We (group of three adults) will be arriving in Provence in early July. We disembark our river cruise in Arles, then have one more tour night in Cannes before the tour ends. We will have seven more days on our own to visit before heading home from the Nice airport.

We have been to Nice, Aix, and Avignon before. We have taken day trips to Le Baux and Gordes.

My husband would like to see Marseille. While it would seem ideal to go to Marseille when we disembark in Arles, we can't do it because we will still have one more tour day that will take us to Cannes. We thought to start our independent touring in Nice, leaving our luggage at the hotel storage (where we will spend our last night), head to Marseille, then Antibes, St. Paul de Vence, and back to Nice. We will not be driving, but instead will use public transportation.

How many night should we stay in each place? I have read on this forum that Vence is also worth seeing. Would you suggest staying in St. Paul de Vence or Vence?

Any other suggestions you might have for this short trip would be appreciated.

Leburta

My wife & I have spent 40 weeks vacationing in Provence & the Cote d'Azur. I developed a 33 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, scenic drives, sites, restaurants, markets, etc. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. I've sent this itinerary to well over 3,000 people on Fodors. Do so soon - we leave for 3 more weeks in Provence in about 4 days.

Stu Dudley

Stu:

I have your fine itinerary, and have been reviewing it for ideas. I wish we could drive. My husband has vision problems, and neither the other gal nor I feel capable of driving. I would be afraid too that I might not be able to get an automatic car rental -- that would be a disaster!

We are relying on public transportation, and with limited time and some distance to travel, are trying to narrow our aspirations.

Thanks to for your San Francisco suggestions. I walked the Golden Gate Bridge on a balmy day and thought of you!

Mahalo!

Leburta

I would recommend -- not too far from Marseille -- trips to Nîmes and Aigues Mortes. Marseille in itself is worth several days, and the public transportation is superb because the tickets are valid for one hour and you can indiscriminately take the metro, tram or bus system on the same single ticket.

And Nice is worth 2 full days at least.
I love l'arrière pays (inside) but fir this a car is needed.
Antibes is worth at least one day. Walk le sentier des douaniers along le cap d'antibes and spend the evening and dinner in the city.
Get a copy of le guide vert - green guide from Michelin.