auntiemimi

We are spending two weeks in France for our honeymoon. We've both been to France several times. After a week in paris, we're thinking to head to Provence and have a home base from where we can do some day trips. Ideas? We are not big beach/resort people, mostly want to enjoy good food, countryside, wine, maybe some biking.
Also wondering if it's worth stopping for a night or two in either Lyon or Loire Valley.
Welcome to any advice, thanks!

DebitNM

We have spent 2 trips based in St. Saturnin les Apts. it is a perfect location for day trips to all of Provence. We stayed at a wonderful gite (self catered cottage) that was fully equipped (many are pretty bare bones) and the hosts are a charming British couple who are most informative re the area.

http://www.accommodationinprovence.com/

Tell David that I sent you!

StuDudley

For first-timers to Provence, I would recommend staying in the Luberon near Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, or any place in that area. Many people like St Remy - but I think the Luberon is more scenic. I hope your wedding is next year. You might have trouble getting places to stay for an extended time in Provence for this July. We booked our gite in the Luberon about 5 months ago for our 2014 trip in June. Lyon is directly on the TGV line back to Paris or CDG - so that might be a good idea. However, if you have 7 or fewer nights between leaving Paris and the night before your flight home, I would skip Lyon and just spend the time in Provence. Consider staying in 2 different locations if you have 7 or more nights - Luberon & St Remy.

There is a TGV directly from CDG airport to the Avignon TGV station So if Paris & Provence is what you're doing - I would land at CDG and immediately take the TGV from CDG to Provence, and then finish your honeymoon with a week in Paris.

My wife & I have vacationed for 34 weeks in Provence. I developed a 27 page itinerary for this region (and Cote d'Azur), that I've sent to over 3,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the e-mail.

Stu Dudley

PaoloCast

We just back from 3 weeks in Southern France, so first thanks to Stu Dudley(especially) and the other folks on the forum who were so helpful. I'll put a short trip report on soon. After Nice and Aix we based ourselves for a week in St. Remy. I see Stu tilts first toward the Luberon. We spent a couple of day trips there, and while we enjoyed ourselves, you should be aware that getting in and out of places like Gordes Roussillon, and Bonnieux takes some doing (and perhaps even more so in July). We liked the town of St. Remy (lots of good restaurants)and Glanum (which doesn't get its full credit in many guides). A big attraction of St. Remy is that it is flat and more centrally located for day trips to Avignon, Arles, Nimes, Pont du Gard -- and there are many, many gites in and around the town.
If you have difficulty finding a place in Provence, take a good look at Languedoc. We loved Albi and Toulouse, and these might be more open.

grandmere

Not to hijack the thread, but PaoloCast, are you saying that it's traffic that makes getting in and out of Luberon villages so difficult? It's been 21 years this May since we spent time in a gite outside Gordes, and we had the places to ourselves except on market days. Sad to think the area is so overrun with tourists, especially this early in season.

We're spending a week in Uzes this coming October and hoped to make a day trip to Luberon; wonder what it will be like then?

Waldo

It's not in Provence, but in Languedoc, which is nearby. The town is Lunel, which is pretty non descript, except for really good local restaurants. I believe it would be a good choice. I say this because I spent an extensive vacation there a few years ago. The pluses here are that it has a very convenient railway staion that easily gets you any place in southern France. We went to Montpellier, Nimes, Avignon, Marseille, Arles, etc. with minimal effort and reasonable fares. It is a friendly town, with the people being helpful and generous. It's not a tourist oriented place, so there is nothing that stands out, but it's a pretty town. The hotels there are pretty nice, not extravagant, but good, and they are super inexpensive for France. There is lots of open space there, and the place is loaded with bikes. The claim to fame for the town is that it is the home of Perrier water and it was the the French home of Karl Marx. I was there for a pretty long time only by accident. I have a cousin that worked for a French company in Bahrain, and one day, one of his co-workers offered him the home in Lunel for a few months, not wanting to leave it unoccupied. My cousin called me from Bahrain and offered it. Two days later, my wife and I were in Lunel. It didn't cost me a cent for rent. I sure could go for a deal like that again.

PaoloCast

grandmere. It's not simply the traffic (although that's become a heck of bigger problem since we started driving in Europe in 1979). I worry that unless folks have some experience in Luberon towns (like hill towns in Italy), they may think they're going to simply drive in and park. Twists and turns on the way up and down, narrow streets, one-ways, and very limited parking can put a damper on the day. I'd pick one or maybe two towns (we loved Roussillon) and enjoy walking around instead of looking for a place to park.

Christina

Well, Gordes is one of the most popular towns with tourists now, it is packed with them, but you can't drive into the center city, you have to park down below and walk up. So it isn't that it is difficult it is impossible for you to get into it. Bonnieux isn't, you can drive through it, and Roussillon, although you could park in an outer area and walk into Roussilon, there are some car parks on the outskirts.

DebitNM

We were in St. Sat for 2 weeks in late Sept/early Oct last year, and for 5 weeks this winter. Grandmere, you will love it in October in the Luberon! It is lovely.

Being there later in year helped with not having hordes of travelers to contend with, but it can certainly be done in summer. Know what to expect and don't think you can't see anything. There are so many wonderful towns and villages beside the most popular ones, that you can easily get to see some of the lesser know ones with far fewer people.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ugh-france.cfm

cigalechanta

We had no trouble finding where to park in the Luberon.
you park on the road leading up if no lot. I visited every year with no problem at the height of the season.

basingstoke2

We were just in Gordes and Roussillon in April and had no problem parking in the center of each town.

grandmere

Again, sorry to have gotten this thread off track from the OP, but I do appreciate the input of those of you who have been in Luberon recently. I read your TR, Debit, and enjoyed it.
I will start a new post as my trip draws nearer.