Provence Itinerary
 

We have the following towns reserved for a trip to Provence. We'd like to do some of the hill towns north of Aix and also a wine tour. Wondering how to fit it all in

Day 1 and 2 Nice
Day 3: Aix
Day 4-5:L'Isle Sur La Sorgue(should we do Lourmarin, Bonnieux, and Roussillon on the first day and then Gordes and any other towns on the next day)
Day 6,7,8: Based in St. Remy
Day 9: Arles and Camargue then end in Cassis
Day 10 and 11: Cassis
Day 12: Marseille
Day 13: fly home

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated so that we are not driving all over the place.

Only 2 days for Nice? Only 1 day for Marseille? But 2 days for Cassis? I'm not sure I understand....

FWIW, you mght find some useful information in my ongoing trip report:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...rance-1669406/

Enjoy your time in Provence -- it's lovely!

What day of the week is Day 1? What month(s) are you traveling? Why 3 nights in Cassis?

Provence
 

I believe Nice's charm compensates for the larger size. I'd still spend couple of days there.

Arles and the Camargue in one day...loooong day.

ajc, DH and I did all those towns in one day but on a tour. Someone familiar with the roads was driving. So do stretch to the next day. We took a tour of the calanques in Cassis on another tour (part on boat, part via van) and wished we'd had more time--charming and relaxing. We got a lovely view of Marseille from the van part of the calanque tour.

Here's my TR of that time: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...ndwich-446896/ We were in Paris before and after Aix.

Have a great time and please share your experiences.

"We can’t change our reservations at this point." Not for any of it, or just for Cassis?

You might not want to, but I would think you CAN change them. Look up "sunk cost."

Two and a half days in Cassis? That must be 2nd prize; with 1st prize being 1 day in Cassis.

Cassis is a 45 min event. If you do the Calenques - add 3 hours. If you want to sunbathe - add 4 hrs.

It seems that day 3 is Aix on a Monday. Aix is my wife's favorite shopping city in France (after Paris). However, most shops will be closed Monday morning. Some will open after lunch - which is around 2:30.

Stu Dudley

Pretty unbalanced trip, IMO. You can't "do" Arles and the Camargue in 1 day, and 3 days in Cassis is severe overkill.

If ajc takes the boat tour, that will take a fair amount of their one full day in Cassis. S/he said they arrive late on day 1, then wish to relax so I think Cassis would be fine for them.

I agree with StC re timing problem for Arles and Camargue, and as mentioned above for the Lourmarin, Bonnieux, and Roussillon and Gordes visits.

This is getting into the realm of what calls out to you. We wanted more time in Roussillon but I wouldn't suggest that you give Gordes a miss. It's a visual feast from a distance and up close! We also loved strolling through Lourmarin at leisure. So much to see.

You can easily do Arles as a day trip from St. Remy, along with Les Baux, to declutter the day to the Camargue. You have several days planned there and a lot of stops in a relatively small area. Will you also do Avignon or the Pont du Gard?

I would hit Lourmarin and Bonnieux on the slower route over into the Luberon from Aix, and follow the D900 up to Isle Sur La Sorgue. You can also then hit Gordes and Roussillon and others on the next day. Hit Gordes as early as possible to minimize the crowds, especially on the market day. I would plan to hit one market in the area -- and juggle your days around to hit the right morning.

Sounds like good advice, gooster.

Gooster,
If we go to Lourmarin and Bonnieux from Aix do you think we'd have time to go to Menerbes and Oppede de vieux on the way to L'Isle a la Sorgue. Then the next day we could get to Gordes early, on to Roussillon and maybe on the way back to L'Isle hit Goult?

Bonnieux,, Menerbes, and Oppede-le-Vieux are close together (Petit Luberon) and could be visited on your Day 4 along with Lourmarin. Make the decision in real time.
https://goo.gl/maps/sh4ZkCKSCpCJKonH6

You might sneak in my favorite small village Saignon on Day 5.

Some info and videos https://videoturysta.eu/provence.html