Bellibop

I want to go to Provence. I want to pick a town there where I can take day trips, without renting a car. I want to experience the beauty, food, flavor, people of the area, without neccesarily sightseeing, etc. Someplace to just relax and savor the area. I also would need to know where to fly into, suggestions on where to stay (B&B, hotel), and best time of year to go. Thank you so much for your responses!

sap

You will want a couple of guidebooks and definitely Stu Dudley's detailed notes and suggestions. You can start by searching the forums for his name.

Some people may also ask about your age and gender, which actually helps them give advice.

I'm sure others may raise the car issue a bit more, too.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Renting a car may be expensive but coordinating bus and train schedules is not always convenient for the traveler. Maybe a mix of the two? Driving is not difficult in that region if that is your concern. Avignon or its environs makes a good base but I'm sure others will say Aix-en-Provence. But you may also prefer a large village as opposed to a small city if it is relaxation you are looking for. Gosh, there is so much I could say but I'll let some other posters chime in first.

cigalechanta

St Remy would be a good base, but if you can, rent a small car. it's the way to enjoy all the beauty of Provence

StCirq

I think some very basic research on your part is warranted before anyone can help you. Who are you? How old? Traveling by yourself? With others? Budget? Been to France before?

If you just want to relax, why go all the way to Provence? Do you really not want to see any of the sights? If you do, which ones? Do you want to be on the coast or inland? Does history interest you? Markets? Food?

You get the picture....

FrenchMystiqueTours

Ditto what StCirq said.

Bellibop

I would be traveling with my husband and we are about 55 years old. We have never been to Provence before. He does not want to drive, so if we are restricted to one town, which should it be? We like to cook, walk, sit and have a drink and dine out. I like to stay in one place and get the feeling of being a local - visiting the markets, etc. I know I could go somewhere else, but I really want to see Provence.
So, now with that information, where do you suggest we go, fly into, and what type of accommodation should we be looking into?

StuDudley

St Remy

But - you are going to miss soooooo many of the pleasures of Provence without a car:
- Drive through some of the remote lavender fields in late June or early July
- Get to the farmer's & antique market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue at 8am so you can watch the vendors set-up their stalls, as you have a cafe creme & croissants in the town square.
- Visit the perhced villages in the Luberon in the early morning or late afternoon, without the crowds
- Visit some of the small/remote villages nobody every visits - except the people who live there and are restoring the homes in the village
- Have lunch in a small village far away from the crowds (that you'll find in St Remy)
- Visit a scenic gorge and a fantastic cave with stalactites & mites.
- Get to Senanque Abbey early in the AM before the day-trippers arrive and when the light is best on the Lavender Fields in front of the Abbey.
- Drive through the vineyards at dusk on the way to dinner at a "country" restaurant

Stu Dudley

StCirq

I agree St-Rémy makes a great first-timers' base in Provence, but there's no train station there and I'm not sure how you'd best get there from either the TVG station in Avignon or an airport. Maybe Stu knows. At any rate, if you want one place to base yourselves, you should be looking at renting an apartment or gîte, as then you can cook, get to know the town/village, and save money over a hotel most likely.

Why doesn't your husband want to drive? How about you? Driving in Provence isn't at all hard, the French have almost obsessive signage, gps is widely available in rental cars, and you will be able to see a gazillion more things in a car than without one.

cigalechanta

Without a car you won't see how varied Provence is.
The Camargue and the Cote d'azur are very different as is Haute Provence from the Vaucluse.
For me, one trip when alone and a non driver, I found Avignon ideal with train and bus connections BUT
there is nothing like visiting the small villages with a car.
I hope you rethink it.

StuDudley

>>I like to stay in one place and get the feeling of being a local - visiting the markets<<

I'll retract the St Remy suggestion - you'll see mostly other tourists, so you won't get much of a "locals" feel to things. Same with Lourmarin, perhaps l'Isle sur la Sorgue, Arles, Avignon, Aix (last two are large cities with urban sprawl), Vaison, and many others. You will get very bored, IMO, if you stay in/near any of the many popular small villages (like Gordes) without a car. Perhaps Uzes, St Saturnin les Apt, Cucuron would be good choices - I think they all have markets.

Stu Dudley

CJT0427

You don't say how long you plan to visit Provence, but if you're going to be there at least a week, you should consider renting a house or apartment, if you want to "the feeling of being a local." That way you can go to the local market, and cook up all of the goodies you won't be able to resist. Also, you'll have more space to relax than in the typical hotel room or B&B. You can find a myriad of rentals by searching "holiday rentals in Provence." A car would really add enjoyment to your visit, admittedly, some angst as well, but the enjoyment of being able to see more of the countryside will far out weigh the angst!

The best airport to fly in & out of would depend most on where you will actually be staying. I've flown in & out of Montpellier, which is on the west end. Marsailles is on the eastern end.

Bellibop

My husband saw how they drive in Italy and we were told by a local that the signage (stop, yield) are for DECORATION only -no one pays attention to the signs, and he advised us not to drive in Italy, so I guess my husband is gun shy as a result. Also, neither of us speak French and we are fearful of being stuck someplace as a result of that. Just what many of you describe is what we want to experience. Maybe we could stay someplace as a home base and hire a driver once we get there.

historytraveler

No one has mentioned using local buses as a way to get to the towns and villages that don't have rail service. Years ago while staying in Avignon, I took the bus to Uzes. There were no tourists just locals on the bus. The trip to and from Uzes was almost as interesting as the town itself. Now obviously you won't be able to get to many places via bus, but it's something to consider.

As for places to stay, I'd probably consider Uzes or any of Stu's suggestions. I will say that driving in Provence is far less hetic than Italy. Hiring a driver is another option.

StuDudley

France gets more tourists than any other country in the world (according to a poll recently published in National Geographic - Spain is in second place). I'm guessing that most independent travelers (like you) rent a car & drive (unless they are just visiting Paris). We've been driving in France for over 30 years, so I'm not a good person to ask about how difficult it is to drive there - but ALL of my fiends who have visited France & Italy for the first time, rent cars & have never indicated that they were "scared" while driving there.

I think that guy in Italy was joking with you. I don't think many US visitors who drive in Europe would agree with him.

Here is a suggestion - rent a car as soon as you get to your destination in France. Drive around locally for a few days - and then determine if you want to keep the car for the remainder of your vacation, or hire a driver. BTW, I have never read a trip report on Fodors where someone rented a car - but afterwards wished that they had not done so.

Stu Dudley

starrs

We flew into Paris and then took the train/ TGV to Avignon. After a couple of days there, we picked up a rental car and drove it down to Cannes and enjoyed the coast.

I think your husband would enjoy driving the quieter roads of Provence. The pace is much slower, very little traffic and it's just delightful to drive around the countryside and stop at little towns along the way. Signage was excellent and we didn't have a single scary moment on the road. I agree that a rental car is the best way to get around Provence. A combination of buses/private drivers would be a possible alternative, but I hope your husband would reconsider. Provence is magical!

StCirq

<<we were told by a local that the signage (stop, yield) are for DECORATION only -no one pays attention to the signs, and he advised us not to drive in Italy>>

Well, the local was pulling your leg to some extent. And it has nothing to do with France or rural France in particular. While I can understand why someone might be a little fearful about driving in, say, Rome, the situation couldn't be more different in Provence. I'm a fairly skittish driver in America; I LOVE driving in Provence. For one thing, French drivers DO pay attention to signs (they sure don't here in Washington, DC); they ALWAYS use their turn signals (I'd say about 50 percent of the population around here does not); and the driving exams in France are infinitely more rigorous than they are in the USA, where anyone can get a license. I feel far safer on French roads.

poutine

We had no issues driving in the South of France. It was very easy, you get to see so much more, and at your own pace. Comparatively, we did have a bit of trouble in Italy, but again, nothing that made me regret renting a car.

cigalechanta

If you are going too slow, the French driver will make you know it

aussie_10

We travelled by train to Avignon and were picked up our leased cars there. We had a TomTom which helped us get out of the city on our way to the Luberon.

Once in that area the driving was very easy and well signposted. We are Aussies in our 50's and we normally drive on the other side of the road, we found the driving relatively easy and I'm sure you will have no problems as you are use to driving on the right hand side.

A couple of times we went around a roundabout 2 times to get the correct exit but we just laughed and continued on.

You will experience so much more with the freedom of a car.

Happy travels!