10 days in Provence
 

I will be in Provence for 10 days end April, any suggestion on the itinerary? I will arrive at Marseille

the classic heart of Provence swirls around the Avignon/Arles area - where in a compact area you have so so much to see and do.

Arles and Avignon are old-world dream towns - Avignon's Palace of the Popes is one of the most historic and awesome edifices in France - Arles was Van Gogh's stomping grounds and he put many scenes here on canvas.

But is one manic episode he sliced his ear off here and then committed himself to an asylum in nearby St-Remy-de-Provence - a sweet regional town that many like to base in.

The asylum is in a bucolic setting and Van Gogh put many scenes on canvass here - pictures now worth millions of bucks and gracing museum walls all over the world - re-creations of some of the pictures have been set up at points he executed them.

Ditto for the asylum - see the exact place where Van Gogh sat and see a reproduction of what he could do even in his disturbed state.

Les-Beaux-de-Provence, near St-Remy is a gem - a so-called Dead City - the remains of a once vast plateau-top citadel - make a mesmerizing visit. Down below in the modern small town of Les Baux you have a 3-star Michelin restaurant!

Nimes with its remarkable Roman relics and the Pont du Gard - the Roman aqeduct still breeching a river outside of Afrles and Avignon is a pleasure to clambor up on and walk over - this may be the most intact Roman relic outside of Italy (except for Trier's Porta Negra IMO)

And lovely old towns like Uzes and Orange

Chateauneuf-les-Papes is famous for its wineries.

You can take boat rides on the Rhone river.

the Camargue and its famous wild horses in a short way south of Arles - do the usual horseback trek into the wilds to see the legendary wild horses, etc.

So though you could spend the whole 10 days here I'd say split it - 5 days here and perhaps go thru the hinterlands of a sleepy provence via the Grand Canyon du Verdun to the French Riviera - stopping by Aix-en-Provence - a unique sedate old town and lively university town - end up in the French Riviera and then go back to Marseilles to fly out.

Marseilles is a really interesting big city but one that most folks will spend but a day in - the real gems of Provence IMO are in the Avignon/Arles area.

Oh Avginon also has the famous Pont d'Avignon - famous from the kids song "Sur le pont d'Avignon ils on danse ils on danse - the bridge is still half standing:

http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=155&c=22 - to see the bridge and here the song!


http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=155&c=22

What are your interests: archeology, hiking, landscape, modern architecture, botany, local cuisine ......?

My wife & I have spent 18 weeks vacationing in Provence. I developed a 27 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, cities, sites, scenic drives, markets, etc. I've sent the itinerary to over 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy of the itinerary, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

Regarding location.

If I was planning a 10 night trip for a busload of 20 first-timers with varying interests, I would put them in 3 different locations.

1. St Remy for 4 nights, so they could visit
St Remy
Arles
Pont du Gard
Uzes
les Baux
Alpilles
Avignon

2. In the Luberon near Gordes for 3 nights so they could visit
Luberon villages & countryside
l'Isle sur la Sorgue Sunday morning market
Lourmarin and southern Luberon villages
Pernes les Fountaines
Venasque
Senanque Abbey

2. Near Vaison for 3 nights so they could visit
Vaison - Roman & Medieval towns
Lavender fields & scenic countryside around Sault
Gorges de la Nesque
Dentelles
Cote du Rhone winegrowing area & villages
Mt Ventoux & Brantes
Carpentras market on Friday morning
the Baronnies including Buis
Simiane la Rotonde
Orange Amphitheater

If it was not lavender season, I might stay in just 2 different locations - St Remy & Luberon.

If the group was starting in Marseille, I would stay the first night (not Sunday) in Aix, & 1 less night in St Remy.

Stu Dudley

Bookmarking

I recommend splitting your time between western (heavy on Roman not-so-ruins and medieval villages) and eastern Provence (the beautiful Côte d'Azur). Six days for the west, the remainder for the easy would do nicely.