A Week In Provence (and 4 Days in Eze) What I would do differently - Part I
 

Won't get into my cancelled Air France flight or the 4 hour delay in Paris to Marseilles... Our itinerary was 2 nights Aix, four nights Avignon and 4 nights in Eze which is in the French Rivera, I believe five miles or so from Nice. <BR> <BR>Aix - stayed at Villa Gallici and recommend it very highly. Beautiful hotel, good service, gorgeous restaurant on a terrace. Get the stuffed zuchinni flowers or stuffed squid for appetizers. Did not do much in Aix besides walking around, eating and shopping. Only had one full day there since we arrived so late. Aix was my favorite town, even with Cours Mirabeau (sp) torn up. We left for Avignon but had a lot of trouble getting out of Aix. To be continued...

Patty, <BR> <BR>I am thinking of making Aix my base for 4 days in April, and I am wondering when you say you had trouble getting out of Aix, do you mean traffic, etc.? Do you still recommend making it my base or is it too much trouble? <BR> <BR>Thanks. <BR> <BR>Jennifer

I've also had the aircraft delay from Paris to the south, mine was Paris to Nice. Decided the next time I fly into Paris to get south, I'll take the TGV from Paris to Nice.

Patty, <BR>I'm leaving for Provence myself in a few weeks. I'd love to hear about your trip. What did you enjoy the most? What do you wish you had more time to see? What would you skip? Any other suggestions? <BR>Thanks, <BR>Cynthia

When in aix this past summer, I felt like it was a traffic nightmare! Lots of slow moving traffic and difficult to get in and out of by car. Stayed in St Remy as base and enjoyed it more.

About taking the TGF to Nice to avoid a delay at the aiport - we too were delayed by about an hour. However remember that it takes 7 1/2 hrs by train to Nice.

I don't know where you begin your vacation; but each year we fly into Nice direct from JFK. This certainly saves a lot of time. <BR> <BR>Tell us more about your experiences.

Jennifer - I don't know if I would make Aix my base if I were doing a lot of day trips. There was a lot of traffic getting out of Aix when we were leaving for Avignon and I found the signs confusing. But don't miss Aix. What a fun place. Cynthia - don't miss Les Baux, Gordes, Rousillon, and Pont du Gard. We went to Pont du Gard at the end of the day and it was so nice to relax by the water. Would skip Arles- and I wanted to make Arles our base instead of Avignon. Arles was nice enough but I didn't really enjoy it. My husband hit it on the head... it's not "alive" like Avignon or Aix. Because of the gas strike we had to skip a lot, such as Chateaneuf de Pape, Aignes Mortes, Orange. Isle de Sourge (I know my spelling is really off, sorry) was great for the Sunday flea market. Don't miss that. I'll write more later.

Hi: <BR>We just got back from Provence, and <BR>made our base in Avignon for 5 days <BR>and made day trips to Gordes,St. Remy <BR>de Provence, Bonnieux,and then went <BR>to Aix for 4 days and made day trips <BR>to Grasse,Seguret,and then went to <BR>Theoule Sur Mer, next to Cannes and <BR>stayed 3 days in the French Riviera <BR>San Juan, San Juan Golfo,Antibes, Cap d'antibes, and of course Cannes...Beautiful and stayed at the <BR>Miramar Beach Hotel, with a beautiful <BR>view in front of the Mediterranean... <BR>We even had a Storm, a lot of Rain and <BR>Wind.... <BR>Have a good Trip.... <BR>We loved the Fool in Provence!!! <BR>The Salads are spectacular.... and the <BR>Dressings, Yummy!!! <BR>

We stayed in Aix last summer, at the Blue Marine Hotel which is out by the highway, about 10 minutes from the center of town. It's modern (no atmosphere) but nice, parking is safe. It took about 5 minutes to drive to the edge of the old town where there are several parking lots. Very easy. By mistake we drove into the center once and that was a nightmare but there is no need to do that and if you don't the drive from the hotel (and there were lots of others near it)to the car park is no problem, nor was getting out of town. As someone else said, even with the Cours Mirabeau torn up, Aix is a wonderful town - the fountains, buildings, atmosphere - all great.

Train journey from Nice to Menton near Italian border gorgeous,cheap and comfortable(double decker trains). Stop off at Villefranche(very art orientated) and MonteCarlo. And ofcourse, Menton which felt like Italy itself.

Marta, gentle tease: <BR> <BR>would you please give me the name of the fool you loved in Provence? All the fools I've loved have been American. I'm ready to try a French one. <BR> <BR>

Agree with Patty 100% on Villa Gallici. Loved the hotel for its decoration, its food and its overall presentation. It is also a great hotel to explore Aix as it is withing walking distance to the center of town.