rainbow007

Thank you to the many of you who have been helping me plan this trip so far - the information and advice have been wonderful!

Our itinerary is as follows:

Paris: 4 nights (5 for half of our foursome), flight to Barcelona
Barcelona: 3 nights, train to Collioure
Collioure: 2 or 3 nights, train to Arles or Avignon TGV, rent car
St. Remy or Arles: 3 or 4 nights, train or drive to Beaune/Dijon
Dijon/Beaune: 2 nights, train from Dijon to CDG, then home

We will be arriving at Collioure on a Sunday, and we need to decide if we should stay 2 or 3 nights (LarryJ has me leaning toward 3.) If we spend 3 nights in Collioure, then we would miss the Wednesday morning markets in either St. Remy or Arles, which sound like fun. (We would arrive into either Avignon or Arles just after 10 AM and then need to rent a car.) We also have to decide which town would be best as a base in Provence.

For all of you familiar with these areas, what are your thoughts with respect to:

1. 2 nights in Collioure and 4 in Provence or 3 nights in each?

2. Arles or St. Remy as a base town?

There seem to be differing opinions on St. Remy. I have seen it described as a great base if you have a car, and others say it is not so central and there is not much there. Arles seems central, though doesn't appear to be so charming. Avignon sounds difficult to get in and out of as a base, and we will have already spent a week in large cities.

From what I've read so far, some places in Provence that we might want to visit are: Arles, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Isle-sur-la Sorgue or other Luberon Hill town, Aix-en-Provence.

This trip is short and will just provide us with a sample of the areas, so suggestions of what to include or leave out and how to divide up the days are welcome.

Thanks again!

Underhill

I'd go with the two-nights-in-Collioure plan so you don't miss the market in Arles. But think aboutg staying somewhere outside Arles, perhaps Fontvielle instead of St-Rémy, so you don't have to navigate into and out of that city whenever you want to go somewhere else.

StCirq

Collioure is lovely,but 2 nights there is sufficient, and it will be fun to go to one of the Wednesday markets.

St-Rémy is a fairly big town - can't understand people saying there's "not much there." Ther are loads of stores and cafés and restaurants and it's usually bustling. I agree you probably don't want to stay IN Arles - traffic there seems to be getting worse and worse each year. But traffic in St-Rémy these days can be pretty bad too. Fontvielle would be a good choice, as would be Maussane.

cigalechanta

Any of the towns mentioned, St Remy , Maussane, Fontvielle and I'll add Eygalieres are fine to visit the gard and Isle sur-la-Sorgue. We day day trips to all these places from Eygalieres and we visit the Luberon to our favorite villages like Lourmarin, Bonnieux, and Saignon. If you like quiet villages, I'd suggest Fontvielle and Eygalieres. Maussane is livlier and Arles and St Remy much bigger with more to do. IMHO, St Remy, Is better to stay than in Arles and easier to get around.

Guy18

My opinion is that St. Remy is geographically quite central with a good choice of hotels in the nearby countryside. However, I find the town itself to be the least interesting of all the places you list. (With the exception of the monastery outside of the town where Van Gogh convalesced). I was there in March and St. Remy was VERY QUIET. Still, that's no reason not to stay near there, as you'll be doing day trips all around and the surrounding countryside is lovely. If I remember correctly, Arles is sort of off in it's own corner geographically, so maybe not a practical choice if you plan to base out of there much of the time. Of the actual towns you mention, Aix is by far my favorite, but also maybe not the practical choice for a "hub."

StuDudley

There are 50 times more "things" to do in Provence (with a car), than there are to do in Collioure (without a car). IMO, Collioure is about a 1/2 day visit - unless you want to lay in the sun for a day. I would only stay 1 night there, assuming you don't arrive late in the day from Barcelona.

There are also 30 times more things to do in Barcelona than in Collioure. I would be bored in Collioure for 3 days without a car.

St Remy would be my choice of a place to base for a first timer, although I actually prefer the Luberon. I find St Remy to be more charming than Fontvielle. I prefer it over Arles because it's more centrally located & easier to get in/out.

Stu Dudley

shorebrau

Visited Coulliore/Port Vendres in 10/5 as a cruise ship port. Saw a lot of both towns, had lunch, visited the fish market, wine shops, did some tastings and used the tram all in about 6 hours. The towns were charming but not for 2-3 days.

JoeG

rainbow007,

Three years ago we spent nine days in Arles. We stayed at Hotel Le Calendal. We thought it was a perfect spot to base for day trips into La Camargue, St. Remy, Isle Sur la Sorgue, Les Baux. There was always something to do in Arles. Just hanging out in town or walking around was fun. The hotel arranged for parking in a nearby parking structure. We had no problems getting in and out of town.

Last year we spent six nights just outside the little village of Maussane at Moulin de Greoux. This was more laid back trip which is exactly what we wanted. It provided easy access to St. Remy, Uzes and even the Luberon for day trips.

If you are looking for a little more activity I would suggest staying in Arles. Also there are several good value hotels. St Remy is smaller, not as much hustle and bustle. To me it's a coin flip. You will have a great time wherever you stay.
JoeG

cigalechanta

I second the Calendal should you choose Arles.
In Collioure, I suggest the Casa Pairal.

Guy18

I also loved the Calendal! Wasn't the garden nice??

Here's what I did: trained from Paris to Avignon from where I took a bus to Arles. Spent a couple of nights there and did a day trip to Aix (through Marseille by train). Rented my car upon leaving Arles and went to St. Remy (at the Chateau Roussan which I LOVED although some seem to be that it's dirty--see the website; it's as good as it looks). I used that as a base for trips to L'isle sur sorgue, Avignon, Les Baux, and Menerbes/Bonnieux.

So you really don't have to rent a car before Arles. That way, you too can stay at the Calendal!

cigalechanta

I wouldn't call it dirty either, at least when I was there, I called it shabby chic!!!

Guy18

It was definitely "shabby chic." Absolute Provencal authenticity.

progol

Though I dearly enjoyed Collioure, it's definitely not worth more than 2 nights without a car. In fact, there's not a full day's activities to do there, unless you are looking for a relaxed day of strolling, shopping and going to the beach. I do think the evening there is quite special, but would not give up more time in Provence to stay in Collioure.
Paule

benjinho

Aix is definetely "the hub". St Remy is quiet, only filled with tourists. Too far from the sea. Stay in Aix, and go to St Remy/Les Baux for the day. Aix's got vibe, students, restaurants and is a beatiful town. Arles is interesting but far from the rest. You'd rather choose a day on the coast and see "les calanques de Marseille", those little fjords on the seaside between Marseille and Cassis. Will give you a different experience than the english talking tourists markets of L'Isle sur la Sorgue and St Remy.

abbydog

Do you definitely want to be in a city? Sometimes a centrally located base in the country allows you to reach a variety of towns without dealing with traffic. If you might enjoy a farm, Mas de la Christine in Maillane is centrally located (near Arles, Les Baux, St. Remy) and absolutely delightful. And Maillane has at least one fabulous restaurant for dinner.

Guy18

"English talking tourist markets of L'isle sur la Sorgue."

Oh my! I can't imagine how anyone can categorize Provence's most celebrated market in this way. It is anything but! And the cafes along the canal are wonderful, as is the town's church. Don't miss any of it.

Guy18

And while I prefer Aix to any of Provence's other towns, it is definitely not central.

cigalechanta

I'm always amazed about how much negitivity there is by someone's choice. If I had a great meal and had excellant service someone will say how terrible the food was and they were ignored. Everyone has theor own experience and tastes. You may not want to spend a few days but another one might. Collioure is relatively unspoiled, it has a castle, a pretty seaside church, a market square with cafés, and no desire to become another St Tropez. Painted by Picasso, Matisse but too bad not shown there. It's definatelty not a place for one looking for a night life but forsomeone who wants a few days of a place away from casinos, golf, and other activities it's fine. Aix is a huge student town and the most beatiful main street dotted with moss fontaines. I like Isle and stop for lunch and to browse the brocantes. Your vacation is not mine. My advise is to get a book that tells you about each location and it will direct you to what you expect. Happy travels.

StuDudley

>>And while I prefer Aix to any of Provence's other towns, it is definitely not central.<<

I'll second that. If you stay there, you will be driving a lot more to most of Provence's top sites.

Stu Dudley

benjinho

Guy where do you live ?
I am not saying L'Isle sur la Sorgue is not nice. I know very well the place as I go there often. I am just saying that St Remy, l'Isle s.LS and Les Baux is a guidebook route and not a broad vision of Provence and that the coast is worth 10 times a market.
Market at L'Isle has very nice antiques but at least 50% more expensive than any other place.
Market at St Remy is crap ("cheap" paintings) but the town is lovely.

Now this is my local opinion. I'll drop it and leave this thread.