Natalie2b

We are spending 3 nights just north of Avignon, 3 nights in Saint-Saturnin-Les-Apt and 3 nights near Saint-Tropez. We don't want to spend a ton of time in the car getting from place to place (kids don't seem to enjoy that) so we opted for multiple locations. Booked for 23 June to 2 July this year with rental car.

We are looking to do a lot of outdoor type activities (three boys...) with a few typical sites for the grown ups. My tentative plans include:
Pont du Gard
bike riding in/around Camargue (with a stop in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer)
guided fishing trip (our little guy has been begging to go fishing)
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, lavender fields, perched villages
rafting on Gorge du Verdon
a couple of days on the beach near Saint-Tropez.

I have Stu's itinerary (thanks Stu!) and have read through that. Does anyone have tips regarding renting bikes in the Camargue? Where to routes to ride? I thought the salt flats would be great...

Has anyone used a fishing guide in the area? This one is a big maybe - seems kinda expensive to take a guided fishing trip when it won't even stock my freezer with some fish! The little guy (almost 8) has been begging to go fishing, thought it might be fun...

Rafting on the Gorge du Verdon? Any experiences with a particular outfit?

I would like at least one good market experience. Food & housewares are favored... Pottery from Apt is a must for me!

Input? Tips? Thanks everyone!!

MmePerdu

One obvious possibility is walking/hiking. France has great maps with trails marked on them, the IGN Serie Bleue, 1:25000 scale. Find the ones for the areas you'll be visiting:

http://www.mapsworldwide.com/ss/192/...e-ign-maps.htm
http://www.ign.fr

StuDudley

The town of Castellane is loaded with shops that will organize rafting trips. Just go there.

>> one good market experience. Food & housewares are favored... Pottery from Apt is a must for me!<<

Then go to the Apt market on the 27th. Kinda "light" in the food category - compared to other big markets.

Stu Dudley

Christina

The Camargue has a very good website with a map you can telecharge which suggests 10 routes, several of them for biking (velo). It also shows the few places you can rent bikes, I believe one is in Saintes-Maries and the other Salin de Giraud near the salt flats.

it's on this page
http://www.parc-camargue.fr/itineraires.html

StuDudley

The Luberon near St Saturnin has wonderful bike/walk-only trails. No cars. They are well marked. Why drive all the way over to the Camargue (I thought you wanted to minimize driving), when there is great cycling opportunities just out your front door?? Apt has several rental shops. Personally, I would rather cycle through lavender fields & vineyards than salt flats.

Stu Dudley

kevin_widrow

I've biked in the Camargue, but during January. It was a slightly surreal experience biking down the various canals along the dikes.

I can't imagine biking there in the heat of the summer. There is no cover whatsoever. Either you are going to bake like a potato, or if the Mistral is blowing, you are going to need Lance-like physicality (feel free anyone to jump in here) just to ride 10 minutes into the wind.

As Stu said, the converted-to-cycling-only rail tracks in the valley near St. Sat would be a much better choice.

Send the boys down the Gardon river in a canoe when you go to the Pont du Gard. Parents can meet them at the bridge if not interested in frying in the sun. Watching my 9 year old (way back when) paddling under the bridge is a memory I'll keep for a long time.

- Kevin

Natalie2b

Thanks for all the tips and links.

I was planning to visit the Camargue when we were in Avignon, so that would be an hours drive roughly. We could potentially stop other places on the way to break up the trip... It is on the longer side of what I would like to be driving, but not unreasonable.

kevin - What do you consider baking in the summertime? I was expecting low to mid 80's F. Is the sun particularly strong there? Does it seem unreasonable with hats and sunscreen?

I didn't consider possible winds - obviously we wouldn't sign up for that

Riding through the lavender sounds great too. I thought the birds, water and horses would be fun for the kids. I think we might make tentative plans for both and then choose when we get there.

I won't need to book ahead on any of this?

Christina

It is not likely to be low to mid 80s there, that isn't a typical historical weather pattern in that area nor Provence in general, it's hotter than that. Today, it's 30 in the Camargue and 33 or so in Avignon, for example (around 90F). It will likely be more like upper 80s to 90ish. And it's more humid in the Camargue than Avignon, also.

http://www.holiday-weather.com/camargue/

kevin_widrow

Hi Natalie,

Mid to low 80s would be considered on the coolish side for high summer in Provence. Upper 80s to low 90s is more like it and yes, the sun is very intense.

All that being said, we thankfully have very, very little humidity and equally thankfully, temps tend to drop quite a lot in the evenings. For an example, yesterday got up into the 90s and first thing this morning, I was just slightly chilly walking the dogs !

You learn fairly quickly here to spend the heat of the summer days in the shade, or having a siesta, or swimming in a pool or the sea - not biking or hiking unless you happen to be one of those crazed maxi-marathon types (or riding the Tour de France).

Late afternoon is the time to get out and about, or very early in the morning.

We have a number of those serious biking types who stay with us each summer and when they take off to climb the Mont Ventoux, they get up at 5AM.

- Kevin

Natalie2b

According to the website linked above the "forecasted" high temp for week after next (when we will arrive) is 26/27 C, so about 80 F. Does that seem unlikely or inaccurate? The first day we are there is forecasted at 31 C/ 88 F, but that is the hottest day, at least according to this website

I sort of assumed we would do most of our sign seeing/activities in the morning and spend the afternoon/evening in the pool at our villa.

Not crazy ultra-marathoners or anything like that and no desire to get up at 5am