Fodor's Travel Talk Forums

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)
-   Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)
-   -   First timer itinerary advice (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/first-timer-itinerary-advice-1718719/)

StuDudley Nov 28th, 2023 04:13 PM


Originally Posted by Neecy (Post 17513564)
Stu--I've been working through guidebooks and your itinerary and settling in on this plan! Thanks a bunch!

The drive from Gordes to St Pantaleon (in the itinerary) is all in one day with stops where you want?

Can I see St Remy and Les Baux in a half day (assuming we stay there, haven't worked on hotel yet)? If so, we have another full day. Vaison la romaine and Dentilles, Lourmarin, Isle, sur la sorgue are all still on my wish list. Is there a logical choice?

Thanks again

The Luberon drive might take more than one day. Just go as far as you can. Make sure you visit Gordes (the "View"), Oppede le Vieux, Roussillon, and the Ochre quarries near Roussillon. Then take the D36 from near Goult to Bonnieux so that you might be able to see some lavendin (hybrid lavender) in bloom. Then drive through Bonnieux to Lourmarin for some nice shopping. Then back through Bonnieux to get some more great views. Do this on your last day to give you the best chance to see the lavendin field. Do not visit Lourmarin on a Friday morning. It's their market day and you won't be able to find parking. Start in Gordes & make sure you arrive at the lower parking lot (just past the "view") no later than 9am. 8:30 would be better.

St Remy, Les Baux, and some of the smaller attractions around St Remy will consume a 1/2 to 3/4 day if you stay in St Remy & are able to visit St Remy if you get back from one of your day trips a little early.

Vaison, Crestet, and the Dentelles is 1 hr from St Remy. The drive from St Remy past Avignon is a
"grind" & not very scenic until you get past Carpentras.

You did not mention visiting the Pont du Gard & Uzes. The Pont is about 1 hr from St Remy.

Stu Dudley





Neecy Nov 28th, 2023 06:26 PM


Originally Posted by StuDudley (Post 17513622)
The Luberon drive might take more than one day. Just go as far as you can. Make sure you visit Gordes (the "View"), Oppede le Vieux, Roussillon, and the Ochre quarries near Roussillon. Then take the D36 from near Goult to Bonnieux so that you might be able to see some lavendin (hybrid lavender) in bloom. Then drive through Bonnieux to Lourmarin for some nice shopping. Then back through Bonnieux to get some more great views. Do this on your last day to give you the best chance to see the lavendin field. Do not visit Lourmarin on a Friday morning. It's their market day and you won't be able to find parking. Start in Gordes & make sure you arrive at the lower parking lot (just past the "view") no later than 9am. 8:30 would be better.

St Remy, Les Baux, and some of the smaller attractions around St Remy will consume a 1/2 to 3/4 day if you stay in St Remy & are able to visit St Remy if you get back from one of your day trips a little early.

Vaison, Crestet, and the Dentelles is 1 hr from St Remy. The drive from St Remy past Avignon is a
"grind" & not very scenic until you get past Carpentras.

You did not mention visiting the Pont du Gard & Uzes. The Pont is about 1 hr from St Remy.

Stu Dudley

Yes, definitly pont du gard. It's what my hubby has been most excided to see, along with ruins.
I'm assuming staying at St Remy but can't get there till 2-3 from airport, so see what we can.
Day at Arles
Day at Pont du gard/Uzes/maybe something else if we don't stay long at Uzes
Day on that luberon route
Day for whatever! To get to places we missed or shop and chill, or pool, etc.

Would you say Isle of Sorgue or Vaison is worth the time at this point? Or is it more of the same? To be honest, it all looks gorgeous, but at this point it's all starting to run together lol.
Also, do any of these spots have a little nightlife (live music) after dinner and do you recall which?

Thank you again!!!

AJPeabody Nov 28th, 2023 07:26 PM

If you are like me interested in Roman ruins, then visit Glanum, the ruins of a Roman town between St Remy and Les Baux. It has all the parts of a Roman town in a small area. It is well signed for self-guided touring if my memory from 30 odd years ago serves me still.
I just looked at the website for Glanum https://www.site-glanum.fr/en which could give you an idea of the place.

StuDudley Nov 28th, 2023 08:18 PM

Don't expect, or seek out any live music. Have a nice 2+ hr dinner, then stroll through town back to your hotel.

However, if you happen to be there on the longest day of the year, expect music, huge crowds, and traffic congestion everywhere. That happened to us in Provence this year, and also many times in the past 25 years.

Stu Dudley

Fleur_de_Lis Nov 29th, 2023 01:20 PM

Not to throw a wrench in your plans (since some of the places I loved have been whittled off your list, which I don't necessarily disagree with since you do have a lot to see!) but thought I could offer a teenage girl perspective; I did a homestay in Aix when I was in high school and traveled all over Provence. Here's what I loved and what I didn't:

LOVED les Calanques - one of the coolest beach spots I had ever seen at that point in my life (and I'm from California!)
LOVED Les Baux - such a neat place to wander and explore
I thought Marseille as a city was meh, but I LOVED taking the boat out to Chatau D'if and exploring the grounds. I had just read the Count of Monte Cristo, and visiting felt like seeing the book come to life - so I'd recommend you gift the book to your girls if you decide to do a visit there.
Not sure how far away it actually is from Provence, but I loved the island of Porquerolles which has amazing hiking, cycling, and beautiful beaches. May actually be closer to the French Riviera though, so take this one with a grain of salt.
Loved the city of Aix, which is somewhere you can find good shopping and nightlife.

Recs for Paris - the places you have on your list looks good. You can check out the "Theatre in Paris" page to search for english-language or subtiteld productions taking place around the city if your girls want to see some theatre, and don't miss checking out the inside of Opera Garnier. You can also do a classical concert at St. Chapelle, but make sure you book through their official site, since there are third party people also putting on concerts there that I hear are not as good. You didn't say your girls were into fashion, but even if they're marginally interested, take them to the Dior museum which has tons of beautiful old Dior dresses and fashion history displays. There's good outlet shopping at La Vallee Village, which is a train ride away from the center - actually located right near Disneyland Paris.

Neecy Nov 29th, 2023 06:26 PM


Originally Posted by Fleur_de_Lis (Post 17513808)
Not to throw a wrench in your plans (since some of the places I loved have been whittled off your list, which I don't necessarily disagree with since you do have a lot to see!) but thought I could offer a teenage girl perspective; I did a homestay in Aix when I was in high school and traveled all over Provence. Here's what I loved and what I didn't:

LOVED les Calanques - one of the coolest beach spots I had ever seen at that point in my life (and I'm from California!)
LOVED Les Baux - such a neat place to wander and explore
I thought Marseille as a city was meh, but I LOVED taking the boat out to Chatau D'if and exploring the grounds. I had just read the Count of Monte Cristo, and visiting felt like seeing the book come to life - so I'd recommend you gift the book to your girls if you decide to do a visit there.
Not sure how far away it actually is from Provence, but I loved the island of Porquerolles which has amazing hiking, cycling, and beautiful beaches. May actually be closer to the French Riviera though, so take this one with a grain of salt.
Loved the city of Aix, which is somewhere you can find good shopping and nightlife.

Recs for Paris - the places you have on your list looks good. You can check out the "Theatre in Paris" page to search for english-language or subtiteld productions taking place around the city if your girls want to see some theatre, and don't miss checking out the inside of Opera Garnier. You can also do a classical concert at St. Chapelle, but make sure you book through their official site, since there are third party people also putting on concerts there that I hear are not as good. You didn't say your girls were into fashion, but even if they're marginally interested, take them to the Dior museum which has tons of beautiful old Dior dresses and fashion history displays. There's good outlet shopping at La Vallee Village, which is a train ride away from the center - actually located right near Disneyland Paris.

Thanks! That is awesome information. And what an incredible experience for you! They would love a fashion museum!!!

For my future reference, how did you see the calanques, by boat or hiking?

Peabody--thanks, I'm hoping to see it
Stu--thanks again! You should publish that itinerary!!

StuDudley Nov 29th, 2023 08:57 PM

""did you see the calanques, by boat or hiking?""

They are closed to hikers when you'll be there.

Stu Dudley

Fleur_de_Lis Nov 30th, 2023 07:50 AM

So glad the info was helpful! As far as les calanques, my memory is a little hazy about how we actually got there - I most vividly just recall swimming in crystal clear water and lazing about on the rocks. It wasn't really a "tour" of all the different areas, and more like we got to one spot and stayed there. I actually think we may have just taken a bus to get there, if that's possible?

tomboy Nov 30th, 2023 03:27 PM

You only have FOUR days. Don't even consider: #1. boat rides to islands...too slow, burns up time #2. hikes in calanques.....it's slower than boats #3. bus rides to X near Disneyland.....amount of train time seeing ordinary countryside. as a % of total, is too great....eats up your time for no gain

shelemm Dec 1st, 2023 09:26 AM


Originally Posted by tomboy (Post 17514034)
You only have FOUR days. Don't even consider: #1. boat rides to islands...too slow, burns up time #2. hikes in calanques.....it's slower than boats #3. bus rides to X near Disneyland.....amount of train time seeing ordinary countryside. as a % of total, is too great....eats up your time for no gain

For the OP: the boat ride to Chateau d'If is 20 minutes. To go onto Port Frioul it's an additional 15 minutes, though you can stop only at Chateau d'If

I am very glad I did not listen to the above advice in my travels to Provence. The approach to Chateau d'If is the stuff dreams are made of. The view of any city or village from the water is often the best view there is. And the hike I did at Port Frioul was awesome.

Of course, it's up to the OP to decide how they should spend their time, but taking a half day trip like that makes for a varied and exciting vacation.

Here is a link for the Frioul archipelago:

https://www.calanques-parcnational.f...ul-archipelago


StuDudley Dec 1st, 2023 12:12 PM

""taking a half day trip like that makes for a varied and exciting vacation.""

The OP is likely staying in St Remy - so there is a probably 3 hours worth of driving to get there & back. Where did you visit Ch. d'If from???. Did it really only take you a half day from the time you woke up till the time you were at the next site - perhaps 1 hr away?? And how many days were you in Provence when you took this trip?

Stu Dudley

Debbielynn Dec 1st, 2023 03:57 PM

When my husband and I started traveling in Europe in the 1990s ( besides several trips to Greece) , we went on a group tour of Italy. My husband was afraid to tackle the driving in a country where we didn’t know the language. We didn’t like the group travel experience; all the herding around, going to restaurants and gift shops that they picked and “ viewing “ sights that I wanted to actually to visit.

When we decided to try it on our own, Rick Steves was my travel “guru”! His books are concise and easily understood with lots of practical advice about traveling around in cities, info about restaurants, what to see in the museums, etc. I found his advice funny and enjoyed his interpretations of many things. In the years following, I have outgrown his books and can do my own tours. I think for new travelers his advice is good. And at the time I used the books, the internet was not as popular as now.

And now friends and family come to me for advice and planning! However, one thing I’ve learned is to prefix my advice with “This is what I enjoyed doing but you might not so maybe you should read up on it” so I don’t get blamed if they go to somewhere they didn’t enjoy! I do find that some people I have helped seem to be so lazy that they can’t even look up the basics to get an understanding of what they might like to see on their trip!

shelemm Dec 2nd, 2023 04:15 AM


Originally Posted by StuDudley (Post 17514273)
""taking a half day trip like that makes for a varied and exciting vacation.""

The OP is likely staying in St Remy - so there is a probably 3 hours worth of driving to get there & back. Where did you visit Ch. d'If from???. Did it really only take you a half day from the time you woke up till the time you were at the next site - perhaps 1 hr away?? And how many days were you in Provence when you took this trip?

Stu Dudley

I visited the port of Marseilles, went on the boat to Chateau d'if, visited Cassis and went on a hike at Les Calanques all in the same day from Aix. I don't think the OP has decided on a location, plus if the OP decides on 4 nights, the stay can be split easily into two locations. I recommend Aix because it allows for that kind of variety. On a different day, I hit les Grottes de Calès, Vieux Vernegues, Roussillon, and Fontaine de Vaucluse. On a third day I roamed Aix and visited the Op Art at Fondation Vasarely. Vastly different experiences back-to-back-to-back. That's the kind of vacation I prefer.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:58 PM.