Lucie_M

Hi Guys,

I'm planning to go to Provence this summer with my husband and kids. We are thinking of going to Marseille and then Aix en Provence and Avignon. I think we will stay at least a week in Avignon for the theatre festival.

Staying in Avignon all day will be too long for the kids and I'd like to plan day trips to surrounding towns and villages. Are there frequent buses travelling between Avignon and different villages? Is it easy to go by ourselves?

Do you know of a good local agency which could drive us to countryside villages? We don't want something too big, just a small, friendly tour?

Thanks a lot in advance!

DebitNM

Rent a car; relying on buses with 2 kids in the summer, not my idea of fun times.

Toulonnais

Hello. I agree with DebitNM. But there are indeed buses travelling between the main towns. You can take a look at the lines on http://www.info-ler.fr/en/services-t...le-sheets-n341.

powhatangal

Hi - there are also trains from Avignon (centre gare station) to Nîmes, Arles and other locations. If you Google Provence tours, you will see mini van tours of various places. But as others have said, a car would be best especially for a family. Good luck!

tom18

There are small-group tours that leave from Avignon to various nearby locales. Check out Viator.com as well as the Avignon tourist website. Here's link to another website that offers tours: http://www.discover-provence.net/

StuDudley

Welcome to Fodors.

My wife & I have spent 18 weeks vacationing in Provence. I developed a 27 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, farmer's markets, sites, scenic drives, lavender fields, etc. I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Foders. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

You'll need a car, however, to visit the places that keep us returning to Provence (two more weeks this June).

Stu Dudley

TAW

I used this woman when we went on a cruise. We were more than satisfied. She will basically customize to whatever you want to do/see. Here is her website
http://www.provence-travel.com/

TAW

sorry, forgot to add we used Catherine D'antuono

kevin_widrow

If your kids are old enough to run around town on their own, they'll have plenty to keep them occupied in Avignon itself during the festival. It's a bit of a zoo, but a really fun one with a great atmosphere and tons of young adults around during the day doing everything they can to get you to come to their "off" show in the evening....

- Kevin

kelsey22

book marking

Ackislander

I was going to say what Kevin said.

If your kids are teens, they can have a fantastic time on their own. There is plenty of youth oriented shopping, and lots of kids hanging out. If you are nervous, tell them not to go beyond the walls.

But the van tours out of most of the larger towns in Provence have a good reputation. Some are run directly by the tourist offices and many are multilingual.

Kalena_R

Yes Avignon is just amazing during the Festival, people performing everywhere in the streets, great for the kids.

You can check Occitania Provence Tours for day trips. We were very satisfied with them, our guide was very friendly and it was great having them for reaching places in the mountain where no buses go..

Lucie_M

Thanks a lot for all your answers and advices ! It think we'll spend a lot of time just wandering in the streets, enjoying the festival with the kids. Thanks for the names of agencies, I will check their websites.