Help Me Formulate Provence Itinerary
 

Getting down to the 1 month mark before we leave on our 3 week journey in Europe...

I still need some help figuring out the best way to "do" Provence and the best way to schedule our days with everything we want to see.

These are the things we want to fit in during our 5 full days in this area:

Isle sur la Sorgue market Sun
St. Remy marked Weds
Visiting Gordes, Bonnieux, other perched villages
Pont du Gard, possibly Nimes and/or Arles
Village of Roussillion
Glanum/Van Gogh's asylum
Aix and Cours Mirabou - lunch at Les Deux Garcons?
Exploring Les Baux on foot (where we will be staying)
Shopping - I'm a big shopper - and would like to find fragrances, soaps, herbs, etc to bring home for gifts. Not sure if the markets will be enough shopping for me or if there are other good towns to hit for shopping.
And last but not least, just driving aimlessly and enjoying the beautiful countryside....


Here is what I have scheduled so far.

* Saturday May 26th - Arrive Avignon TGV at 4:54 p.m. Rent car, drive to Les Carmes B & B in Le Thor for 3 nights. Assume we will not get to Les Carmes til nearly 7 so only thing scheduled for this evening is the table d'hote for 30 euro including wine. Food there is supposed to be outstanding.

* Sunday May 27th - Main prority is to hit Isle sur la Sorgue market; will leave Le Thor early to get there at the start. Have lunch somewhere in ISLS - any recs for a good lunch place? Have heard some things about L'Industrie? (pizza place) Then how to spend the rest of the day?

*Monday May 28th - Not sure what to plan for this day as it is Whit Monday - considering what else could be closed compounded with what is usually closed on Mondays.

* Tuesday May 29th - Check out of Les Carmes, check into Riboto de Taven. I have scheduled the table d'hote at Riboto for Tuesday night altho this could easily be switched to Weds. night if it makes more sense schedule-wise. Not sure how to spend this day either.

* Weds May 30th - St. Remy market in early morning. Rest of day???

* Thursday May 31st - Check out of Riboto; drive to Nice. Thought to stop in Aix along the way for their market, but this would mean waking up extra early for the drive. Should we skip Aix's market and just try to get there later in the day for lunch? I was figuring not to get to Nice til about 5-6 at night since we don't leave there til Sunday.

So as you can see I have some spots (ok, ok, whole days!!!) I need help filling out. Suggestions welcome please!

After we did the L'Isle sur la Sorgue market, we went back to our B & B and just hung out by the pool, drank wine, and dined on stuff we purchased at hte market. It was a nice down day after our travel from Paris to Avignon on Friday and the day trips we did on Saturday.

You can combine Bonnieux, Gordes, and Roussillon in one day.

St Remy and Le Baux are very close together and could be combined.

If you go to the market at ISLS on Sunday and the St. Remy market on Wednesday, you could just hit the market in Aix somewhat late and just do lunch and hang out there for awhile.

Just some random thoughts -- it's hard trying to make the best of your short time, isn't it?

Enjoy!

joy/luvparee

and you just HAVE to schedule cafe sitting time, sitting in the sunshine, sipping pastis...scowling behind big sunglasses...

It looks to me that you actually have 4 days with the transit day (Thursday) at the end to Nice. I don't think a stop in Aix would be a problem on that day but the markets are, as always, in the morning. The drive to Nice is about 2 1/2 hrs and practically goes thru Aix.
Your first whole day-Sunday will begin with I'sle sur la Sorgue, lunch or picnic with items from the market and I have gone on to Gordes, bories, Abbeye Senanque, Rousillon and others as time and energy permits. The main thing is you are in the area but it is Sunday and shopping anywhere is limited except for tourist type things.
Monday is tricky--What is Whit Monday? I would plan to visit the Pont du Gard in the am with a possible visit to Nimes or Arles in the pm when things open again. Check to make sure the museum at the PDG is open-it is well worth it.
Wednesday is the St Remy market in the am. From there it is easy to go to Glanum and Van Gogh's asylum as both are just outside of town. Don't miss the chocolate (Joel Durand) and olive oil stores in St Remy--excellent.
That leaves Tuesday as your catch up day--other villages, wine tasting perhaps in Chateauneuf du Pape, Les Baux visit or whatever your hotel recommends.
BTW-I'm escorting a group of 12 for two weeks during this same period and have had no problem filing up the days. Looking forward to it--have fun!
Paul

Last year we took an overnight trip to Monte Carlo, loved it, what an exciting place. Just have a room, we got the last ones that weekend, and was in an attic room, ended up being so wonderful, opening up the windows out onto the harbor with helicopters landing on private yachts.....also you might want to drive up to Vertoux, not sure about spelling, it is where they do the tour de france....stopped off at a winery not far from there. If you have any questions just let me know.....I think that Isle sur la Sorgue has the best shopping....have a wonderful trip, I am planning ours for June.

Sunday
After the market, I'de just spend a lazy day in the Luberon. Shops in Gordes & Roussillon will be open. Take the "Luberon drive" in the itinerary I think I sent you. It's an "aimless" drive.

There is a HUGE Marseille soap vendor at the ISLS market - that's where my wife stocks up. No trouble finding it. Also, one of my wife's favorite houseware shops is there - not to far down the street from where the soap vendor sets up (which is on a bridge over the Soargue on the northwest corner of the market).

Monday
If you really enjoy markets, visit the Bedoin morning market. Since it's a double combo of a holiday & Monday, I would spend most of this day seeing the beautiful countryside. Take either the "Lavender fields" route in my itinerary (it's beautiful any time of year), or do the Dentilles loop around Malaucene, Vaison, Seguret (stop & walk through town), Gigondas, Vacqueyras, and Beaumes de Venise.

On either the Lavender route or the Dentilles loop, you could start the drive in Bedoin. If you visit Bedoin first then choose the Lavender route (in partial reverse), head east from Bedoin to Sault, but do not take the D1 there because it isn't too scenic. Go via the lovely Gorge De La Nesque or the D974/D164 along the foot of Mt Ventoux.

If you did not see enough of the Luberon on Sunday, then I would visit stuff in the Luberon (including Senanque) that you didn't visit Monday, and then do the Lavender route. Shops should be open in Gordes & Rousillon, so perhaps if you realize you won't get to all the Luberon villages & scenic drives on Sunday, save one of these villages that have shops open (Gordes/Roussillon) for the start of Monday.

Tues
I would visit Uzes in the morning, then the Pont du Gard, then Castillion du Gard. Uzes is one of my wife's favorite shopping towns (she likes household decorating stuff). She clames Uzes has one of the highest quality shops ratios. The town is loaded with outside cafes on the Place aux Herbes.

Wednesday
You've probably read a few of my rants about St Remy on market day. I'll let you decide. But I would make sure you visit les Baux, the Alpillies drive in my itinerary, and also St Remy without the market (later in the day).

Thursday.
I would not try to rush & visit the market in Aix. You will have already visited at least 2 markets, plus there's one in Nice every day. Lunch on the Cours is really special. Aix is also my wife's favorite shopping town in Provence.

Stu Dudley

we did shop the St Remy Market on a Wednesday and then took all our purchaes to Les Baux for a picnic. It was divine!