geetika

I have shortlisted two lovely houses in Provence for next June, one is just outside of l'Isle sur la Sorgue and the other near Menerbes in the Luberon and I want to confirm the reservation by next week.

My question is how long do we stay. I'd planned on 12 days, Day 1 will be mostly gone in travel by TGV from Paris. My sister however feels we won't have enough to do for 12 days and suggests a maximum of 10 would be enough. We're going up to Bourgogne (based near Beaune) after Provence and I'd planned on 5 full days there, we'd have 7 if we go by what my sister says.

In Provence we'd planned on visiting Nimes, Orange, Arles, Avignon, Pont du Gard, Camargue and wander around the little villages, also explore the nature and hike/bike around. And of course some vineyard visits, also maybe go down to Cassis or Cannes/Nice too. Would that give us enough for 12 days? And as I told my sis we don't have to be doing something every day, we can just relax by the pool with a bottle of wine and chill out a bit too!

in Bourgogne we're mainly interested in the Cote d'Or, so I figured 5 days would be more than enough.

What do you Fodorites suggest, please help! Thanks

KarenWoo

You should also consider visiting Aix en Provence. It's a lovely small city with a beautiful old town, lots of fountains, at least one small art museum I am aware of, old churches, great restaurants, Cours Mirabeau, etc.

Loumarin is a nice village, too, with a chateau you can visit. And there is a vineyard nearby that we visited.

StCirq

I can't imagine running out of things to do and see in Provence in just 10 days, or 12 for that matter.

geetika

StCirq, that's exactly what I told my sister, glad to note others also confirm this!

karenWoo, we've been to Aix on a previous trip but may go back again if we're in the vicinity. Thanks for the tip about Loumarin, will look it up, and the vineyard too, lol!

HappyTrvlr

Twelve days is barely enough time for Provence.

KathyWood

I've been spending time in the Luberon for 15 years, several months a year. I never run out of things to do! And there's no need to rush around to cram too many stops into one day... take time for small discoveries and simple pleasures. That's part of what Provence is all about.

I'd suggest you buy the book Provence Byways by Bob and Sue Winn. www.provencebyways.com. This will give you lots of ideas.

(Is it possible to rent these houses for 12 days? In June many places rent for full weeks only.)

Enjoy your stay in beautiful Provence--

Kathy

KarenWoo

Have you been to St. Remy? I know some people on this forum consider it touristy, but I really like it. The asylum where Van Gogh lived for a year is interesting, and I really enjoyed Glanum (the Roman ruins).

Egalieres is a nice town, and it has a wonderful market on Fridays. We have eaten lunch several times at Café Progress (I think that's the name), next to the market. On Fridays, they have a lunch special called Aioli (delicious white fish served with lots of vegetables, and I think maybe some clams or mussels?)

mjs

Twelve days is not a lot of time for Provence. We spent 12 days last year just in the western portion. Previously spent a week in Cap Antibes. You might want to split your trip to Provence into two bases with one being in the Cote and the other being one of the two places you have mentioned.

Michael

The number of days depends on your first visit style. Have you stayed for any extended time on holiday in Tuscany outside its cities? or in Bavaria? or anywhere else for that matter? If so, how much time did you spend there? Travelers who have been to places like the Provence or the Dordogne will perhaps spend a few days the first time, and then promise to return for longer visits.

HuisClos

I could, frankly, stay a month in the area and not be bored. Not a bit. The least amount of time I've stayed in that region was 10 days, and that was woefully inadequate, especially since most sights and things to do require a bit of time traveling to those spots.

yestravel

I can't imagine running out of things to do in that area. So many lovely villages to visit. You might think about going to Marseille for an afternoon.

rhon

Provence is certainly a wonderful place to visit and I agree, you could spend twelve days there and have a great time. We spent a week in Mazan in 2008, a week in the Drome ( not Provence I know, but close ) in 2010 and two weeks in Pernes les Fontaines in 2014. ( click on my name to see my report on our 2014 trip ). We are planning time in the Var in 2018.
However, one of the things we really enjoy about our trips is the variety of regions we visit - time spent in places which are different from the last place or the next - to get a different feel.
I have to say that Burgundy is one of our favourite regions. We have spent eight weeks in various parts of Burgundy since 2006 and are planning another week in 2018. I see so many people visiting Dijon and Beaune - lovely places - and then ticking Burgundy off the list. There is so much more. There are lovely villages and impressive abbeys, beautiful Romanesque churches and chateaux, and excellent wine beyond the Cote d'or region. Visit the Maconnais region - I love the photo of my husband leaning on the Chardonnay sign and sitting on top of the Roche de Solutre overlooking vineyards - or Chablis or Irancy or Givry. How many people have tried some jambon persille - we look for this every trip - unless it appears on a restaurant menu. Or epoisse cheese - you can actually visit the village. Charolais beef is from Burgundy- we were in that area last year. We have memories of rich, creamy Delice de Bourgogne with juicy local cherries, washed down with Cremant de Bourgogne , when we were in the Yonne ( 2014 )
We would have no difficulty staying near Beaune for a week. In fact we will stay near Nuits St Georges for a week next year and we will probably not do a wine tasting unless it is in a cave or co-op - our favourite is Cave de Lugny. But we will enjoy several !!! bottles of the local drop, and some jambon persille and a really ripe Epoisse.
So Provence and Burgundy will give you a nice contrast. How you divide your time is your decision. Whatever you choose, you will have a lovely time.
Bon voyage.

geetika

Thanks a ton for confirming what I knew, we should easily be able to find plenty to do and see in 12 days in Provence. Kathy, I too thought they only rented from Sat to Sat but when I asked at least 6-8 people readily agreed to 12 nights, starting a Saturday.

We spent quite a bit of time on the Cote'Azur over the years, so we want to explore the hinterland this time. Karen, St Remy and the asylum are most definitely on my agenda, thanks also for the tip about the restaurant.

Rhon, we will have five and a half days in Bourgogne and that will have to do for this trip. Will definitely look at your trip reports and will come back for more suggestions and tips. Right now I'm working out our travel dates and booking our accommodation, the rest of the planning will be next spring...

Thanks again all of you, you're just great!

frenchaucoeur

Unless I've missed it, nobody has suggested that you spend some time in the Vaucluse towns north of the Luberon. You could easily divide your time or even do day trips, esp. from L"Isle sur la Sorgue.

I'm thinking particularly about the beautiful area arouond Vaison-la-Romaine, with its sprawling Tuesday market and wide choice of restaurants; the wine villages of Sablet, Gigondas, and Seguret; and the small and very lightly touristed Le Crestet and Le Barroux, with its chateau. The drive from Malaucene to Brantes, opposite Mont Ventoux, is particularly beautiful; a second gorgeous drive goes through the Dentelles de Montmirail.

After a number of visits, we've come to prefer this area of the Rhone Valley to the Luberon or Les Alpilles--less crowded and very beautiful scenery. It's about an hour or so north of LSLS.

frenchaucoeur

I do also have to agree with rhon about Burgundy--esp. because of the name check for Epoisses, one of my favorite cheeses. We made a point of visiting and had lunch in a medieval courtyard--a salade compose followed by, of course, Epoisses. A perfect meal. The town is small and quiet, with a fortified chateau that is open to visitors (altho we didn't go). Also Irancy, near the b&b we stayed in for a week in the tiny dot called Massangis. It was interesting to stay away from the whole Dijon-Beaune axis, as rhon says; we'd been there several times before and thought it was time to see another part of Burgundy. We also stayed for four days in Chablis, which was very well located for touring.

So many choices!

geetika

Latest update, we're now switching our dates round, so we start at Bourgogne and then drive down to Provence. So now my sis and I take off on vacation a few days earlier and will have 8 full days in Bourgogne. We'll still spend part of the time near Beaune but am looking for a second base for 3-4 days.

Michael

Auxerre for the northern part of the Bourgogne,

morvegil

Check out my trip report. I did the opposite of what you are doing. Spent 10 days in Provence and drove up to Bourgogne. Stop for lunch in Lyon at a Bouchon. Make sure to make reservations for lunch.

But yeah, theres never to much time to spend in Provence. Great place, slower pace of things and a very polite people. I stay in St.Remy, yeah its somewhat touristy, but that means nothing in Provence. When i think of touristy i think of long lines at tons of people like in Paris. St.Remy is cute, lots of things open late at night.

fuzzbucket

Pommard - if you are serious about wine, or Savigny-les-Beaune and less so.
You might wish to rent a "gite" with a swimming pool, though.
www.beaune-tourisme.fr

geetika

Fuzzbucket, we've rented a large house with garden and swimming pool between Autun and Chalon-sur-Saone, with day trips northwards to Pommard, Mersault, etc as well as south to Macon. For now I don't have any specifics planned out, there's still more than 7 months to go. Booking the house was my first priority, next will be the TGV tickets.

Thanks again!