Cote d-Azur - Provence Itinerary
 

We'd like some opinions on our itinerary.

Here's the deal so far-
4 nights Paris
TGV to Nice
2 nights Nice
Car from Nice to Gordes area
3 nights Luberon

Our variable is the last day/night.
Should we
Tour more of the Luberon and stay in Gordes area
or
Car to St. Remy and Les Baux, ending up in Avignon for overnight.

The TGV leaves Avignon at around 6 AM to CDG.

Yes, we know it's ultimately personal choice, but for those who have been there, could we appreciate the St. Remy and Les Baux areas in one day?
Mark

I would skip Nice and just enjoy the Luberon/Dentelles and Les Baux/St Remy/Avignon/Aix. While I really enjoy parts of Cote d'Azure, I think you'll enjoy Haute Provence, Rhone delta area better in that short of time.

We have many guests who visit St. Remy and les Alpilles as a day trip. You'll certainly "appreciate" it. You won't come close to seeing everything there is to see, of course.

If it was me, I'd spend you last evening in St. Remy. Leave the Luberon early and that will give you a full day to explore Les Baux and les Alpilles (Maussane, Eygalieres) and then enjoy St. Remy for the evening. From St. Remy, it's an easy drive to the TGV station. You'll have to wake up very early, but you'd be waking up early in any case. This would give you maximum time to enjoy the Alpilles area.

-Kevin

I'd agree with Kevin. Spend your time in St. Remy. Les Baux is one of a kind and truly worth the trip. If you're dropping a car off at the TGV station in Avignon leave a some extra time. It's an easy drop off ONCE you find where to do it. We drove around for at least 15 minutes before with figured out where the rental car place was located.

Thanks Kevin and D, you presented a convincing argument. Regarding dropping the rental car (which I haven't arranged yet), it appears from a couple of searches that the car rental offices won't be open at 5:30 a.m., although a key drop box is supposed to be available. Having read many posts on rental car damage claims showing up weeks or months later, am I inviting trouble if we use that method? I've never had an issue in the USA when I've done that, but...
Anyone with any experiences doing this please add your comments. Thanks.
Mark

xms-- it is obviously a matter of personal opinion; DAX would skip Nice and I would not leave Nice out at all. Wonderful city, just the sight of that water is worth the trip and would probably be a nice respite and change of scenery from the Paris portion.

I have had the same concern when returning a rental car even with damage insurance as one can still get charged for the deductible. I actually took a few pictures once I've parked in the car drop off area. From a distance to show the car location, then up close of each sides with the digital date & time before I dropped the key. I don't always do it but it's actually a good idea. I've returned a car in Gare de Lyon Paris and a week later they called me asking whether I returned the car at all as they didn't have the key or car. The Sixt rental car lady told me that she didn't have a receipt to give as I picked up the car in Hamburg and they will do all the billing paperwork, so I took pictures.

Viajero is right, I would skip Nice but return on a separate trip where I can spend at least a week to include St Tropez along with Nice.

I would take the TGV to Avignon and skip Nice, save it for another trip. There will be plenty to do and see in the Luberon and St. Remy.

Another vote for skipping Nice & just concentrate on Provence.

Stu Dudley

Have you purchased your airline tickets yet? Are you tied to the round trip to Paris because of FF miles? I was able to fly into Paris (start of trip) and out of Nice (end of trip) for only about 100$ US additional. If you haven't bought the tickets yet, you might investigate this option- then you could then spend your last two nights in Nice...

You could stay in Avignon on the last night and drop the car off the day before if you are worried about it. We did something similar after staying in Gordes for 2 nights and Cassis for 4. There are lots of nice hotels and restaurants in Avignon. We found a lovely square with a bars and restaurants and had a really memorable evening, it was a warm night and atmosphere was wonderful.