Message: Suitcases are being packed. We are husband, wife and 15 year old daughter. Arrangements have been made to care for our pug and we leave on Friday. We love art, Van Gogh, markets, fashion, baguettes and chocolate. We arrive Saturday morning and will stay at the Artus Hotel in the 6th. Saturay is exploring the neighborhood and maybe Notre Dame, Deportation Memorial. If we are not too exhausted a boat cruise. Sunday, we are planning Notre Dame or Saint Sulpice for Easter services. In the afternoon we plan Eiffel Tower and then the segway tour. Monday, maybe the Louvre and Marais for low cost boutiques?
Tuesday, fashion show at Galleries Lafayette, Arc de Triomphe, Laudree. Wednesday, Orsay or Versailles. Thursday morning we take the train to Tours and spend the day touring chateau and wine caves with a friend. Friday morning, train to Avignon. Papal Palace, check into bed and breakfast near St. Remy, Presbytere St. Thomas, explore St. Remy. Saturday, market in Arles and dinner at La Chassagnette. Sunday, Pont de Gard, Uzes. Check in to Las Mas de Entremont near Aix. Monday morning fly out from Marseilles to Paris and then home to Chicago. Any suggestions would be warmly appreciated.

Absolutely love St Sulpice! You will be moved to tears by the music. Easter would have to be the topper of all days to hear it. I stayed at a hotel next to it once, and in the evenings would go and sit on the steps and listen to the organist practice. Stopped in once during a children's pageant to celebrate Spring. A truly lovely place.

Great, you made wonderful choices!
I 'm excited for my trip later in the summer. Toast with a pastis for us.

You've planned a very nice and un-exhausting itinerary: well done! Since you love chocolate, fit in a brief stop at Angelina's, on the Rue de Rivoli, where hot chocolate is made out of real melted high-quality chocolate. Yum! But skip the pastries in favor of the much better ones at Ladurée.

There are, of course, those lovely chocolate shops all over Paris...a comparison tasting would be fun.

If you're around Arles on a Saturday, there's a huge market. The best parking is in the nearby underground lot.

In St-Rémy, sit and have an apéritif or coffee at the café on the street just opposite the intersection with the main road. It's great fun to watch the big trucks try to negotiate the swing through the corner without hitting one of the large trees. Quite close to the café is a very good spice and gift shop, and just down the same street is a boutique featuring various olive oils. Opposite the main parking lot near the big church is a very nice ice-cream stand, and around the corner on the left is a good-sized Souleiado shop. Further down the same street (on the left, I think) is a dandy gift shop, with many Provençal fabric items and well as lovely pottery.

Le Mas d'Entremont is very pleasant. I wonder whether the pair of German Shepherd dogs is still around? They would visit the used breakfast trays outside our room door to snack on sugar cubes and have a good ol'time of it.

Have a wonderful time.

If you love chocolate go to Joel Durand in St Remy. He makes the most incredible chocolates. Each one has a letter or symbol on it and you get a small pamphlet with the key in it. My husband really liked the tiramisu and coffee and I liked the orange and some of the offbeat ones like thyme and basil.
Also when in St Remy try the wines from Chateau Romanin especially the rose which is dry not sweet like so many of the American roses. If you like their wine go to the winery which is off D99. Their cave is built into a hill with pillars and a vaulted ceiling like a church. I told my husband in the states we would have sheered off the hill and put a metal building up against it.
I envy you with your trip ahead of you. Have a great time.

Buy a box of his hot chocolate too.

The antique market in Isle sur le Sorgue on Saturday and Sunday.

kstanbury,
I am sooooooooo envious. Especially regarding dinner at La Chassagnette. You will love it, particularly if the weather is warm enough to sit outside. Do ask to purchase a bottle of the olive oil that they serve. It is produced right down the road in Le Sambuc (@15E). It is the best! If you love Van Gogh you will love Arles. You will instantly recognize the Cafe Nuit (or Van Gogh Cafe) It is as good a place as any to sit down and have a drink and just people watch in the little square. Oddly there isn't any original Van Gogh art in Arles but there is a very interesting Van Gogh tribute exhibit across from the Arena.
The Arles market is great for soap,
olives, pottery, linens, bakery,clothing, food etc. You can get a dozen bars of soap for around 10E. These are the same as the ones I buy at L'Occitane for $8/ea. Bring an empty suitcase.

JoeG

When we tried to visit the deportation museum, there was a sign that said it was closed from noon until 2 pm. Don't know if that happens every day, but you may want to take that into account.

I don't know what your shopping budget is, but it sounds like with a 15 yr. old daughter, you'll want to fit in some shopping. My daughter and I picked up lots of fun, inexpensive costume jewelry and cool makeup at Monoprix...it was the only store where the prices were not shocking. (The Monoprix locations are shown on the Paris Map Guide.)

Even if your daughter doesn't normally purchase vacation t-shirts, you should check out the kiosks that are around all of the touristy locations...they have a lot of the little tight shirts that everyone is wearing now (as opposed to the big biaggy t-shirts)and the designs are cool enough to wear at home.

If you have some time in Paris,do not miss Saint Eustache Church at Les Halles..
Les halles,also called Le Ventre de Paris( the belly of Paris), since the 12 century used to be a food ad flowers market..Of course this is now a thing of the past.
Inside the church there is like an exposition of how the Halles used to be, before the older market closed permanently.
The church is also famous for his huge organ..
You are going to like La Provence..is a beautiful region, also Avignon..I have spent so many summers there when I was a teenager..
Bon Voyage..

If you plan to visit Glanum (amazing) in St. Remy, you may appreciate a visit to St-Paul-de-Mausolée, the asylum where van Gogh spent the last year of his life. (It's still a practising psychiatric hospital--when we visited there were patients drawing in the courtyard.)

There's a recreation of his cell and a gift shop that offers patients' paintings; many of the works are outstanding: some because of the talent and some because of the tortured subject matter.

Enjoy!
Enjoy the Artus, the staff and rooms are wonderful. For an inexpensive dinner, Mezza Luna (next door) has great pizza and delicious pasta. Definitely stop at Cafe Mabillion (corner of St. Germain/Buci) for drinks and great people watching.

I have to tell you that I loved the fashion show at Galleries Lafayette. My sister and I did it 2 years ago. It is about an hour show and they give you some cookies and pretzels with something to drink free. Tough choice in seeing D'orsay or Versailles. I might say go to Versailles and if time hit D'Orsay on the way back.

I am jealous, enjoy yourselves

Wonderful, relaxed itinerary!

kismetchimera, you gave excellent advice, and please understand that I am NOT making fun of you when I say the typo was unfortunate (and very amusing - I hope this is not the church's 'relic' )

Sounds like you're going to have a fabulous trip. Just one thing you might want to bear in mind: Easter Monday (12th April) is a public holiday in France so a lot of shops and smaller establishments are likely to be closed. You should be OK in the Marais as many places open on Sundays and public holidays anyway - but the area is likely to be bustling with like-minded Parisians. It's also Passover week - which is naturally a big deal in the Marais.

Hi, kstanbary: You mentioned that you love art and Van Gogh. Do not miss d'Orsay museum! I have been to Paris three times in the past two years, and go straight to the top floor every time.

Have a great trip!
Beth

Thanks to all for taking precious time to offer suggestions. I will post a trip report on my return, in hopes of helping other future travellers. Au Revoir

Have a WONDERFUL trip.

My only advice is to occasionally just sit in a cafe and wathc the world go by. For me it's as important as seeing all the "sights"

Bon Voyage!!!

kstanbary, have a wonderful trip! We will be making the same trip as you come September (though our 15 year old daughter regretfully is being left behind, much to her chagrin...) and I would be so appreciative of any trip report you might write afterward. You like much the same things as we do so I am very interested!

Bon Voyage kstanbary,
Have a wonderful journey...You are going to two of my favourite's places in France..
I was there last summer and wants to go back again and again..
Ciao, buon viaggio...

kstanbary,
If you go to Saint Sulpice for Easter services, you could take a walk to Jardin du Luxembourg, just a few blocks away. It's a lovely walk. When you're in the Marais, don't forget to stop at Place des Vosges... one of the prettiest spots in the area.

Best,
Sandy