Provence - wing it?
 

My friend and I are taking a quick trip to Europe second week of April. If we were to take train from CDG to Provence area, could we wing it if we have a car? As in just drive from town to town exploring and find a hotel each evening? Or is it better to find a base and take day trips from there? TIA.

If it's week before or after Easter things get busy due to schools being off but if not should be slack but it is best with a car to base somewhere - like one of those neat Gites - vacation homes in counryside and often small villages - so many sights in a compact area. Pont du Gard, the Camargue, Arles, Avignon, St-Remy-de-Provence (van Gogh's asylum where he committed himself after slicing his ear off in a mad fit in nearby Arles - he painted manuy scenes there and copies are now in place where he executed them originally)- Uzes, Les Beaux-de-Provence and villages of Luberon, Chateauneuf-des-Papes for wine tours, are great places in a very compact area.

Book trains ton Avignon-TGV station and pick up car there. Book trains far in advance for serious discounts but those are limited in number so early bird gets the worm - book at French Railways' site - www.oui.sncf.com - www.seat61.com has tons of info on doing this -general info on trains and where to go- www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

In one week I'd certainly base in one area like the Avignon area.

Winging it is something that I would never do in a popular area in France. And Provence is probably the most popular area outside of Paris. With a car, I would base in a nice village with lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, etc with easy car access in & out. St Remy would be my choice. Take the TGV to the Avignon TGV station & St Remy is just 30 mins away.

My wife & I have vacationed for 22 weeks in Provence. I developed at 35 page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, cities, scenic drives, sites, farmer's markets, etc. I've sent it to over 3,000 people on Fodors - that's why I claim it is the most popular destination in France (I get many, many more itinerary requests for my Provence itinerary than I do for itineraries for other regions in France). If you would like to have a copy of this itinerary, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

Be aware of the current rail strike in France!!!

Stu Dudley

I’ve winged it in Provence couple of times, last time was during June a few years ago. I would wing it during April, it’s not exactly the busiest time. With a car, it’s easy although a long drive. You could take the train to somewhere like Avignon or Aix or other places and rent a car from there.

I'm never very excited about where I lay my head and often take cycling tours where we move every night and wing it. April is a fine time to wing it.
If later into the season I would apply a few sensible rules
1) Book via booking.com at breakfast for that night
2) Book two nights for Friday and Saturday and use that as a base (weekends are always busy so give the hotel a weekend's business)
But April should be fine

Winging it in April probably won't be a problem, but since you probably have some technology available to you (cell phone, iPAD or similar) that a lot of us did not back when we were winging it most of the time, it might be prudent to select your destinations a day in advance or at least early in the morning of the day you need accommodations and call ahead to reserve. The main problem I had when winging it was wasting time upon arriving in a town/village/city and either waiting at the tourist office for accommodation help or wandering around investigating rooms. Not a great use of vacation time.

I visited my eldest daughter when she was living in Paris many years ago (prior to ease of internet), we decided to wing it and drove to the south of France. We had a guide book (Karen Brown small inns and B&B Guide) and we just called the place(s) she recommended that morning or the night before. 9/10 times accommodations were not a problem

Even if winging it possible in 7 days I'd suggest no more than two bases from which you can wing it. Or one. Can get better deals by arranging in advance. If wanting to wing it at autoroute exits there are often chain hotels like Ibis, Novotel, etc. These I think can easily be booked as you go if you have a smart phone.

No one said anything about taking autoroutes (they're taking a train to Provence, then driving around), or traveling the week before Easter (which is NOW!). They're traveling the 2nd week of April. It helps to read if you're going to reply.

Provence is a big area and we do not know their plans - how do you? Maybe going from Avignon to Nice?

Thank you very much for wonderful responses!

Do not have the time to wing it anymore. Agree with St Cirq.