French Riviera & Provence itinerary
Jun 20th, 2014, 11:37 AM
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French Riviera & Provence itinerary
Hi, My husband and I in our early 30s will be visiting French Riviera & Provence next week! Based in Nice for 4 nights and Luberon for 5night.
Some of the larges towns/cities like Aix, Avignon we are planning on just touchin
Please do make suggestions to the itinerary.
Fly in from New York to Nice arrive at 2pm on June 27th.
June 27th Day 1: Nice (only half day)
28th Day 2: Nice
Nice &Cannes
29th Day 3: Nice
Antibe
Day trip to St. Paul –take a stroll along the ramparts, visit the Collegial church, the Pénitents Blancs chapel decorated by Folon > gorgeous mosaic, stained glass windows etc... A lot to see apart from art galleries & shops
30th Day 4: Nice
Day trip to Monaco and Eze village (check bus schedule eith Saturday or Monday), Reach by 9:30am.
Bus 112 from Nice to Eze. have a drink at the Chateau d'Eza which is right at the top above the Chateau de le Chevre D'Or
Hike from top of Eze village to the sea below and then Monaco - 1 hour climb down
Bus 100 Eze to Monaco (monte carlo)
Walk around the casino and go to Rue Princess Caroline lunch area.
Take train back to Nice from Monaco – 20mins
Get back to Nice for dinner and clubbing!
1st Day 5: Nice to Provence, Luberon (rent a car 2.5 drive) – spend
Can leave for Cassis (2hrs) and then (40mins) in Aix and then drive to Luberon (1hr)
2nd Day 6: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
NimesAntique Amphitheatre.
"Le Pont du Gard"Famous Aqueduct.(bridge)
Uzes village (very famous)
OrangeAntique theatre of Orange (can skip)
Châteauneuf du Pape Wine tasting on the way back
3rd Day 7: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
St. Remy – 1hr drive
ArlesOn the trail of Van Gogh (can skip Arles)
Les Baux de ProvenceAmazing sceneries of Middle Age Village.
Saint Rémy de Provence:Visit of the clinic where Van Gogh stayed for one year, he painted his most famous masterpieces (1 hr to see)
4th Day 8: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
The most beautiful villages of Luberon area.Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Ménerbes
Roussillon, Gordes (might need a full day),
5th Day 9: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
Open day
6th Day 10: Provence to Beaune,Burgundy (4 hr drive)
l'Isle sur la Sorgue to Cote du Rhone (2.40mins) then Cote du Rhone to Beaune (1.40mins)
Some of the larges towns/cities like Aix, Avignon we are planning on just touchin
Please do make suggestions to the itinerary.
Fly in from New York to Nice arrive at 2pm on June 27th.
June 27th Day 1: Nice (only half day)
28th Day 2: Nice
Nice &Cannes
29th Day 3: Nice
Antibe
Day trip to St. Paul –take a stroll along the ramparts, visit the Collegial church, the Pénitents Blancs chapel decorated by Folon > gorgeous mosaic, stained glass windows etc... A lot to see apart from art galleries & shops
30th Day 4: Nice
Day trip to Monaco and Eze village (check bus schedule eith Saturday or Monday), Reach by 9:30am.
Bus 112 from Nice to Eze. have a drink at the Chateau d'Eza which is right at the top above the Chateau de le Chevre D'Or
Hike from top of Eze village to the sea below and then Monaco - 1 hour climb down
Bus 100 Eze to Monaco (monte carlo)
Walk around the casino and go to Rue Princess Caroline lunch area.
Take train back to Nice from Monaco – 20mins
Get back to Nice for dinner and clubbing!
1st Day 5: Nice to Provence, Luberon (rent a car 2.5 drive) – spend
Can leave for Cassis (2hrs) and then (40mins) in Aix and then drive to Luberon (1hr)
2nd Day 6: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
NimesAntique Amphitheatre.
"Le Pont du Gard"Famous Aqueduct.(bridge)
Uzes village (very famous)
OrangeAntique theatre of Orange (can skip)
Châteauneuf du Pape Wine tasting on the way back
3rd Day 7: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
St. Remy – 1hr drive
ArlesOn the trail of Van Gogh (can skip Arles)
Les Baux de ProvenceAmazing sceneries of Middle Age Village.
Saint Rémy de Provence:Visit of the clinic where Van Gogh stayed for one year, he painted his most famous masterpieces (1 hr to see)
4th Day 8: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
The most beautiful villages of Luberon area.Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Ménerbes
Roussillon, Gordes (might need a full day),
5th Day 9: Provence, Luberon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue
Open day
6th Day 10: Provence to Beaune,Burgundy (4 hr drive)
l'Isle sur la Sorgue to Cote du Rhone (2.40mins) then Cote du Rhone to Beaune (1.40mins)
Jun 21st, 2014, 08:12 AM
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Day trip to St. Paul –take a stroll along the ramparts, visit the Collegial church, the Pénitents Blancs chapel decorated by Folon > gorgeous mosaic, stained glass windows etc... A lot to see apart from art galleries & shops>
Consider also Vence that day and if going to the famous Maeght Foundation in St Paul you can do a lovely few kilometre stroll thru woods and nice pastoral countrysdie to the Maeght Foundation, just outside St Paul-du_Vence's ramparts - of interest to anyone interested in modern art and architecture.
http://www.fondation-maeght.com/inde...the-foundation
Plus Vence is like St-Paul-du-Vence but not quite overrun with tourists - I actually like Vence as much as more mobbed St-Paul-du-Vence. Buses also go between the two.
Consider also Vence that day and if going to the famous Maeght Foundation in St Paul you can do a lovely few kilometre stroll thru woods and nice pastoral countrysdie to the Maeght Foundation, just outside St Paul-du_Vence's ramparts - of interest to anyone interested in modern art and architecture.
http://www.fondation-maeght.com/inde...the-foundation
Plus Vence is like St-Paul-du-Vence but not quite overrun with tourists - I actually like Vence as much as more mobbed St-Paul-du-Vence. Buses also go between the two.
Jun 21st, 2014, 09:05 AM
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The first half isn't too bad. I agree more time in Nice itself so can Cannes and spend the whole day in Nice. But Monoco and Eze are fine on one day, and Antibes and St Paul can be done on the same day, especially if you have a car, otherwise the bus/train schedules may not allow you to do that. I enjoyed a day trip to Antibes, but I like Vence even better and that might fit better with St Paul. Be warned, after 9 am sharp the town is very, very crowded. Vence much less so. And if you do have a car that day consider Tourette sur Loupe, just a few km from Vence, just as beautiful as St Paul and hardly any tourists.
The Provence part is not really doable. This advice is coming to you from someone who was just accused of 'bouncing around' with the itinerary I'm doing this summer. So I'm not one who has to stay in one place and savor it to enjoy it but even I think 40 minutes for Aix is ridiculous. Seriously, you will not see anything. I would skip Cassis and spend at least four hours in Aix, have lunch and take a brief walk. It is a gorgeous city, you won't regret it.
The Nimes, Pont du Gard, Uzes day - Possibly those three and nothing else if you are basing in l'Isle sur la Sorgue. I know tour groups just walk from the parking lot till you can see the aqueduct and head right back to the bus. But if that's all you are going to do just buy a post card. It is so much nicer on the other side of the aqueduct and for that you need a couple hours.
The Arles, St Remy, Les Baux day is pretty crammed. Yes they are all near each other but they take time to see. Hell, they take time just to park and walk from you car to the areas you want to see. You also haven't mentioned Avignon. I would take your 'free day' and do Avignon and St Remy and do Arles and Les Baux on the other day. Even that is still twice as fast as I like to move and probably 3 times as fast as most people. The villages of the Luberon can be done in a day from your base.
Here's my trip report from last summer - covers most of what you are doing. If you are interested there's another trip report from a different trip when I did Nice, Eze, Monoco and Antibes. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...swiss-alps.cfm
Photos - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_provence
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_cote_dazure
The Provence part is not really doable. This advice is coming to you from someone who was just accused of 'bouncing around' with the itinerary I'm doing this summer. So I'm not one who has to stay in one place and savor it to enjoy it but even I think 40 minutes for Aix is ridiculous. Seriously, you will not see anything. I would skip Cassis and spend at least four hours in Aix, have lunch and take a brief walk. It is a gorgeous city, you won't regret it.
The Nimes, Pont du Gard, Uzes day - Possibly those three and nothing else if you are basing in l'Isle sur la Sorgue. I know tour groups just walk from the parking lot till you can see the aqueduct and head right back to the bus. But if that's all you are going to do just buy a post card. It is so much nicer on the other side of the aqueduct and for that you need a couple hours.
The Arles, St Remy, Les Baux day is pretty crammed. Yes they are all near each other but they take time to see. Hell, they take time just to park and walk from you car to the areas you want to see. You also haven't mentioned Avignon. I would take your 'free day' and do Avignon and St Remy and do Arles and Les Baux on the other day. Even that is still twice as fast as I like to move and probably 3 times as fast as most people. The villages of the Luberon can be done in a day from your base.
Here's my trip report from last summer - covers most of what you are doing. If you are interested there's another trip report from a different trip when I did Nice, Eze, Monoco and Antibes. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...swiss-alps.cfm
Photos - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_provence
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/france_-_cote_dazure
Jun 21st, 2014, 09:37 AM
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Not sure what you mean by "walk around the casino" in Monaco. This isn't Las Vegas or Atlantic City. To enter the casino you have to pay, you need to be properly dressed and it isn't open 24 hours.
Not sure of the hours at the moment - we went in the evening since we wanted to go to the inner rooms with the table games. Do check the web site for details before you go.
Not sure of the hours at the moment - we went in the evening since we wanted to go to the inner rooms with the table games. Do check the web site for details before you go.
Jun 21st, 2014, 01:54 PM
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Yeah, I see that's probably what they meant. Still, approximately four hours of driving plus stops in Cassis and Aix is pretty much a waste of time since driving into the towns, finding parking and walking to the area they'll want to see means there will be essentially no time left to actually see anything.
Jun 21st, 2014, 02:40 PM
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I like the French Riviera (Cote d'Azur) part. Nice, Monaco, Eze, St Paul, and possibly Cannes and Antibe would be a good first timer goal. I do not recall if you can get to the roulette table in peasant clothes but it was exciting to "numero huit"(sounded like wheat) as I won.
For Provence you need the Michelin 113 map-Provence Camargue. I would buy it now from Amazon, $8.50 plus 2 day shipping.
Day 5. Skip Cassis, you have just seen better. Your driving route Nice-Cassis-Aix-L'Isle is 4-1/4 Hrs. I suggest Nice-Aix-Lourmarin-Bonnieux-L'Isle 3-3/4 Hrs. Decide how long and where to stop on that day based on when you want to arrive in L'Isle.
Nice to Aix (2 Hrs) to Lourmarin(3/4 Hrs) to Bonnieux (1/4 Hrs) to L'Isle (3/4 Hrs).
Day 6. I would skip Nimes and be satisfied with the Roman ruins in Arles. Even though Maison Carree is a neat temple in Nimes. I think this day is a market day in Uzes. So if you want to see the market go to Uzes first then the Pont. If not go to the Pont first.Dinner in Gordes (20 min drive from L'Isle)
Day 7. Through in The Cathedrale des Images as a possibility on this full day.
Day 8. Luberon Day
Day 9. North to Sault (lavender) and/or Mont Ventoux and/or the Dentelles, something you missed before or Avignon to see the Popes Palace and nursery rhyme bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJKfxtYAt0s
Day 10. Did this drive last year. An easy, but non scenic drive.
For Provence you need the Michelin 113 map-Provence Camargue. I would buy it now from Amazon, $8.50 plus 2 day shipping.
Day 5. Skip Cassis, you have just seen better. Your driving route Nice-Cassis-Aix-L'Isle is 4-1/4 Hrs. I suggest Nice-Aix-Lourmarin-Bonnieux-L'Isle 3-3/4 Hrs. Decide how long and where to stop on that day based on when you want to arrive in L'Isle.
Nice to Aix (2 Hrs) to Lourmarin(3/4 Hrs) to Bonnieux (1/4 Hrs) to L'Isle (3/4 Hrs).
Day 6. I would skip Nimes and be satisfied with the Roman ruins in Arles. Even though Maison Carree is a neat temple in Nimes. I think this day is a market day in Uzes. So if you want to see the market go to Uzes first then the Pont. If not go to the Pont first.Dinner in Gordes (20 min drive from L'Isle)
Day 7. Through in The Cathedrale des Images as a possibility on this full day.
Day 8. Luberon Day
Day 9. North to Sault (lavender) and/or Mont Ventoux and/or the Dentelles, something you missed before or Avignon to see the Popes Palace and nursery rhyme bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJKfxtYAt0s
Day 10. Did this drive last year. An easy, but non scenic drive.
Jun 22nd, 2014, 06:45 AM
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Jun 23rd, 2014, 07:32 AM
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Thank you for your responses. I am tweaking my itinerary as per your suggestions.
Can I use a GPS or will I need to buy the Michellin map while driving (I am not good with reading maps).
Can I use a GPS or will I need to buy the Michellin map while driving (I am not good with reading maps).
Jun 23rd, 2014, 07:52 AM
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>>>Can I use a GPS or will I need to buy the Michellin map while driving (I am not good with reading maps).<<<
You need the yellow Michelin maps in order to find the scenic drives. You can buy them at any gas station or supermarket.
IMO you overplan a bit. 5 villages in a day is crazy. After the second one you will notice that they look alike anyway.
Rather enjoy the scenery, explore and spend as much time as you want at a place.It is such a beautiful region!
You need the yellow Michelin maps in order to find the scenic drives. You can buy them at any gas station or supermarket.
IMO you overplan a bit. 5 villages in a day is crazy. After the second one you will notice that they look alike anyway.
Rather enjoy the scenery, explore and spend as much time as you want at a place.It is such a beautiful region!
Jun 23rd, 2014, 01:54 PM
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For Provence you need the Michelin 113 map-Provence Camargue.
GPS, by itself is not good enough. If you do not want to buy it in the U.S. you can buy it at a tobacco/news stand in France.
GPS makes errors like sending you on a dirt road that you do not want to be on or wrong way on a one way street.Then what without a map? Plus a map gives you an overall picture of where you are relative to your surroundings.A map is useful in planning a sequence of stops.I use a handheld Garmin Nuvi GPS. But I always have a map. I program my GPS at home before my trips with destinations I need even my hotels, etc.I also use the GPS when walking in cities.
When driving I follow the directions given by my GPS (Lady Garmin), but my co-pilot reads the map to verify Lady Garmin. Never trust Lady Garmin 100%. I learned this the hard way.
GPS, by itself is not good enough. If you do not want to buy it in the U.S. you can buy it at a tobacco/news stand in France.
GPS makes errors like sending you on a dirt road that you do not want to be on or wrong way on a one way street.Then what without a map? Plus a map gives you an overall picture of where you are relative to your surroundings.A map is useful in planning a sequence of stops.I use a handheld Garmin Nuvi GPS. But I always have a map. I program my GPS at home before my trips with destinations I need even my hotels, etc.I also use the GPS when walking in cities.
When driving I follow the directions given by my GPS (Lady Garmin), but my co-pilot reads the map to verify Lady Garmin. Never trust Lady Garmin 100%. I learned this the hard way.
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