your hotel budget is fine for St-Rémy lodgings, whether hotel or apartment/gîte rental.

isabel

Check kayak.com for flights from your home city to Paris, Nice and Marseille and compare total time and price. Sometimes flying into Paris and taking the train will be cheaper (and faster) than a flight to Nice or Marseille. The TGV train goes to Avignon direct from CDG, you don't need to go into Paris. On the other hand if you book a TGV train and then your flight into Paris is delayed and you miss the train you are out the cost of the ticket. For this reason a lot of people will factor in a night in Paris as a cushion. In that case a flight that changes in some other city but then goes on to Nice or Marseille could be as cheap/fast and might be safer (if booked through on one ticket and the first flight is late, the airline will put you on the next available, as opposed to the train where if you miss it, you're on your own). Pros and Cons to both.

voyager61

As far as flights go, you can definitely fly into Nice, and it is the largest airport in that area; I would just go to Expedia or Orbitz, plug in your dates and see what options you get. Airline routes and schedules change, so you will need to research it yourself anyway. For example, Seattle had a direct Air France flight to Paris for a while that was wonderful; was now Air France isn't offering a direct flight from Seattle. Keep in mind you will probably still get more options flying into Paris. Worst case, the high-speed trains, which would get you to Avignon, are comfortable and a good option.

My preferences for bases in Provence are the smaller towns in the Luberon, but we prefer a very quiet setting. I like to visit the larger towns, but they aren't as relaxing, in my opinion. In the Luberon, we liked Gordes and Bonnieux for a base. We didn't spend time in St.Remy, but friends of ours enjoyed it on a day trip. A car is definitely necessary for parts of Provence; on the other hand, it would be something of a nuisance while staying in Nice or along the Cote D'Azur because of parking issues and traffic. We usually do house or apartment rentals while in places like Provence so we can have a place to cook in the evenings (tend to go out for lunch instead). VRBO and HomeAway have many options in your price range.

travelgourmet

<i>For example, Seattle had a direct Air France flight to Paris for a while that was wonderful; was now Air France isn't offering a direct flight from Seattle.</i>

This flight was simply replaced with one operated by Delta, so still available.

JulieMautner

Bonjour Everyone! The low-cost airline XL Airways France recently announced its new JFK/Marseille/JFK route. When the seasonal flights become fully operational by early June, 2013, they'll be the only direct non-stop flights between the U.S. and Marseille (Marignane or MRS), the major airport in Provence. Here's the schedule for now: On Sundays you can fly from New York to Marseille. On Wednesdays, you'll be able to fly in either direction. On Fridays, you can fly from Marseille to New York. Starting May 13, 2013, the Paris-based airline will also fly direct non-stop between New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). For all the info, see the XL site.

JulieMautner

Here's the XL site I just mentioned:
www.xlairways.fr

Kwoo

On June 1, we are flying from Marseilles to Boston via Aer Lingus. We have to change planes in Dublin. We have an open jaw flight because we are flying to Paris. The price wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and for us is more convenient than taking the train to Paris or CDG. I forgot what the difference was between doing the open jaw or taking the train to CDG, but as I said, the price wasn't bad, so we opted to return home from Marseilles. Hope this helps.

mikster

Thanks all for the helpful info. Much appreciated.