Stu Dudley's Provence and French Riviera Itinerary
Jun 15th, 2016, 01:14 PM
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Stu Dudley's Provence and French Riviera Itinerary
Hi All,
Does anyone have a recent itinerary written by Stu Dudley? I emailed him but got an auto response that he's not available to answer emails. If anyone has it, can you please send it to me?
We are traveling to France next week! So excited!
Thank you!
Does anyone have a recent itinerary written by Stu Dudley? I emailed him but got an auto response that he's not available to answer emails. If anyone has it, can you please send it to me?
We are traveling to France next week! So excited!
Thank you!
Jun 15th, 2016, 02:05 PM
#3
StuDudley on Jun 15, 16
"United flight to FRA/NCE was cancelled yesterday. We're leaving today."
"We'll be in Nice 2 nights (instead of 3), and then in the "boondocks" of the Ardeche for 2 weeks & then the Alps for 2 weeks."
"United flight to FRA/NCE was cancelled yesterday. We're leaving today."
"We'll be in Nice 2 nights (instead of 3), and then in the "boondocks" of the Ardeche for 2 weeks & then the Alps for 2 weeks."
Jun 19th, 2016, 12:08 PM
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Jun 19th, 2016, 03:04 PM
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Buy the Green guide Michelin. Not written by Stu, but by professional, and in France, by French for French.>
There are English versions to be sure! And though Stu is not a professional his stuffs gets rave reviews. More insights the better!
There are English versions to be sure! And though Stu is not a professional his stuffs gets rave reviews. More insights the better!
Jun 27th, 2016, 01:52 PM
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@beckytx,
Sorry to bother you but would you kindly forward Stu Dudley's itinerary to me as well? I received an auto response from his email and need his itinerary asap.
Thank you.
Please send to iamkatcardATyahoo.com.
Sorry to bother you but would you kindly forward Stu Dudley's itinerary to me as well? I received an auto response from his email and need his itinerary asap.
Thank you.
Please send to iamkatcardATyahoo.com.
Jul 18th, 2016, 01:26 PM
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We just returned home yesterday. I had 149 requests for itineraries waiting for me!!! I think I responded to all of them - except perhaps 2 long ones (I'll get to those soon).
Our flight from SFO to FRA to NCE was cancelled because:
- the departure was rescheduled for 2 hrs later because of maintenance.
- the departure was reschedules for 2 more hours because the flight attendants were "awake" too long and they had to be replaced.
- the replacements flight attendants finally arrived, and we were boarded onto the plane. We sat for 1 hr. Announcement was made that the pilots were "awake" for too long - and the flight was then cancelled.
We arrived at SFO at 10:30am and departed for home at 6:30 pm (we were first in line for re-booking). Others didn't get re-booked until 4AM.
We arrived in Nice 1 day late. Our luggage arrived in Nice 2 days late.
Stu Dudley
Our flight from SFO to FRA to NCE was cancelled because:
- the departure was rescheduled for 2 hrs later because of maintenance.
- the departure was reschedules for 2 more hours because the flight attendants were "awake" too long and they had to be replaced.
- the replacements flight attendants finally arrived, and we were boarded onto the plane. We sat for 1 hr. Announcement was made that the pilots were "awake" for too long - and the flight was then cancelled.
We arrived at SFO at 10:30am and departed for home at 6:30 pm (we were first in line for re-booking). Others didn't get re-booked until 4AM.
We arrived in Nice 1 day late. Our luggage arrived in Nice 2 days late.
Stu Dudley
Jul 19th, 2016, 02:44 AM
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Hope your time in France went well...a public thank you for your very valuable itinerary info..it was our guide while recently in Provence ...had some guides that found it helpful too! We found great full bloom lavender and particularly enjoyed some time in Simiane la Rotunde and agree it is the best village..arrived early and had the place to ourselves. Thanks again Stu.
Aug 29th, 2016, 08:21 AM
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Apologies for this repeat request, but could someone kindly send Stu Dudley's latest Provence guide? Unfortunately he is unable to respond to email. We are going next week and aiming to plan quickly! Many thanks in advance. SsiuATgibsondunn.com.
Aug 29th, 2016, 09:27 AM
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d’Azur & Provence Itinerary
I’ve put together several options. You can “pick and choose” to customize your own itinerary based on how much driving & lingering you want to do. I’ve started in the Riviera, then on to Provence. This is intended to be about a 12-16 day trip if you do most of the things on this “basic” itinerary. If you want to include St Tropez, Aix en Provence, Cassis, or more time in the Nice Hinterland - then add extra days. However, don’t make a “mad dash” through southeast France. This is an area where you’ll want to slow down and spend a day at the beach in St Tropez or Nice, or discover a small remote village that “grabs you” (like Brantes or Seguret) and spend more time than you anticipated exploring a village. “People watching” at the Cours Saleya in Nice and on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix is as much of a part of exploring this region as are sites like the Pont du Gard or the Palais des Papes. If you’ll be in Provence when the lavender is blooming, then I would add an extra day to the itinerary just to see this.
Since ’82, we’ve spent well over 150 weeks vacationing in France. What we’ve discovered via “mistakes” is that there is much, much more stuff to do & see in a single region in France than we ever anticipated – especially if you really want to “soak up” what an area can offer. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area - which probably has more “places of interest” than any area in the US. But even with our Bay Area experiences, in the past we’ve “underestimated” the amount of time it takes to adequately explore a region in France. France has more castles, medieval/historic cities, cute villages, majestic cathedrals, pre-historic caves, Roman ruins, large & small museums, beautiful coastline, volcanoes, wonderful gorges, wineries, outdoor markets, and breathtaking mountains than we normally find in a concentrated region in the USA – and France is actually smaller than Texas. A piece of advice I suggest to almost everyone is to slow down and don’t try to “see it all” on a short visit. Keep travel time between sites to a minimum – spend more time “being there” and less time “getting there”.
We’ve vacationed in the Cote d’Azur & Provence for about 40 weeks since ’99, when we retired early so we could travel more. All of our visits have been in the months of May, June, early July, September, and early October.
Itinerary Overview
Cote d’Azur (Riviera) 6-8 days
Stay 3-4 days in Nice, then 3-4 days in St Paul de Vence. You could spend the entire 6-8 days in either place, but you’ll be driving in/out of Nice more than you would like, and it is not especially easy or scenic. If you stay in Nice for your only base in the Riviera, do not rent a car for the first 3 days – visit the coastal towns by train or bus then. On the 4th day, pick up a car at the train station or downtown to visit the Nice Hinterland (backcountry) and some of the coastal towns you can’t get to by train/bus (Biot, Mougins).
Provence 5-7 days
If you choose to stay in Provence for more than 5 days, perhaps stay 3 nights in the Luberon near Gordes then 2-3 nights in St Remy. This will reduce the day trip driving.
Best time of year to visit the Cote d’Azur & Provence
The Lavender blooms in late June & July in Provence – depending on the weather. It was blooming in mid-June in ’03 & '14, but really didn’t get going till the second week in July in ’10. Red poppies bloom in mid-May through June – but there were still some around in early July of ’10. The best time to visit Provence (in my opinion) is in late June & early July when the lavender & yellow mimosas are in bloom and the vineyards are at their best and the daylight hours are long. We’ve been in Provence as late as July 16 and the crowds were tolerable. I would not visit in late July or August because of the crowds at sites and also traffic on the road. September is pleasant, but if France has a dry & hot year, vegetation will start to dry up a tad. In early October, we encountered chilly nights (ice on windshield) but sunny & somewhat warm days. The first 2 weeks of June in ’03 were extremely hot (too hot). The first 2 weeks of June in ’07 and the 3rd week in ‘10 were chilly & too cold to dine outside in the evening. In '14 the high temperatures the first week of June in Nice was a very pleasent 21. By the second week it was in the mid to low 30s - too hot. It was even hotter in Provence - 40. By the start of the third week of June '14, the hight temps had dropped to 24 and there was some cloudy days and even some rain, but overall not particularly hymid. The last week of June was perfect. Net-net: weather will vary from year to year so there are no guarantees.
Something to be aware of when visiting the cities, towns, & villages of Provence
In many towns & villages, shops are closed on Sunday & Monday. Some shops open on Monday afternoon. We never plan to visit a town (for shopping) on a Sunday or Monday unless we know in advance that the stores will be open. Most non-food stores in Aix, Nimes, and Avignon are closed all day Sunday, and Monday morning. While in Aix in mid June ’10, I did a “survey” of about 30 shops that had opening & closing days & times posted on their storefronts. Of these 30 shops, 5 were open all day Monday (including a Gap and Monoprix – chain-type stores), 10 were closed all day Monday, and 15 were open Monday afternoon only. Only 1 shop was open on Sunday. Shops in very “touristy” towns like St Paul, St Tropez, and Gordes are always open. We were recently in St Remy on a Sunday. My wife visited 11 shops that interested her (she likes housewares – no clothes or souvenirs). Two other shops looked interesting from the outside, but were closed on Sunday. Of these 11 shops, 5 were closed all day on Monday, 2 were only open Monday afternoon (around 2:30), and 4 were open all day Monday. The very touristy shops that are prevalent in almost every tourist destination village in Provence (Olivades, Souleiado, Terre de Provence), are usually open on Sunday & Monday.
http://about-france.com/holidays-sundays.htm
Most shops & sites close for lunch – usually from 12:30 to 2:00, or 3:00, or 3:30, or 4:00. If you really want to “shop” a town, do so in the morning as soon as the stores open (usually at 10:00). If you roll in at 2:30, the shops might be closed for another hour. I’ve had numerous people tell me how disappointed they were when they drove to a town to shop, only to find almost all the shops closed – something that doesn’t happen in the US.
When stores are closed on a Sunday/Monday or for lunch, they will often pull down ugly aluminum louvered shutters over their beautiful storefronts – so you can’t even window shop. In some towns, these louvered shutters might be covered with graffiti, and the town will look like a war zone. Also, as you drive through a town around lunch time, it might seem deserted, unfriendly, & very uninviting. They’re actually closed for lunch and all the pretty storefronts will seem like abandoned buildings. These closings make it much harder to pack as much into a day as you might expect. Stores stay open late (around 8:00 or so), but most vacationers usually stop their sightseeing by then and are settling into their hotels or getting ready for dinner.
I’ve put together several options. You can “pick and choose” to customize your own itinerary based on how much driving & lingering you want to do. I’ve started in the Riviera, then on to Provence. This is intended to be about a 12-16 day trip if you do most of the things on this “basic” itinerary. If you want to include St Tropez, Aix en Provence, Cassis, or more time in the Nice Hinterland - then add extra days. However, don’t make a “mad dash” through southeast France. This is an area where you’ll want to slow down and spend a day at the beach in St Tropez or Nice, or discover a small remote village that “grabs you” (like Brantes or Seguret) and spend more time than you anticipated exploring a village. “People watching” at the Cours Saleya in Nice and on the Cours Mirabeau in Aix is as much of a part of exploring this region as are sites like the Pont du Gard or the Palais des Papes. If you’ll be in Provence when the lavender is blooming, then I would add an extra day to the itinerary just to see this.
Since ’82, we’ve spent well over 150 weeks vacationing in France. What we’ve discovered via “mistakes” is that there is much, much more stuff to do & see in a single region in France than we ever anticipated – especially if you really want to “soak up” what an area can offer. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area - which probably has more “places of interest” than any area in the US. But even with our Bay Area experiences, in the past we’ve “underestimated” the amount of time it takes to adequately explore a region in France. France has more castles, medieval/historic cities, cute villages, majestic cathedrals, pre-historic caves, Roman ruins, large & small museums, beautiful coastline, volcanoes, wonderful gorges, wineries, outdoor markets, and breathtaking mountains than we normally find in a concentrated region in the USA – and France is actually smaller than Texas. A piece of advice I suggest to almost everyone is to slow down and don’t try to “see it all” on a short visit. Keep travel time between sites to a minimum – spend more time “being there” and less time “getting there”.
We’ve vacationed in the Cote d’Azur & Provence for about 40 weeks since ’99, when we retired early so we could travel more. All of our visits have been in the months of May, June, early July, September, and early October.
Itinerary Overview
Cote d’Azur (Riviera) 6-8 days
Stay 3-4 days in Nice, then 3-4 days in St Paul de Vence. You could spend the entire 6-8 days in either place, but you’ll be driving in/out of Nice more than you would like, and it is not especially easy or scenic. If you stay in Nice for your only base in the Riviera, do not rent a car for the first 3 days – visit the coastal towns by train or bus then. On the 4th day, pick up a car at the train station or downtown to visit the Nice Hinterland (backcountry) and some of the coastal towns you can’t get to by train/bus (Biot, Mougins).
Provence 5-7 days
If you choose to stay in Provence for more than 5 days, perhaps stay 3 nights in the Luberon near Gordes then 2-3 nights in St Remy. This will reduce the day trip driving.
Best time of year to visit the Cote d’Azur & Provence
The Lavender blooms in late June & July in Provence – depending on the weather. It was blooming in mid-June in ’03 & '14, but really didn’t get going till the second week in July in ’10. Red poppies bloom in mid-May through June – but there were still some around in early July of ’10. The best time to visit Provence (in my opinion) is in late June & early July when the lavender & yellow mimosas are in bloom and the vineyards are at their best and the daylight hours are long. We’ve been in Provence as late as July 16 and the crowds were tolerable. I would not visit in late July or August because of the crowds at sites and also traffic on the road. September is pleasant, but if France has a dry & hot year, vegetation will start to dry up a tad. In early October, we encountered chilly nights (ice on windshield) but sunny & somewhat warm days. The first 2 weeks of June in ’03 were extremely hot (too hot). The first 2 weeks of June in ’07 and the 3rd week in ‘10 were chilly & too cold to dine outside in the evening. In '14 the high temperatures the first week of June in Nice was a very pleasent 21. By the second week it was in the mid to low 30s - too hot. It was even hotter in Provence - 40. By the start of the third week of June '14, the hight temps had dropped to 24 and there was some cloudy days and even some rain, but overall not particularly hymid. The last week of June was perfect. Net-net: weather will vary from year to year so there are no guarantees.
Something to be aware of when visiting the cities, towns, & villages of Provence
In many towns & villages, shops are closed on Sunday & Monday. Some shops open on Monday afternoon. We never plan to visit a town (for shopping) on a Sunday or Monday unless we know in advance that the stores will be open. Most non-food stores in Aix, Nimes, and Avignon are closed all day Sunday, and Monday morning. While in Aix in mid June ’10, I did a “survey” of about 30 shops that had opening & closing days & times posted on their storefronts. Of these 30 shops, 5 were open all day Monday (including a Gap and Monoprix – chain-type stores), 10 were closed all day Monday, and 15 were open Monday afternoon only. Only 1 shop was open on Sunday. Shops in very “touristy” towns like St Paul, St Tropez, and Gordes are always open. We were recently in St Remy on a Sunday. My wife visited 11 shops that interested her (she likes housewares – no clothes or souvenirs). Two other shops looked interesting from the outside, but were closed on Sunday. Of these 11 shops, 5 were closed all day on Monday, 2 were only open Monday afternoon (around 2:30), and 4 were open all day Monday. The very touristy shops that are prevalent in almost every tourist destination village in Provence (Olivades, Souleiado, Terre de Provence), are usually open on Sunday & Monday.
http://about-france.com/holidays-sundays.htm
Most shops & sites close for lunch – usually from 12:30 to 2:00, or 3:00, or 3:30, or 4:00. If you really want to “shop” a town, do so in the morning as soon as the stores open (usually at 10:00). If you roll in at 2:30, the shops might be closed for another hour. I’ve had numerous people tell me how disappointed they were when they drove to a town to shop, only to find almost all the shops closed – something that doesn’t happen in the US.
When stores are closed on a Sunday/Monday or for lunch, they will often pull down ugly aluminum louvered shutters over their beautiful storefronts – so you can’t even window shop. In some towns, these louvered shutters might be covered with graffiti, and the town will look like a war zone. Also, as you drive through a town around lunch time, it might seem deserted, unfriendly, & very uninviting. They’re actually closed for lunch and all the pretty storefronts will seem like abandoned buildings. These closings make it much harder to pack as much into a day as you might expect. Stores stay open late (around 8:00 or so), but most vacationers usually stop their sightseeing by then and are settling into their hotels or getting ready for dinner.
Aug 30th, 2016, 05:40 AM
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The above text is just a very small part of the entire 33 page itinerary. I do not have online access to this itinerary to send out now, but I will be back home on September 26 for anyone who does not need it soon.
Stu Dudley
Stu Dudley
Dec 21st, 2016, 10:40 PM
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Hi Stu. Though not sure when it was actually first posted, I enjoyed reading your itinerary on the val dorcia. Like one of the couples you mentioned that traveled with you, my wife and I also fell in love with the area....and bought a home in San Quirico as well. Though we have made great friends with many Italian locals, we always try to reach out to Americans who may either live or are just traveling to the area. Is there any contact info you may want to divulge so I can contact your friends? We would love to share a glass of wine or two with them! We are here through the New Year before heading back to the states.
Grazie!
Morrow
Grazie!
Morrow
Dec 22nd, 2016, 06:43 AM
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Our friends sold their place in San Quirico about 8 years ago and used the proceeds to purchase a second home in Sedona, AZ. We'll be in San Quirico for 2 weeks in late Sept this year.
Stu Dudley
Stu Dudley
