Must do experiences in Provence
 

Hi travellers
Leaving Annency going to Provence/Luberon spending 3 nites in St Remy and 3 nites in Lourmarin enjoy travel have a rental car,we want experiences like kayaking Pont du Gard etc.
We are not big hikers but enjoy food and wine,vistas, walks through quaint villages looking for everyone’s must do experiences that will be long lasting memories.

The Carrières des Lumières is an excellent cool stop on a hot day and will be totally different from everything else you will see in the region.

The village de bories is unusual and worth a visit:

https://flic.kr/p/cNhb8q
Driving on the north and eastern side of the Mont Ventoux the villages might be less touristed.

https://flic.kr/p/MLvMJG

See attached

Stu Dudley

The ochre quarry in Roussillon is a highlight, not just of Provence or France, but Europe. You will be so close and I imagine it's already on your list. Warning, you might get filthy.

For me, the Grottes de Cales is also a highlight of Provence, though you will probably have the place to yourself as it is off the normal tourist radar. 7th Century BC Ligurian grottoes. Accessed via a small path via a quiet village, Lamanon. Another place you will have to yourself is the ruins of Vieux Vernegues. There are of course more significant ruins in France, but not with the solitude here.

I also adore La Fontaine de Vaucluse which has so many great features.

f you get down to Aix, then I am so happy I visited the Fondation Vasarely. Memories of which have afforded me years and years of pleasure.

Hmm. My Google map says Grottes de Calès is "temporarily closed." Very temporarily, I hope.

lavender fields in Sault
Van Gogh Asylum in St. Remy
Visit Menerbes
Visit St. Saturnin les Apt and walk to the castle ruins located at the top of the hill for beautiful views of the Luberon Valley

There are times of the year when they discourage people from going to the grottes de cales, but it's never really 'closed.'

Good to know, shel. Any idea why?

I do imagine you will go to Gordes and Roussillon as well. The cut through will take you through Bonnieux -- Lacoste is less trafficked and an interesting stone village with good vistas of the valley from the Chateau (there is a trail too linked the two). Les Baux and the Carrieres from your base in St. Remy I missed the time of year -- if currently in progress some of the off the beaten track suggestions may have less traffic. Current reports are saying you must head far up the Valensole plateau as the harvest is underway and the lavender season is completing (it was early, again).

You might consider heading a bit further north given your interest in wine (especially reds), north or Avignon and south of Orange --- from Chateauneuf du Pape to Vacqueras and Gigondas. There will be other opportunities as well, including in the Luberon valley but they tend to excel in rose. There are wine guides/tours available as well.

These are a few of my favorite things:

The wine villages of the Vaucluse, maybe 45 minutes north of the heart of the Luberon (strong second for Gooster). Seguret, Vacqueyras, and especially Gigondas!!! Along with a stop in Vaison-la-Romaine (great Tuesday market). We have stayed in this area, rather than the Luberon, for our most recent visits, and have come to love it. I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

The drive from Malaucene along the D40 to the tiny village of Brantes, opposite Mont Ventoux. Gorgeous views and an ancient stone village to wander through that is likely to be deserted.

Another beautiful drive; This one, along the D90, goes through the Dentelles de Montmirail if you do make it to the Vaucluse wine towns. Both drives offer glorious scenery (and are very different).

I have spent less time in the area of St Remy, but of course Uzes comes to mind, esp if you go to the Pont du Gard.

Menerbes: Agree with KarenWoo--for some reason it gets fewer tourists than the Big Three--Gordes, Roussillon, and Bonnieux--although I don't know why.

Aix, Aix, Aix: If you have time, I'd put in a plug for Aix, even for a half-day. It's quite simply my favorite place in France--low-key, beautiful, full of little streets and wonderful architecture, and great markets and shops (easy to put together a terrific lunch). However, it is a small city, not at all on the scale of the Luberon villages (although the part of interest to casual visitors who just want to skim the surface can be easily walked in an hour depending on your pace and your fascination with photographing doorways, as I do).

Also: A less-crowded village in the heart of the Luberon is Saignon, which is quite lovely and worth a stroll.

And I'll put in my usual contrarian take on Avignon--avoid it like the plague! A pain to get in and out of and, to my eyes, a singular lack of charm. I know this is a minority opinion.

Its a very dry area, so maybe they don't want people smoking which could be a fire hazard. So instead of hoping that people won't smoke, they simply announce it's closed.

I agree with you about Avignon, it left me cold. And I have heard that opinion expressed by others I'm pretty sure.

frenchaucouer, we have visited Menerbes several times, and it was never very crowded, which is surprising. It's a very pretty village and made famous by Peter Mayles.

Another lovely, quiet village is Ansouis. And there is an ice cream place nearby (you have to drive to it) that I highly recommend. It's located on a hilltop with beautiful views.

https://www.artglacier.com/

I second the asylum in St. Remy. I enjoyed the antique/ flea market in I’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue but can get very busy.

Surprised to see the negative opinions of Avignon. We'll be in Provence in early September. I asked an old friend who had gone to school and worked in Avignon whether I should split my time between bases in Arles and Aix. He vehemently opposed Aix, which he described as having little to see and being overrun with American students. Instead, he suggested Avignon, acknowledging it had about a half-days worth of sights, but preferring its location for day trips out of town. The guy's brilliant. What to do?

Like frenchaucoeur I also love the Vaucluse, in June 2018 we spent two weeks in Sarrians near the wine country. Did several beautiful drives to the Dentelles and the lovely villages in the area, Seguret and Vaison la Romaine come to mind. There’s an excellent Michelin starred restaurant in Gigondas which I highly recommend, not to mention the local wines. In fact, we opened a bottle just on Friday, one of my favs.

St Rémy is another favorite, the Van Gogh asylum is extremely moving and the Roman ruins at Glanum worth a visit.

I agree with Fra, Avignon is good for at least a half day, it’s also a good base to visit sights in the region, though I probably wouldn’t actually stay in town.

We stayed several days in Arles, which was great for some easy day trips. I loved the market, bakery, the tiny house we rented, was glad we went to feel the connection with Van Gogh, but it was a bit depressing. Perhaps it was just that week, but even on sunny days, it seemed gray and gloomy.

Your brilliant friend’s assessment of Avignon being better situated for day trips, Aix less so, is certainly true, but Avignon, IMHO, had so much less charm, it left me a bit cold. Aix is to be enjoyed simply for itself.

With Aix, it is not things to see so much as the brighter atmosphere, the architecture, lovely streets and fountains and great Plane trees. Even when a bit crowded, it has an intimacy that is like stepping into an impressionist painting. We stayed twice in Aix, a couple of days each time and one day on another trip. My love for Aix was an instant, emotional response. It is so far, my favorite place in France. Perhaps just luck because we did not do any research, but food was absolutely fantastic in Aix, with much Moroccan influence.

Is Avignon a good base for day trips in the region? Not so much if you have a car and have to drive into and out of the old town daily. However, without a car, there seem to be more options for tours or visits to other areas by public transportation. We have spent around three weeks total in or near Saint-Rémy and have easily made daytrips to everywhere mentioned in the posts above. The town itself doesn't have the charm of either Avignon or Aix, but the ease of driving in and out, for me, makes it the ideal location for daytripping.

Sure, stay near Avignon if you like, but if you plan on traveling outside Avignon repeatedly, the city itself is not a good base.

I am another Aix lover on Fodors. There are so many magnificent things to see in every direction, though I could say that about any dot on the map in Provence.