we have 23 days on the ground vacation time and would like to spend it in provence april 28-may 20. we usually rent an apartment during travel and are thinking of a gite for a week in 3 different locations to explore the area in some depth. can anyone recommend 3 areas that would give us a good taste of provence? has also occurred to us to spend 2 weeks in provence and one week in the pyrenees. we would like to be in areas rural but close to restaurants, markets, etc. i have been reading past posts and have some ideas but some of these posts go quite a ways back. any help appreciated.

I was in that area back in 2002 on a bicycle vacation. A couple of hightlights were the Saturday market in Arles and Le Baux (don't miss this one). If I recall correctly, there is a cave near Le Baux where they project artwork on the walls. We also went kyacking under the Pont De Gard. Please forgive my spelling. Have a wonderful trip.

Our 18 days in Provence were divided into 3 equal segments:

a) Buisson, near Vaison-la-Romaine, for the Upper Vaucluse.
b) Venasque, for the Luberon.
c) Paradou, near Les Baux, for the Bouches-du-Rhône.

We were able to easily daytrip from each of these locations.

Cindy -

Leaving aside the Côte d'Azur, with three weeks you could think about one near St. Remy, another in the Luberon and a third down around Aix.

-Kevin

If you are in to wine you should consider a week in the region containing the top Southern Rhone wine villages - Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Somewhere near the beautiful Dentelles de Montmirail hills would be ideal: Vaison-la-Romaine, Seguret, Beaumes-de-Venise. We rented a gite that was referenced on the web-site of a local wine expert we used:
www.wine-uncovered.com/sleepeat.html.
This page recommends lots of excellent gites in the area and in the Luberon

We planned the same sort of thing after we retired (early - so we could travel more). We spent 2 weeks in the Luberon near Gordes, 2 weeks near St Remy, and 2 weeks near Vaison. This allowed us to stay in 3 different regions & see which ones we liked the most. Since then, we've returned for 2 more weeks in the Luberon, 2 weeks near Uzes, and 6 weeks near Vaison.

I would not try to add in the Pyrenees. We were in the Pays Basque for 2 weeks, and explored the Pyrenees from there. I've been trying to find an place in the Pyrenees that is close to a village for restaurants & groceries, but so far have not found any. Near Bagneres de Luchon does not appeal to me. If you want a mountain experience, how about near Briancon in the Alps?? We're planning a trip there in '10.

Actually, for ONLY 3 weeks, I would just stay in Provence. You'll find plenty to occupy your time there.

Stu Dudley

Can anyone name their favorite b&b with pool in the Luberon, walking distance to a town-all this for under 130 euros a night?
Many thanks!

Dawnie,

This one may be perfect for your desires-

http://en.leclosdubuis.fr/

MissKelsey, as soon as I saw the title of this thread I wanted to post about the Caves in LeBeaux. I was there in 2001 and it was probably the most memorable thing I did. Just beautiful!