Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Arles

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Peter: sorry I confused you: SNCF Station in Nimes to Arles is 32 km. TGV Station in Avignon-Courtine to Arles is 38 km. But in Nimes you first have to get out of the city center. My point is, why train 20 min. longer for the same end result..?

I don't agree about taking the train to Nimes, Peter. xxx is correct - you ride longer on the train and then have to get out of Nimes itself - from thenew TGV station, which is south of Avignon it's a straight shot to Arles without fighting any city traffic. PB

OK - it seems more logical to take TGV to Avignon. One question regarding departure to Paris. Later morning train arrives CDG at 12:55PM - Our flight departs at 2:45PM. Does this allow for enough time to make our flight? Also forget the Twingo! Thanks All, Joe

Hi I've looked at the map and it seems Avignon or Nimes are both equidistant from Arles. We started talking about the possibility of Air Littoral Pa

Hi Oops I seem to have screwed up above ! Message: Hi I've looked at the map and it seems Avignon or Nimes are both almost equidistant from Arles. For some reason I still think Nimes-Arles is very quick. Nimes station is only a couple of minutes from the autoroute junction by Ville Actif. I normally drive to Arles via Nimes ........... thats my excuse ! We were talking about the possibility of Air Littoral Paris Nimes. And then how close Nimes airport was to Arles. It doesn't seem to matter if you go from Avignon or Nimes provided both have car hire on site. Sorry for that Peter

OK - now I'm back to thinking TGV to Nimes makes more sense - particularly since the arrival and departure times seem more convenient. Why is that? I thought this was the same train that stopped in Avignon. Another thing - the Avis rental car rates are the same for Nimes and Avignon so that is not an issue.

<> The train going to Nimes continues on to Montpellier and Perpignan (among others) and does not stop in Avignon. As someone not familiar with driving here, I think you will find that your drive from Nimes (especially negotiating your way out of the city) to Arles is quite a bit longer than the drive from Avignon to Arles. All of the car rental companies have offices at the TGV station - and the cars are steps away from the exit of the train station. I'm not sure that's the case in Nimes. In any event, good luck. Patricia

Patricia - I appreciate your helpful suggestions (as I do all of them)- I'm close to choosing TGV to Nimes simply because arrival time saves about an hour as well as the departure time gives us an extra hour in the morning. I may live to regret this but I guess (in regards to driving) I have to take the plunge at some point. On another topic - my wife is most interested in taking the GR6 hiking trail from St. Remy to Baux. We are both experienced hikers - any comments or suggestions?

Joe, <<my wife is most interested in taking the GR6 hiking trail from St. Remy to Baux. >> I can't comment on that particular trail (one of my guests took my last set of hiking maps with them) - but if you're experienced hikers you shouldn't have any problems with any of the trails. And in October, the weather should be very good for hiking. The scenery is spectacular. Just by way of information, there is a booklet that lists all kinds of particular walks and hikes - you can probably pick it up at the Tourist Office in St Remy. "Decouvertes Nature dans les Alpilles". One of the interesting ones: Night hike to see the owls (the Alpilles is home to an amazing number and variety. Patricia

Well, thanks to all of the helpful advice, I've booked our fabulous 30th wedding anniversary trip to France. Airline, hotel,rental car all are set. The TGV roundtrip fare that I booked on line at the sncf site seems a little tenuous.I received an email confirmation in which everything seemed correct. I remember seeing somewhere that I should check the box for collecting tickets in France unfortunately I checked the box requesting that tickets should be mailed. They were to mail the tickets to me - name and address was correct - except country was France! I emailed a reply and received a response in French that I believe said that the confirmation I received was computer generated and directed me to another site www.voyages-sncf.com that came up in French and thoroughly confused me. I went back to the sncf site that I booked the tickets on and found a contact page that basically said that I can't book tickets on line from North America. I sent an email to their contact site asking for clarification. So far I haven't heard anything. Help! Joe

Joe: As you found out, SNCF does not mail tix to the US. You should pick them up at the station on arrival by presenting the same credit card you used online. Sort of like theater tix in the US. I suggest you phone SNCF asap to see how to correct the situation. This is a quote from a prior post on this board: "The hours are 7am to 10pm French time and the number is 011-33-892-35-35-39. This is the number for English (there are other numbers for other languages). Evidently you will first hear a smattering of French, but then a person will come on who speaks English." Have your 5 digit reservation code handy. Good luck!

Thanks "xx" for the info. Apparently the tickets were already mailed to me at my home address with the country USA-FRANCE. I was told to wait and see if they actually get delivered. If not they gave me a proceedure to follow to file a claim for reimbusement which seems even more complicated.If they can deliver to countries like Djibouti, Eritrea and Burkina Faso, why can't they ship to the USA? Where is Burkina Faso anyway? Joe G

Hi Joe: Glad you got through and hope it arrives. The reason why SNCF does not mail direct to the US is because they have their own subsidiary there, Raileurope. That was a wonderful invention before intenet came about, but is now redundant for people who like to do things on their own, especially since Raileuope jacks up the fares quite a bit (to cover their expenses ?). A strange situation indeed. Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, formerly called Upper Volta. Its capital has the resounding name of Ouagadougou.

More thanks to "XX" for the geography lesson. Maybe I should get a Post Office Box in Ouagadougou and leave my home forwarding address! Joe

Joe G if you are still reading, I also recommend horseback riding in the Alpilles. beautiful!

Believe it or not I just received my train tickets in the mail yesterday - five days by regular mail with a Sunday and holiday in between. Unbelievable! Our trip details are now complete. Thanks to everyone for all great help. It is truly apreciated. Hopefully I can post a summary of our trip when we return. Hey I'm still entertaining suggestions on restaurants, wines/wineries. Joe G

Okay Joe... St. Remy Jardin de Frédéric Small, cozy restaurant with a small outdoor terrace. Good seafood dishes. Friendly owner and service is good. Closed Wednesday and on Thursdays for lunch Dress - Casual 8, boulevard Gambetta Tel: 04 90 92 27 76 La Serre Charming restaurant - chef is the grandson of Gaston Lenotre. Very good, inventive food, very reasonably priced. Dress - casual 8, rue Commune Tel: 04 90 92 37 21 Grain de Sel Small, newer restaurant - everyone around here loves it. Prix Fixe menu at a reasonable price. Very good. La Source Charming, small restaurant fairly off the tourist path. Very good food, lovely shaded terrace overlooking a garden for summer dining. Closed Wednesday 13, avenue Liberation Tel: 04 90 92 44 71 La Gousse d'Ail Small restaurant with great atmosphere, in the center of the village. Chef/owner is actually Dutch - but the food is French and very good. Bouillabaisse is served on Tuesdays. Only minus is that there is no outdoor terrace. Dress- Casual 25, rue Carnot Tel: 04 90 92 16 87 L'Apostrophe New brasserie (just opened in May). Fusion cuisine - French, Thai, Antilles Islands, Chinese, Moroccan. The food is very good - although some portions are a bit too large. It has a two tiered terrace with a view of the church. And the chairs are very comfortable. Prices are very reasonable - entrees were in the 5 - 7 euro range and main courses just a bit more. 17, place de la Republique Tel: 04 90 92 02 13 Bistrot des Alpilles - The Bistrot has been under new management since October and now has a new chef.... from Paris. The menu retains few of the things for which it was well known... the tablecloths are all white (no more charming provençal prints), the waiters now all carry little electronic pads to take your order and it's all just too 'chic' for words... and the prices have gone up. Dinner for four with one bottle of wine was 160 euro. (almost $150) and the food was barely fair. There are two terraces, one enclosed and one open. Dress - Casual, although during the summer 'season' you are likely to see just about anything and everything in the way of clothing. Reservations recommended during the high season and on weekends. 15, boulevard Mirabeau Tel: 04 90 92 09 17

Outside of St. Remy in the direction of Noves: La Maison (Domaine de Bournissac) New restaurant and country inn (about two years old) - in a lovely old mas. Excellent cuisine. Terrace shaded by a fig tree. Closed Monday. tel: 04 90 90 25 25 Les Baux de Provence * Riboto de Taven In the Val d'Enfer, just below the village of Les Baux. An excellent Michelin one star restaurant for thirty-five years, they've turned in their star and are no longer serving a varied menu. They've become a country inn and serve a dinner with a set menu . Call in advance to see what they're serving - and if they have room. The menu changes with the seasons, but always includes regional dishes. Beautiful garden and terrace with a view of the village of Les Baux. Dining on the terrace in the summer months, otherwise indoors in what was once the bergerie (sheepfold). Dress - Dressy casual, although no ties required for men. Tel: 04 90 54 34 23 Maussane-les-Alpilles Le Fournil Traditional Provençal cuisine and great individual pizzas (not American style). A wonderful family restaurant. Dress - casual Reservations recommended in season Behind the village church Tel: 04 90 54 40 33 Le Margaux Charming small restaurant in the center of the village. Although I find that it a bit inconsistent, they more often get it right than wrong. Lovely terrace. Dress - casual Just off the main village square Tel: 04 90 54 35 04 * Petite France Michelin one star restaurant, just outside Maussane near Le Paradou in a renovated farmhouse. Excellent food, good service. One of the best wine lists in France. Personal favorites are the raviolis with green olives, sage and ricotta and the breast of duck. Dressy casual. Reservations recommended Closed Wednesday 55, avenue de la Vallee des Baux Tel: 04 90 54 41 91 Mouriès Le Vallon de Gayet Near the Golf course, at the foot of the Alpilles, this is a wonderful family run restaurant. All of the grilled foods are done on a big open fireplace. In the summer months you can dine on the large outdoor terrace shaded by ancient trees. Speciality - Grilled meats - Duck, Beef, Boar. Fantastic Potatoes - Pommes de Terre Salardais. Dress - Casual Well signposted, it's almost across from the golfcourse. 04 90 47 50 63 Fontvieille (between Arles & Les Baux) Cuisine au Planet Very small, but charming, restaurant in the center of the village. Creative young chef, who creates very good menus. Small outdoor terrace for summer dining. Dress - casual 144, Grand rue Tel: 04 90 54 63 97 Eygalières * Bistrot d'Eygalières Michelin one star. Charming restaurant in the center of this tiny village. Owners/chef are Belgian, trained at the Baumanière in the 'good old days'. Inventive cuisine, fairly good wine list. In the summer, tables are set outside on the sidewalk for outdoor dining. Reservations recommended in season and on weekends. rue Republique Tel: 04 90 90 60 34 Le Petit Bru The baby bistro to the Bistrot d'Eygalieres. More casual - very good food. Prix fixe menu around 24 euro which offers a choice of entrée and main course, cheese and dessert. House wine only. Tel: 04 90 95 98 89 Sous les Micocouliers Situated off the main road, this restaurant always has an interesting daily menu. Lovely large terrace under the trees, it's great in the summer months. Closed Tuesday all day and Wednesday at lunchtime. Tel: 04 90 95 94 53

Patricia, You are an absolute angel. My wife will be ecstatic when I show her all of your delightful dining suggestions. We had heard of a couple of them - so you are definitely thinking on the same wavelength. We're not leaving for another month but I'm ready to start packing now (seriously). Merci Beaucoup, Joe G.