Avignon area location suggestions
Jan 1st, 2014, 10:17 AM
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Avignon area location suggestions
Following up on some questions I posted in December, we will be spending 4 days (Sat-Tues) in the “Avignon area” in September, arriving from Paris on Saturday and departing for Nice on Wed. We plan to rent a car for exploring the area and see Avignon, Pont du Gard, Chateauneuf-de-Pape, St. Remy de Provence at the least (don’t want to try to do too much). We only want to stay in one hotel. Were thinking that Avignon is best central hub location to stay although also considering St. Remy as a smaller but still relatively central alternative based on comments in this forum.
Since our stay includes a weekend, I’ve read that many smaller towns including St. Remy have many shops and restaurants closed on Sun-Mon. Would this be an argument for basing in Avignon instead of St. Remy? Regardless of which we stay in, we’d visit the other location. Thanks again for any comments and Happy New Year.
Since our stay includes a weekend, I’ve read that many smaller towns including St. Remy have many shops and restaurants closed on Sun-Mon. Would this be an argument for basing in Avignon instead of St. Remy? Regardless of which we stay in, we’d visit the other location. Thanks again for any comments and Happy New Year.
Jan 1st, 2014, 10:33 AM
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We stayed in St. Remy last summer and used it as a base to visit many of the places you mentioned. We enjoyed it as a base and preferred it to busy Avignon (although Avignon has its charms.) We stayed at Le Mas de Carassins and ended up eating there most nights as we really enjoyed their food and the ambiance of dining in their garden. Other hotels in the area also get great reviews.
Happy planning!
Happy planning!
Jan 1st, 2014, 10:50 AM
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We stayed in Nîmes two years ago; it was a great base, and we also liked the town, which wasn't very touristy at all. It's close to the Pont du Gard, and it has a wonderful Roman Amphitheatre. We took a day trip to Avignon, which had a lot more tourists than Nîmes.
Jan 1st, 2014, 10:50 AM
#4
Are you driving in the area?
If so, I should mention that every July when I go to the Avignon festival I stay in the hotel zone of the suburb of Le Pontet, where I only pay about 50€ a night for accommodations. The hotel zone is only about 8 minutes from Avignon on the local expressway and also right next to a major shopping mall, which I find very useful (especially the Auchan hypermarket). If you are going father afield, it is also right next to the autoroute and you can get to just about everywhere very quickly -- Orange, Nimes, Arles, Le Pont du Gard, Saint Rémy de Provence, Les Baux de Provence, etc.
If so, I should mention that every July when I go to the Avignon festival I stay in the hotel zone of the suburb of Le Pontet, where I only pay about 50€ a night for accommodations. The hotel zone is only about 8 minutes from Avignon on the local expressway and also right next to a major shopping mall, which I find very useful (especially the Auchan hypermarket). If you are going father afield, it is also right next to the autoroute and you can get to just about everywhere very quickly -- Orange, Nimes, Arles, Le Pont du Gard, Saint Rémy de Provence, Les Baux de Provence, etc.
Jan 1st, 2014, 10:55 AM
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No, it really wouldn't be an argument for staying in Avignon, as the Sunday/Monday closings are generally related to French law that applies whether it's a village, a town, or a city. That said, I would always choose to stay in a town or village as opposed to a city, where parking can be an issue, particularly on market days. You might consider Uzès, which though technically not in Provence, is a nice-sized town with easy access to many of the common sites and nowhere near as touristy as St-Rémy.
Jan 1st, 2014, 02:12 PM
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I'm not a fan of staying in Avignon. Too much urban sprawl in every direction except west. it's something I don't like triving through for the first & last part of my day trips.
I much prefer St Remy.
As St Cirq stated - Sunday/Monday closings are French Law for usually everywhere - except places where the economy is heavily based on tourism - like St Remy, Gordes, and Roussillon. Here is something from my Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary about Sunday & Monday closings.
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 stores in Aix, Nimes, and Avignon are closed 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.
Stu Dudley
I much prefer St Remy.
As St Cirq stated - Sunday/Monday closings are French Law for usually everywhere - except places where the economy is heavily based on tourism - like St Remy, Gordes, and Roussillon. Here is something from my Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary about Sunday & Monday closings.
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 stores in Aix, Nimes, and Avignon are closed 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.
Stu Dudley
