Provence
 

My husband and I are considering a trip to Paris & Provence next spring. The plan would be to take the TGV from Paris to Avignon, and then, rent a car in Avignon and drive to Aix-en-Provence, Arles, maybe St. Remy and any spots along the way. However, I read on one site that Aix is difficult to drive in. Has anyone driven to Aix and/or to these other towns? My husband would be driving, and he's a little concerned already, just because of the differences in driving in France. He doesn't mind the thought of out of town driving as much, but he's a little worried about driving into the cities. Has anyone taken a similar trip? If so, how did you find the driving in Aix, in particular?

Best regards,
Sandy

To the top, because I am interested also.

We drove in Aix & Avignon last year and it wasn't too bad. It is a bit nerve-wracking, though because the streets (especially in Avignon) seemed really narrow. Also, there are traffic circles everywhere so it can be easy to get lost. My husband did all the driving since I can't drive manual and he didn't think it was as bad as he had heard. Just get a good map (Michelin) and be a good navigator and your husband will do fine. Have fun!

I drove in Aix and thought it was a nightmare and got lost a lot--and I read French well and am familiar with their rules and France. My main problem was I needed to get to a certain route on the other side of town from where I entered and it wasn't clear how to get there given there were so many one-way streets, small circles, etc. Some of the main streets on the edge I didn't have too much trouble with, it was just this one route to my hotel that was a problem. The maps I had were not detailed enough, I guess, but they were as detailed as you can buy (Michelin). Anyway, trying to get from the Marseille airport to the N6 on the NW edge of Aix is not a picnic.

I only drove on the outskirts of Avignon and didn't find it a problem at all, it seemed well-marked and easier to figure out. Of course, I wasn't in the main city itself, so that helped.

Smaller places are easy, I had no problem in any place smaller than Aix (okay a little in Carpentras, but not that much, it was easy to straighten out with a few extra rides around the main square).

The lasy time I was in Aix it was in September and the traffic was awful...also difficult to park.

Sandypaws3: Don't worry, be happy! Having a car in Provence (especially for the town hopping which you seem to want to do) is in my opinion, a great convenience. Given this, while it may be cause for some concern, don't spend too much time dwelling on it. You guys will manage just fine! Remember, even if you have some difficulties, I doubt they will be major and they will make for some good travel stories. You'll have a great time!

We've driven to Aix twice in May without problems. My husband and I usually share the driving and I'm a much more timid driver. His belief is that, when in doubt, if you do not make eye contact, you have the right of way. I know I was the driver into Aix on our trip last year and it was not as difficult as I thought it would be (but we did have a hotel with parking so didn't have that to deal with). We've also driven in Arles, Avignon and St. Remy without problem....it's really easier than many would have you believe!

My husband and I have rented an apartment in Aix several times. Much of the old city where we stayed is a pedestrian area. Even areas where you can drive tend to be confusing because of the one-way streets, many of which are very narrow. We found a garage on the outskirts of town, but within walking distance of the old city, and kept our rental car there (for a reasonable charge)only using it when we left Aix to tour

I haven't driven in Aix, but we did drive in Arles. We stayed at a great hotel in the old city, but finding our way out of the old city every day was a trial even though we stayed there four days. My husband is a great navigator, but we all had problems with the one-ways, narrow roads, and just getting around the inner part of Arles. Otherwise, we drove lots of places in Provence with no problems. There is a parking area just outside the old city in Avignon, and there is no need to drive farther into that city. Walk on it and enjoy. I am jealous. Have fun.

Sandy,

Just returned from Provence last week and drove into Aix-en-Provence. A few comments. First, I found driving in Aix was difficult. We were looking for the Mercure Paul Cezanne hotel and had difficulty locating it. While there are signs indicating the direction of hotels. For this one, it does not appear until you are well in town and as I have found to be the usual case there is never a sign at key intersections. Plus in Aix like many towns in Provence there are a lot of one way streets so if you make a wrong turn getting back on track is sometimes a challenge. There is underground parking in town but depending on when you arrive they can be quite full. There are informational signs near the parking lot entrances indicating how many spots are available. Also be awhere the parking spots in underground lots are not made for large cars so if you have one it may be a challenge to find a parking spot at busy times. We ended up getting upgraded to a large Mercedes and found it to be especially difficult to drive in the "old" sections of towns, on some of the secondary roads and to park.

One other thing I found about driving around Provence is the secondary roads in some cases are especially narrow. An example is D177 which you take to go from Gordes to Abbeye De Senanque. In spots it is only wide enough for one car. But if you take your time it is really not that big a problem.

Towns like Arles and St. Remy we found to relatively easy to drive and park in. As far as Avignon, we stayed in the Villeneuve section and found it easier to take the bus or cab to get into Avignon.

In summary, while a car is a good idea for Provence driving it in the old sections of towns and on some of the country roads can prove to be a bit stressful. One thing we found that made driving easier is to avoid driving in the larger towns between 9:00am and 7:00pm. Traffic, particularly in the morning, is usually light and makes navigating through town easier even if you mess up.

paws posted this earlier but I'll give another answer. We stayed in Aix but our hotel had parking. SO- you leave the car as you go exploring and to retaurants. The next day you must leave, you do it before traffic hours.

I spent a week in Provence a few years ago when my daughter was doing her junior year abroad in Montpellier. I stayed in an apartment near the Universite de Montpellier. I drove all over Provence but did not go to Aix. As in any unfamiliar place, you can get confused at times but I did not find the driving especially difficult.

Be sure to purchase a detailed Michelin map for the area you are visiting. Relying on the Michelin map of France is going to cause problems. You need the detailed maps.

Yes, definitely go for a small car! Some of the streets get very narrow and you can park easier in a smaller vehicle. Otherwise, I think you will find driving in Provence much like driving in any strange area -- a little confusing but successful after a few wrong turns. As for traffic -- just use your common sense to avoid rush hours. After living in LA for a few years, I have the habit of timing my life around traffic patterns and now that I live in Aix, I still do it! Have fun!

Thanks all for the help by posting to this thread!! My question is "similar" to some of those already posted, but yet a little different:
My wife and I were planning to be in Provence late June/early July, but a family health matter has her sidelined at home. :(

I will be spending those days staying in Avignon, and will have a rental car. I have been to Provence before but without car, and was looking forward to being able to drive WITH a navigator....Question: How difficult do you think it will be to "town-hop" without someone else reading map directions???

I'm reasonably good with directions, very good with a stick shift,,,but was just wondering whether I should do my touring by train/bus since I'll be on my own.....
Thanks in advance for your help, and Best wishes, Dave

You will be fine without a navigator IF you don't get flustered. Be aware that in France they do not direct you via the route number but by the "direction". So if you come to a circle you must look for the "direction St. Remy", not route X. If you miss the turn just continue around the circle and exit correctly.

Sandypaws - Have faith. We did a Provence & Languedoc self-drive 2-years ago. We were two NYC women who neither own a car, nor had driven in at least 4 or 5 years. We rented an "automatic" at the Marseilles airport and took road direct to Aix - no problem. Once entering town are signs "arrows" indicating where hotels are located.

We noticed immediately that the road we were on went in one direction around the town with small one-roads off on either side. Driving still with no sign for our hotel, we wondered!!! Then sign pointing direction which was at North part of town - we got there with no problem.

Once parked at hotel, we walked everywhere for the next two days, so car stayed parked till ready to leave. Hotel gave us perfect directions how to get back on the road towards St. Remy which we were using as a base. Sure enough we missed our exit which would have brought us into St.Remy the back way - we had the Michelin yellow #245 and determined we could get there via Arles, which does have a trecherous traffic interchange, but got off the correct exit and were in St. Remy within 20-minutes. Finding our hotel was next challenge, but the Info office marked the map and we were there in 4-minutes.

Having driven in on the National roads we immediately realized there were no traffic signals, but traffic circles and came to love these. Only twice in our 2-weeks did we have to go around a circle to be sure of which direction to follow.

We picked St.Remy as it is centrally located and easy to exit N,E,S,W to visit any places we wanted.

Arles, Avignon, Orange all have parking immediately outside the main tourist area - in Avignon we parked in the garage over the train station; in Arles on the outside of the old walls; in Orange there was a large lot shortly after you got into town.

Going out to the Luberon, we stopped in Cavaillon Info office for directions to Rt. 22 to Gordes - and yes the road to Abbaye de Senanque is narrow, but you just let one car pass in either direction.

No problem with the Pont du Gard, as we went late afternoon (after day in Avignon), easy parking and no tourists but great "sunset"

Then West to Nimes which is a larger city w/ lots of traffic and again couldn't find sign for our hotel, finally saw our hotel on other side of road and right there made a U-turn in middle of traffic and pulled in the spot in front of hotel - cars honking at us, but we were there! Walked everywhere in Nimes during day and night.

We loved the National roads, avoided the Peage unless absolutely necessary, more for the speed (usually 100mph or more), not because of the tolls.

From Nimes to Carcassonne was long, over 150 miles, but mostly on Peage and we made excellent time. From there to Toulouse which is 4th largest city in France. The worst traffic here and finding hotel was again a challenge, but once found, we left bags and got out immediately to Albi to see the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum an easy drive. When returned to Toulouse and not needing car any longer just left it with the hotel to return to the rental office the next morning. We took a taxi to the airport.

Considering we put on 1,000 miles in 2-weeks, we were rather proud of ourselves that not a ding or dent and only got lost once in the vineyards of the Chat.du Pape (I could think of worse places).

If you're not comfortable with a "manual" car, go for the "automatic"; didn't cost too much more; map your itinerary; get started early in the day; avoid Les Baux over the week-end as I believe everyone in Provence is visiting then. Otherwise, no problems.

Go for it!