We are first timers to Provence going the week of March 31. We have rented a large farmhouse at the foot of the Luberon… 25 minutes to either Avignon or Aix en Provence. We love exploring small villages and scenic drives, food and wine.

We arrive Saturday afternoon and we expect to pick up rental cars, stock the house with food and wine and arrive at our place in the early evening. Please help me plan our week.

Sunday
Morning Market at L’isle sur la sorgue
Fontaine de Vaucluse
Other nearby towns we should not miss?
Restaurant suggestion for dinner?

Monday – Meet in Aix en Provence at 10:00 am with chef to go to market and shop for a meal we’ll prepare later. After shopping at the market we will have a few hours to explore Aix before returning to begin preparing our meal. This cooking class has been booked, so can't change this date.

Tuesday – Wine Tour with Wine-Uncovered touring Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Rasteau, Cairanne, Séguret and Châteauneuf du Pape… Dinner back at our farmhouse

Wednesday-Need help with this day...
Avignon – Pope’s Palace or...
or Arles – Amphitheater, Cloisters at St Trophime, Les Baux
Nimes – Amphitheatre, Pont du Gard, (maybe too far for us?)
Orange?

Thursday - Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Menerbes… are these near enough to stop at all or would you pick one or two to visit? If so, which? Restaurant suggestions?

Friday-what have we missed? Maybe back to Aix...

Saturday – our flight departs from Marseilles in the evening... what would you do with this day? We'll need to be out of our house by noon and have the better part of the day to explore somewhere... What is in between Aix and Marseille that we should visit?

Thanks for any help you might offer...

Patty

Pont du Gard is quite close to both Avignon and Nimes.

Les-Beaux-de-Provence to me was an exceptional place - at least the Dead City on top - a barren rocky mesa overlooking miles of land - there is a 3-star Michelin restaurant I guess in the modern village of Les Baux below the Dead City up top.

St-remy-de-Provence is a few miles from Les Baux and I found it a sweet sleepy town - famous for Van Gogh being interned here in an insane asylum where he put local scenes on canvass - now they have posted reproductions of these now world-famous pictures right at points he painted them in and around the asylum. St Remy itself I found the quintessential Provencal town - streets lined with the iconic plane trees everywhere.

Thanks PalenQ - sounds like we might be able to do all of those in one day then...

Do you have my 27 page Provence & Cote d'Azur itinerary??? I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors & aol. We've vacationed for 18 weeks in Provence, & the itinerary describes our favorite villages, markets, sites, scenic drives, has a section on Provence fabric, and many other tips. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail.

A few comments about your current itinerary.

On Sunday, after visiting the l'Isle sur la Sorgue market, visit Gordes & Roussillon - one of the few towns/cities that will have shops that are open on Sunday (besides l'Isle sur la Sorgue). Fountaine de Vaucluse will have some shops open, but I think the villages I mentioned are more interesting.

Too bad you are visiting Aix on a Monday. Most all shops (at least the ones my wife likes) will be closed on Monday morning. Some open in the afternoon - after 2:30PM or so. There is only a small (but good) food market on Monday - the larger market is on Tues, Thurs, & Sat.

IMO, you should be spending more time in the beautiful countryside & enjoying the scenic areas of Provence. Many of our favorite "drives" are described in my itinerary. Don't just visit large cities like Aix, Avignon, Nimes, or Arles (Arles is smaller than the othere 3). Perhaps only visit Aix (since you already plan to do so) and Arles. We're not fans of Nimes (been there 4 times), compared to Aix, Arles, & Avignon. I like Uzes & St Remy for medium sized cities. There are dozens & dozens & dozens of "cute little villages" scattered around, that make Provence "special" for us. See my itinerary for details.

Stu Dudley

St-Rémy a sweet, sleepy town? Maybe 30 years ago. Today it's probably the most touristed venue in Provence. Not to say it isn't charming...I'm quite fond of it. But sleepy?

I think you should plan a day or at least half a day in the Camargue. Aigues-Mortes is one of the prettiest places in France, IMO. Add in flamingos, cowboys, red rice fields, sand wine vineyards, and some of the best seafood (and bull dishes) in France, and you've got a winner.

Stu - I do have your itinerary - thank you. We are very interested in visiting Gordes and Roussillon, which explains why we devoted an entire day for them on Thursday. Do you think it's best to add them on Sunday?

I could possibly move our Cooking Class to another day - which day of the week would you recommend visiting Aix?

On Tuesday during our wine tour we'll be spending the entire day in the countryside, vineyards and small wineries.

Wednesday is the day we are trying to decide whether to visit Avignon, Arles or Nimes - not all of them. Maybe Arles would be the best choice - although some in our group will want to see Avignon and the Popes Palace. We will have several cars, so people can do what they enjoy.

Maybe Friday would be a good day to visit St Remy and Uzes or the Camargue. I'll have to read up on Aigues-Mortes...

Does anyone have any great restaurant recommendations for any of the places we will be visiting? Or recommendations for a stop on Saturday between Aix and Marseille?

>>We are very interested in visiting Gordes and Roussillon, which explains why we devoted an entire day for them on Thursday. Do you think it's best to add them on Sunday?<<

Yep - I can't see spending more than 1 hour in either village. What I would do is to visit Gordes & Roussillon on Sunday. Then do my "scenic drive in the Luberon" on Thursday and visit the other villages - skipping Gordes & Roussillon. That might give you time to visit Lourmarin also.

>>I could possibly move our Cooking Class to another day - which day of the week would you recommend visiting Aix?<<

Tues or Thurs if you want to visit the big market.

>>>Wednesday is the day we are trying to decide whether to visit Avignon, Arles or Nimes - not all of them. Maybe Arles would be the best choice<<<

Yep - especially if you move Aix to some other day when the shops will be open.

Stu Dudley

Thanks Stu... appreciate your knowledge.

Stu - one more question. We will be there the first week in April, so not Lavender season, correct? Are the drives through the Luberon village towns pretty without the lavender? What can we expect to see? Thank you.

>>We will be there the first week in April, so not Lavender season, correct?<<

Yep - no lavender

>>Are the drives through the Luberon village towns pretty without the lavender?<<

very pretty if you follow the exact route in my itinerary


>>>What can we expect to see?<<

Lots of vineyards and hilltop villages - Menerbes, Lacoste, Bonnieux, Roussillon, Gordes, etc.

Stu Dudley

Thanks again... it's coming together... slowly! Can't wait!

Might you share your cooking school information and the farmhouse rental with me.
I am tentatively planning a trip to the same area as you in the fall. Your information would be fantastic. Thanks so much!

Well it was about 15 years ago so St-Remy could well have changed - but at that time it was sleepy - but perhaps it was because I was there during the few-hour noon pause - very little going on and seemed sleepy - but things do change. Yet because of the Van Gogh asylum in it and fabulous Les Baux next door it makes a natural stop or a good overnight that is smaller than Avignon or Arles.

When you are in Fontaine de Vaucluse,Lunch at Chez Philipe.
Aix, dinner at Clos Des Violettes
Bonnieux, Le Fournil
Roussillon, David'
Isle-sur-La-Sorge, Jardin du Quai

Thank you cigalechanta for your restaurant recommendations! The place that we've rented also recommended the one in Bonnieux!

RosieAnderson -

We are a large family traveling together - my two sisters and our families so we are a group of 17. We found this fabulous place that can accommodate us. It's the Mas de Gancel and you can see it at www.only-provence.com I'm not sure if you are looking for a place for a large group. When we split the cost, it's much less than if we were paying for hotel rooms and we have a great base for our week.

The cooking class was recommended by the owners of the Mas - His website is www.chefronald.fr