What would be a good home base for travel within provence? i'm thinking arles; we don't want to stay in a super large town. does anyone have other suggestions? we will TGV from paris down to avignon, and pick up a rental car at the station (this would be a sunday). we must visit pont du gard, carcasonne/canal du midi, and surrounding towns within provence. the unfortunate thing is we only have three days. opinions on what are 'must see' or 'do' things? I've heard great stuff about the chagall and picasso museums in Nice, too.

St. Remy is an ideal location for a base in Provence...we did the same last year, rental car at the Avignon TVG...very convenient. In St. Remy there is a rich history regarding Van Gogh...and Glanum, 1 mile outside of St. Remy has some incredible Roman ruins and monuments. The famous town of Les Baux a 15 minute drive. Arles is less than an hour. In St. Remy great atmosphere (small town feel) with some nice cafes and restaurants.

Enjoy!

Nice is too far if you only have 3 days. Carcassone is also out of your way as well and not worth chewing up all of your time IMO.

I would suggest basing yourself in St. Remy. Picking up a car rental at Avignon TGV is easy and with only 3 days I would concentrate on the immediate area...Uzes, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Avignon and Arles will keep you busy.

I also suggest skipping Carcassone. We were there one night last week, since we stayed in a B&B just a mile outside it's gates. This was our 2nd trip there, and it's so commercialized. The cafes were cute, inside the walls, under the trees, but the town is just full of unappealing shops. Walking the walls with a bottle of wine can be fun though!

There are so many wonderful areas in Provence, worth spending your time in.

I agree with others to skip Carcassonne and Nice. Both are too far away and you really don't want to spend most of the little time you have in Provence on the freeway (not a scanic drive, either).

St Remy would be a good choice for a place to stay - like others have mentioned.

On Monday, most of my wife's favorite shops will be closed in St Remy - so visit the Pont, Les Baux, or the Luberon then. Most shops are open Sunday in St Remy. Likewise, many shops in Arles, Avignon, and Uzes will be closed.

Stu Dudley

thanks to everyone for the advice, this post is so helpful when traveling to places one has not been!!!

IMO there's just not enough to see in Carcassonne once you've seen the vast walls to make the trip worthwhile. The Pont du Gard and Les Baux, however, are absolute musts, and Arles would be a good addition. I agree that staying in St-Rémy would work best, as you can head out in different directions quite easily. If you'll be there June through August you should make a point of heading over to the Lubéron to see a few perched villages and the beautiful lavender in bloom.

The Picasso museum is actually in Antibes, and I believe it's still closed for the inevitable renovations. In any event, the Nice area is too far to fit easily with other places you'll want to see.

I keep wondering why so many folks suggest St Remy as base rather than, say, Villeneuve-lez-Avignon. I'm trying to decide same kind of thing as OP, and am so appreciating the feedback both to my own queries and to others'.

Not in Provence: pont du gard, carcasonne/canal du midi.
I think Provence is very easy to get around if you watch the road signs. We go every year and no where was a bad location where to stay except Arles if you stay by the forum but our hotel had a garage in back but still...
we have stayed in so many placs without a problem getting around but decide what you want to see, the Alpilles is good for the Pont de Gard, Arles, Nimes
and the Vaucluse and Luberon
for other villages. Get a map of Provence, circle what you'd like to see, but what you mention about seeing th Picasso and Chagal museums in Nice, you must stay by Aix to not have a very long drive and you may have to ride the autoroute $$$ to get where you want quickly

For poss: I think the base where you stay in large part depends on if you are intending to rent a car- we didn't, and Arles made a convenient transportation connection by train and bus to the places on tish519's list. One caveat, tish519- double check the Sunday hours for the rental car- I have become quite paranoid about Sunday hours!!! Don't miss Les Baux- another option would be the Carmargue, as part of your Arles day trip.

One reason to stay in or near St-Rémy is that, unlike Villeneuve, it's away from major roads and therefore much more pleasant. St-Rémy is also centrally located for seeing the Pont du Gard, Arles, Les Baux, and other principal sights in the area--and St-Rémy is a delightful little town in its own right.

Villeneuve les Avignon is a great little town. We have lived here since January and frequent the Pont du Gard (only a 25 minute drive). Avignon is right over the bridge. We have a little night life here, but nothing too crazy. Street noise is rarely an issue, and there is easy access to both the A7 and A9. The Hotel de L'atelier is a treat with warm fires in the lobby in winter. And don't skip the Celestine Cafe!

We have stayed in both St. Remy and Villeneuve as a base. St. Remy is much easier to get in and out of as Underhill said, and there is much more to do - shops, restaurants, etc. in St. Remy. It is a most charming and delightful place and quite easy to visit all the area sites.

Boy, do I disagre, it's much easier to leave villeneuve than St Remy. I love both but sleep in Villeneuve and play in St Remy or Avignon. But saying that, there are many tranquil places to stay on the outside edge of St Remy. Staying in St Remy center was a treat to stay at the Hotel l'Atelier of Images. You'd never know you were in town once you were inside with the Alpilles looking down at you in back and A vegetable garden, a labyrinth, and so much more.

Here's the St Remy hotel. They have their own car parc in back.
http://www.hotelinprovence.com/modul...ntent.php?id=1

I've only spent a day in Villeneuv - but 2 1/2 weeks in/near St Remy. I never thought it was difficult to get out of either. You can hit some heavy traffic in St Remy, but extremely light by most USA standards.

Stu Dudley

I always use www.mappy.com to find out driving distances, travel time, and cost of gas for all the places I have on my wish list. It's really helpful because I am somewhat like you: I always want to see it all and I invariably have too little time to do it. Mappy really helps bring me down to reality! (Having said that, my two cents is don't miss the beautiful town of Uzes, not far from Pont du Gard, and if you can be there on market day, so much the better.)

Uzés is certainly worth a visit. The market reaches far beyond the Place des Herbs and has wonderful pottery a well as food. It is not in Provence but close enough in the department of the Gard in Languedoc and is less explored than its neighbor, Provence

There are two markets in Uzes each week - Sat & Wed. The Sat market is huge, but the Wed market is much smaller and not as in teresting.

Regarding my previous comment on "getting" out of St Remy & Villeneuve. I recall that Ciglechanta does not drive, and takes public transportation when by herself. If her comment about Villeneuve having better access to things than St Remy is referring to public transportation - then I "take back" my comment about the both having easy access. Villeneuve is within walking distance of Avignon which has both train and bus access. St Remy does not have a train station & I'm not familiar with their bus system.

Stu Dudley

About 14 months ago, we arrived at CDG about 10:00 and easily made our connection to the TGV to Avingon. Then stayed in St. Remy for a few days. Agree with all the endorsements of that as a place to stay.

BTW, if you are getting a car rental at the Avingon TGV station, be sure to take the exit to the West! That's where all the car rentals are located.