Driving itinerary Cote d'azur
 

Hello,

I'm planning my honeymoon for the south of France for the last 2 weeks of September.
I am looking for driving itinerary suggestions starting from Avignon or Marseilles to Monaco - preferably about 7-10 days.

Thanks!

Why not get a good guide book so you can decide what most interests you? I like the Michelin Green Guide to Provence and the companion one for the Côte d'Azur. Both have suggested driving itineraries that work very well.

The viamichelin.com web site is also very helpful.

I would avoid the busy hectic coastal routes and head inland - I once drove via Aix-en-Provence, dreamy old university town then along the Gorges du Verdon - about the biggest canyon in western Europe I believe.

Then I took the Route Napoleon down into Grasse, following the old military road Napoleon had built to help conquer this area of France - Grasse is an ancient town known for its perfrume factories you can tour - a few miles downhill from Grasse is Cannes and the Cote d'Azur itself.

In season this route goes smack thru the famous lavender fields of Provence.

Photos of the Gorges du Verdun.
http://www.google.com/search?q=gorge...=1600&bih=1075

It's not really clear what you're looking for. You want to take 7 to 10 days to do a 2 hour ride? Will you be changing hotels every night or do you want one base and take day trips from there?

I did a similar drive to PalenQ's but it was in the opposite direction, Grasse to Apt along the Route Napoleon and Gorges. It was a great drive and a good day. But I wouldn't spend a week to 10 days doing it.

Let us know what you want to do.

A nice way is to pick 2 bases, one in the center of things you want to see in the Avignon region (such as St Remy) and another toward the east, Nice region. This means making a list of the places that might interest you, then sit down with a map and see what is feasible.

Then, come back with your ideas and questions and general preferences and be prepared for far too much informations from the South of France crowd here.

One way of organizing your trip would be to get the Michelin map titled "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" and use those villages (there are 18 of them in the Provence) to define your itinerary.

Thanks for your suggestions!
A few questions:
- Is end of September too late to see lavender?
- What is the best place/site to rent a car?
- Is September too cold to drive in a convertible?

I've made a list of the places that interest me. I think we'd like to drive at a medium pace, getting one or two towns in per day. I don't think we want to stay in the more expensive places like St. Tropez, rather just explore for a day and return to a cheaper home base.

Here is my list, I'm wondering which places make the most sense to use as "bases":

- Avignon
- Aix-en-Provence
- Marseilles
- Cassis (the Calanques)
- St. Tropez
- Cannes
- Antibes
- Gorges du Verdon
- Grasse
- Nice
- Ville-Franche sur mer
- St.Jean Cap Ferrat
- Eze
- Monaco

It's a lot so I may have to cut out some places...are there any especially beautiful spots I'm missing? What would be a good amount of time to spend in these places so it doesn't feel like we're rushing?

- Is end of September too late to see lavender?

Yes, the blossoms will be cut and the plants look like green hedgehogs - still pretty. Abbayse de Senanque is just in the middle of a lavender field.

- What is the best place/site to rent a car?

You find car rental agencies in every significant town. At the airport, however, it is most convenient and you have the best selection of cars and models. In smaller towns, the agencies may have restricted opening hours.

- Is September too cold to drive in a convertible?

No, in September the weather is warm and beautiful. Expect temperatures between 25°C and 35°C, seawater will be 24°C - it will be beautiful for swimming.

What you pick as bases, depends a bit on your preferences - do you want to stay in a city hotel, in a country hotel, in a vacation rental or an a campground (very popular in France, they have rental tents and bungalows)?

For the lower Provence, I recommend to stay in St. Remy/Les Baux/Arles area. This would make a perfect base for scenic daytrips to Avignon, Pont du Gard, Arles, Nimes, Les Baux, the Alpilles mountain chain, Gordes, Senanque and the other archeological sites.

You may spend 4 to 5 days there. Then you may drive through the Luberon to Cassis. You may stay 2 nights in Cassis and do a boat trip along the coast.

Then drive leisurely the coastal road eastwards. You will see beautiful beaches in Cavalaire and near St. Tropez (Plage de Pampelonne). Visit the small town Ramatuelle and have a coffee in a portside café at the yaught harbour of St. Tropez.

You may stay overnight in St. Aygulf (another beautiful beach), Frejus (mass tourism) or St. Raphael.

When you drive the coastal road eastwards from St. Raphael to Cannes, you will enjoy one of the most spectacular scenic drives on the planet. The best part is between Antheor and Le Trayas. Stop at the lookouts, climb down into the coves and swim between dramatic red cliffs. You may also hike in the mountains.

Then base yourself in the Antibes/Juan-les-Pins region. From there do daytrips to Cannes, St. Paul, Biot, the perched villages in the hinterland etc. One daytrip should be a drive to Nice, then over the Moyenne Corniche to Eze (short stop for a lookout) then to Monaco (cactus garden, palace, cathedral, marine museum, casino). Drive back the Grande Corniche with a lookout stop in La Turbie (impressive Roman monument).

You will have a fantastic time. BTW we spent our honeymoon there too.

Nisha. There are several driving itinerary guide books. The one that I used for that area is a Thomas Cook guide.
These guides are invaluable for plotting what you would like to see and more importantly the appromixate times it takes.

I have found though that if you spend the time in each area that they suggest that you might end up spending years exploring!. But it is a start.

If possible drive to Villefranche-Sur-Mer and stay at the Hotel Welcome on the water. Beautiful!

The Abbaye de Sénanque no longer has lavender fields. Wheat was planted there for a while, but someone there recently says the field is full of weeds. Pity--it was a gorgeous sight at one time.

What great advice you all are giving! I am filing this away for my trip next year

welcome is a dump of a hotel, but one of the most wonderful places to stay..

i would wander the coast from st tropez to monaco...i would head into the hills to visit a few towns: vence, biot, eze and others..

nice is a fab city for a couple of nights... do not stay near the airport however..

Great replies, especially traveller1959. We are in Nice now, a 16 day stop with lots of daily trips to the nearby towns. You should stay in Antibes, it's so pretty, and Boit is tiny and quiet. A day trip to St Paul de Vence for the beautiful museum at the base of it is memorable. You may prefer to leave the car in Antibes and ride the train to Nice if you are coming, parking is impossible.

Thanks everyone!