Lyon and Provence-help needed
 

Please help me with these itinerary.ANY SUGGESTIONS will be more than welcomed
From june 25 to june 29,4 nights in Lyon,in Grand Hotel Mercure Chateau Perrache.It's near Perrache train station .Is it a noisy area?How are the rooms?Any suggestios about bar restaurants?Any day trip excursions?
From Lyon to Avignon by TGV train.Staying in Avignon for 4 nights in Mercure Pont d'Avignon.Is the location good?Are the rooms big?From Avignon three 1 day excursions,1 day to Arles,1 day to Gordes and 1 day to Les Baux de Provence by car.
From Avignon to Aix en Provence by car.5 nights there ,3 nights in Hotel Le Pigonnet and 2 nights in Hotel des Augustins(Le Pigonnet is full for the last 2 nights).Any suggestions about day tours from this area?I've seen many posts about The Luberon area .Is it nice?I'LL BE TRAVELLING ALONE.
MERCI BEAUCOUP

The Luberon area is up near Avignon - in the area of Gordes, not near Aix.

I suggest that you combine Arles and Les Baux in one day trip - you won't need a full day for Les Baux.

With the extra time, head to the Pont du Gard and visit Uzes.

You can also combine a couple of places with Gordes - it certainly isn't worth a full day. Visit Roussillon - a perched village on red ochre cliffs, or perhaps l'Isle sur la Sorgue. All of these are in the Luberon.

I'm not sure what you're going to do in Aix for five nights... but try to get down to Cassis for a day trip. Only about 30-40 minutes by car. A lovely port on the Med.

Patricia

George,
Patricia's advice is very good. As to bars.....find someone "interesting" and ask! I wish I could tell you the name of the restaurant I dined at in Uzes. It was Michelin** across from the Castle-like building. Fantastic! Kick myself for not remembering the name.

Most villages are not a full day visit. I suggest to visit the Camargue.

None of the respondents has commented on the 4 nights in Lyon. Has anyone who was not Lyonnais ever spent 4 nights in Lyon? Let me admit my ignorant bias: I have landed there, driven through there, stayed near there but I have never set a foot in Lyon in 30+ years of travelling in France.

Perhaps the famous Lyonnais cooking is an attraction and a redemption. Comments anyone?

(For what it's worth, I'd whip on down to Provence as fast as the Societe nationale des chemins de fer could get me there....)

i've never stayed in Lyon, though I would love to eat at the Leon de Lyon
bouchon, and his son'place, whose name escapes me. I have heard great things.

I spent 3 nights in Lyon last year. I enjoyed it so much I went back for 3 more nights in May. I'm not Lyonnais, I'm from the US.

So tedgale would spend 30+ years visiting the US and never bother with Chicago? :-)

I've stayed in Lyon for that many nights--but with friends, so part of the time was spent visiting.

There is Vieux Lyon with its narrow, cobblestone streets. There you will find many restaurants and small shops.

In more modern parts of Lyon, there is more shopping (a Printemps, I think, or maybe Galleries Lafayette). And more food.

I believe there is an opera house. Definitely there is a Roman amphitheater worth seeing. A basilica on the hill overlooking Lyon. Several museums.

I'm sure others have more to add. Four nights may be slightly excessive if you are looking for loads of sightseeing. But if you're looking for a little relaxation, four nights sounds great.

P.S. Try one of the bars or dance clubs (on boats) on the Rhone river.

Candidly, I think 2 nights in Lyon is plenty--so much more to see in Provence.

johnthedorf:

There are no starred restaurants in Uzes... There is one in St Quentin de Poterie about five kilometres away - Table de l'Horloge, which is excellent. My favorite in Uzes is Les Fontaines,
on the rue Entre les Tours (sort of behind the Duchy castle). Another is a funky little Italian place - I have no idea of the name - just at the entrance to the Place aux Herbes.

Another fascinating visit in Uzes is the Medieval Garden - there are signs posting the way, or you can pick up a little map at the tourist office.

If geo007 would like some restaurant suggestions here in St Remy, he can email me ([email protected])
Patricia

Patricia,
Les Fontaines! Eureka. Merci. I thought I read a plaque on the wall that said it was..fantastic anyway.

Obrigado(thank you in portuguese)Sandi I knew that.I was just imagining about changing the lenght of stay in Aix and Lyon.Cigale,the thing is that I really want to have 2 good dinners in Lyon -Bocuse and Lyon de Lyon.I agree with prof.jen.I reaaly like nightlife,and why noy socialize with some "lionnaises"?Inditravel gave me good suggestions about Lyon as well.
People agree with tedgale?
No one told me anything about the hotels,the location...

Hi,
First, let me say that many people are unaware of the charms of Lyon - so much so that many French people think it's just an ugly industrial city that must be driven through on one's way to Provence and the Côte d'Azur.

Luckily, a few of us know better! This is the great thing about Lyon - it's not touristy, and yet you can enjoy fabulous restaurants, great shopping, a good dose of sightseeing and history, splendid architecture, fine city walks, friendly people, good nightlife...

When friends of mine come to visit me in Lyon for the weekend we rarely have time to scratch the surface of the city in 2 days.

Anyway, you asked about the location of your hotel in Lyon: my honest opinion is that the Hotel Mercure Chateau Perrache is not in a particularly great location. It's fairly central, being close to Perrache, but it's on the "wrong" side of the train station. North of Perrache station is fine, but the south side is a jungle of busy roads, flyovers and train lines. Can you change to the Hotel Mercure Plaza République? I've stayed there and it's *much* better located. I would not recommend staying south of Perrache station unless on a business trip or something.

Incidentally, don't feel that you have to go to Paul Bocuse or Léon de Lyon to get a good meal in Lyon. You can eat wonderfully (and memorably) for a fraction of the price that these renowned restaurants charge. I don't mean you shouldn't enjoy a splurge at a fabulous restaurant, just remember that Lyon is also a paradise for foodies with more modest budgets ;)

Hanl,I was waiting for your answer.I know you live in Lyon and want to have some more answers.You told me that Grand Mercure is in the wrong side.But it's a 4 star hotel for 100 euros a night!!!!!Don't you think its worthwhile?I really wanted to stay at La Tour Rose,but it's 335 euros a night!Do you think I'll stay much in the hotel?What about Cour des Loges-duplex room for 160 euros?I'm afraid this "duplex"room is too small.I know the location is wonderful.And you told me that I don't need to splurge in Bocuse and Lyon de Lyon.So please tell me more about the other places,restaurants,bars,discos.Can you give me your e mail or write to mine if I won't disturb you?My e mail is [email protected]

geo007, there is a wealth of information about Lyon if you do a search. Do a search under "Lyon Restaurants", and much comes up. A good post was FOODIES:Lyon. Also do a search on"Lyon Hotels". I'm hoping to get to Lyon on the fall, so have collected alot of information on this forum. Lyon certainly looks like it warrants 4 nights to me, or certainly 3. By the way, from what I've heard, the Hotel Chateau Perrache is not nearly as well-located for seeing the city as some others, more out of the way. Although certainly convenient to the train station!

Hi,
I've never been into the Mercure hotel at Perrache so perhaps it's lovely inside. I can only comment on the location itself, which is not brilliant. The Cour des Loges of course would be wonderful (i'd put up with a small room in order to stay there once in my life!)...

Another option you might want to check out is the Grand Hotel des Terreaux, which is well located and pleasant (and has a pool). The hotel's web site is at: http://www.grand-hotel-terreaux-lyon...page_en_1.html (on the homepage they call it a "hostel", but it's just a translation error - it's a hotel alright!). I believe their rates are around 100 euros per night.

As regards restaurant recommendations, my personal favourite is Le Caro de Lyon on rue du Bat d'Argent. Also, la Table d'Hippolyte on rue Hippolyte Flandrin, and Maison Villemanzy on the Montée St Sebastien (for the wonderful view). You can eat well at all three for 40-50 euros including wine.

For more Lyon restaurant talk, click on my name and you should see all my posts - there have been a few about Lyon restaurants recently!

I don't go clubbing in Lyon so I can't be much help with discos or nightclubs I'm afraid. There are lots of bars on rue St Catherine near place des Terreaux (although it can get quite rowdy late at night). There are also some cool bars on boats on the Rhône, such as the Passagère which is moored near the Guillotière bridge. The Ninkasi Opera on rue de l'Arbre Sec, near the Opera house, is part of a chain of three trendy "microbreweries" in the city. The Voxx on the corner of rue d'Algerie is another cool bar.

Feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you have any specific questions.