we will be driving a rental car from avignon to nice. en route, we are planning to stop in aix en provence to do some sightseeing, maybe for half a day. how safe is it to leave our luggage in the trunk of the car (we will get a car with a non visible trunk). i've read so much about crime against tourists in cars. i've been a victim of purse snatching in madrid 2 years ago and i am very much concerned about our safety and that of our belongings. also want to know if we can do avignon-st remy-les baux-arles then back to avignon (for the night) within one day and get to see some key sights or is this too hectic?

When traveling with luggage in the car, I always back the car into a space that butts up against a wall, rock, telephone pole, lightpost etc so the trunk can not physically be opened unless it's movede forward a few feet. There are large parking lots in Aix with a lot of factivity. Also, the one I park in near the Pl General de Gaulle has some "shifty" people hanging around, but I suspect the other lots have some also.

Avignon, St Remy, & Les Baux are very close to each other - an easy half-day or day trip. I think St Remy is 30-45 mins from Avignon if you don't make a wrong turn.

Do you have my Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary that I've sent to over 500 people on this forum?? We've spent 23 weeks in these regions, and the itinerary discusses our favorite "things" there.

Stu Dudley

I will like to share a bad experience I had in Nice while a passenger in a car. Two kids on a moped running against congested traffic, one of them jumps out of the moped, opened my door and attempted to grab my purse. Luckily, I had just placed my purse by my feet on the floor. This added the 2 seconds I needed to react, pushed him out, closed the door and quickly locked it. He then attempted to open the trunk. Had he been able to open the trunk, he would had grabbed luggage, hop on his buddy's moped and go. This happenned in less than 10 seconds, my husband and another traveler in the front barely realized hat had just taken place. Lesson learned: ALWAYS LOCK YOUR CAR, EVEN WHEN IN IT, FOR SURE WHEN STUCK IN TRAFFIC.

BTW, I got StuDudley itinerary and it is an absolute gem. I am sending many blessings and good thoughts his way for his kindness.

Great tip on backing in to the parking space, Stu! I would've never thought of that...

Aix en Provence has secure underground parking lots which is where i usually park. You can follow Parking signs in the center of town that will guide you to the various lots and also display the number of spaces available.

stu, thanks for the clever advice. i am new to fodors and did not receive your itinerary. do you think you can send me a copy of your provence/cotedazure itinerary? thanks in advance.

morganB, when you say secure parking in Aix, does that mean security guard, cameras, etc in the premises? what is a secure parking structure in France?

Stu: I would appreciate receiving a copy of your Provence itinerary to: [email protected]. Thanks!

>>stu...do you think you can send me a copy of your provence/cotedazure itinerary? thanks in advance.<<

I forgot to include my e-mail in my offer. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy

Stu Dudley

yes they are underground with cameras and security agents.

ttt