Provence recommendations
 

My friend and I are traveling through Provence for the first time this July and unfortunately have only 3 days. Can anyone recommend the best place to stay and explore? We are thinking of Hotel Cezanne in Aix en provence, but now I am reading that Avignon is a better town to stay in. Please help! Thanks!

I'd chose Aix over Avignon any day, having stayed in both. While I havne't stayed in Aix for a few years and many seem to gripe about the traffic, maybe things have changed, but we found an easy route in and out of the city and found it a great place to stay for a full week and explore the region. What's more, it was a wonderful town to return to late each day for life along Cours Mirabeau, and choosing from many really nice restaurants.

I agree with Neo. Take Aix. I have the name of a 13th century convent that we stayed at that was easy in and out of town and had a small kitchen, ref etc.

If you only have three days and want to explore, I'd recommend staying not in Avignon, but in a smaller village in the area.

Aix is not really centrally located for visiting many of the sites Provence is famous for.

Give a thought to someplace like Arles or St. Remy. From either place you can easily visit places like Avignon (worth a couple of hours at most), the Pont du Gard, St. Remy itself, Les Baux, the villages of the Luberon, like Gordes, Roussillon, l'Isle sur la Sorgue, etc.
You didn't mention if you will be driving, which will make a difference.
The smaller villages and many of the sites are harder to visit if you don't drive.

Patricia

I second Patricia's choice of a smaller village because you can get in and out easily but we had no trouble staying at the L'Hotel Les Atilier de l'Image in St Remy because they have their own car parc

But for those that want to see the Lavender routes around Digne, Sault and other fields I would choose Aix but stay at the Manoir because they have a car parc too and it's easier getting out of town than some of the other locations.

A godo place to stay just out of Aix is Le Mas d'Entrement, on a pleateau overlooking the city. From there you can easily head in all directions on major roads.

That is a beautiful place!!

Avignon and Aix are both fantastic destinations yet are very different. "Old" Avignon is beautiful (and close to Chateauneuf-du-Pape) in a clean, "white-washed" way. Inside the walls, Avignon caters to tourists, and it shows.

Aix, on the other hand, is a thriving, "working" city that is certainly not white-washed for tourists. Students crowd the streets along with tourists and locals.

Both are excellent places to visit -- but different. What experience are <i>you</i> hoping for?

In Aix, the Cours Mirabeau is very lovely and is lined with moss covered fountains.
To capture the flavor of this town I suggest:
&quot;The Boss Dog&quot; and &quot;Two Towns in Provence&quot; both by MFK Fisher.

Thank you all so much for the great responses! I am taking notes :) We will have a car for the three days, and I was concerned that Aix might not be centrally located...what kind of drive (timewise and pretty route?) is it up through to Avignon and other towns on the other end? I LOVE to explore, so any off the beaten track suggestions would be appreciated. I was thinking about St. Remy de Provence as well becuase it did seem to be more centrally located, but I would like a place that has some nice restaurants/cafe life at night as well. Would it be wise to spend one of our nights in St. Remy and the other two at the hotel cezanne in Aix, or is it better to stay put at one hotel and go from there? I will check out the hotels and books suggested, thank you!!!

Also...we will be spending a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the area before we're off to Antibes. Any suggestions on anything going on those days? I expect we will miss the weekend markets unfortunately.

Aix has it's big market on Tuesday and Thursday and St. Remy is on Wednesday, so you are all set for that.

-Kevin

Thank you Kevin. Excuse my ignorance, but what time do the markets generally begin and end?

Also, there were a lot of remarks about trouble getting in and out of the towns. If staying in Aix, any suggestions on good car parcs? Suggestions for good car parcs in the other towns?

The markets all start early in the morning - and finish between 12:30 and 1 PM.

In July, St Remy has plenty of nightlife... but you might want to spend two nights there and one night in Aix for a change of pace.

Driving to Avignon from Aix will take you about an hour and a half, on the highway. Much longer on the back roads.

Personally I can't stand the traffic and congestion in Aix or Avignon and when I have to go do errands in either city, I get them done and get out as soon as I can and come home to the peaceful Alpilles !

Patricia

I am the wrong person to ask about driving in Aix, as we lived there for two years so I get around without thinking too much about it.

But having now lived out in the peace and quiet of the Luberon, I have a lot of sympathy for what Patricia is saying. Aix (and Avignon) feel like major excursions to the Big City sometimes...

-Kevin