Calling all Provence Experts - Itinerary Help
 

My sister and I will be in Provence for 3.5 days arriving by train at 2:30 on Sunday, August 13 and departing by train on Thursday, August 17. We will have a rental car for those 3.5 days. We are staying right outside of St. Remy.

My sister and I hope to get out of our Provence trip a sense of the area's culture, scenic beauty, great food, charming villages, and tons of shopping. We are in our early 30's and don't mind running till we drop.

We have an idea of the places we'd like to visit .. much thanks to this site and to Stu Dudley's famous Provence report!!!

As you may have guessed, we aren't going at the best time ... We arrive Sunday afternoon .. most places are closed Sunday and Monday. Tuesday, August 15 is a Holiday and Wednesday is our last full day. The list we have come up with is a bit ambitious ... we aren't even sure if it can be done. Neither of us has been to Provence so we aren't exactly sure what areas will be 'open' on a Sunday, Monday or the holiday versus what will definitely be closed ... hence our problem. Below is our list.

~St. Remy

~Les Baux

~Isle sur la sorgue (I read there is an antique fair here on 8/15)

~Abbey Senanque (fields of lavender)

~Stu Dudley's lavender field route (Stu, is it possible to shorten the trip so that we see a major part of the lavender in half a day or so ... or maybe tie the route in with some of the towns we'd like to see)?

~Eygalieres ???? (not sure)

~Aix (This isn't a must .... but I read it's cute and has great shops)

~Cassis (My sister would like to go here but I think it is a bit over ambitious and won't make it in this trip) ???


With the above places I've mentioned, how would the experts plan the 3.5 days to get the most of everything? Of course this means scheduling around it being a Sunday and Monday when most is closed and Tuesday being the holiday.

Thank you for your time and help!!! We are looking forward to the responses.

The Lavender route won't take all day. You can easily do it in a half day. If you dawdle a bit, cut out the section past Montbrun that goes up in the mountains into some higher elevation lavender fields and has views of Mt Ventoux, etc. This would be a good trip for Monday. Perhaps do the route in reverse, and start Monday with a visit to the excellent morning market in Bedoin.

Stores in Les Baux, Gordes, Roussillon, and many in St Remy will be open on Sunday. My wife's favoirite stores in St Remy are closed on Mondays. We have never been there in August - so I don't know if the closing days & times are any different then than they are in June, July, & Sept.

Doesn't sound like Aix would be a good bet. All but the ultra-touristy stores will be closed on Sun & Monday mornings, with some opening in the afternoon on Monday.

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu! Our train gets in at 2:30 so do you think there will be time to pick up our car, drive to St. Remy to our Mas and still have time to hit some shops in St. Remy and/or Las Baux?

What day would you do Isle sur la sorgue? I know the market is Sunday but I don't think we'll have enough time to get over that way.

Monday maybe we will check out the market at Bedoin and hit the lavender route. (once I look at a map and figure out where Bedoin is) :) I also need to map your route backwards.

Is Eygalieres worth a visit? For a 1st time visitor to this area do you think we are getting a 'overall' start to Provence?

Thanks!

You will have PLEANTY of time to explore St Remy thoroughly. Stores close around 8pm. Shops in Les Baux border on the tacky side - but there are some interesting ones. The main attraction is the crumbling chateau up on top, and the views from there are excellent. Several times we've rushed up there just before closing to admire the views.

Monday will be completly dead in l'Isle sur la Sorgue - we were there on a Monday once. The town is nice, but it doesn't seem like it's in the "stars" for you.

Eygalieres is nice, but so are a twenty other towns Provence. You are staying close to there, so if you get back to St Remy early after a day exploring other sites - stop for a visit. Arles, Uzes, Vaison medieval section, Aix, Bonnieux, Gordes, Roussillon, Saignon, Avignon, St Saturnin, Goult, Pernes, Nyons, Carpentras, and even Caromb would be better investments of your time.

I'll be out of town until the 22nd - so this is my last post for a while.

Stu Dudley

l'Isle sur la Sorgue will be fine on Monday the 14th... the four day special antique market takes place then. The place will probably be jammed, actually.

You should have plenty of time to get your car, get to St Rémy and visit Les Baux. Go at the very end of the afternoon and you'll have fewer tourists to contend with. The bus tours all leave between 5 and 6 PM.

You should check with your hotel - perhaps they'll be able to find out if the lavender has been harvested. It usually is by mid-August - but everything is blooming late here this year.

Because it's a holiday weekend and in the middle of the summer vacation period, many of the stores will be open on Sunday and Monday - perhaps only half day on Monday, but open. Many will also be open on Tuesday morning, even if it is a holiday.

I'd skip Aix and Cassis - both will be extremely crowded (Cassis will actually be a nightmare with traffic) and your time is short here.

Eygalières is worth a visit, perhaps upon your return to St Remy from a day trip.

Patricia

Thank you Stu and PBProvence!! I am going to go home tonight, pull out the map and regroup.

It looks as though
Sunday, after we arrive and check-in with our hotel, we can hit St. Remy and possibly even Les Baux.

Monday, possibly Isle sur la sorgue and lavender route hitting villages such as Bonnieux,Gordes and a few others (will have to look at a map as I'm not in front of one at the moment).

Tuesday, maybe take a long bike ride ... possibly back to St. Remy and Eygalieres

Wednesday ... will work on.

I have a feeling I won't fit all of the 'luberon' towns into 1 day. I'm hoping to hit at least some of them that will be along the lavender route.

Thanks again and I'll post once I get a better understanding (with a map) of what towns are where and how they fit into Stu's lavender route.

I forgot to ask .. which map should my sister and I purchase for driving around southern provence? Thank you!

Get the Michelin map for Provence.

Thanks Underhill!!

You're very welcome. Have a wonderful trip.

Katzen...a bit of a warning. When driving from Gordes to the Abbey at Senanque you will encounter a narrown one lane road overlooking the Abbey...there are several places where one car can turn "off" to let the car coming the other way to proceed. Just be aware. Great views of the Abbey and its lavender fields from that vantage point, though. We were just there two weeks ago and of course, the lavender hadn't bloomed yet, but even the mature plants were beautiful to see, sans lavender colors. Suggest you continue on past the Abbey toward Venasque, a very quaint and picturesque village featured in the coffee table books on France's most beautiful villages... and great outcropping scenery along the way.Enjoy.
Stu T.

For a map, I preferred the Decouvertes Regionales Vaucluse Carte Touritique to the Michelin - the scale is 1/100,000 as opposed to 1/160,000

Oops Touristique
Sorry!

Tower, thank you for the heads up! I am in the process of trying to find a good map. Of course our Borders doesn't carry the Michelin Provence Map.
Once I get a good driving map I'll be able to figure out a bit better our driving route .. but I really do hope to be able to make Venasque ... it sounds charming.

wombat7, thank for the recommendation. Do the bookstores carry this or Amazon? I've never heard of this map.

I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions once I regroup. My husband and sister aren't much help in the planning aspect of this trip ... so i've mainly been reading Fodors and guidbooks as well as posting a gazillion different threads on here.

wombat7 .. I found it on Amazon but it looks as thought it's in French. Do you know if there is one in English? Thanks!

The Michelin Map I found ... is Michelin France Provence Alpes Cote D'azur (Map) published in January 2006. Could this be the most updated?

It is in French and English. We went with the Michelin - found the other on our second day, bought it and did not use the Michelin again. Just so you know the area it covers;
SW Areles
NW Pierrelatte
Nw Vinon-sur-Verdon
NE is a bit wierd becuase that part of the map has the legend adn a high level overview - but the town is St Auban-s-l'Ouveze

To me the map is as easier read than the Michelin and becuase the scale is larger easier to see the little roads
W7

Hi Patricia!!!

katzen, I stay every year in Eygalieres, so few tourists because there's not much in the way of tourists shops. Visit the old part where the bell tower is and chateau ruins and you can climb up there for a beautiful view. Bike to the chapelle St Sixte, visit the medicinal garden at The Mas De Brune. Stop for a pastis at "our" local, Le Progress.

Thank you cigalechanta!! Wow, all this great information .. I have got to find the darn map. I was using what I thought was a good map "Michelin France National" .. but it doesn't list all the different villages (at least the ones Stu D mentioned in his above post).

I am going to try and incorporate Roussillon, Gordes, Abbey Senanque, Bonnieux, Isle sur la sorgue and possibly venasque into Stu's driving tours (luberon and lavender) .. I'm just not sure if this can be done in 3.5 days and if so, when so that we can maximize the stores in each village while they are opened.

St. Remy, Les Baux and Eygalieres are close enough to where we are staying so I know we'll be able to fit them in.

Aix is too far south and with the traffic and it being a holiday weekend I'm thinking we may need to save it for next time.

Can anyone confirm that the Sault is having a lavender festival on August 14 and 15? I've read it two places ... one being a guide and the other on the website www.beyond.fr. If so, I think it would be great to go. Sault is a bit further north but can possibly be squeezed in??
Thanks

Yes, the 14-15, I hope there's no rain to cancel because the first day is always a hand reaping contest, the second day floral floats and vintage cars parade through the villahge, lots of local produce and lavender products at stands. You'll wish every town could be perfumed like that instead of the cigerette fumes that abound in some places :)

as usual .. I jumped the gun and posted ... I did confirm that the Lavender festival is August 15th in Sault. Not sure if it's worth going to or not... has anyone been?

Thanks Cigalechanta! We posted at the same time :) Sault is 38 minutes from Gordes (according to viamichelin.com). Is Sault/the lavender festival worth a visit?
Thanks!

Yes!

:) Thanks Cigalechanta!!

I've roughly gone through and created another rough draft. I have to fine tune Stu's "driving routes" to fit my plan ... but hopefully he can help me out with this when he gets back ... or if anyone else can help out, please do.

SUNDAY:
Arrive Avignon TGV at 2:30
Drive to Mas Shamrock outside of St. Remy
St. Remy

MONDAY:
Bedoin Market
Lavender Route (reverse of Stu's)
Gordes
Senanque Abbey
**I had a tough time whether or not to go to Isle sur la Sorgue' market that morning .. I was afraid that we would linger there too long and not have enough time to do the rest of what I have planned for Monday**

TUESDAY:
Luberon Towns:
Roussilon
Saignon
Bonnieux
Oppede-le-Vieux

WEDNESDAY:
Les Baux
Maussane
Eygalieres
St. Remy

**Tuesday and Wednesday are interchangeable**

Again, this is a very rough draft. I'm hoping your comments will help me finalize. I'm not sure I made the best plans according to what days stores and such will be open due to our days in Provence being on a Sunday, Monday, holiday and Wednesday.

Please keep in mind we are early 30's and don't mind hopping around. We are into scenery, shopping .. and more shopping as well as culture, food and quaint/charming villages. With that being said ... are there places that I may have left off? Did I mention a place that isn't real interesting or wouldn't fit our above requirements? Most of the guides I've read don't have much on shopping ... so I was a bit in the dark about this.

I was trying to fit Aix somewhere but it is more city-like and further south so just wasn't sure.

Any wisdom ..... opinions ... words of advice?

Thanks again for the help!

All due respects, I believe in making your own route to cover things you want to see. This way, it is your trip not the many duplicates you will read. The back roads on the Lavender areas are less traveled and you see magnificent sights. Most of us disagree on rstaurants and villages we prefer. You will find your own if you don't use my formula or anyone's but for the first time visitors to the South of France, I think Gordes, Roussillon, St Remy, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Carcassone. Sure alot of tourists, but that's because they are exceptional looking places. go early if you object to tourists. i'm one so it doesn't bother me.

This is a great site I give you for the passages. Someone passed it on to me a few years ago.

http://www.parisinconnu.com/passages/index.htm

Thank you Cigalechanta! I do agree with you :) I am sure I will have a wonderful and adventureous trip even if I just hop in a car and go w/o any planned itinerary .. which sometimes I think is best to do ... at least my husband and sister think so. :)

Thanks again for our help!!

sorry, I posted the passages on the wrong thread :)

no problem ... I'm actually going to Paris for 2 days after our Provence trip so it worked out wonderfully! :)

>>All due respects, I believe in making your own route to cover things you want to see.<<

If someone has never been to Provence, how does he/she know the roads that are the most scenic - and the ones that are lined with car dealerships, box stores, junk yards, etc???

Seems to me that advice from someone who has been there and has already discovered the scenic & non-scenic routes, would be helpful as a starting point.

Stu Dudley.

Hi StuDudley! Welcome back! What did you think of my proposed itinerary? You are correct in that I nor my sister have ever been to Provence. I would prefer NOT to see car dealerships, box stores and junkyards in my travels there. So any helpful advice/thoughts on my above proposed itinerary would be greatly appreciated.

>>>SUNDAY:
Arrive Avignon TGV at 2:30
Drive to Mas Shamrock outside of St. Remy
St. Remy<<

That's fine - take it easy the first day. Perhaps a jaunt up to les Baux (as late as possible) would work.

>>MONDAY:
Bedoin Market
Lavender Route (reverse of Stu's)
Gordes
Senanque Abbey<<

You should have time to hit Bonnieux also.

>>**I had a tough time whether or not to go to Isle sur la Sorgue' market that morning .. I was afraid that we would linger there too long and not have enough time to do the rest of what I have planned for Monday**<<

I've never been to this seasonal antique market on Monday in mid-July. Normally, Monday is dead in l'Isle sur la Sorgue - but if there is a market there that day - perhaps some of the "normal" stoes will be open. I would be surprised if this is the case, however, since they will be open on Sunday also - but like I said, I've never been there for the mid August antique market. I also don't think the normal fabric, soap, crafts, food vendors will be there that day, since many will have "obligations" in other markets on Monday

>>TUESDAY:
Luberon Towns:
Roussilon
Saignon
Bonnieux
Oppede-le-Vieux<<

Add Gault & Menerbes also. This won't take all day. Not may shopping opportunities in these villages. If you anticipate time left over in the day, head through the Combe de Lourmarin & visit Lourmarin & it's castle.

>>WEDNESDAY:
Les Baux
Maussane
Eygalieres
St. Remy<<

It is very likely that you can knock these off on prior days. If so, head for Aix - my wife's favorite shopping town. If you don't want to drive that far, go to Uzes (another of my wife's favorite shopping towns), and the Pont du Gard & also Castillion du Gard.

**Tuesday and Wednesday are interchangeable**

I've never been there on the Tuesday holiday - so I don't know if some of the shops will be closed then. I think Aix & Uzes are your best shopping opportunities - so visit them on Wed when you will be guarenteed that all the shops will be open.

Stu Dudley

Thank you so much StuDudley! You helped us tremendously and I feel much better about our itinerary!! I will share this with my sister so that we can regroup. In your Provence Itinerary you recommended purchasing map #245 in the US and then maps 115/114/113 in France. I did find on Amazon a new Michelin map that was published in January 2006 for Provence Alpes Cote D'azur - Regional #527. Would this map (a regional map) be sufficient in getting us around .. even on the back/smaller roads or do we need to purchase the different maps? This new map may have combined a few?

I do have the Micheline's green guide for Provence as well as the Cadogan Guide - Provence.

Thank you!

Maps 113/114/115 seem to be vanishing. I think they are no longer being published, although some people have found them in on-line map stores & I purchased 113 about 2 months ago at my local booksoore (it's a backup to my other 113 map, which is quite tattered & worn).

The 500 series replaces the older 200 series, and is on the scale 1/200,000. There is a 300 series that is on the scale 1/150,000 or 1/175,000 (depending on the dept). Since the scale is smaller on this latter series - you don't have to squint as much to see the roads. In the Luberon, the roads are really hard to follow on the 200/500 series maps. Actually, I use an IGN map on 1/25,000 scale when I stay in the Luberon (I need several maps to cover the entire area).

The answer to your question - is yes, the 527 map will work just fine. You're young and I assume your eyes are better than mine.

Stu Dudley

Great, thank you Stu!!

Bookmarking, as it seems Katzen and I are taking the same trip.