Hello,

I discovered this forum 2 few weeks ago, looking to organize our trip to South France in June and any feedback on this trip would be welcome. I’m used to only visiting large cities and organizing this one has been like a puzzle to me.

The trip will start in Toulouse (I’m going at a conference there) and should end in Avignon 12 nights later (we’ll be taking the train to Paris to see some friends). We could spend 1 more night in the south if needed.

Some info on us, my girlfriend and I are both in our late 20’s and we have what some may call stressful jobs. Therefore, I’m a bit worried that my itinerary is too crowded (I’d prefer missing on some things than running around). . We also would like to go to the beach for 2-3 days in the middle of the trip to relax.

Day 1 (A Thursday): Settle in Carcassonne for 3 nights. Visit Carcassonne

Day 2: Toulouse

Day 3: Albi or Cathar castles or Collioure

Day 4: Go to a beach for 3 nights. Anyone knows of a good place to stay between Collioure, a place around Montpellier, Camargue, Calanques or St-Raphael?

Day 5: Go to the Beach

Day 6: Visit around the Beach Base

Day 7: Go to Provence (Around St-Remy) for 6-7 nights. Visit Avignon

Day 8 : Visit Nimes, Arles, Pont du Gard, Uzes
Day 9 : Isles de La Sorque, Sénanque Abbey + Luberon Villages to see Lavender fields, (Bonnieux, Gordes, Roussillon)
Day 10 : Aix-En Provence, Provence

D 11 Les Baux, St-Remy, Wineries until Orange

Day 12: Calanque, Marseilles (to eat Bouillabaisse)

Day 13: Leave to Paris from Avignon TGV


Additional questions:

- My initial idea was not to rent a car, and travel by train. It looks that it’s not possible. Should I rent a car for the entire trip or only when needed (around Toulouse and to visit villages in Provence).

- Which home base is the best for Provence? Is St-Remy the best option or should I go to Aix-En Provence for the last few days?

- Is there any nice beach between Toulouse and Marseilles or should I go to St-Raphael or to ilea de Porquerolles? Should we go there in the middle or at the end of our trip?

- We’d like to visit some wineries. I’ve heard about Châteauneuf-du-Pape north or Avignon. Any other nice place, around Toulouse or Carcassonne?

- I know that Marseille is not well-rated but we’d like to eat Bouillabaisse? Is Marseille mandatory for this?

- Any preference between hotels and B&B’s?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Sorry, I think I checked Trip Report by error, can anybody remove it?

>>The trip will start in Toulouse (I’m going at a conference there) and should end in Avignon 12 nights later<<

>>Day 1 (A Thursday): Settle in Carcassonne for 3 nights. Visit Carcassonne

Day 2: Toulouse

Day 3: Albi or Cathar castles or Collioure<<

I don't understand something. Where will you be staying for these 3 days of your conference???. How can you attend a conference and also visit Abi, Cathars castles, Collioure, Toulouse, and Carcassonne???


>>Day 4: Go to a beach for 3 nights. Anyone knows of a good place to stay between Collioure, a place around Montpellier, Camargue, Calanques or St-Raphael?

Day 5: Go to the Beach

Day 6: Visit around the Beach Base<<

I'm not familiar with the beaches in the Languedoc, but St Raphael is way too far east.

>>Day 7 Avignon<<

Fine

>>Day 8 : Visit Nimes, Arles, Pont du Gard, Uzes
Day 9 : Isles de La Sorque, Sénanque Abbey + Luberon Villages to see Lavender fields, (Bonnieux, Gordes, Roussillon)
Day 10 : Aix-En Provence, Provence

D 11 Les Baux, St-Remy, Wineries until Orange

Day 12: Calanque, Marseilles (to eat Bouillabaisse)<<


Remove at least half of these destinations - that is WAY too much to do if you really want a relaxing & "non-hurried" vacation.

Day 8 (not a Sun or Mon am), Pont du Gard & Uzes

Day 9 Luberon Villages & Senasque. There is lavender in the Luberon

Day 10 Aix en Provence in morning (market day), lunch, then Lourmarin in the afternoon

Day 11 - Sunday. St Remy, Les Baux, and a scenic drive in the Alpillies.
You could visit l'Ise sur la Sorgue in the morning & see their Sunday market, and then Les Baux in the afternoon. If you choose to stay in St Remy, you will see it at the beginning or end of your days there

>>Day 13: Leave to Paris from Avignon TGV<<

Take a late train, & see things in Provence that you missed on a previous day.


>>Additional questions:

- My initial idea was not to rent a car, and travel by train. It looks that it’s not possible. Should I rent a car for the entire trip or only when needed (around Toulouse and to visit villages in Provence).<<

Entire trip !!!

>>- Which home base is the best for Provence? Is St-Remy the best option or should I go to Aix-En Provence for the last few days?<<

St Remy. Look at a map - St Remy is in the middle of the stuff you want to see (except Aix), and Aix is not. Perhaps skip Aix (you've seen Avignon & Toulouse - both big cities). Instead of Aix, drive through some of the lavender fields around Sault & visit Vaison and the Cote du Rhone villages (Seguret, etc), or visit Arles.

>>- Is there any nice beach between Toulouse and Marseilles or should I go to St-Raphael or to ilea de Porquerolles? Should we go there in the middle or at the end of our trip?<<

I'm not familiar with beaches in this area

>>- We’d like to visit some wineries. I’ve heard about Châteauneuf-du-Pape north or Avignon. Any other nice place, around Toulouse or Carcassonne?<<<

Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape gives a nice tour, but tours in France are more time consuming than tours in the US. Plus, you'll have to schedule around the "English tour" which might not be convenient with your schedule.<<


> I know that Marseille is not well-rated but we’d like to eat Bouillabaisse? Is Marseille mandatory for this?<<

Not in my opinion. It will consume most of a day - of which you don't have many.

Stu Dudley

Thanks a lot Stu. Very nice of you.

My conference in Toulouse finishes Wednesday (Day 0). I planned to switch accommodation Thursday to Carcassonne, is that a good idea?

For Day 3, what would you suggest between Albi, the Cathar castles and Collioure?

Is it worth staying one more night in Provence to visit Arles and Nimes?

If I rent a car for the entire trip, should I take it each day or take the train sometimes?

Thank you

I would never spend 3 days in Carcassonne. Get in, early if possible, and then get out. Use the other days to visit Albi and the Cathar castles.

Sete is the place for sandy beaches - it's a gritty little place, but actually the last of the authentic fishing villages on the Med in France.

You don't want or need a train for any part of this.

>>My conference in Toulouse finishes Wednesday (Day 0). I planned to switch accommodation Thursday to Carcassonne, is that a good idea?<<

I would not stay in Carcassonne for 3 days. It's a 3 hr visit at best, and quite touristy too. Not that much to do immediatly around Carcassonne either (not 3 day's worth, anyway). Perhaps stay in Albi the night your conference ends. Visit the cute Bastide town of Castelnau de Montmiral on the way to or from Albi. Visit Albi Thurs am, and then head to Carcassonne for a 3 hr visit. Spend several days in Collioure, and use it for your "beach time". If the weather is fine, do the beach & if not, visit the Cathars castles of Peyrepertuse and Queribis, or head into the beautiful Pyrenees mountains where there are many cute villages & other sites to see (see my Languedoc itinerary that I e-mailed to you for suggestions). Then head into Provence.

Seems like you have six days in your "first cut" itinerary after Toulouse & before Provence. One night in Albi & 4-5 nights in Collioure would work out great. If you spend 4 nights in Collioure, that gives you another night in Provence.

Make sure that you spend "quality time" in Toulouse - it's on of my "top 3" cities in France (after Paris). Eight hours is fine - and it is especially interesting in the evenings.



>>If I rent a car for the entire trip, should I take it each day or take the train sometimes?<,

I don't see anywhere in your itinerary where it would be better to take a train. We use trains for long hauls - like Brittany to Provence or Provence to Paris, or Dordogne to Paris.

Stu Dudley

Thanks again to you two for your great feedback.

I will now re-plan my itinerary and report here my final choices (I now see that I put too much emphasis on Carcassonne, and not enough on the rest of Languedoc).

Stu's advice is good, IMHO. I have not visited many of your destinations, but have spent several hours in Carcassonne on my way from Paris to Barcelona, and that was easily enough. It might be pretty at night. I don't know, but I also would not base there.

your beach expectations are too much. The bst one I saw not too croweded was St Cyprian in Languedoc.

Cigalechanta, St Cirq and Stu understand this area as well as any Fodorite and are certainly right about the beaches. (BTW, I could be wrong, but I think there's a reason Stu politely says he doesn't know much about the Languedoc "beaches.") From the research sans experience I've done in my own trip planning re: the Languedoc and Provence areas, I believe the kind of beach you might have in mind is much, much further east. The Languedoc certainly has fishing towns and lagoons/saltwater marshes with a lot of birdwatching (etangs), but the "South of France" sandy plages you may be hoping to hang out in are around Cannes, Marseille, Nice and Saint Tropez in the Cote d'Azur.

P.S.: I hate to disparage the area, esp. since I haven't actually been there, but my understanding is that the lagoon/saltwater marsh "etangs" with the fab wildlife also translate into wildlife in an abundant form of insects that prey on human blood. Many of the guidebooks seem to diplomatically overlook this fact that has been reported on many a Fodor forum.

The reason I recommend Sete is that it has miles and miles of sandy beaches, which is totally different from what you find elsewhere on the Med, which is primarily rocky beaches. The caveat is that Sete itself is a "working" town, not for tourists, and fairly gritty, with lots of sailors and fishermen and the sort of rough crowd that comes with that territory. That said, when my kids were young and we wanted a beach vacation from our house in the Dordogne, we headed for Sete because there were cheap hotels and the beaches were relatively empty and the seafood was divine, and there was SAND!

I understand that finding a beach in the region is not an easy task. I've already spent hours trying to find one.

Since we're very familiar with the beaches of the Caribbean and Florida, I doubt that we'll be impressed by the beaches of Languedoc but my girlfriend would like to swim in the Mediterranean Sea at least 1-2 days.

Based on these 2 websites:

http://www.creme-de-languedoc.com/La...ches/index.php

http://www.gosouthfrance.com/Best-South-France-beaches/

I'm considering Collioure/St Cyprian, Sete or Espiguette.

To add to my difficulty, it does seem that many are naturist.

Should we go instead to St-Raphael or St-Tropez (by train or car), even if we lose a few hours travelling?

We've spent several months in St Tropez. I think you'll have a lot of difficulty finding a good hotel to stay in this late in the year. June is only 2 months away. We usually reserve 9 to 12 months in advance. Stick to Collioure, and plan your day's activity around the weather. Cassis could be an option, but I think Collioure would be your best bet.

Stu Dudley

There is an excellent beach at Saintes-Maries in the Camargue. Huge and sandy and in June it won't be overrun. Aside from the Camargue itself, from there you could easily visit Arles and Nimes.

-Kevin

The beaches will not be crowded in June, except on weeek-ends.
They are sandy from Camargue down to Collioure and extend for miles.
Saint-Cyprien-Plage is the last place I'd chose as it does not have much character. Collioure, Cerbère, Port-Vendres and Banyuls are prettier, more "real" and busy all year round because people actually live there . In other words they are not just holiday resorts.
You might also have a look at Leucate and Gruissan (the old villages, not the new developments).

I second everyone's suggestion to not stay in Carcassone for three nights. It is pretty at night, it is a three hour visit, and it has appalling food choices.
Toulouse is a wonderful city, as Stu said. It will be a pleasant surprise.

To address the beach question. St Tropez is too far from the area of Provence you want to visit. You could change your itinerary. The beaches are wonderful, it's not crowded in June, I go mid month each year. The crowds start in July.
It is a very relaxing vacation spot, with lots of action in the evenings if you like that. That said, you could do a day trip from St Remy to Marseilles or Cassis, both of which have beaches and we have enjoyed in the past. It's about an hour and a half drive from your area of Provence.

Note - Pvoyageuse is French & lives very close to Collioure - in Perpignan. She's lived in Nice also.

Stu Dudley