We'll be France in a little over a week and are using Arles as a base in Provence. Is Nice too far a drive considering time of year, traffic, etc? Will be in Nimes for a concert and arriving in Avignon from Paris. Anyone have any great places that we should put on our must see list?

Look in on St. Remy de Provence, about 15 kms from Arles. It has a great outdoor market in the morning each Wednesday. St. Remy is a great little town--dine at Gousse d'Ail.

You could also drive in to the Luberon and see the lavender. It is particularly great at the Abbey Senanque near Gordes. This would be about 60 kms from Arles

Good luck.

There are so many things to see and do in Provence that I would perhaps just spend all of the time there!

I remember driving from Nice to St. Remy, which is a little outside of Arles and it took nearly 7 hours with traffic, but it just depends.

I would recommend day trips to Aix-en-Provence, the famous town of Paul Cezanne. There are hundreds of small streets filled with cafes, courtyards, and boutiques. Some other great country towns to visit that have great markets on certain days of the week are St. Remy, Tarascon, and Cavaillon. If you are interested in antiques and furniture, L'ile-sur-la-sorgue is most famous for that drawing people from all over the world.

Les Baux is situated in the hills and has some interesting medieval ruins if you like history.

Roussillon and Gordes are two small towns located near Apt that are worth exploring as well.

These are just suggestions! We did about four days of driving through the region of Provence exploring markets, small towns, and trying to get a feel for the more rural parts of France.

Good luck!

Check out the guidebooks on Provence at your bookstore and buy the one that appeals to you the most (some concentrate on historic and cultural sites, some on scenery). Then visit the places that appeal to you the most.

Definitely visit - St. Paul-de-Vence, St-Remy, Aix-en-Provence, and Gordes. Just drive around, you'll find so many beautiful places in Provence!!!

Definitely go see Le Pont du Gard, the famous Roman aqueduct bridge located near Nimes. It is a huge, imposing structure that is amazingly intact. Thre is even centuries-old graffiti scratched onto the bridge! You can walk across the span to the other side. There are trees and nice grass spots to sit and have a picnic by the banks of the river flowing underneath. Definitely a must-see!

Be sure to see the Arles market. It was our favorite in Provence!

Near Apt and Roussilon-- Menerbes, Bonnieux, Saignon. Also,Vaison la Romaine, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. IslS has wonderful Sunday market/flea market.

Les Baux and Roussillon would be my two picks. Les Baux is better later after the hordes of tour busses depart.

Don't forget the other direction! You might be interested in Aigues Mortes, a medieval town from whence Louis IX left for the Crusades, or the Camargue, the largest nature preserve in France with wild bulls, horses and flamingos. I think we saw both based in Arles.

I think Nice and St. Paul de Vence are really too far away to do on a day trip. Your time would be better spent in the Arles area.

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helrot,
Adding to Powell's recommendation of La Gousse D'Ail - they serve Bouillabaisse on Tues. We based in Arles last Oct. and other restaurants in the area that we can recommend are La Cuisine Au Planet in Fontvielle and Le Petite France in Maussane. Both are very short, enjoyable drives. I agree with others - Nice is way to far plus there will be more to see than you could fit in in ten trips. If you want to drive to the sea, it is a very easy drive from Arles through La Camargue. We can recommend a stupendous restaurant there _La Chassagnette - on D36 in the direction of Solin de Giraud near Le Sambuc. We went there for lunch and had probably one of the most enjoyable meals ever. We sat outside overlooking the gardens where many of the herbs and vegetables that they serve are grown. We had many courses including duck breast salad and grilled tuna all for 23E each. Our server who was French, spoke the King's English and gave us a tour of the ground's and was unbelievably friendly. She got us a bottle of the fantastic local olive oil that they serve, which we are now savoring the last drop. Where will you be stayng in Arles?
JoeG

From Nimes go to Uzes a charming town with one of the few churches that was bright and didn't have a musky smell - like people really use it. The Duchy of Uzes is the oldest in France and a tour of the residence is very interesting.

The Pont du Gard - west of Avignon, best later in day after tourist buses are gone. Avignon, of course.

Don't miss Aigues Mortes, one of our pleasant surprises and great to walk around the ramparts of the old town. The Camarque is also interesting, but to me it really was nothing more than a beach resort and not really all exciting. Though the horses at the ranches were interesting.

North of Arles there Les Baux (go after the tourist buses) it's the most visited town in that part of France, but prices for souvenirs were the best as town is subsidized (not sure by whom). Also immediately at south end of St. Remy is Les Antiques and the archeological site at Glanum. And nearby the asylum where Van Gogh "rested" after cutting off his ear. St. Remy is a charming town that we used as a base. In all honesty, except for the Old Town of Arles, found it rather disappointing.

North of Avignon is Orange and the vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape. West of Avignon via Cavaillon is the Luberon and Petite Luberon villages.

There is lots to see, but you better get an early start every day, as while the distances aren't great it takes times depending on whether you're driving the Peage (super highway at speeds in excess of 100mph) or the National roads which are prettier, with circles (rotaries, round-abouts) rather than lights - but traffic can be heavy here and they do like to speed in France.

Get yourself the Michelin #245 Yellow map and work out your itinerary. And do get yourself a guidebook. It's your trip, you know what you like or not - do some research and plan "your trip" not ours.

The Camargue has a wild beauty all it's own. As you drive into it you'll see lots of flamingos etc. I assume you know the spots in Arles to see - Arena, Theatre, cloisters, Van Gogh's reproduced "bridge at Arles" - the real one was bombed in the war, but this one looks exactly like the painting!
A wonderful restaurant was "Au Brin de Thym" at 22 rue du Dr Fanton. In fact there were 3 restaurants there recommended by our hotel. Between the Rhone and the Forum. At Aix-en-Provence visit Cezanne's "Atelier" (studio) and see his brushes, drapes etc, and the apples as they gradually rotted - just the way he painted them!

To the top.

Very helpful inputs for me as i will be in Arles in 3 weeks time

There are lots of great suggestions above--and you'll find many tiny villages just driving around the area which are peaceful and lovely. I would nix the suggestion aboveon St. Paul de Vence from Arles--it is too far to enjoy for a day trip--you would spend most of your day driving to and fro--it is as far as Nice. Save it for another trip when you do the Cote d'Azur.