Help with Provence Itinerary
 

Ok, I have been reading posts here for the last couple of months getting great information to help with our trip to Provence in June. Everyone's comments have been invaluable. Now I am ready to submit my itinerary and get comments on what I might need to change or reconsider. This is what I have come up with so far:

June 27 Tues. - Arrive in Paris - Stay in Paris to acclimate.

June 28 Wed. - Take the TGV to Avignon, rent car and drive to Carpentras. Seemed like a good place to base for a few days. Possibly stay at the Best Western. Have to have AC at the hotel for my husband. Possibly make a quick trip to Orange after we get settled.

June 29 Thurs - Tour the Dentilles - Vaison-la-Romaine - Mont Ventoux

June 30 Fri - Stroll the Carpentras market and then do Stu's lavender route. (I got it off one of the other posts, thanks so much).

July 1 Sat - Avignon - Pont du Gard - St. Remy. Stay in St. Remy for the next 3 days. Possibly stay at Hotel Gounod which was recommended by someone on another post.

July 2 Sun - Market at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue - Pernes-les-Fontaines. (Open for other suggestions after the market)

July 3 Mon - Les Baux - Arles - Maussane - Eygalieres.

July 4 Tues - Return to Paris to visit with friends for a couple of days.

Any comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I am sure I will be asking more questions as I try and book the hotels and TGV in the next week or so.

My only suggestion is for July 3rd: get up early and get to Les Baux before the crowds so you'll have time to visit the two villages on your list before heading to Arles to avoid backtracking. It's going to be something of a long, but wonderful, day.

First, get the good Michelin map of Provence (most Barnes & Noble have it) and make sure your itinerary does not double track. Many places have air conditioning. I am sure you can find something more charming than the Best Western, especially if you want Carpentras or nearby. There are so many chateaux or even former castles that are now hotels that would be worth looking into, I can make some suggestions if you tell me your price range. For instance, there is a fabulous hotel right in Gordes, in the top of the town, with views for miles. Try the Relais Chateaux website for their properties in the region.
I agree with Underhill - your July 3rd itinerary is a bit ambitious, start the day early. Personally I would stay in either Gordes or Les Baux over St. Remy. Check out L'Oustau de Baumaniere for lodging (www.oustaudebaumaniere.com). They were fully booked but we visited friends who were lucky enough to get a room there. Wow!
Market day in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is great. Sunday is the best since it also has the food market. But the market ends at 1 PM. Almost every building on the side of the street facing the river has big shops filled with more dealers than you would guess. Stay and have lunch there.
Roussillon is not on your itinerary? It is very unique.

On ALL of these drives you will see lavender, lavender and more lavender. You will be able to buy it in any way, shape or form at the markets. There is no need for a "special lavender route" if you are going in lavender season. I love lavender honey.

BNail - I hope you don't mind if I add our draft itinerary for a similar trip to this thread. I also would be very grateful for any comments & suggestions.
Michèle
(May 12-18 in Paris)
May 18
Leave Paris
TGV to Avignon pick up rental car
Visit Avignon
Drive to les Baux de Provence
Check into Le Prince Noir http://www.leprincenoir.free.fr/index.htm#fr

May 19
Visit Arles, Pont du Gard and surrounding area
2nd night at Le Prince Noir

May 20
Drive to Lourmarin
Stay 2 nights at La Cordiere http://www.cordiere.com/anglais/accueil.html

May 21
Visit surrounding area
2nd night at La Cordiere

May 22
Drive to Cassis
Stay 2 nights at Royal Cottage http://www.royal-cottage.com/hotel.htm

May 23
Boat trip to visit Les Calanques
2nd night at La Royal Cottage

May 24
Drive to Aix en Provence
Stay at Hotel Le Manoir http://www.hotelmanoir.com/

May 25
Drive to train station and surrender car
Train to Lyon
1 night at Hotel La Résidence http://www.hotel-la-residence.com/

May 26
Train from Lyon to Beaune
Stay 2 nights in the Abbaye de Maizieres http://www.beaune-abbaye-maizieres.com/

May 27
Mini van tour of chateaux/wineries?
2nd night at La the Abbaye de Maizieres

May 28
Early train from Beaune to Paris
If arrive early enough explore Marché des Oiseaux, then Jardin de Luxembourg and rest of St. Germain des Prés
Stay at Hotel Michelet Odéon http://www.hotelmicheletodeon.com/

May 29
Fly from CDG at 1:15P
Arrive Boston at 3P

>>On ALL of these drives you will see lavender, lavender and more lavender.... There is no need for a "special lavender route" if you are going in lavender season. I love lavender honey.,,

We've vacationed in Provence for 16 weeks since '99 and I have not seen much/if any lavender growing in fields around St Remy, Pont du Gard, Dentelles, Alpillies, Arles area, Camarque, & south of the Luberon Range. You will mostly find it around Sault, in the Luberon valley, around Grignan, and a few other places here & there - but not that close to Carpentras or St Remy where you are basing. The fields around Sault are huge.

Several year ago I took my cousin & her husband on my Lavender Route (first timers to Provence), and several years later I took some other friends on the route (first timers to France). Both couples said the same thing - "this is what I expected Provence to look like". The area around Sault is beautiful - I urge people to take the Lavender Route in non-lavender season because the mountains, gorges, villages, and terrain in this area is prettier, IMHO, than many other areas in Provence.

BNail - you didn't mention a visit to the Luberon - one of the most popular regions in Provence. You could visit on Sunday after the market - many of the shops in Gordes & Roussillon will be open then.

I think you can do a few more things on Wed, unless you arrive from Paris late in the day. Also, I would suggest that you stay somewhere other than Carpentras - perhaps in the countryside near Vaison & surrounded by vineyards, or near Bedoin at the base of Mt Ventoux if you want to be close to Carpentras. Carpentras is OK (great market), but the outskirts are a little ruddy & driving through them to get in & out will not be that scenic. We stay in Gites, so I don't have any specific hotel recomendations.

If this were my trip, I would stay in the Luberon instead of Carpentras.

Do you have my full 20+ page itinerary for Provence (& Cote d'Azur). I have some other scenic drives in there, in addition to the Lavender Route. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.

Stu Dudley

I've also been reading everyone's comments, and they have been very helpful. I'm hoping to get some feedback on my itenerary.

We're spending 2 days in Provence, and then drivingng to the Cote d'Azur and spending 5 days there. We picked Cannes (despite its comparative shotfalls) because we wanted a real beach vacation with sandy beaches for the 2nd part, with only a minimum of touring. We're hoping not to "fill up" this time with much more touring.

Here goes. Please give suggestions:

Saturday (July 1st) - Fly into Marseille and transfer to Aix.

Sunday - Isle Sur La Sorge, Les Beux, and St. Remy

Monday - Visit a vinyard and spend the rest of the day in Aix.

Tuesday - Drive to Cannes. I would love suggestions on places to stop on the way.

Wednesday - Beach day in Cannes, with some local touring in Cannes.

Thursday - St. Paul and Vence. Can we do this in 1/2 day?

Friday - Nice.

Saturday - Eze and Beaulieu Sur Mer (1/2 day)

Sunday - Beach day in Cannes, with some local touring in Cannes.

Monday - Fly home from Nice.

I'd love suggestions on itinerary, but also welcome any special sites or restaurants that you don't find in the guidebooks.

You can get the 1/200,000 Michelin Map 528 at the bookstore. In order to get the more detailed maps, you have to order them. I just ordered my 332 and 340 1/150,000 Michelin maps from:

www.languagequest.com/traveler/index.php


www.maptown.com also has them.

bookmarking

BNail, I stayed in Pernes a few days and really liked it, it is a very nice town to walk around for several hours with some interesting sites, so I think that is a fine thing to do after Isle sur la Sorgue.

I agree that Roussillon was one of my favorite villages.

and I do have a comment for Jane on this <<Sunday - Isle Sur La Sorge, Les Beux, and St. Remy>> ummm ... you really intend to visit all three of these on Sunday? That is incredible to me, I would think at least a half day each, not to mention the time to get between them.

I don't know about good lavender routes, but do agree that I've seen a lot of lavender in fields in the general between the N100 (route below Gordes) and D541/94 (near Grignan).

For Jane's itinerary, I'm assuming that you are staying in Aix for 3 nights.

I (also) think that driving from Aix & getting to the l'Isle sur la Sorgue market by 9:00 (it will be a zoo by 10:30), then les Baux, and St Remy, then back to Aix will be an exhausting day - especially since (if you are like me) you will still have some jet lag.

I don't recall any major vineyards around Aix to visit - but I assume there are some - my Oz Clarke wine companion guide has Simone (by appointment only) as the only one close to Aix. Also, be aware that most stores in Aix will be closed on Monday morning, except for the very touristy ones on the Cours. Many shops (but not all) will open up in the afternoon around 2:30 or 3.

Stu Dudley

To take your recommendations, it seems that I should split up Les Beau and St. Remy - and do one on Sunday afternoon and the other on Monday morning. Then, do Aix Monday afternoon. (I'll also look into Roussillion and Pernes.)

Any thoughts on stops for during the drive from Aix to Cannes?

Or, as an alternative, Isle Sur La Sorge and Aix on Sunday and Les Beux and St. Remy on Monday....Is Aix "open" on Sunday? Would this work better?

Jane

Almost all the stores will be closed in Aix on Sunday. Most will be closed Monday morning also (usually the ones my wife wants to visit) - I've been there on a Monday morning. If you plan to do no shopping or browsing at all in the pretty shops, then go there on a Sunday or Monday morning.

In St Remy, most of the shops will be open on Sunday, but not all. Many of my wife's favorites will be closed on Monday morning - opening up at 2:30 or 3PM. Also remember, most - maybe all - shops everywhere will be closed for a 2 hr lunch.

See Aix on Saturday when you arrive - that's you best bet.

If this were my trip, I would visit Aix on Sat, but stay in St Remy the entire time - Aix will be kinda dead on Sun, & Monday morning, but St Remy won't.

Stu Dudley

After reading everyones suggestions, I will reconsider our base in Carpentras. I want to be in the vicinity to do our Thurs. and Fri. itinerary to the Dentelles, Mont Ventoux, and Stu's lavender route (I don't think I can see too much lavender, I love seeing flowers and color). Any suggestions of where and also hotels or gites. As I mentioned before, my main concern is having AC so my husband won't be miserable when he sleeps. I originally considered Vaison but wasn't sure if it was too far from doing Stu's Lavender route on Fri. Christina, any recommendations of where to stay in Pernes.

What Michelin map numbers do I need to get?

I agree with Stu and his discussion of lavendar and the Luberon area. We based ourselves near Gordes and that worked out excellent. We did not go as far north as Carpentras. You will be surprised at how long some of the drive times will be and how difficult it may be to park. Get there early!

Also, I would suggest to most of you that more than 2 villages in a day is a bit much. And though we were there for some time, after researching, Avignon was just a place to pick up the car. We stayed in the Luberon visiting Gordes, Rousillon, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Lex Baux and St. Remy. Then we headed south and stopped in Aix for the day. And when comparing - Aix is huge compared to Les Baux.

We wanted to catch some of the more southern areas such as St. Paul de Vence and Eze. For that part of the trip we stayed in Cannes, a totally different experience. We would head out in the morning or later in the day (sunset from Eze!). Then we flew back from Nice. Then we returned 2 years later for another 2 weeks in Provence ending in St. Tropez for a week.
I have friends who have lived in the south of France in the summers so I had a lot of input from them.

Okay, so what is your favorite Provence wine. Mine is the rose from Domaines Ott. Wine in the states is ruined by the sulfites. There is nothing like French wines that are not adulterated with sulfites for export!

BNail
I would not stay in Carpentras, Pernes, or perhaps not even l'Isle sur la Sorgue. The D31 and the D938 that connects these towns is filled with box stores, car dealerships, grocery stores, and other ugly commerce - not the image of Provence that you want to see. However, if you get a little east of there, the scenery changes quite a bit. In the Luberon near Gordes is very scenic, and northeast of Carpentras around Bedoin is quite pretty also. Venansque is a little too remote, IMHO. Gordes would be perfect for the first timer.

Map 113 covers all of Provence - it's the only one you need. Ronda gave me the URL of a good place to get maps:
http://www.languagequest.com/traveler/index.php

Stu Dudley

Well, I don't agree with Stu on his comments re box stores, etc. and staying around Pernes I stayed right outside Pernes in the countryside on the D938 and that was a very convenient location for driving tours, because you could easily get elsewhere on the D938 (down to Isle sur la Sorgue for the market or even dinner), up to Carpentras, Vaison, etc., or down to Gordes, Luberon, etc. It was the perfect location, but not a super major highway like the N100. Sure, there are stores in the suburbs of Carpentras, I wouldn't stay there probably. But it was no more ugly than many other locations around there IMO, and Gordes is hardly bucolic with its massive traffic and tourist hordes. That's why I liked Pernes, it was a little different.

I stayed in what is one of my favorite country inns in all of France (the Hermitage), it is just wonderful and very reasonably priced, with a pool, lovely terrace and private gardens, private car park -- and right on the D938 for easy access. The only problem is that it does not have AC, sorry. I was sort of suprised when looking at how many places in Provence still don't have AC. My room even had a private terrace where I could sit at night for the breeze and listen to the cicadas, and that was in a room that was only around 60 euro. The bathrooms were very new and modern and in excellent condition, the staff was lovely, and I just loved it. But no AC. It was pretty hot one night when I was there, that is true (it was July). It's a 3* Logis de France property.
http://lhermitage.ifrance.com/

Has anyone visited the Caves de Sarrangan or Cathedrale d"Images up the road from Les Beax? Is it a worthwhile stop?

I was going to say, I didn't find a lot of places with AC in the general area around Pernes/Isle sur la Sorgue, etc., and I really looked as I wanted that central location. You can find a couple 4* expensive places around Gordes with AC, and I know of a couple around Grignan, but it's tough in the middle.

Another place I was considering was this one, not far from Pernes, as it looks lovely also (La Grangette in Velleron)
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/h...rie-grangette/

Mentioned highly in some online guide I like (JPMoser?), but I don't think it has AC either, as it is only a 3*. You can find plenty around Avignon or Aix with AC.

As for the itinerary of Jane, I think, I don't know the best thing, but St Remy and Les Baux are very close so that seems a natural grouping. Do you have a particular reason for going to St Remy? I don't think you said, but if you don't have any particular interest in seeing some things there (like the rest home where Van Gogh stayed, the Roman ruins, etc.), that may be why you just wanted to breeze through it to see the town for an hour or so. That would be fine, also, I don't think it any more special than many other small towns in Provence, although I know some folks really like it. You know -- main street, plane trees, etc.

we stayed at villa velleron, a karen brown recommedation, and it was lovely. they arranged a wine tasting picnic for us, helped us plan each day's activities and gave great dining recommendations.
also, we did the st. remy market on wed, ate lunch and the went to les beax.

We stayed at the Hotel Les Ateliers in St. Remy last October...very nice, with a beatiful view of the mountains from the pool/hot tub area...also just steps away from the Wednesday market. In St. Remy, make sure you pick up some Mas des barres (sp?) olive oil...it is made in the area and really wonderful. Also stop in at Joel Durand Chocolates in St. Remy...really wonderful! I thought Les Baux and St. Remy were the best of Provence IMHO!

Does anyone know whether the shops in Les Baux are closed Monday mornings in July?

Les Baux is one of those very touristy towns where I suspect that the shops are always open. Same with Gordes. We've never been to les Baux on a Sunday or Monday, however (have been go Gordes on Sun & Mon)

Stu Dudley

Does anyone know whether the shops are open "all day" in any of the following towns: St Paul de Vence, Vence, Eze, and Beaulieu Sur Mer -

- or are they all closed for extended lunch?

Christina, actually L'Hermitage was on my list and their website (www.hotel-lhermitage.com) states that most of their rooms have AC. I am going to check it out. If not then I will probably try Gordes as Stu recommends.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions. I don't know what I would have done without this forum. Whatever places we don't fit in, that will just be an excuse to come back. I am sure it will be wonderful no matter what.

Stu, does map 113 cover all of the roads of your lavender route? If not what other map do I need?

113 covers it all

Stu Dudley

I believe map 113 covers the entire Provence area at a scale of 1/160,000 see: http://www.maptown.com/cgi-bin/mt/st...store_id=14902.

Maps 332 and 340 cover portions at a scale of 1/150,000 and coordinate with the Michelin Green Guide. For example, under each town name it gives the number of the map and the coordinates. http://www.maptown.com/michelin-france-local.html

I have map 528 regional map which I bought at the bookstore and have found Stu's lavender route on it but it is extremely tiny and hard to see.

www.languagequest.com/traveler/index.php
sells Michelin maps for less than Maptown and they charge less for shipping but I don't believe they have map 113. I have ordered maps from them but they haven't arrived yet.

topping for later...

I just ordered map 113 and 528 from Maptown. I little pricey because they are coming from Canada. We will see if I get them. My next step is to try and book my hotels and then I will try for the TGV. May need help with that one.

Not too sure why you ordered the 528 map. Everything you mentioned on your "want to see" itinerary is well within the 113 map. I bet you won't take the 528 with you to Provence. Like Ronda said, it's too hard to read - especially when you are riding in a car. It's also a lot bigger physically.

Stu Dudley

My fault, I ordered it before I read your response. Next time I will wait for you.

I just received an email from Maptown. They said the 113 map has been discontinued. I don't know if that means they are discontinuing it or Michelin is discontinuing it. I am trying to cancel my entire order with them. I did find the 113 map on thesavvytraveller.com. Does anyone know anthing about this site before I try and order it from them?

Does map 113 go as far north as the Dentelles and Vaison-la-Romaine?

Never mind, I finally saw a picture close enough to see that it does go that far north.

I also just found map 113 on the Rand McNally site so I went ahead and ordered from them. I know that company so felt more comfortable ordering from them.

I've ordered many maps here
http://www.maptown.com/

I've seen map 113 in the stores here in San Francisco as recently as 2 weeks ago. The map covers areas very far north of the Dentelles - as far as Aubenas & Montellimar, and as far west as Montpellier & east to Marseille.

Stu, for some reason Maptown told me that map 113 was being discontinued and tried to sell me an IGN map that didn't cover everything I needed so I cancelled my order with them.

Christina, I reserved a room at Hotel L'Hermitage today. Francoise was very nice. She said she reserved a large room with air conditioning for me. I am making progress. I think the TGV will be my challenge when the time comes. I will be practicing in the next week or two so that I will have it down. I printed MorganB's instructions from another post so hopefully it will so smooth.

Nice to read comments re. Jane's itinerary. I would be very greatful for feedback on the one I posted (before hers).
Many thanks!
Michèle