Three "girls", a 20 something, a 30 something and a 40 something(me!)visiting Paris for a week and Provence for a week in June '07. I know its early but I'm an obsessive travel planner which gets me through the gloomy midwest winters.

Two of us are exercise freaks so we like active pursuits and are more interested in history and ambiance rather than food and wine (gasp!). Two of us have been to Paris in the past two years and I've been to Arles and Mt. Ventoux.

I'd like to hear opinions on whether we should go to Provence first or Paris first. I see benefits to both.

I'm not one to cram in a bunch of towns in a short amount of time so we'll just stay in a couple of places in Provence. We'll take the TGV to Avignon, stay 3-4 days taking a day trip to Arles via the train. Then I'll rent a car and go to...?...for another 3-4 days.

I'd like something completely different than Avignon. Would love a small, quaint, ancient town easy to use as a base for car travel to other interesting places in the area. I thought Vaison-La-Romaine might be a good location based on guidebook descriptions but would like to hear from the Fodor's gang.

Well, if you were in Provence in later June, you might see the lavender in bloom.

Vaison-la-Romaine is nice. So would be a town in the Luberon like Bonnieux or Lourmarin. With so many days in Provence, you could pick one place and rent a villa -- if that appeals to you. We rented in St. Remy last spring, which is a good central location, and could have stayed a second week to see the things we missed.

Two years ago DH and I chased the Tour de France around the countryside on bikes (actually, we rode the route in the mornings and then pulled over to watch the pros scream past). My favorite day on the bike was pedaling through the lavender fields in the foothills of the Alps.

I thought about planting ourselves in just one location in a villa but really feel like we should stay in Avignon a few days to see the sights there. I don't want to travel daily TO Avignon to take in the city...

I can recommend Bonnieux in the Luberon as a good base to compliment a few days in Avignon. We were there in September for 3 nights and had a wonderful time. There was a group of 4 ladies staying at our B&B who came in just for the weekend from London, and they had a wonderful time as well visiting the markets and antiquing as well as going out for delicious dinners.

I like Bonnieux also. Roads branch out in four directions, so you can loop around when making excursions and not be stuck going back and forth on the same road.

Is hiking or biking possible from Bonnieux?

Okay, answering my own question. I see that Bonnieux is on a very long bike trail of the area so it looks like a good choice for us.

Anyone have thoughts on Paris or Provence first? I'm leaning toward Provence first as I know we won't be buying "stuff" in the villages but Paris will be huge for us as the other two love LV handbags and I drool over Christian Louboutin shoes.

Well, we are planning a Provence and Paris trip for 2007, also. My thought is to head off to Provence first, then come back for a final few days in Paris.

We are more familiar with Paris; DH has never been anywhere else in France, and I was on the Riviera about 20 years ago. We are anxious to head off to "new" places, and then just relax in Paris for a couple of days before heading back to the US. We go home from Paris, so it makes sense to me to be there at the end of the trip.

But if anyone has reasons for Paris first, Provence second, I would like to hear them, too.

Stu Dudley has good suggestions on other threads for going to CDG airport via the TGV from Dijon. That made me think it might make sense to see Paris first then Provence and go immediately to CDG via TGV from Avignon, Lyon, or Dijon to fly home.

If you stay in the Camargue you can hike for bird watching and go horse back riding.
I you go to the Gorge de Verdon, there are lots of hiking and water sports.

Do you have my itinerary for Provence????

If not - e-mail me at [email protected]

I would go to Paris first, because the later you visit Provence in June, the greater the chance the lavender will be blooming. Also, I find that jet lag sets in later in Paris - walking a lot usualy make me less tired than driving in a car.

Stu Dudley

we did paris for a week and then provene for a week. we stayed at villa velleron, a karen brown choice. the owners are dutch and are fluent in english. they gave us great ideas for what to do, where to eat, etc. the place was lovely (no kids), with a pool. breakfast was outside. they also cook very good dinners so if you have a really busy day, you can eat there. they put together a wine tasting day for us that was great. it is in velleron, right outide of ille de la sorgue and was a great base for the luberon, avignon, st remy and wine country. we were very happy there.

Any more suggestions for places to stay and to see in Provence in the course of a week?

I think the deciding factor will be having a small town that has enough going on during the day in case one friend hangs back while the other two go cycling. We also need bike trails or safe roads leading from the town as well as local bike rentals.

Has anyone else biked on their own in the area?

I'm leaning toward St. Remy as a base with day trips to the other towns because its bigger and may have more for my friend to explore on her own. I also see that it has bike shops for rentals.

Anything else I need to consider?

amwosu -

I will be visiting Paris this April for 1 week, then on to Provence for 1 week, where I will be staying in Lourmarin in a studio. May I suggest the site www.provencebyways.com for lovely suggestions about where to go, places to stay, books to read, activities. Hosted by a couple, Bob & Sue Winn, who lived in Provence and had a home there too. They have a great publication with info on travel routes in the Luberon, places to eat, and lots of good tips.

good luck, and enjoy the planning process.

OMG,i would LOVE to see the lavender feild of provence, i buy stuff from the NY city store L'Ottaine(Spelling might be wrong) All the time and they have their feild there and I love their stuff!! I would love to see their feild, Lavender is such a great scent!! Calming relaxing and seductive.

teaberry- thanks for the link, very informative site. Hafta get the guide!

teaberry:

http://www.luberon-news.com/gastronomie/index.php

Well, hate to tell you this: we bought more "stuff" in the villages than in Paris.

Truly no worries about buying stuff in Provence. I spent a month in France two years ago and bought one tiny bowl in all that time because I felt like I should bring something home.

I know that we'll window shop in Paris on Montaigne and St. Honore where we might splurge on an item or two and take a peek into LV on the Champs but otherwise we're all too antsy to shop.