One night in Provence--where should I go?
 

I posted a similar question but changed the message title due to low response. My husband are staying in a home in a small town in between Cannes and Nice for about 8-9 days.
We'd like to explore the coast and then head to Provence for an overnight just to get the flavor of it--see the lavendar fields, eat in an old farmhouse or something to that effect, and stay in a charming B&B that is not too expensive.

If we are going for only one night--what town in Provence would you pick?

Thanks for any suggestions!

topping...

If I remember correctly, it took us about five hours to get from Grasse to St. Remy.

How far would you like to drive in one day?

I was hoping for 3-3.5. I have some joint problems that make it hard to sit for too too long.
Is it possible to find an area in Provence that fits my credentials a little closer?
Of course with lots of stops I would assume would be on the way a little longer will probably be doable.

That's a long drive for someone with jopint problems. I think a nice village outside of Aix. You can google for B&Bs in Provence. I have a list somewhere, I'll get back to you

Here it is:


http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/c...s_provence.htm

You might not want to drive much farther than Aix-en-Provence, which would take a little over 2 hours by the autoroute. I really don't think you can go much beyond that unless you want to spend a lot of time in the car. If you could manage 2 nights you would have much better option.

When are you going to France? The lavender fields are in bloom from late June (usually) through August.

We are going early to mid-June. Will we be too early for the lavendar?

I just spoke to someone who said Avignon is about a 2.5 hour drive--is it longer than that? I think it's 180 km from Cannes.

Thanks for the link Cigal--is there a great village you can recommend? I have been hearing to skip Aix itself (but don't know why).

I think Aix is lovely with it's main street of moss covered fountains but it is a big crowded university town but I'm glad a spent a few days there one year. I prefer Avignon. Before you get to Avignon the villages I love are Bonnieux and Lourmarin and the villages near by

Aix is more of a city than a village. We stayed in Lourmarin which was a charming village and close enough to the other Luberon villages of Gordes, Roussillon, Merebes, etc. to see most of them in day or two. The Luberon area is close to Aix and wouldn't be too far from the coast.

Thank you that is very helpful....If Avignon isn't too far, I think I'd like to go there. Does anyone know how long it is from Cannes?

You might want to go to the mappy.com or viamichelin.com web sites to check out driving distances to various places in western Provence.

And yes, I think you'll be in Provence too early for the lavender, unless the weather is especially warm during early June.

she'll see some but usually the best time ti view islate June toearly August, but I have seen unharvested places in September but the color starts to fade.. I suggest stopping at a tourist office near your stay to see where in bloom some maybe close to you like the Digne area and Valensole/Verdon/Castellane.

Thanks Underhill and that's a good idea Cigal.
Thanks so much for all of your help!

My Pleasure, it's like talking about a beloved child(that I don't have) :)

I can definately relate to that;) Tavel is my baby!

If you take the highway, it will probably take you a little over 3.5 hours to drive to Avignon

But I'm not sure why you would want to visit Avignon to get a flavor of Provence - it's a busy city with lots of traffic.
No charming B&Bs or old farmhouses to eat there....

I'd suggest staying near Lourmarin or in St. Rémy if you want a flavor of what it's like here. Both are charming, and if any lavender is blooming, you'll see it in gardens and along the road. My lavender looks like it's going to start blooming in a couple of weeks, which will be just about "on schedule"for this area - I live south of St. Rémy.

Patricia

Thanks Patricia--what time should I stop by;)
How amazing to be living in Provence with your own lavendar garden. Are you from there or a lucky foreigner who gets to live there?

St. Remy seems to be on everyones top list so I will look into that first.

She has a beatiful home that's a B@B but I never saw the lavender.

A home that's a B&B--that sounds like something I might be interested in. Can I get the name?