So interesting. Cassis looks gorgeous. And the landscape along the coast is quite dramatic (as was your drive)

Loved your pictures from Eygalieres. We were there in Sept. 2021 and loved the town. You make me want to go back🙂

So happy and surprised you have visited Eygalieres! We have never heard English spoken or bumped into American tourists while in Eygalieres. Isn't it a wonderful village? Did you walk to the top of the church ruins? Did you visit the Friday market?

Thank you everyone for your nice comments!

We made it to the top, enjoyed the great views and wandered back down. I did stop to take a picture of a beautiful door. The owner was coming back from a jog. We had a nice chat about his home. He and his partner were both American. I need to look back at my photo but your door picture looks a lot like their door.

Hi Karen, what a wonderful trip report. and your photos are gorgeous! We are planning a trip to Provence in May/June and are thinking of staying in Bonnieux for 4-5 nights as a base to explore the area. Any thoughts on this?

I am looking at my map right now, Bonnieux would be a good base to visit the Luberon villages, such as LaCoste, Menerbes, Roussillon, Gordes, St. Saturnin les Apt, Lourmarin and Ansouis. And the Alpilles, such as Les Baux, St. Remy, and Eygalieres. Pont Du Gard is about a one hour drive. I really, really like the medieval ambiance of Bonnieux. And as someone mentioned upthread (I think it is Gooster), Bonnieux is generally not as crowded as St. Remy, Gordes, and Roussillon. I think it depends on how lively a place you want to stay in. Of course, it was very quiet in December with only a few restaurants open. That will be different in May/June. But I get the sense it will not be as bustling as St. Remy nor does it have as many shops and restaurants. The population of St. Remy is about 10,000. The population of Bonnieux is about 1500. So a big difference. So it really depends on what you are looking for in the evenings when you return from sightseeing. I definitely could see myself enjoying a couple nights in Bonnieux. I usually do recommend that people use St. Remy as a base because there are more restaurants and shops to choose from but it really depends on what you are looking for. St. Remy is more touristy, for example, than Bonnieux.

You could search for MaiTaiTom's trip report from 2016 that he mentions upthread. I believe he stayed in Bonnieux a couple nights.

Are you staying anywhere else in Provence? Would your stay in Bonnieux be part of a longer Provence visit?

Such a rare opportunity to see imagery of Eygalieres. Not something one sees every day.
I am done. le village

Your husband is quite the adventurous eater -- the tripe stew, the sardines, he is truly becoming a little French. Your dorade looked delicious, with the petit tian provencal on the side.

The coastal pictures are lovely, even in the winter weather. The Provencal hills look just wonderful in the full, verdant green of the winter. So weird to see Cassis so empty, given the crush of summer visitors. The picture of the lone cafe table really captured the mood.

Bonnieux does make a good base if you are wary of crowds in Roussillon and Gordes, however, there are quieter ones in peak season. It is possible to stay just outside the town and have a short walk to the boulangeries, cafes and restaurants. The better ones are in the lower part of the village, or closeby (Bastide de Capelongue). Plus it is a short drive nearby villages like Menerbes, Goult, Oppede or a bit further to Gordes/Rousillon (there is also a hiking trail and bike paths in the valley) or just over the hill to Lourmarin and Cucuron.

Gooster, yes, my husband is a very adventurous eater - definitely more adventurous than me! I love cheese, and he has never been a fan of cheese, but lately whenever we are in France he has been eating cheese after dinner with our son-in-law. Definitely becoming a little French!:)

Thank you again. I enjoyed the glimpses of this part of France through you. I’ve heard about the infamous mistral - sounds like it’s no joke.

The mistral (and the tramontane) can indeed be annoying on certain days. And it can sometimes last up to a week.

Thanks Karen, that's just the sort of info I was looking for. Yes we will be in the area for about 2.5 weeks, haven't picked all of our other locations yet. I read Mai Tai Tom's report and together with your and gooster's response, I think Bonnieux will suit us well. We are willing to sacrifice choice of restaurants for quieter and less touristy. Thanks again.

Karen, I just read your wonderful report for the third time! How lucky to be able to visit so often!

Aix looks like it would be fun at Christmas. I’m guessing it was more lively than the other towns; is that right?

Is anyone sitting out at cafes with heat lamps like in Paris?

There are no more heat lamps in Paris. It is against the law as of this winter. The environment is more important.

KarenWoo---I'm curious....how does that sardine compare in taste to a sardine from a can? Hard to describe, but pls try to get husband to describe. We had "sardines" on a pissaladiere in Uzes once....might have been smaller than canned, but tasty? .......absolutely no comparison

We dropped by Eygalieres (sp?) once maybe 10 years ago (Sept). Nice market. A vendor was serving what looked like paella from a pan that was probably 3+ feet across. Would've made a nice photo

Bonnieux, Cassis, and LaCoste were practically empty. Marseille, of course, was vey busy, especially around the port and near the museum where we saw the reproduction of the underwater caves. Eygalieres was quiet after the market closed on Friday. So I assume it was very quiet on the other days. Aix was definitely livelier than the other towns I mentioned, except for Marseilles. I believe the Christmas market in Aix is open every day.

We didn't see any heat lamps. When we were in L'Isle Sur la Sorgue it was warm around lunch time (in the 50's) so we sat outside in the sun for lunch. No heat lamps. I remember that morning we had coffee outside at a cafe but we wore our jackets. When we had lunch, I took my jacket off.

I just re-read my description of Marseille, and the restaurant where we had lunch did have heat lamps. We sat outside under a tent, and there were heat lamps. But I didn't think we really needed them because the temperature was pleasant.

My husband loves the fresh sardines! He said the fresh sardines are much tastier than the canned sardines, of course, and the texture is better and firmer. The canned sardines are soft and mushy!

Pissaladière has anchovies on it, not sardines.

Herein I display my ignorance; our pissaladiere fish didn't taste salty like anchovies (from a can) on a pizza do; so, do fresh anchovies taste unlike canned ones? Ours were very tasty.

Once again, in yet another way, French food rules!!!!