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Rental Car in Provence OR Tours/Day Trips from Avignon & Aix?

Rental Car in Provence OR Tours/Day Trips from Avignon & Aix?

Old Aug 27th, 2009, 10:31 AM
  #21  
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StuDudley - THANK YOU! I wish I could take you with me on our trip!

Thank you so much everyone! I am going to drive - will just take it slow and if I really have an issue while I'm there, I will look into hiring a tour guide/driver (hopefully not too expensive, but also hope I don't even have to worry about it!) I feel a lot better...
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Old Aug 27th, 2009, 10:42 AM
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One of the great joys of Provence (and there are many) are
getting into a car and leisurely wandering around the country
side stopping in the villages and visiting the markets.

Unless you come from the Flatlands of the Midwest, the roads
are no more frightening than the usual non-urban ones in NA.
Well, maybe the ones above Grasse are a tad windy.

I agree w/staying away from Aix and driving inside the walls
of Avignon isn't too much fun but overall a car will increase
your enjoyment of this terrific area of France.
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Old Aug 27th, 2009, 10:42 AM
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I think I may have a different defination of "scary" than Christina does. That 1 car wide road running south of Senanque is scary for me if I have to back the car in reverse along this stretch and pull off into a "garage" (French term) so that a car coming in the other direction can pass. There is about a 3 foot stone wall on the west side of that road, then it is a steep drop to the valley where the Abbey is located. I've never had trouble with the section north of the Abbey where it is 1 lane in each direction, although it is winding. I think a portion of the road is at the bottom of a gorge.

The Dept of the Vaucluse includes Avignon, Gordes, Roussillon, Apt, Venasque, Carpentras, Bedoin, Vaison, Mt Ventoux, Orange, Cavaillon, Sault, & others - quite a large area.

Stu Dudley
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Old Aug 27th, 2009, 11:44 AM
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If your definition of "scary" is different from Stu's, be aware that there are daily minibus tours to all sorts of places in Provence from the tourist office in Aix. You can get to many other towns easily by train and local (or long distance) bus. Remember that Stu must regularly drive highways north and south of San Francisco than would paralyze many from the great plains.

It is your vacation. If it makes you anxious, it won't be a pleasure. Will you miss some stuff? Sure, but you are going to miss some stuff anyway.

And Gretchen, are we talking about the same Aix? This is the one in Provence, not Aix la Chapelle in Germany. I find it one of the most enjoyable places in France. It's not being a hill town is more or less the point -- it is a university town with a lot of cultural activities and astonishingly beautiful girls. Possibly boys too, but I wouldn't notice.
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Old Aug 31st, 2009, 09:55 AM
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I just don't care for it as much as almost any other Provence town. I did notice we were talking about Provence.
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Old Aug 31st, 2009, 02:55 PM
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Our tour van went to Vaucluse (sp?) and then Gordes from Aix and neither DH or I remember a hair-raising part. From V, guide drove by Gordes for a photo then to Abbey Senanque then we went into Gordes for lunch and touring.

Stu, could he have taken a different route? There was a single road but guide tooted on turns and all was fine.

Can't wait to hear about your trip alldaytrav!
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Old Aug 31st, 2009, 03:15 PM
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Vaucluse is not a city (unless you're referring to Fontaine de Vaucluse - which is very close to Gordes). It's a big department - see above for a list of some cities in the Vaucluse..

I'm not sure which roads you're talking about.

I think the only 2 roads I've indicated that might not be fun for someone who doesn't want to drive - especially on winding roads - are:

1. The direct route from Bonnieux to Lourmarin - through the Combe de Lourmarin. Also, unless you go out of the way quite a bit, you'll have to drive through Bonnieux itself on narrow streets with a few hairpins.

2. The 1 car wide road from the Gordes hotels on the "Route to Senanque" all the way to Senanque. This is the stretch that has the garages (pullouts) with the steep drop.

Your van probably took the freeway from Aix to Gordes. There are many other straight/easy non-freeway routes too.

Stu Dudley
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Old Aug 31st, 2009, 06:25 PM
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Yes, it was Fontaine de Vaucluse. It wasn't very far from Gordes to/from Abbaye and we were on a narrow road-don't believe it was a freeway. Would OP be going out of her way?

Good luck alldaytrav!
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Old Jan 10th, 2010, 05:47 AM
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did you end up renting a car? how were the roads from Aix to the Abbaye de Senanque?
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Old Jan 10th, 2010, 04:50 PM
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When we were there in September, the road from Gordes to Senanque is now one way only (to Senanque), minimizing the pullout issues.
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Old Sep 5th, 2010, 07:59 PM
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We spent a week in a private house outside of Cavaillon. We had our own rental car which was really convenient but our GPS was not very helpful. We still managed to get lost at some points. Just have to get used to french road signs which are sometimes very confusing. And watch out for bicycle riders (very numerous)
For our day trips, we hired Marlene, a private guide who was highly recommended to us. We wanted to be with a local. She had her own minivan but she offered to do the tour in our car instead (at a lower rate). My husband was happy to turn our GPS off for a couple of days !
She also gave us lots of helpful information prior to our arrival to optimize our trip.
Maybe she can help you with some tour ideas and itineraries [email protected]
Marlene is a very charming and reliable person
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Old Nov 8th, 2011, 10:21 AM
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Bookmarking. Just reserved 4 nights in Aix (Hotel Aquabella), and am really benefiting from all of the conversation regarding day trips around Provence.
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