Can anyone give me a realistic idea of what it will cost us for meals in Provence? We are not into fine dining - preferring the rural, authentic atmosphere of a local place to a fancy one (actually a fancy one would be nice sometimes but our pocketbook can't exactly cut it) We are trying to budget and just need a ballpark - thanks to everyone.

check out the following page: <BR>http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/57.../provence.html <BR>There's a lot of info from my recent trip to Provence including eating....

There are many inexpensive places to eat in Provence. You could always go to the supermarket and pack a picnic. In Aix-en-Provence, there is a restaurant close to the university that offers a full course meal at an affordable price. You can also try the markets to purchase fresh fruits.

Menus are posted outside of almost every restaurant, bistro and cafe... so it's fairly easy to see what you'll be spending. <BR> <BR>Many of the restaurants offer prix fixe menus starting at 60 FF at lunchtime, and around 90 FF for dinner. <BR> <BR>Visit the outdoor markets for wonderful picnic lunch stuff... you can even buy wine at most markets. <BR> <BR>Here's a list of days for the markets in the area where I live: <BR> <BR>Saturday - Arles (huge market) and St. Remy (small) <BR>Sunday - Salon de Provence <BR>Tuesday - Tarascon <BR>Wednesday - Arles (small) and St. Remy (very large) <BR>Thursday - Maussane-les-Alpilles <BR>Friday - St. Martin de Crau <BR> <BR>PB

thanks everyone - steve - great trip report - my husband actually read it - PB - since you live in Provence, what would you consider the not to miss sights and markets? We are definitely food addicts so that is usually our focus -

"" what would you consider the not to miss sights and markets? "" <BR> <BR>The market in Arles on Saturday morning (the largest in Provence) and the market in St. Rémy on Wednesday morning... <BR>Aix also has a market on Thursday mornings (if memory serves me right - I don't go over there very often). <BR> <BR>Visit Glanum (on the edge of St. Rémy), Les Baux, the Pont du Gard and Uzès, Arles, Aigues Mortes in the Camargue,the villages of Rousillon and Pernes La Fontaine in the Lubéron, Lourmarin and Cassis (on the coast east of Marseille) <BR> <BR>PB