Provence mostly no car
 

I've just been accepted to give a presentation at a week-long conference in Marseille in June (this is a first!), and I'll have roughly a week to take a vacation before or afterwards. I need to decide my dates in a couple days, so I could use some quick help!

I've been to Marseille before on a cruise stop, and spent five days in Avignon a couple years ago. I'm excited to be going back. I know what I would love to see and experience; I'm looking for the least stressful way to connect them all. I will not have a car for the most part, though I can rent one for the day as needed. I'd like to run a couple itineraries by you all, and see which ones look more realistic. I like slow travel, and would prefer to have a few bases rather than move around a lot. And as much as I love les plus belles villes ... I'd rather stay in towns.

High importance: Walk or bike in the Camargue, walk or bike in the Calanques, visit Le Pont du Gard, visit Les Baux de Provence and the Carrières de Lumières. Possibly visit the Luberon and the lavender fields (this would be around June 20).

No interest: Shopping. Lots of driving. Long days of driving. Bus and coach tours.

Option 1
4.5 days in Arles (day trips to Camargue, Le pont, Les Baux). 8 days in Marseille. 2 days in Cassis. 2 days in Aix-en-Provence (day trip to Luberon).
Pros: I get all my known bucket-list items. Aix is better placed to get to the airport the next morning.
Cons: There is one longer transport day. No Nîmes

Option 2
2.5 days Nîmes (day trip to Le pont). 3 days Arles (day trips to Camargue, Les Baux). 8-9 days Marseille. 2-3 days Cassis.

Pros: A weekend in Nîmes is probably more lively than a weekend in Arles. Possible free day in Marseille. There will be no long days of transport.
Cons: Longer trip from Cassis to airport at the end. Not sure if it's rushed in the beginning. Would need to visit Luberon on coach tour from Marseille or Cassis.


The option I choose will impact which day I fly out on, so I should make up my mind soon! Thanks for any advice.

Either should be wonderful! That said, Aix is within my comfort zone for a flight out of Marseille. Cassis is not.

Renting a car by the day is usually not a very cost-effective solution (usually costs about the same to rent a car for 3 days), but I can't see walking in the Camargue, and the mosquitoes there would probably put me off biking even if I were a biker, which I'm decidedly not. So I would definitely have a car for the Camargue. There's a lot more to see there than Aigues-Mortes, and it would be impossible to hit the highlights without one.

I'm very fond of both Arles and Nîmes, and haven't really got a handle on the liveliness of weekends in either, though I know the Saturday Arles market is almost always packed, but I wouldn't assume that Nîmes is the livelier of the two - you can google the official websites of both of them for your dates to see what's going to be happening.

Without trying to change StCirq's perfectly legitimate choice, I would note that there's a rather interesting short walk at the Musée de la Camargue, for which a good insect repellent is definitely in order. And walking around the Parc Ornithologique -- with insect repellent -- can also be a great way to spend an hour or more.

You have different priorities than I do, but given all the time you plan to do day trips. I'd rent a car for more than a day and build those into that part of the trip. I guess your option 1. I don't know why you think Nimes is so lively, I thought it was fairly dull myself. The problem is you need a car for the calanques, it sounds like. You can easily do that as a day trip from Marseille, but not if you want to do the hiking thing. I think your itinerary is difficult because you are interspersing cities with wanting to do these rural day trip things and they are on opposite sides of Marseille.

I would go with your option 1.

(Oops! I meant to say "without trying to CHALLENGE," not "without trying to CHANGE." :embarassed:

I don't know why one would need a car for the calanques -- one can hike or take a boat from either Cassis or La Ciotat, either of which can be reached by public transportation.

I stayed up late reading your last trip report ' wow! I definitely picked up some fresh ideas from you. Like you, I enjoy diversity in a trip.

I think you made a good point about being in Aix rather than Cassis the night before my flight. I looked into staying near the airport the last night, but that is not appealing.

After reading all the replies I think that renting a car for three days makes the most logistical sense. Of course, that opens up new options, like starting in Arles and ending in Nimes, and spending a few days in the rural areas ....

As for Arles vs Nîmes, I have read every post I can find and still cannot make up my mind. The forums on the Guide de Routard say that Nîmes is low energy, but it does have a small gay scene. Arles has none. That is a small factor for me, but a very minor one.

I saw a lot of advertisements for bike and hiking loops in the Camargue, but after digging deeper I think you are right that a car that day would be best, and I can do short walks as needed at various spots.
Part of the challenge (and fun of planning) is that I am constrained by the conference dates, and when I can take vacation time. For the Calanques, it is the hiking that appeals to me the most. The trails look gorgeous, though I know that they might be closed in June if there is a fire risk.

I am definitely thinking I should get a car for three days (I want to be mostly car free, but not completely). I will use this for trips through the Camargue, Les Baux, and Le pont.

All in all, I will go with the dates for option one,, and plan to rent a car for x days in Arles. Of course, that opens up new options to spend a night or two elsewhere - but I have time to ponder that. Thanks everyone.

I'm glad you found some useful ideas in my trip report -- thanks for letting me know!

I agree that renting a car for 3 days makes a LOT of sense for your priorities.

Sounds like a good plan. If you rent a car for 3 days, even if it sits unused by the side of the road a few times while you hike, it will cut down on your overall time trying to use public transportation to get around.

If you end up driving around the Camargue, see if you can find La Telline for a lunch or dinner - Restaurant La Telline : spécialité produits Camargue It used to be just the dining room of a fisherman's small house, but apparently it's become "legit" now, as it should be. The food is amazing.

Bonne route!

Our fiscal office forced me to modify my plans a bit (because, bureaucracy) but I've got my ticket in hand! The final plan is:

2.5 days Aix-en-Provence
5 days Arles (with car for three of the days)
8 days Marseille (working, mostly)

I'm happy with this itinerary. And since I already spent five days in Avignon without a car, I'm sure I'll have plenty of advice for that perennial question: Arles Avignon or Aix?

I looked hard at the hill towns, but I'd rather be in a town where I can just stroll around. I've stayed in villages before, and while they are stunningly beautiful for a night I find I get restless quickly in them.

Should be great!

If you haven't already seen my trip report, you might find some useful information in it:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...rance-1669406/

Have fun!

I can’t wait to read your trip report upon your return! Have a great trip!

After two (or was it three?) delays we are finally, definitely, heading to Marseille this September! It doesn't even feel real.

Four days: I still can't decide, Nîmes or Aix-en-Provence. I change my mind every hour. I won't have a car; there's no way I'm driving after a twenty-plus hour plane trip. There's no one must-see site for me in either; this will be my relax-and-chill and practice my French part of a much longer trip. I'm 80% leaning towards Nîmes, even though I'll also be in Arles later on. It's much more affordable than Aix, and seems both very pretty (in the center) and much less touristed.

Nine days: Marseille (work). I'll be staying in an Air B&B near the Chartreux metro stop, in the Chutes-Lavie neighborhood in the 4th arondissiment. It's not a touristy area, but it's convenient to transport, and the host couple have an excellent reputation. Also, I need to keep costs down on what is going to be a long trip.

Five days: Arles. Staying at L'Aubergine Rouge. It's a bit over my budget, so I'll save elsewhere. The first two days in Arles is the Feria du Riz, This sounds exciting. This time I'll have a car, so I'll be able to explore the Camargue and some of the smaller towns in the region.

... and then on to Greece for 3 1/2 weeks!

Only my opinion, but after a few days in each, Arles and Aix en Provence, I thought Aix was absolutely lovely. I like Arles, especially the market, the Roman colosseum and the connection with Van Gogh, and it was convenient to do some sightseeing by train and bus, but it was no comparison with Aix for beauty. The huge trees, the cafes, the wonderful Moroccan food in Aix was all incredible.

michael_cain_77398, see if this getting dated trip report gives you some no car ideas:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...ndwich-446896/

We based in Aix and loved it. We trained and took van tours. Looking forward to reading your report!

OP MC, the Fest du Riz will be a blast. Hope you like paella! And Aix on market day can be very interesting.
Where to in Greece?
I am done. the voyage

Without a car, we took the shuttle bus from the airport to Aix station and a taxi to our air BnB. Stayed twice in Aix, beginning and end of trip, no need for a car.

We took a train/bus from Aix to Aigues Mortes. The trip was long and not too convenient, but it was cheap and DH did not want to bother with getting a car, driving and parking.

We stayed three days and took tours (one by boat) right from outside the city walls. They were great!

I misread the schedule for Saturday and missed the bus from Aigues Mortes to Arles. We wanted to see the morning market and had a little house rented, so sprung for a taxi. It was so quick and convenient, worth every penny.

We stayed four or five days in Arles. It was a short, cheap (Senior rate tickets), bus ride to Les Baux and a ten or fifteen minute train to Avignon. We took a day for each. Both trips were great: cheap, easy, quick, no parkingj.

We took the train back to Aix and a taxi to the airport.

Unfortunately, we did not see other places because our priorities were Arles, Aix and Aigues Mortes, (plus Avignon and Les Baux), but we like to meander, sitting in cafes, etc. At any rate, you would certainly need a car for some places, but all of the places we went were easy without a car.

Marseilles is vibrant, interesting and different, with a gorgeous harbor. Most visitors to Provence miss it, but we spent a couple of hours just walking and liked what we saw.

I've studied that one, thanks! I should change the title of the thread, if I can. I decided to rent a car for the last five days. I stayed in Avignon years ago without a car, and was perfectly fine - but there are some places that aren't convenient by public transportation. The Camargue in particular appeals to me.

Aix does look stunning, and if they ever let me redesign my home city that's what I want it to look like! For this trip I decided to start in Nimes. Affordability was a major factor - the nicer places with moderate prices in Aix were all closed, booked, or far from the center. I found a Bed and Breakfast in Nimes that looks really nice, right in the center. I still hope to at least visit Aix on a day trip.

I love paella! And I love that Occitan culture feels like a mix of Spanish and French. I've only met a few native speakers, and I was surprised how much it sounded like the Catalan language.

I have a whole thread on my Greece planning. That trip is going to be a bit more epic - I'm starting in Thessaloniki, then driving across the north, then down to Meteora and Delphi, looping around the Peloponesse, and finishing in Athens. That's also the reason I'll need to be watching my budget a bit in France.

Marseille is absolutely a highlight of the area, no matter what certain ignorant people say.

I also hope you get to Aix, and plan to get there early and stay late, for dinner. Otherwise, I think you will be sad not to have spent more time there.