Day trips from Menerbes
 

We are taking our first trip to France and are renting a house in Menerbes for a week. Can anyone recommend some good daytrips from there? Some people have said we should plan to visit some towns in the Riviera. Is that a doable day trip and if so which town(s) would make a good stop?

You'll have enough to see in this area, without visiting the Riviera (especially in summer).

I've just switched to my new computer and haven't transferred all my files yet, but here are some day trips:

Pont du Gard and Uzes
Bonnieux, Roussillon, Oppede le Vieux, Gordes, l'Isle sur la Sorgue, Fontaine la Vaucluse, the Abbaye de Montmajour (before the end of July the lavender will still be in bloom),
Lourmarin and Aix-en-Provence
Cassis
St. Remy and Glanum, Les Baux
Arles and the Abbaye de Montmajour
Aigues Mortes in the Camargue.....

Patricia

Good list. Thanks.

I live outside of les Baux, so if I can answer any specific questions, let me know.

Patricia
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I'll second PBProvence's suggestion that you stay in Provence for your entire visit.

We just returned from our 15th & 16th week in Provence since '99, and there are still more things to see when we go back in '07. Plenty of places to keep you on the go for 1 week. We stayed just at the southern base of Mt Ventoux, and took excursions into the Baronnies, Sault region (lavender), Dentelles, Valreas/Grignan/Barry area, plus the usual trip to the Luberon & the l'Isle sur la Sorgue market, and the small villages northeast of Carpentras. Didn't visit any large cities at all, or get near St Remy & the Alpilles or anywhere south of Pernes les Fountains (except for the Luberon).

Patricia's list only includes sites south of Avignon (except for Uzes & Pont du Gard). There are an equal number if exciting places in Provence north of Avignon - but just the stuff she mentioned will keep you busy for 1 week.

BTW - she had the Abbey at Montmajour mentioned twice - I think the first time she meant the Senanque Abbey.

Stu Dudley

Staying in Provence could include visiting the Côte d'Azur, which is eastern Provence, although I think that would take up too much time when there's so much to see near the Lubéron.

For one week I would visit all the Beautiful villages in the area and leave the Cote D'Azur for another trip, that is only if you want the true flavor of Provence.

Then again, the hillside villages of the Côte d'Azur are beautiful as well. I can't imagine going to Provence and not seeing the Mediterranean in all its azure glory.

The prime villages in eastern Provence: Vence, St-Paul-de-Vence, Mougins, Valbonne, Eze-village, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, and certainly the peninsula of St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

But I also like PBProvence's list, and certainly the Côte d'Azur will be overloaded with visitors in the summer. If you're going later, though, a day trip to the Nice area might be doable.

>>>Then again, the hillside villages of the Côte d'Azur are beautiful as well. I can't imagine going to Provence and not seeing the Mediterranean in all its azure glory.<<

Excellent suggestion if you have about 4 weeks to spend in the Cote/Provence region on this trip. However, you're only planning on a 1 week stay. Why spend 5 hours in a car getting to/from St Paul or Vence, when there is plenty of stuff to see in the immediate area.

Stay in Provence.

Stu Dudley

Stu ...you're right, I meant Abbaye de Senanque. A good example of "brain going faster than fingers"...

Patricia

I agree with all the poster's suggestions for the Luberon area. Boulder, if you really want to see the Med I just checked with mappy.com and it's only one hour 20 minutes from Menerbes to Cassis. You can combine it with a trip to Aix.
Enjoy!

I agree with the comments of StuDudley and others. Don't waste your time driving to Côte d'Azur. Furthermore, I prefer the villages of the Luberon.
If you visit the area in July or beggining of August, don't forget the area of Sault and its outstanding lavender fields.
I agree again with StuDudley, avoid the big towns (except, maybe, Arles and Avignon) and focus on villages: Gordes, Menerbes, Oppède, Lacoste, Venasque, Séguret, Gigondas, Goult,...

i agree with fodorites who vote to stay in provence for your week, boulder. we rented a house in lacoste (thanks alex2 for mentioning this little gem!) for a week last september and return again this september because there is so much to absorb. and, after spending several weeks in the mediterranean alps/cote d'azur area, based in the delightful town of peillon, that region is as unique as provence and deserves its own separate visit(s). in provence, try the lovely villages of murs, cereste, joucas, bedoin and roaix. enjoy!!!!

Once again, now: the region of Nice IS in Provence!

I don't know if you know this but Peter Mayle who wrote "A Year In Provence" wrote it from his house in Menerbes. He even mentioned the "Cafe De Progress" in the village centre. Most of his books were written about the area immediatley around Menerbes and would make fascinating holiday reading for you.