Interesting Places for Day Trips from Uzes?
 

Two friends and I are spending a week in Uzes in May, and whereas we are pretty familiar with the towns, villages east of Avignon, we're planning on focusing on west of Avignon, up to, say, 1.5 hrs. from Uzes. Of course, we will visit Pont du Gard and Nimes but looking for some additional ideas for interesting villages, sights, etc. We will have a car, but we would not feel comfortable driving on mountainous switch-back roads.

I know many of you have traveled in this area, and I hope to hear from you. Thanks in advance!

{Bookmark for our trip in September}

We enjoyed driving along the Gorges de l'Ardèche on the D290. The scenery is spectacular, and although the road is high and curvy, it is quite wide and not at all scary (especially if you drive from east to west). The Chauvet cave (featured in the Werner Herzog film, Cave of Forgotten Dreams) is near the Pont d'Arc at the western end of the gorge. In the town of Vallon Pont d'Arc there's an exhibit about this cave and its art. This is something new since we were there so I don't have any personal knowledge of this exhibit.

http://www.experienceardeche.com/pag...hauvet-cave/56

You're also well positioned for visiting the Camargue, especially the walled town of Aigues-Mortes as well as the town of Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer. I found the Camargue to be a very interesting and unique region.

I was going to suggest the Camargue, too, as it's so radically different from anyplace else in France. There are paddies of red rice, flamingos, cowboys, sand wine vineyards, and some wonderful restaurants. Also, Aigues-Mortes has to be one of the prettiest towns in France.

I( also vote for the Camargue, The only place I can find to eat Tellines, fingernail sized clams cooked in oil and garlic.
There's a wonderful bird sactuary and several places that are special to eat in.There are platforms along the roads, you climb to see the wild white horses, black bulls and the pink flamingoes
Grandmere, Uzes has one of my favorite markets on Saturdays that overflows the Place des Herbs.
Andre Gide's father wrote,
"O little town of Uzes, were you in Umbria, Parisians
would flock to visit you."

To the northeast, Orange is worth a visit if you haven't been.


To the west, St. Martin de Londres has a remarkable Romanesque church high on the hill:

http://www.francethisway.com/places/...de-londres.php

It makes a nice drive to then continue west to St. Guilhem le Desert, which is a boutiquey-attractive town with streets that rise up high to the Abbey above; it is not a breath-robbing drive, though it is a bit undulating through the forests; it's still easy enough, and plenty pretty.

http://www.francethisway.com/places/stguilhem.php

Here's a great little day trip for you:

Check out the Cèze river valley. You could start out at La-Roque-sur-Cèze which is a absolutely delightful little village with an amazing set of waterfalls and pools in the river down below. Then drive up the valley from there to Barjac, which I visited for the first time just recently and found it really interesting architecturally and not overly touristy and well worth the visit.

This is a drive a bit off the beaten tourist track. If I remember correctly, it's not too bad as far as twists and turns go, and easily done as a day trip from Uzès.

- Kevin

Not sure you would need to spend a whole day there but not far from Uzes is the artisan village of St Quentin la Poterie. There are numerous ceramic artisans there and the village is quite taken with the craft hosting exhibitions and invited artists at various times of the year. The resident artists can produce some rather unique pieces and it is all very pleasant.

Paul

These are wonderful ideas and just what I was hoping for. None of us has been to any of these places. I've always wanted to visit the Camargue and didn't know about the Ceze valley. St. Quentin la Poterie sounds very seductive; I am such a pushover when it comes to French faience so will have to remind myself of the difficulties of hauling it home!

Thanks, everyone; once again you are a wealth of information. Cigale, love that quote from Gide!

Be sure and go to Uzes' market and buy fresh goods for a cook-in meal. The food there is wonderful. Consider going to LeBaux and St. Remy. We drove from Uzes to Arles and saw Cezanne's house, Van Gogh's house in Arles, and to Cassis' nice waterfront. All are easy day trips. Also consider just having a libation in Uzes and just watching the people and world pass by. It is a fun, relaxing, lovely town, which we enjoyed very much. Enjoy.

Since we're renting a house, we'll definitely go to the market and probably cook in at least once or twice during the week.
Have been to Les Baux, St. Remy, Arles, Avignon,Cassis, Vaison, Seguret, Isle SLS, the Luberon perched villages, etc., so primarily will be spending time to the west of those places.

I think we already have a week's worth of trips in addition to just hanging out in Uzes, which sounds lovely.

Thank again, All!

I think these are all good ideas and you probably have more than enough to do, but Orange isn't very far from Uzes and I really enjoyed my visit there one day (I think I may hvae been staying in Uzes, actually). Of course I'd only do that if you've seen the others that are more in that area and worth seeing.

That translated quote isn't from Gide's father, Andre Gide wrote that himself in his memoirs of his childhood and adolescence which talked about the Uzes area as his father was from there. He spent a lot of time there as a child, and returned regularly (I think his grandmother lived longer than his father who died when he was only bout 20, and he went to visit her). Sort of a vacation spot in later life, he loved the garrigues and how his senses were affected in that area (reminds me of Pagnol's works a lot). Gide was a strange character in various ways IMO but was a beautiful writer and if you can read French (I think you can), I highly recommend that book (Si le Grain Ne Meurt) as it would be an interesting background for your trip although it is mainly about him, his development as a writer and his sexual identity, not Uzes as he didn't really live there nor did his Father was had moved to Paris by the time he was born.

everything I've read say's it's his father's quote who lived
in Uzes

"O little town of Uzès, were you in Umbria, Parisians would flock to visit you." - so said the father of André Gide, whose family were Uzètiens."

Thanks St Cirq, shows you can't believe all quotes sites.
but like a painting, it's beautyt is there no matter who painted it.

grandmere, if you are interested in pottery, you might consider this place in Lussan, about 20 kilometres north of Uzès. It is a very easy drive, and you will see signs for the pottery shop when you reach the village:

http://www.fantasticprovence.com/sec...-lussan_a135/1

This is their web site:

http://www.ceramique-de-lussan.com

We bought pintades (guinea fowl) there a few years ago and brought them home in our carry-on luggage. They are delightful, whimsical pieces; I still smile every time I look at them.

Hey there, cigale. I actually had no idea whether it was Gide or his father, but I was curious, so I googled it (and many of the sites that came up said it was his father!).

Oh, dear, I am in trouble already just looking at those beautiful big grey speckled pintades; I can remember the good old days when you could buy something like that and carry it home on plane with your feet straddling it!

The Gide book looks like a wonderful background for the trip; I read French, but slowly and with a dictionary in my hand. That will be a good purchase at a FNAC in Paris. Don't think I have time to get it and get it read before I leave.

The quote from Gide, whether pere ou fils, is lovely, and I can imagine having it printed and framed to hang in my house, somewhere near the pintade that will surely be making its home here. :-)

These little tips and suggestions are really helping me to feel more connected to the area; it will be exciting to explore new places.

You can buy them on line at several places.
Here's one.

http://store.yankeetradergifts.com/frguheandch.html

http://store.yankeetradergifts.com/frguheandch.html
you can buy them here.

Cigale, that is certainly good news in terms of ease of buying, but somehow for me it detracts from the "specialness" of a product when it becomes readily available in the US. I remember how I felt when I flew back from Paris several years ago with Occitane products and saw that one of their boutiques had opened in the airport.
Sigh--guess I want it both ways!

We loved Uzes and found that a week there was not enough, being torn between wanting to explore the area and just linger in the town and in the rented house with a loaf of bread, some cheese, and the wonderful rose wines of the region.

The Sat. and Wed. markets were indeed great as were the shops in town. Loved the flowy, layered, colorful fashions they were showing, and almost bought one, but somehow could not see myself in that garb here in the 'Burgh--wise decision!

The landscape around Uzes is like that of western Provence as opposed to the Luberon, interesting and rugged. A day trip to Lussan and La Roque sur Ceze was indeed worthwhile, and I wish we had been able to do more north of Uzes.

I did not buy a pintade but might still order one online! :-)

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful input before the trip.

We are trying to find a holiday rental for 2 people for 4 weeks in Uzes or walking distance to the town. As it is for a long period of time, we would like a small courtyard or outdoor sitting area.....recommendations would be so welcome! We have stayed in the town before for a week, and think it is lovely.

Hi grandmere, I was reading something that you wrote about your visit to Rome when you were in college in 1961. I was a hostess for TWA that year and was also at the opera Aida. Can you remember what month that was? It was my very first opera and I was hooked. Abooh

Aigues-Mortes one of the most fascinating places in France - one Saint Looie set sail for the Crusades from this place, wondrously preserved in a pristine medieval looking state - the fortified port anyway.

Do not neglect Nimes itself - imposing Roman ruins and a unique look and feel.

Abooh, that was in July of '61 that I was there. What an experience that was, n'est-ce pas, to see the performance in that beautiful setting? What a coincidence for both of us to have been there that same summer! Thanks for writing and evoking memories of that summer in Europe at a young age.

VickyO, have you checked vrbo? That's where we found our house. It has 4 bedrooms so too big for what you want, I'm sure. I'm determined to return to Uzes and spend more time there; just loved it.

PalQ, missed Aigues-Mortes, a big regret, but did get to Nimes. Another time, I hope.

Oops - did not notice the date of the original post. Been there done that by now!

bookmarking!

Me too.

Ok, here we are 1.5 yr. after my original post, and am returning next Sun. to Uzes with 4 family members, 3 of them "newbies".

We have a Camargue day already planned with French friends, and as with every trip, probably more plans than we have time for during the week. However, 2 places that were mentioned last year, St. Guilem le Desert and St.Martin de Londres, that I did not get to, look interesting. Anyone able to comment on those villages as compared to the perched villages of the Luberon? My husband and I have already extensively traveled in that part of Provence, and I'd love to go back again, but just wondering about the value of a trip to the west to see St. Guilem and St. Martin.
Thanks for any comments!