Hi,

I need advice on a trip that I am planning with my parents to Provence in September. We are going to start in Paris and will take the train to Avignon and pick up the car. I'm thinking about 5/6 nights. Can anyone recommend a central location, if possible in Provence so we are not unpacking every night. My parents are in their late 60's but are active. Thanks for all the help.

Meredith:

Taking the train is a good idea; after a transatlantic flight you might be too tired to drive over 400 miles from Paris to Avignon. Avignon makes an great city to use as a base. In September 2006 I used Tavel, which is 10 miles west in the departement of Gard as a base city. I took days trips to the Pont du Gard and Arles. Within an hour by car from Avignon you can visit several cities including Gordes, Les Baux, Saint Remy, Fontaine de Vaucluse, Cavaillon and Aix en Provence. These are all easily accesible by car so that packing and unpacking every night won't be an issue..

Drop me a line if you would some more advice..

Drop me a line if you would like some more advice...

Best..
Luis

Gite or apartment rentals usually run Sat. to Sat., so they would probably be ruled out-an option if your schedule is flexible. For a first time visit, a week or 5/6 nights in the Eygalieres/St Remy area would be central and provide lots of local as well as daytrip sights. Its within 30/mins of Avignon and the roads to the Luberon from Lourmarin to Apt, Gordes, Bonnieux, and the rest are good enough for easy exploring. We had good fortune on our first visit to St Remy when we stayed at Mas de Carassins www.masdescarassins.com/anglais . Its a short walk into town, good access and had a nice vibe. Good luck.

OMG you distress me who has travelled alone and with her late husband, 60s are young to me.
mimi. in her 70s..I sAY SHAME ON YOU.

We agree with several of the suggestions thusfar.

Avignon is a good base itself. It's quite a bit larger than the other towns mentioned but there are things & it's centrally located.

St. Remy is also a great town: smaller than Avignon, but still central.

If you're looking to get off the beaten track a little, you might want to try one of the small villages just east of Avignon: Pernes les Fontaines, Isle sur la Sorgue, Bonnieux. You'll be a half hour from Avignon, but closer to the Luberon.

It kind of depends what you're looking for. Do you and your parents want a larger town, a tiny village, a country inn?

If being 'central' is the first priority to most of Provence, we'd suggest Avignon if you want a larger town, St. Remy if you want a smaller town/village, and the country inns around St. Remy & Les Beaux if you want to fell like you're staying in the country.

That would actually be Les Baux, in case you want to do some research.

I've stayed in a number of locations in Provence, and Avignon was my least favorite - due to getting in and out of town. I much prefer staying in a village (I've stayed in Bonnieux three times) but there are other villages that would be equally as nice. Each person who posts here and loves Provence will have his/her favorite. I also stayed in Arles one time and loved that as well, but left the car parked in a garage for the 3 days that I stayed there (again - traffic). I haven't stayed in St. Remy but think that would be a good location and you wouldn't have much difficulty getting in and out of town.

Another town that I stayed in (off season) was Gordes and it was spectacular in the mornings before the crowds came and left for the day. I think that Rousillon would be the same.

That would actually be Roussillon, in caase you want to do some research.

Stu Dudley

case - jeeze !!

Hi

Thanks for all the info, Stu are you still sending out your fav's by email?

I think St Remy is a great area to stay because you can travel to the Gard,Vaucluse and Luberon very easily.
If you want to see a bit of the Cote D'Azur, you can drive the auto route for a day's excursion.

>>Stu are you still sending out your fav's by email?<<

Yep - e-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy (specify which one(s)).

Stu Dudley

Last fall we stayed at the Bastide de Boulbon, www.labastidedeboulbon, just south of Avignon and found that it worked well for seeing most of the area. The inn itself is lovely with a beautiful garden and pool (if the weather is good). The owners, Jan and Marie Claire, are fluent in English and delightful to visit with. They were very helpful with routing to the various towns we wanted to visit.

As someone posted everyone has their favorites in Provence, mine is the Luberon, specifically Gordes, Rousillion and the other small villages/towns in the area. I like to stay in the countryside when I'm in Provence so I can relax, because I spend time in Paris either before or after and that gives me my big city fix (museums, restaurants, etc.) Therefore I don't stay in place like Avignon, or St. Remy, or Arles. So it depends on what you and your parents want to do.