Hello,

My wife and I will be on business for a week in Paris in September, then will leave Paris on a Saturday morning and spend another 8 days in France. We will finish up our trip with 4-5 days in Nice and are considering a 3 day weekend in either Dijon or Avignon before continuing on to Nice. Either way we will rent a car to visit other sights around the area we choose. It seems that either will be a contrast to Nice and the Cote d'Azur.

I realize it is comparing apples and oranges (or chablis and rosé). I am sure either will be a great choice but I received such helpful comments on my post from last night that I thought I'd just ask for any comments about these two options. Thanks again.

to the average person Avignon and its area has a whole lot more varied and IMO more awesome things to do than in the Dijon (Beaune a more romantic smaller regional town would be my favorite base there - right in the vineyard epicenter and the main commercial town for Burgundy wines)

Avignon to me is one of the most romantic towns in France and you can do easy day trips via public transports to Arles (Van Gogh put in on canvas), the Pont du Gard (Roman aqeudecut that is probably the most intact Roman relic outside of Italy or even in it perhaps) - St-Remy-de-Provence - a sweet smaller town where Van Gogh committed himself to a local asylum after slicing his ear off in Arles - there he painted many scenes that are now famous and they have put up reproductions in the exact place he painted them; Les Beaux - extraordinary remains of a dead city that was once a strong plateau-top medieval citadel - very close to St-Remy - Nimes - more great Roman ruins and cities like Uzes and on and on.

Best to have a car but the sites can be, with planning, done by public transport though the Pont du Gard and Les Baux are harder.

If interested in vineyards and prestigious wine houses go to Burgundy and again best to have a car - follow the winding Route des vignobles burgogne (sp?) a marked road that winds by many famous wine houses north and south of Beaune.

Dijon is one of the nicer French towns but not much to do there after a few hours for most - Beaune would be much more to many folks liking - a city but not a ;arge city like Dijon where a in most French cities IME they roll up the sidewalks at night and on Sundays.

Thank you very much, Beaune was the other town in Burgundy I was considering in place of Dijon. All the things you mentioned are also what attracted me to Avignon.

Many folks prefer Arles over Avignon - a bit smaller and not quite as crowded but after Sept 1st crowds fall off dramatically in the whole area.

If you have a car smaller places like St-Remy are a favorite of many.

Trains take you to Avignon-TGV station a few miles outside of town - if renting a car pick it up there. If not take the shuttle bus the few miles into town.

I have spent lots of time in the Avignon area and love it. although Avignon was my least favorite town. We spent a few days this past winter in Dijon and visited Beaune. for a three day weekend, it is great place to visit. While there is lots to see in the Avignon area, it's more spread out then visiting Dijon and Beaune. You can click on my name and see our TR about our five days in Dijon.

I like both of them, but probably prefer Avignon a bit, and the surroundings. I didn't think that much of Beaune, actually, but I liked Dijon.

However, if you are going to Nice, it would seem Avignon would make more sense as a complement. It almost sounds like you've never been to Provence before, in which case, I would do Avignon to add on more naturally to Nice for the feeling of southern France.

Traveling without a car, I've stayed in Dijon & Beaune and also Avignon & Uzes. While I can't say I liked one area far & away better than the other I will tell you what I liked most about each area.

Walking along the Burgundy Canal for several days was wonderful and I enjoyed the medieval center of Dijon and staying in Beaune for a week and touring the vineyards.

I enjoyed Avignon in a hotel for several days, then had a studio apartment in Uzes for a week and liked it most of all as far as the ambiance of the town is concerned. Compared to Beaune, I found Uzes less geared toward visitors on a day to day basis and the shops more pleasantly modest than more upscale Beaune. It felt more like a place I might want to live.

Since you'll be spending some time in Provence, I would vote for a stopover in the beautiful region of Burgundy--just for a contrast.

Just looking at a movie called Ronin, part filmed in Arles and Arles is rather dreamy looking - the Roman theatre area exceptionally - consider Arles as a neat base - also has train service right to its town center.

We love the burgundy region...it is exactly what I pictured France to look like. Lovely villages, fabulous wine and food...yum!

You can see a few pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7607493717331/

We also enjoyed Provence but it didn't grab us the same way. We will have to give it another chance someday!

I don't think you can go wrong with either option...

We've vacationed for 4 weeks in the Burgundy/Beaujolais area and 18 weeks in Provence. We're returning for week 19 & 20 in Provence this coming June. That might tell you which area we prefer. Not nearly as many "cute little villages" in Burgundy as in Provence, and I think the variety of "things to do" is greater in Provence (although Dijon is our second favorite city in France). More chateaux in Burgundy, however.

Also, the drive from Dijon to Nice is a long 7 to 7 1/2 hrs, while the drive from St Remy/Avignon to Nice is 2 3/4 hrs. The TGV to Avignon from Paris is 2 3/4 hrs and to Dijon is 1 3/4 hrs. You could take a train from Dijon to Nice - but that's a "middle of the day" 7 hr train ride too (with 1 train change). So, Dijon instead of Provence will wipe-out most of an entire vacation-day for you.

BTW, the drive from Avignon to Nice is actually scenic - especially around the turnoff to St Tropez near the Maures Mountains. The drive down the Rhone past Lyon (rush hour traffic?), some ugly commerce, & a nuclear power plant or two is not scenic. The sun will be in your face while you drive also.

Since you are new to Fodors and perhaps haven't done much "searching" - I have a 27 page itinerary for Provence & Cote d'Azur that I've sent to over 3,000 people on Fodors. I describe our favorite villages, scenic drives, markets, etc. It has a section on Provence fabric also. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

Stu,

Thank you for your information. I was actually thinking of only keeping a car for the weekend in Avignon or Dijon, then taking the train again to Nice. My impression is that there is decent public transportation from Nice to the other main attractions on the Cote d'Azur so I was not planning on a car in Nice. Would that be a mistake?

Yes, there is great public transportation from Nice all over the area. You wouldn't need or want a car there.

How are you going to get from either Avignon or Dijon to Nice????

Like I stated - it is a 7 hr train ride from Dijon to Nice with 1 train change in Lyon. The train leaves Dijon at 1:40 pm & arrives in Nice at 8:33 pm. By the time you get to your hotel, it could be 9:15pm. That pretty much eats up the day & louses up any dinner plans. There could be more train schedules in the summer.

From the Avignon TGV station there are two trains in April (there may be more in the Summer). The earliest leaves at 11:47 & arrives at 3:06. With driving to the TGV station in Avignon, returning the car, and catching the train - the period between 10:30 and 3:45 will be "eaten up". There is another train that leaves 2 hrs later.

We have stayed in Nice about 8-10 times for a total of 25-30 days. Except on one occasion (3 days) - we've always had a car because we like exploring the wonderful Nice Hinterland in the Alps behind Nice. We never use the car for getting around inside Nice or to Villefranche, Antibes, or Cannes. There are lots of scenic drives & visits to villages & canyons around Nice in the itinerary I just sent you. See if any interests you. We've also stayed in one of the villages in the Nice Hinterland for 4 weeks and in one of the canyons for 1 week.

Before visiting Provence for 2 weeks, we will be in Nice for 2 weeks this coming June - renting an apt. We plan to be without a car for the first week and then rent a car for the second week. I suggest that you visit Provence instead of Dijon so that you have an "extra" day of vacation (instead of spending it driving or training), then drive to Nice & keep the car for 1-2 days, then return it & visit the coastal villages by train.

Stu Dudley

We've stayed in both Burgundy and Provence for 2-3 days when leaving or coming to Paris. I think the two regions stack up quite well against each other for interest, scenery, food etc. Burgundy gets the nod for wine, although Provencal roses and reds can be very good. Here's a blog post about Burgundy, written more as a day trip from Paris, but it gives you the idea: http://tinyurl.com/lmdghay

In terms of travel times/methods, I'd drive it all if you have not been here before. There's nice scenery for much of it, and you can pick stopping points, i.e. driving from Burgundy to Nice you could comfortably reach Avignon in a half day, stay over, and then go on to Nice.

Of course, you can take a TGV from Paris to Avignon and spend all the time in Provence.