Our Planned Short Trip to Provence.
Apr 23rd, 2009, 02:52 PM
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Our Planned Short Trip to Provence.
We are taking a last minute vacation to France in May (leaving Mothers Day), and it's a shorter one than normal. Want to share what we've planned, and see if you can add anything we might fit in or recommend.
Arrive Paris May 11th...spend first day there.
May 12...take TGV to Avignon, pick up auto and drive to St. Remy. Spend night there.
May 13...Take in market/St. Remy, have lunch and then drive to Sainte Cecile (Camargue area). Spend night,
May 14...Hopefully spend a day taking great photos in Camargue area, and then drive
to Loumarin. Spend night.
May 15...Take in the market in Loumarin, have lunch and drive to Saignon. Have dinner (Hotel Presbytere), and spend night.
May 16..Do market in Apt, have lunch, explore the area, and spend another night in Saignon (Hotel Presbytere).
May 17..Visit either Cotignac or Tourtour(or both) and then drive to Forcalquier, spend night.
May 18...Enjoy market in Forcalquier, and then drive to Roussillon. Spend night.
May 19...Drive to Avignon, and then take TGV back to Paris. Spend night.
May 20..Spend day in Paris.
May 21..Catch shuttle to CDG, and fly home.
Arrive Paris May 11th...spend first day there.
May 12...take TGV to Avignon, pick up auto and drive to St. Remy. Spend night there.
May 13...Take in market/St. Remy, have lunch and then drive to Sainte Cecile (Camargue area). Spend night,
May 14...Hopefully spend a day taking great photos in Camargue area, and then drive
to Loumarin. Spend night.
May 15...Take in the market in Loumarin, have lunch and drive to Saignon. Have dinner (Hotel Presbytere), and spend night.
May 16..Do market in Apt, have lunch, explore the area, and spend another night in Saignon (Hotel Presbytere).
May 17..Visit either Cotignac or Tourtour(or both) and then drive to Forcalquier, spend night.
May 18...Enjoy market in Forcalquier, and then drive to Roussillon. Spend night.
May 19...Drive to Avignon, and then take TGV back to Paris. Spend night.
May 20..Spend day in Paris.
May 21..Catch shuttle to CDG, and fly home.
Apr 23rd, 2009, 03:10 PM
#2
Whoa! too changes. If you stay in St Remy, it's an easy drive to the Camargue and take pictures and return if you haven't seen enough the next morn. Now is when you should fit Roussillon in. I love Lourmarin and the Hotel Presbytere in Saignon see apt and Cotignac. .
Apr 23rd, 2009, 03:13 PM
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You must like markets, changing hotels, & zig-zagging back & forth.
Not much will be going on in Cotignac on a Sunday. There is a nice Sunday market in Salernes (close to Cotignac) if you want to visit 5 markets in 6 days (you're already visiting 4 markets in 6 day)
There are are two "R"s in Lourmarin.
Saignon is about 15-20 mins from both Lourmarin & Roussillon. It's less than 30 mins from Roussillon to Lourmarin. Are you sure you want to stay in 3 different locations instead of 1?
Stu Dudley
Not much will be going on in Cotignac on a Sunday. There is a nice Sunday market in Salernes (close to Cotignac) if you want to visit 5 markets in 6 days (you're already visiting 4 markets in 6 day)
There are are two "R"s in Lourmarin.
Saignon is about 15-20 mins from both Lourmarin & Roussillon. It's less than 30 mins from Roussillon to Lourmarin. Are you sure you want to stay in 3 different locations instead of 1?
Stu Dudley
Apr 23rd, 2009, 04:17 PM
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We have already booked our lodging in these towns/villages, and did so because in the past we seemed to spend most of our time driving from here to there. Given we can't change this, and don't have a lot of driving to do, what areas or events should be put on the agenda?
Apr 23rd, 2009, 09:25 PM
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Do you have my 27 page Provence itinerary? We've spent 4 weeks in the Luberon near Roussillon, 4 week just 10 K from Cotignac, and lots of other locations in Provence (20 weeks total in the area you are covering). e-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.
That's a lot of markets and small cute villages. You also mentioned taking photos. Is that your focus in Provence? If so, I think the markets in l'Isle sur la Sorgue and Uzes are the most photogenic markets of of the 20 or so different markets we've visited in the regions you're wandering through. Tourtour is also quite photogenic - as is Gordes, Bonnieux, Saignon, Senasque Abbey, Lorgues, Oppede le Vieux.
Stu Dudley
That's a lot of markets and small cute villages. You also mentioned taking photos. Is that your focus in Provence? If so, I think the markets in l'Isle sur la Sorgue and Uzes are the most photogenic markets of of the 20 or so different markets we've visited in the regions you're wandering through. Tourtour is also quite photogenic - as is Gordes, Bonnieux, Saignon, Senasque Abbey, Lorgues, Oppede le Vieux.
Stu Dudley
Apr 23rd, 2009, 09:45 PM
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Just chiming in to say that I've taken lots of road trips and crawled around a lot of geopgraphically small places staying at different inns with restaurants every night, and I don't pack and unpack every night. I live out of my suitcase, and I don't find it exhausting or time consuming in the slightest. If I'm interested in doing a lot of small town sightseeing, I much prefer traveling this way than "commuting" every day, driving back and forth, to the same hotel.
I'll stay in one rental to relax without day tripping, or in a city for a week or more. But I enjoy road trips.
I'll stay in one rental to relax without day tripping, or in a city for a week or more. But I enjoy road trips.
Apr 24th, 2009, 04:21 AM
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To each his own, I guess you would say. My current running trip report fr my month stay in Paris includes my "touch of Provence' trip which I have just returned from doing. I have been to Provence many times and to all the various areas. I took the TGV down on Monday morning, picked up my car and did my short drive to Les Baux and to www.riboto-de-taven.fr which is a favorite spot of mine. My running report has many pictures etc.
Something I said in my report was to do yourself a favor and not spend all your time to see how many places you could go to. This is a totally different world than Paris..laidback, peaceful, wonderful food, lodging and people. You can always go back. One day here and one day there gives you nothing. You have seen the sign saying the name of the town!
Not my way of doing things...but as I said in the beginning, I guess it is to each his own.
My 3 days in Les Baux was wonderful, in every way. I would do it no other way.
My Inter Shuttle service took me to Gare de Lyon on Monday and met me on Thursday.
Enjoy your planning...
a bientot...
Joan
Something I said in my report was to do yourself a favor and not spend all your time to see how many places you could go to. This is a totally different world than Paris..laidback, peaceful, wonderful food, lodging and people. You can always go back. One day here and one day there gives you nothing. You have seen the sign saying the name of the town!
Not my way of doing things...but as I said in the beginning, I guess it is to each his own.
My 3 days in Les Baux was wonderful, in every way. I would do it no other way.
My Inter Shuttle service took me to Gare de Lyon on Monday and met me on Thursday.
Enjoy your planning...
a bientot...
Joan
