Lisa4444

Hi I'm Lisa from Australia & I'm planning a trip with my Mum to celebrate my 40th birthday in Paris (a very long time dream of mine!) We would like to travel from Paris to Provence & want some help with an itinerary.
We're thinking we'll probably have 10 days & we both love food, flea markets & antiques.
Is this time frame realistic & if so which stops along the way would you suggest. Also should we attempt to drive or are we better off on the train?
Hope you can help... Thanks Lisa

Lisa4444

It's me again... I forgot to mention we will be travelling in November.. cause that's when my birthday is!!
Thanks Lisa

bilboburgler

going to wet and cool in paris and a bit less so in provence.

I'd take the train (get to meet people) and hire a car locally. You will not need a car in Paris.

Some threads in fodors (paris has a super one) suggest read a bit then come back

Gretchen

That's a nice amount of time--maybe 5 days each place. Take the TGV to Provence. Either do it at the beginning of your trip (from CDG to say, Avignon) or when returning to CDG for your trip home. You'll want a car in Provence. The big antique markets are on the week-ends--such as Isle sur la Sorgue. So maybe arrange your days to accomodate that.

AnselmAdorne

Lisa, you could certainly split a 10 day vacation between Paris and Provence, but if you do so, you'll want to minimize your transit time between the two. So, another vote for the train. (You could fly, too, but with all the lead time needed for check-in and security, it wouldn't be that much faster.)

There are several good entry points to Provence: Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and Nice, for example. You can hire a car at the rail stations in any of those cities. Which one you chose really depends on what part of Provence you want to see.

One possibility would be to take the TGV from Paris to Avignon, hire your car there, and drive the short distance to St-Rémy. It's easy to get in and out of for day trips to places like the Alpilles, Les Baux, Arles, the Camargue, and even up to Pont-du-Gard and Uzès. You could also make a day trip into the Luberon, where you will find lots of perched villages.

I'm sure others will join in with other suggestions. As bilboburgler suggests, you could also search this site using words like "Provence markets" or "Provence antiques".

Anselm

Lisa4444

Thanks for all the responses.
I have read a few threads already & was just getting a little overwhelmed by it all. So just needed a place to start & suggestions of a few good stops, so will read a bit more & start planning.
Thanks again Lisa

DAX

Since you're going to be there in November, I would recommend skipping Cote d'Azur and just train down to Avignon. My wife enjoys staying in Hotel d'Europe inside Avignon as we took daytrips to the Luberon and the area south of Avignon. Isle sur la Sorgue has the mother of all markets. Last October we stayed in this small chateau just north of Isle sur la Sorgue. www.chateautalaud.com
The owner is a great dutch couple fluent in multiple languages. They have a chef that comes to cook dinner at the chateau on certain nights. The downside is it's too far from the southern part of the Rhone.

TimS

If you decide to take the train from Paris to Avignon (or other cities), you can save money by booking your tickets up to 90 days in advance at sncf.com. PREM'S (discount) fares sell out quickly so book as soon as the 90-day window opens. Leave France as the default country, do NOT choose cancellation insurance, and print the tickets yourself.

Lisa4444

Thanks guys, thanks excellent help.
If anyone else has places they've stayed at or places you've eaten at..that they can recommend either in Paris or on the way South please let me know.
Thnaks again Lisa