wannago

We leave in two weeks and don't have a day to day itinerary planned but that's ok as we don't like things too structured. We're more of the "wake up & where/what to do today" people. This is what we'd like to accomplish: visit as many of the towns & villages as possible, wineries, ride bikes, go for hikes, picnics, shops, historic sites, lots of cafes, etc. So my questions are: Which markets and wineries should we not miss? Do the tourist offices in towns have maps of various hiking/biking routes? (I've gone on various web sites & would rather not print out a ton of paper to take with me).
Any suggestions for what to do on Sundays/Mondays as I've read there's not alot going on. Any other ideas to help make this a memorable trip are welcome!

StuDudley

In my opinion, if you don't have an itinerary (doesn't have to be day-to-day) many people will end up doing exactly what you're doing - "what shall we do there?". Creating some kind of itinerary forces you to do research and:
1. Determine what sites are close to each other so you can minimize driving and see stuff in the same area on the same day (Uzes/Pont du Gard, St Remy/Les Baux, etc).
2. You'll find out what sites/shops close for a lunch so you don't arrive in Aix (for example) at 12:00 just as many of my wife's favorite shops close for lunch
3. You'll discover when the market days are, so you get to Aix on Tues, Thurs, Sat when they have markets.
4. In 2 weeks, the Sunday market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue will be a zoo after 10:30, so you'll plan your day to get there at 8:00am (early rise) and enjoy it much more.
5. You'll discover what shops & sites close on Sunday, & Monday morning.
6. On your "days list of things to do", you might have "times" indicated just to make sure you're not trying to cram 15 hours of activities into 1 day (I discover that I try to do that quite a lot).
7. Likewise, you'll make sure that you're not trying to cram 10 days of activities into 5 days - and perhaps miss some of the things you wanted to see the most.

Stu Dudley

hopingtotravel

Follow Stu's advice! In the days before heavy internet use, I tried to go to Hidcote Gardens in England. It was closed on Tuesday. I STILL haven't gotten to see it.

cigalechanta

Sunday visit the huge flea market in Isle-sur-la-Sorge. Go early to get a parking space. There are wonderful antique shops off the main street. Lunch at the charming, Le Jarden de Quaither by the railroad station.
Saturday market in Uzes is my favorite.
Kevin Woodrow who lives in Provence brings his friends hiking. Maybe he'll see this post.
My favorite shop is in Lourmarin,
The Coté Bastide, though by then, thy maybe open only weekends after labor day.
You can also google for hiking routes

artsnletters

I agree with Stu. You at least want to know when you <i>can't</i> do/see certain things and when open/closed times and days are for things you <i>might</i> want to do/see. Then when you wake up you will know what your choices are that day, and you can be sure not to miss a once-a-week event you are really interested in.

cigalechanta

Sorry! typos its Jardin du quai. Here's the hours:

http://www.guidegantie.com/en/restau...159&amp;type=R

Underhill

Definitely do some research on what you want to see and when you CAN see it. Even then it's not certain; we tried on 3 different occasions to visit the Matisse chapel in Vence before we succeeded. After the first experience we had a back-up plan, always a good idea.

About the wineries...visiting them in France is not like in, for example, the Napa Valley. French wineries, especially the many small ones, don't have organized tours or tasting rooms. Some can be visited by appointment only.

We found that the wine region above Avignon (beginning at Beaumes de Venise and going on up to Gigondas) was the most interesting and varied to visit. There is a large tasting room in Gigondas with various wines from the region; it's right on the village square.

Around Ch&acirc;teauneuf-du-Pape are any number of small vineyards; usually the proprietor is glad to have visitors. Just avoid the Proven&ccedil;al lunch hour of 12-2 to 12-3. Look for signs reading &quot;d&eacute;gustation&quot; (tasting). If a proprietor spends a fair amount of time with you it's courteous to buy at a bottle, assuming you like the wine.

craggy

If you are looking to visit wineries you should note that the fall is when they are at their busiest - harvesting and making wine. It makes it an interesting time to be in the region but it can be somewhat frustrating to visit wineries as the staff that normally serve the tastings are the same ones that pick grapes &amp; make wine. I would suggest using a local guide who has good winery contacts. On our visit to Provence last fall we were guided by Olivier Hickman (www.wine-uncovered.com). It was amazing as he had complete access to the vineyards and wineries that he too us to and did the tastings. As well as learning more about wine in an afternoon than we had in a lifetime we got to see the whole process in action. We felt very privileged.