I'm very excited to be visiting Provence starting the end of this week. I was wondering what is acceptable attire for dinners out. We will be visiting Arles, Avignon, Aix & Marseille among smaller towns. We will probably dine in a combo of casual & fancier restaurants. Will my husband need a jacket & tie in fancier establishments? For me, is a long black skirt & simple blouse OK? Thanks for your help!

I just returned last week from Provence. If you are eating at any of the Michelin starred restaurants (Clos de la Violette, Jules Cesar) your husband should definitely wear and shirt and tie. the long black skirt and blouse for you is fine, you may want to jazz it up with a scarf or necklace (costume jewelry unless you really need to travel with good stuff). Restaurants run the gamut of course. In Arles we ate in a pizzeria restaurant and went in our jeans and sweaters and were fine (it was raining and cold). Casual but neat (think business casual) will do the trick.

A nice jacket for your husband - but a tie is not necessary, especially with the weather warming up (many of the restaurants do not have A/C). (It was about 80 F here today.<BR><BR>What you're bringing is fine. The more nicely you are dressed, the nicer the table you'll get. By the end of your visit it will depress you to see what some people wear to the best restaurants here in Provence. <BR>PB

Thank you both for your responses. Lori: We're staying at Jules Cesar. I didn't know its restaurant was michelin starred. Did you eat there? How was it?

Alssya,<BR><BR>We did not eat there. We did eat at Clos de la Violette in Aix and I was not impressed. The staff was very rushed (seemed they were understaffed) and I thought the food was just OK. The tackiest thing was the chef came out to greet diners - and only went to 2 tables. Any other Michelin starred restaurant I have eaten in, the chef has always greeted each table.

Alyssa,<BR>The restaurant in the Jules Cesar does not have a Michelin star... there are no starred restaurants in Arles.<BR><BR>If you have a car, I would recommend going to La Petite France in Le Paradou on the edge of Maussane-les-Alpilles. It's a one Michelin star, the food is excellent and it has one of the best wine lists in the South of France - but the chef is shy and never comes out of the kitchen. It's only about a 20 minute drive from Arles.<BR><BR>PB

Don't know about Provence, but in Paris 3 star, which I would assume to be the same or even more formal, about 1/2 the men were tieless, none were jacketless. I think a woman can get by with anything, wear whatever feels elegant to you.

Ditto on La Petite France. FANTASTIC!!!!<BR>Not only are the food and service excellent, the presentation is something else. SOOOOOO creative. About 20 mins. from St. Remy also.

Petite France is so enclosed and formal, no terrace dining, not someplace I would suggest to someone going for the first time. I agree tie not necessary.<BR>

to XXX <BR><BR>Petite France is not a terribly formal restaurant (especially for a starred restaurant)... Alyssa said she was arriving the end of this week and few of the restaurants in the area are serving dinners outdoors yet, as the evenings are still too chilly.<BR><BR>PB

Thank you all for your responses--I think we've packed well. I can't wait & I will try to get to La Petite France-it sounds great. PB: I've read many of your posts & recorded the helpful information. My husband was afraid we would be bored with two full weeks in Provence, but with all the wonderful restaurants & villages, I think we'll be quite busy--in a relaxed way.

We will be visiting Nice in July. I will be celebrating a signifigant birthday while there. I short time ago someone mentioned a rebsite called reservethebest.com. There is the most romantic restaurant at the Chateau Eza in Eze. Has anyone eaten there or stayed at the chateau? The website shows a stunning location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Does Petit France have rooms as well as dining?<BR><BR>Colleen- Chateau Eza is the best of the best, had lunch there and was blown away. View will be better during daylight so if you're going for dinner get there early enough to have a drink on the terrace to watch day turn to night.

Contrary to Danna's experience, this past Tues. at Le Grand Vefour (Paris)for lunch, all the men had jackets and ties. We estimated about 1/2 the people there to be tourists, the rest French business folks.