Thanks you all again!

Location for amazing ice cream is noted!

I think we'll play it by ear for Les Baux. If we have the time and energy, we'll maybe stop on Saturday, but if not, we'll make sure we stop in on Sunday after 5:00pm.

I am still not sure about staying in St.Remy vs Arles. St.Remy sounds more pleasant and easier with a car. But Arles has the logistic advantage of being where we are leaving from. We will have to drop the car in Arles by 9:00am on Monday (I'd rather not take risks with this Sunday drop off thing), and being able to keep our bags at the hotel until our 3:30 train is certainly a benefit. I guess we could spend 1 night in each place, (we don't travel with much luggage), but that may not be worth the hassle. I may just look at hotels in both places and allow myself to be swayed by a nice hotel or good deal.

jenniel6 - feel free to add your own questions to this thread if you like!

bookmarking

What we enjoy about Provence is that distances are relatively short. We rent a car and stay in a small village 5 miles from Isle sur la Sorge. You can drive anywhere and back in a day. We drove to Monaco one year. Had lunch, visited the casino, and returned home before dark. I would strongly advise you to get one place and go out everyday from there.

Saltymuffin, if all things were equal for you, St Remy might be the better place to stay but in your case it would be illogical to stay anywhere but Arles. Stick with Arles for your last 2 nights (don't split it up) and relax and enjoy. Find a great little hotel in Arles and don't compare anymore. Sometimes too much research can drive one mad and ruin the anticipation time of the trip.

Thanks lemidi - I had been leaning towards Arles, but sometimes you just need someone to tell you to settle on something and go with it! I guess now the fun of hotel research begins!

ttt

Well, after a bit of a break from planning. (Our trip isn't until May . . .) I am back at it.

I have reconsidered a few details.
1. I am willing to keep a car for 5 days, rather than 4.
2. I am dropping Avignon in favour of smaller places.
3. I have modified the schedule slightly. We will now arrive from Paris before noon on wednesday, and depart for Barcelona very early the following tuesday.

These 3 things make quite a few changes possible. I am now considering the following:

weds - Arrive in Avignon and pick up rental car by noon. Drive to Rousillon. (Sleep Rousillon 2 nights)

thurs - Luberon exploration day - making good use of Stu's drives.

fri - visit Les Baux and St. Remy. (sleep St.Remy 1 night)

Sat - drive to Uzes. Is it possible to arrive in time for the market? Enjoy Uzes. (sleep Uzes 2 nights)

Sun - Visit Pont du Gard and Castillon du Gard.

Mon - Drop car in Nimes. See Nimes. (sleep Nimes 1 night)

tues - early departure for Barcelona.

I am quite a bit happier with this itinerary than my previous drafts, and feel we will have much more time to explore. My only "regret" is swapping Arles for Nimes. The early train to Barcelona doesn't work from Arles. However, it does sound like Nimes has its share of Roman sites, so we should be happy there for a day!

I did wonder if we should see the Pont du Gard and Castillon du Gard on our way from Uzes to Nimes and spend two nights in Nimes, and only one in Uzes. Thoughts?

Hi salty muffin. I can help you with one of your questions. Yes, you can easily drive from St-Rémy to Uzès on a Saturday morning and arrive in time for the market. It is about an hour's drive, perhaps a bit less, and the navigation isn't too difficult.

My recollection is that the market gets underway pretty early--we've strolled through at 7:30 on a Saturday morning--and runs until perhaps 1-ish in the afternoon. Food and crafts are centered in Place des Herbes and the streets leading into it. Inexpensive household goods and clothing tend to be around the perimeter. The only consideration I would add is that the earlier you arrive the easier the parking. However, if you're staying in a hotel that night, I assume you'll drive there and park?

Pont de Gard is all of 10 minutes away from Uzès. Unless you aim to hike all the trails around it, allow a couple of hours. You could easily drop in on your way to Nimes; you could even drop in on your way from St-Rémy to Uzès, although you'll probably be more focused on getting to the market.

Anselm

Thanks Anselm,

I am glad to hear we will make the market!

It sounds like we have lots of options for Pont du Gard. . . .

Muffin: We spent a week in the Avignon area this summer. As for your question about two nights in Nimes or two nights in Uzes, I say definitely Uzes. Uzes is a pretty small town that is great for walking. It's close to the Pont du Gard, and there is the Musee de Bonbons (Candy Museum) at the Haribo candy factory outside of town on the road from the Pont du Gard. Nimes is worth a visit for the Maison Caree and ampitheater, but is is big, noisy and grimy. We thought Avignon was a lot nicer than Nimes. Have a great trip, and give yourself time to get lost on the side-roads.

hi, saltymuffin,

I will definitely second 57Bel in Avignon vs. Nimes. While Nimes has some impressive Roman ruins, easily accessible, etc. I prefer the Arena in Arles (cleaner). Also, IMHO you can't miss the Papal Palace in Avignon.

As fas as your car pickle, I have always had a car when traveling in Provence and find it much more convenient than the alternatives. You can save if you can drive a manual transm. That's what I have done.

Hope it helps,

-e

Hi there,
We are planning to fly to Marseilles on a Saturday in may arriving about 9:30am I think.
We have to be back at London heathrow to catch a plane leaving at 11:30am on the following Saturday.
I have been reading this thread as we want to concentrate on Provence, so if anyone has any ideas on how to begin from Marseilles and how to return to Heathrow (reasonably!!) please let me know. Don't know why I booked such an early flight on the return..must have been the only one available.
Thanks a lot!!
PS We have rented a car on two other occasions in France but not been in this region at all, so plan to rent a car again.

Ok, listening to the advice, I have decided to end the trip in Avignon instead of Nimes. To squeeze in Arles, I am also considering the following change.

weds - Arrive in Avignon and pick up rental car by noon. Drive to Rousillon. (Sleep Rousillon 2 nights)

thurs - Luberon exploration day - making good use of Stu's drives.

fri - Drive to St. Remy. Explore St.Remy and Les Baux (sleep St.Remy 2 nights)

Sat - Day trip to Arles (and its Market)

Sun - Drive to Uzes via Pont du Gard. (Sleep Uzes 1 night)

Mon - Drive to Avignon and drop car. See Avignon. (sleep Avignon 1 night)

Tues - early departure for Barcelona.

What will Uzes be like on a Sunday?

I haven't read all the responses so if I repeat, take it as a vote!
I would rent a car for your week in Provence. Arrive Avignon and start out. Choose a central city like St. Remy for your base and fan out daily.
There won't be any tolls to speak of. Rent a diesel for economy.
Totally enjoy the real charm of Provence on your own.
And I would spend as little time in Aix as possible--it is a large congested city with impossible parking. Many more interesting places for me.
The distances aren't long and there is much to enjoy en route.
The Wednesday Arles market is nice. I concur with the person who suggested the Michelin Green Guide to Provence. Also if you drive, the Michelin map that shows the lanes up to "madame's house" is essential.

<<What will Uzes be like on a Sunday?<<

Pretty quiet. In early May I don't know how much will be open - and whatever is open will probably close in the afternoon.
You might check on the website to see if anything is noted - http://www.uzes-tourisme.com

I don't know why you're moving and spending a night in Uzès though. It's a little less than an hour's drive from St. Rémy... and from there to Avignon it's about 25 minutes.
(longer to drive from Uzès)

Patricia

I've spent a few Sundays im May in Uzès and would certainly echo what PBProvence says: Very quiet, especially in the afternoon. However, if you are looking to stroll and perhaps poke your nose into a church, youl'll find it pleasant and relaxing. There will be cafés open, so you can pause for a drink. The weather in early May is likely to be mild enough for short sleeves or a very light sweater.

Anselm

PBProvence, we travel very light, so figured that it was easy enough to change hotels rather than drive back to St.Remy after our day at Pont du Gard . . . Uzes seemed like a good choice due to proximity to both the Pont and Avignon.

How Anselm describes the town, should be fine for us at that point in the trip. But I am open to suggestions!

Would somewhere else offer more on a Sunday? Perhaps we should consider arriving in Avignon that evening, rather than spending the night in Uzes? That would us a full day there on Monday.

Philbill,

Have you considered taking the TGV and then train from Paris to London at the end of your trip? Spend 6 days or so in Provence, then catch the train from Avignon. I understand the entire route can be done in 5.5hours.

Considering you would still have to make it to Heathrow on arrival in London, it sounds like you almost have no choice but to stay in London the night before your trip. The only other possibility I see is an early morning flight from Nice to London - if you were to work your way in that direction. I know BA flys Nice to Heathrow - most of their other provence flights are all into Gatwick.

I just found a 7:15am flight from Lyon on BA to LHR which would get us to Heathrow in time as we are flying out BA too.
I have to see if Lyon would be a convenient location to 'end up'. The cost is far less than the train. I checked both out..thanks for the tip.
I need to make a quick decision as Saturday flights will probably book up. I could fly the day before but that means wasting a day in travel (leaving at noon on Friday) and hassling luggage and airport hotel in London etc.. However, the flights are a less expensive and we would be more rested for our long flight home!!
I can't complain as we get to TRAVEL!!
Any thoughts on itinerary/hotel arriving early morning in Marseilles?
Thanks!!

Philbill - Are you planning to spend any time in Nice? If so, on easyJet (www.easyjet.com) you would have your choices of three flights a day from Nice to Luton, two flights from Nice to Gatwick, and one flight from Nice to Stansted. I plugged in an arbitrary date in November and found fares as low as E10.99.

You could, for example, leave Nice at 17:40 and arrive at Gatwick at 18:40. You could take a National Express coach directly from Gatwick to Heathrow and spend the night at an airport hotel. Or you could spend the night in London and have plenty of time to get to Heathrow in the morning.

Saltymuffin, glad you're keeping Avingon and Alres. Two great cities that would be a pity to miss if you are so close. I think you will be happy you decided on these and left out Nimes. Nimes has alot of historical sites but seems run down and a bit dark.

For the first time Visit, there's little mistakes, as there is always the next time.
Mimi, who misses Provence this year with an ache.

bookmarking...

Most shopes will be closed on Sunday & Monday in BOTH Uzes AND Avignon.

The area with the most things (sites, shops, etc) open on Sunday will be the St Remy/les Baux area, and the Luberon (market near by in l'Isle sur la Sorgue, Gordes, Senanque Abbey, Roussillon (spelled with two S'es), Fountain de Vaucluse). Last time we were in St Remy on a Sunday, most of the shops my wife poked her head into were closed on Monday.

I would try to spend Sunday & Monday in the Luberon. Go to the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue Sunday morning, then visit the Luberon in the afternoon. If you like markets, visit Bedoin for their market on Monday morning, then drive west along the south side of Mt Ventoux, and hook up with my lavender drive - doing it in reverse & ending back in the Luberon. Don't short-change the beautiful countryside by just village hopping.

Stu Dudley

Hmm, perhaps I will reverse the schedule to be in the Luberon on Sunday. I also like that it breaks up the two "one nighters".

weds - Arrive in Avignon, pick up car by noon. Visit Pont du Gard. Sleep Uzes 1 night.

thurs - See a bit of Uzes, then drive to St.Remy. Explore St.Remy. Sleep St.Remy 2 nights.

fri - visit Arles and Les Baux.

sat - Drive to Roussillon. Do Luberon drive. Sleep Rousillon 2 nights.

sun - Visit Isle sur la Sorgue market and do Stu's Lavender route.

monday - drop car in Avignon. See Avignon. Sleep Avignon 1 night.

tues - early departure for Barcelona

We still would want to spend monday in Avignon due to the early departure the following day. We wouldn't be looking to shop there. And it appears that the sites we would want to see are open mondays.

I really like your new itinerary, saltymuffin.

Anselm

Thanks Anselm! And thanks to everyone else who has commented and made suggestions! I owe you all a trip report!

In some ways, Provence is such a different area to visit than most places we have been in the past. So much of it involves just exploring and "being" there. We don't want to rush things, but at the same time, we want to make sure we do see certain sites. I think we have a pretty good balance now.

Your latest plan looks good to me. Some of the shops may open Monday afternoon in Avignon. The wallking itinerary suggested in the Michelin Green Guide is mostly an historical & architectural walk, so shops being closed won't have an effect.

Anselme,

We had a fabulous two weeks in the Puy de Dome area in the Auvergne. We stayed just west of the the "puy" in a very nice Gite. Thanks for all the recommendations you sent me a while back We celebrated my wife's birthday at Radio.

Here is a small "enhancement" to one of the driving itineraries that you sent me.

"And our favourite, just near our village: D640 through Treizanches, then left onto D150 through Farges. Shortly after, you will be rewarded with an aerial view of St-Nectaire and its beautiful Romanesque church. It’s a heart-stopping scene."

There is a fabulous view of Murol off in the distance, from the same point where the view of St Nectaire appears.

Stu Dudley

Stu, you've given so much to all of us with your suggestions and recommendations. It was a pleasure being able to pass on some ideas to you. I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed the Auvergne.

saltymuffin, your comment about Provence: "So much of it involves just exploring and 'being' there." That's it exactly, and you'll remember that when you sit at a café in Place des Herbes watching the fountain sparkling in warm sunlight. You're going to have a wonderful trip.

Anselm

Saltymuffin,

I think your itinerary looks fine and I'm sure you'll enjoy it here.

If you plan to come through Maussane-les-Alpilles (five minutes from Les Baux), let me know and stop by for a drink....

Patricia

Thanks for return to London advice. I just booked a Sat. morning flight from Lyon to LHR on British Air for just under $100 each one way which I am quite happy with. We are flying into Marseilles from Fez for about the same amount, but on RyanAir (I must be nuts to do that, but they have a direct flight..the baggage allowance goes down to 15 kilos pp in November..AAGGHH).
We will be travelling in mid May and hoped to be in Provence for lavender, but I read in Stu's report that mid June onwards is lavender season....too bad. We don't like to travel in the summer months because of crowds.
Now I have to go through all the postings again and learn from saltymuffin's research and all the responses from the rest of you too!!

the first flowers of Lavender usually appear in June and are harvested in late july and August but I have seen fields still not gathered in very early September. Not sure if the pooppy fields may be still there in May nbut you will se the Lily of the Vally on sale, a flower we never see in flower shops in Boston.

We will be there the firt weekend of September and I am HOPING there will be a little lavender left to see. Moving from Seattle to Arizona, I miss it so much. Hopefully someone will hold off until then. Thanks for letting me know.

May I now take over with questions??!!!!
We are planning a week starting May 19th.
Will the poppies still be in bloom and where would be the best area to see them?
Is L'Isle sur la Sorge market on Sunday a must see? Will shops etc in Avignon be open Sunday afternoon if we go to L'Isle in the morning and afterwards to Avignon?
Are the markets in Gordes and Carpentras worth seeing if we miss the L'Isle market and how do they compare?
Is the Les Baux, Nimes, Uze, Pont du Gard area a possibility on the Monday? I was thinking perhaps these were more 'scenic' and walking tour areas if everywhere is closed.
If not, what would be a good Monday activity? We will be in either St Remy or possibly Gordes on Sunday night.
How long should I plan to spend in Lyon to see some of the 'sights'?
If we leave Gordes Friday morning, stop at the Carpentras market and then go on to Lyon, are there recommendations along the route (Valence, Vienne??)?
We will stay closer to the airport hopefully and again hopefully be able to drop our car off on Sat. am before our 7:30am flight. However, I would prefer to stay right at the airport and drop the car off Friday night. My plans are foiled right now as I cannot locate a hotel closer than 7km from the airport. I am still trying. I don't want to spend a lot as we will only be at the hotel a few hours but again there doesn't seem to be one right there.
My Green Guide (ordered from Amazon) should be here by Tuesday, so perhaps I am jumping the gun by asking all these questions, but Fodorites are certainly the 'people in the know'!!
Thanks!!
PS We printed out a lot of the routes ahead of time from ViaMichelin when we went to Andalucia for 12 days this year and the website is a very valuable resource! We could put in the addresses for our hotels and get directions to the door!!

.....the Carpentras market, although large and meandering, is quite utilitaran. Plus, the parking situation
is horrendous! IMHO, I'd prefer any of
the markets in the smaller towns. I'm
particularily fond of Bedoin.

>>Will the poppies still be in bloom and where would be the best area to see them?<<

We've never visited the St Remy/Luberon section of Provence in May, but we've stayed very close by in the Var near Cotignac. Poppies were still blooming in late May when we were there.


>>Is L'Isle sur la Sorge market on Sunday a must see?<<

I've never encountered anyone who wishes that they had NOT visited this market. Only negatives are from people who visited June through Sept on a hot day & got there later than 10:30

>>Will shops etc in Avignon be open Sunday afternoon if we go to L'Isle in the morning and afterwards to Avignon?<<

Probably not. Visit the Luberon after the market or head towards Sault & take the Lavender Route I've posted here. I don't know how may times I've posted this suggestion - in most places in France, most non-food shops are closed on Sunday & Monday morning - except in very touristy spots - like St Remy, Les Baux, & Gordes. When we visited Manosque in eastern Provence this year, every shop that had hours posted was closed all day Sunday & Monday.

>Are the markets in Gordes and Carpentras worth seeing if we miss the L'Isle market and how do they compare?<,

Gordes is quite small, but cute - I kinda like it. The market in Carpentras is huge. It has the best Provence fabric selection, and the largest number of food vendors. It's a toss-up whether I prefer the l'Isle sur la Sorgue or Carpentras market. My wife prefers l'Isle sur la Sorgue because of the antiques & soap, but I like Carpentras because of the food. I think most people would prefer l'Isle sur la Sorgue. Like llamalady said, the parking is difficult. The Bedoin Monday market is quite nice, but smallish.

>>Is the Les Baux, Nimes, Uze, Pont du Gard area a possibility on the Monday thinking perhaps these were more 'scenic' and walking tour areas if everywhere is closed.
?<<

I hope your're not planning on all four in one day!!. I would skip Nimes if you also plan to visit Avignon, Uzes, and Lyon - that's too many large cities (Uzes isn't that large, however) - and like I've stated dozens of times, most shops will be closed in Nimes & Uzes on Monday morning & I don't know if some will open in the afternoon. If you plan to see the Roman stuff and just admire the architecture of these towns, then it's ok. However, I think a city like Uzes & Nims shows it's best when the shops are open, storefront displays lit up from inside, and the corrigated shutters (often covered with graffiti) are not drawn across the pretty storefronts like the are when the shops are closed.

>>If not, what would be a good Monday activity? We will be in either St Remy or possibly Gordes on Sunday night.<<

If you're in St Remy, visit Les Baux & drive around the Alpillies. Visit the castle at Tarascon. More shops are closed on Monday than on Sunday in St Remy. You could visit the Pont du Gard & perhaps Uzes in the afternoon on Monday when some shops may be open. My wife thinks Uzes has the highest percent of "interesting" shops in the region.

>>How long should I plan to spend in Lyon to see some of the 'sights'?<<

We did it in an afternoon, night, and morning - 24 hours. If you plan wisely, I think that would be enough.

>>If we leave Gordes Friday morning, stop at the Carpentras market and then go on to Lyon, are there recommendations along the route (Valence, Vienne??)?<<

There's lots of stuff between these two areas, but my favorite sections are a bit out of the way. The Vercours section of the Alps is quite dramatic, and the Ardeche region is very scenic. Both are too farut of the way. Valance is not worth visiting, and I was a little underwhelmed by Vienne when we were there last year. Perhaps stop at the Grignan Chateau for a tour or visit the fantastic cave at Aven d'Orgnac near the Ardeche Gorge (the Gorge is very nice also). I think both the Aven d'Orgnac & Grignan would be a good complement to other stuff in Provence.


Stu Dudley

Philbill, you will indeed still see poppies in late May. I've been there as late as May 24th and still found lots in bloom. You shouldn't have any trouble finding them, from tiny wisps along an embankment to fields that are full of them. It's not uncommon to see cars pulled off to the side of the road with passengers walking back towards a field, camera in hand.

Anselm

Thanks everyone! That helps a lot. I haven't got Nimes on my list as of now.
First impression:
SATURDAY: Marseilles to Aix (will be too late for market) for lunch and a walking tour in the afternoon.
Stay there or in that area or drive up to San Remy and stay there??
SUNDAY: Isle de la Sorgue market, Avignon. Stay St Remy.
MONDAY: Les Baux, Pont du Gard, Uzes.
Stay in St Remy
TUESDAY: Gordes market, Lavender Route?
WEDNESDAY: Luberon Villages route
THURSDAY: ??
FRIDAY: Drive to Lyon
Stay in Lyon

Glad to hear poppies will be around!! Does anyone recommend spending time in Marseilles?
Other possibilites Arles?, Chateauneuf-du-Pape? Thoughts??
I really wanted to go to Pezenas as the hotel I have read about there seems wonderful, but I think that is too much out of our way.
Can all the Luberon villages mentioned in the one driving route be seen in one day?
Thanks again......

I would do it this way:

SAT Aix for lunch (reserve), and then tour the town. Head north via Lourmarin (visit if you have time), over the Combe de Lourmarin (pretty drive), to Bonnieux (visit if you have time, or stay there) and the Luberon. Stay in the Luberon.

SUN market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue in the AM. Take my Lavender Route in the afternoon. (why stay in St Remy, then come back to the edge of the Luberon early the next morning??)

MON visit the villages of the Luberon. Gordes & Roussillon will have shops open. Take the route I describe in my Provence itinerary, which I assume you have. Can easily do this in 1 day. Stay in the Luberon

TUES Visit Avignon in the AM. Drive to St Remy & visit, then visit Les Baux in the late afternoon. Stay in St Remy

WED. Market in St Remy in the AM, or a small market in Uzes also. Uzes, Pont du Gard, Castillion du Gard. Drive around the Alpilles (Maussane, Eygalieres, etc). Stay in St Remy

THURS Head to Cavaillon & get on the A7 north. Get off at exit #22 & head east to Gigondas, then north clockwise around the Dentelles to Seguret (visit), Vaison (visit the Medieval section), then Crestet (visit), then through Malaucene, Beaumes de Venise, then Vacqueres, then west back to exit #22 & north to Lyon. This circle of the Dentelles is a pretty drive - lots of vineyards.

Stu Dudley

I have been toying with the idea of switching the St Remy and Gordes hotel stays around. It does make more sense. We could stay the first three nights in Gordes and then two in St Remy and the next night around Sablat maybe.
For this trip the countryside interests me more than Lyons, and our last two trips in France involved a lot more driving. I think if we can spend 3/4 of a day in Lyon on Friday that will be enough.
Thanks and keep any ideas coming......
What do you tihnk about Arles? A must see??