in an 8-10 day (max) trip, I had planned on seeing Provence as well as Cote d'Azur. Since we want a RELAXING vacation, though, it seems we should pick one place or the other, since 2 days are lost to travel anyway. <BR> <BR>I'm leaning toward Provence, but my husband has his heart set on seeing the coast. Are there any nice, quaint, coastal areas where we could spend a night or two near Provence? <BR> <BR>What spots (in either place) would be on your list of "must sees" and which spot would you choose and why? Would also appreciate "base" ideas and hotel ideas. We like small, quaint, with a town that is a good "walking" town with shops and restaurants. Don't care about nightlife. <BR> <BR>We will have a car for daytrips, but at night want to walk and stay in our base to eat, etc. <BR> <BR>I'm thinking Aix, Avignon, St. Remy, Les Baux and a vineyard. Hubby has his heart set on Villa Gallici in Aix..... <BR> <BR>

Since your time is very limited I would stay in One or two places and make day trips from the base area. I live in Roquebrun-Cap Martan in Cot D'Azur which is actually to the left of Monte Carlo, Which is very close to the Italian Border. <BR> <BR>There is so much to see all over the place, and you will not be able to see evrything, so plan to dee some places that will give you the feel and taste of the area, so you will be eager to come back, just don't over plan. <BR> <BR>The coast is quite near Aix, but it will take about 2 hour to drive. <BR> <BR>Get hold of rick Steves book of France, and get a feel of what you would want to see. And also it will depend on what time of the year you are planning to go. Best regards, happy planning, Charles Kohn

We just returned from a 14 night trip. 6 in Paris, 4 in Arles and 4 in VilleFranche. It was perfect. We traveled with a toddler so the pace was indeed leisurely. <BR> <BR>We took the TGV from Paris to Avignon and picked up a rental car for the rest of the trip. (We flew in to Paris and out of Nice.) I think the two destinations would be perfect for a leisurely 8-10 day trip. Actually, I wouldn't want spend any more than 4-5 nights in either place. If you wanted, I think you could even add Paris and still not feel too rushed. Consider Paris for 3-4 nights, Arles for 2-3, and the Riviera for 2-3. Arles was a good base. It was a town, not a city and very well located for driving day trips. Cute shops and roman ruins, but I wouldn't want to spend more than a day visiting the town itself. Les Baux was a really cool day trip, but I wouldn't use it as a base. Go to the Pont du Gard. We really enjoyed driving around in the Luberon, absolutely gorgeous mountains and small hill towns. <BR> <BR>The Hotel Welcome in Villefranche was right on the water and it was perfect. Again the town itself didn't offer a whole lot, but it was a good base and the restaurants on the water, right near the hotel, were abolutely perfect for a romantic dinner! We spent 2 days just driving along the coast - so beautiful. Monaco was suprisingly interesting - I was expecting just a casino. Actually, we didn't even see the casino. But we did enjoy an interesting succulent garden. We wanted to see the Gorges du Verdon, but the weather didn't cooperate. Nice is a big city - didn't do much for me - but the promonade was fun. <BR> <BR>Both Arles and Villefranche are like the ideal you describe in your question. <BR> <BR>I highly, highly recommend the rental car. The driving was no problem, although we're accustomed to metropolitan traffic. You really need to just drive around. The scenery is fabulous! <BR> <BR>Enjoy your planning; check lots of sources and read between the lines. This trip was better planned than some of our others, and we really didn't go wrong with any of our activities. <BR> <BR>

Why does your husband want to stay in Aix if he wants to see the coast? Cassis is a charming coastal town/port not far from Marseille--I would take the boat tour to see the "calanques," finger coves with tall white cliffs. Le Jardin d'Emile is a highly recommended small hotel/restaurant (booked when we went), but not "in town." You could use it as a base for seeing some of the coast. (Bandol, Hyeres, etc.) <BR> <BR>Your idea of Avignon/St.Remy for the rest is good (I'd second Arles for a base, though St. Remy is smaller). Forget Aix--it is removed from anything you want to see and IMO very, very touristic. (I know many Fodorites love it.)

Hi, I just got back from France & perhaps the highlight outside of Paris for me were the 2 very charming cobblestoned, hilltop towns of St Paul de Vence & Eze on the Cote d'Azur. Perhaps they would offer the right combination of quaint charm & coastal location for you. Cheers...

What time of year are you planning to go? The Cote d'Azure in August is horrible; other times it could be wonderful.

We stayed in St.Tropez and took day trips to Provence - went to Aix for the day. Went to Iles de Porquiolles (sp) for another day. Easy access either way to see the towns on the coast as well. And you are right it's easy - all but August.

thx. for the responses. <BR> <BR>We are going in May. <BR> <BR>My husband wants to see the coast, but he also (as do I) wants to see Provence. We hoped that we could do both. We liked what we read about Aix and thought it would be a fun place to stay. <BR> <BR>We have also read in many of the guides we have that St. Paul or Vence make a great base, although almost everyone on this board has recommended against that. Can anyone say why? <BR> <BR>We want a relaxing time, and don't want to feel run ragged, so perhaps we pick only a few highlights in each area and try that...