My husband and I are planning a trip to Provence in June. I have been to Paris and the coast of France, but never to Provence and need some advice on making a memorable trip for only 10 days. Since we live in NJ - is it best to fly to Paris, take a small plane to Marseille and then rent a car? I have heard the Hotel Crillon le brave is a wonderful place to stay. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for the 10 days? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

You may be able to find a direct flight to Nice. Otherwise, I would go to Paris and take the TGV to Avignon (in fact, you can take it directly from Roissy). Stu Dudley has wonderful drives and commentaries which he has generously shared with posters on this board. I would get that along with the Michelin Green Guide to Provence and then dream.

We either fly to Marseille, or to Paris & take the 3 hr TGV from CDG to Avignon. Crillon la Brave is OK, but perhaps not in the best location for a first timer if you use that as your only base. It is kinda remote, although it has good access to the Dentelles area (near Vaison la Romaine). However, for 10 days, you could spend 4 days staying in St Remy to get a "village feel" (lots of cafes, restaurants, shops, other tourists); 4 days in the Luberon near Gordes to be in the countryside with vineyards, lavender fields, small perched villages; and then 2 days in Crillon la Brave to be in a more remote & rugged area. That will give you a good sample of the regions in Provence & will also reduce the driving needed to get to the tops attractions.

If you want my 20 page itinerary for Provence, e-mail me at [email protected]

Stu Dudley

I second the suggestion of taking the TGV train to Avignon. Then you HAVE to rent a car.

Must-see-places in Provence:
- Avignon: papal palace
- Nimes: spectacular Roman ruins
- Arles: more Roman ruins
- Les Beaux: ruins of a medieval town in beautiful landscape
- Les Antiques (near St. Remy): Roman ruins
- Orange: Roman architecture
- Pont du Gard: spectacular Roman aquaeduct
- Aigues-Mortes: medieval town at the edge of Camargue
- Moustiers: charming little town at the entrance to the Verdon Canyon

There are many more little places to visit: Fontaine de Vaucluse, Moulin Daudet in Fontvielle...

Choose a central location as a base. There are wonderful hotels everywhere - including Avignon (if you prefer staying in mid-sized town), Les Beaux, St. Remy...

Thank you so much for all your suggestions - I appreciate it!

Just as a side-note, Stu Dudley's Provencal travel guide is fantastic - we printed it and brought it with us when we went and loved it - thanks Stu!

Glad it was helpful, Biker

Stu Dudley

My wife and I are going in mid May. We booked a business class awards trip with AA. There's a flight from either ORD or JFK to Madrid on Iberia that has a pretty good connection to Marseille, getting in around 11:30 AM. I've checked many various rental cars and have found the best success, surprisingly, with Hertz. Their prices are quoted with all taxes, etc... included, which is not necessarily true with other companies. Try and get a diesel (gazole). I've written Hertz to no avail. Expect total car rental in June to cost around 400 euro for 10 days. Also check out www.viamichelin.com for the approximate petrol and toll taxes and decide on how you want to travel. Very good web site.