nightjar

Hello,

I'm looking for some suggestions. After a couple of nights in the Dordogne, I'm heading on to Provence. We have a car. Had planned to hit the Sat morning market in Sarlat and Peche Merle on the way to Carcassone. Sleeping in Carcassone seems to be booked and limited for my date. Would you think just continuing all the way to Arles this day would be too much?

Also trying to figure out if I should make my base in Arles or St. Remy. I'd like to see the Pont du Garde, Les Baux, (don't need to go to Avignon this trip as I'm traveling with someone who has been there already). Would also like to see Isle sur la Sorgue area and perhaps drive around Dentilles. I have 3 nights to play with. Would 3 nights in Arles or St Remy work, or would you suggest splitting time between a couple bases for the areas I want to see? I know my timeframe is pretty limited and I may not get to see all I have mentioned. Any advice is much appreciated!

caroltis

If I were you I would NOT split my time between two places if you have only 3 nights. I am partial to the Luberon area so my suggestion would be to stay in Bonnieux, Roussillon or Gordes and explore from one of those as a base.

kevin_widrow

Don't split your time - for what you are interested in seeing (Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Les Dentilles) St. Remy would be a fine base.

-Kevin

hopingtotravel

If I'm remembering the name right, we enjoyed a night at La Maison Sur Colline which was a b&b on a hill overlooking the old walled part of Carcassone.

We stayed in the blue room, and the breakfast was lovely. Now I enjoyed the proprietors in 2005. Someone stayed there last year and didn't feel they were friendly. So, who knows.

StuDudley

Personaly, I would skip the market in Sarlat. Book an early tour of Peche Merle, then Carcassone (visit), then on to Provence. I don't think you can fit in the Sarlat market, getting to Peche Merle just about the time they close for lunch & having to wait till the 2 or 2:30 tour, leaving Peche Merle at 4pm, getting to Carcassone probably too late for their last tour of the day, and still make it to Provence for nightfall.

On Sunday, visit the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue as the Sarlat market replacement. After the market, tour parts of the Luberon. You might like the l'Isle market more than the Sarlat market (I do). Visit Sarlat on some other day - it's much more interesting without the market interfering with the beautiful architecture of the village.

Don't split your time - St Remy will get you a little closer to l'Isle sur la Sorgue, the Luberon, and the Dentilles.

Stu Dudley

Images2

Here is the contact information for the B&B in Carcassone: B&B just south of Carcassone http://www.lamaisonsurlacolline.com/..._breakfast.php 80€, Beige room including breakfast/ pool also Pay in Cash Tele: +33(0) 4 68 47 57 94 Mobile: 6 85 90 70 58 Dinner 30€ if ordered

Ph MAISON SUR LA COLLINE: 11, rue Porte d’Aude. Tel/Fax: 0468475794one

We thought they weren't the best hosts, lots of rules but if you don't mind some oddities, it's in a fantastic location.

For Provence I highly recommend [email protected]
www.chambresdhotesprovence.com

This B&B is very close to l'lsle sur la Sorgue and is wonderful! Don't miss dinner here.

hopingtotravel

images2, our stay was very early May, maybe they weren't tired of tourists yet.

The owner didn't speak English; at that time I spoke very little French. I thought about how close to Spain we were and asked if she spoke Spanish. DH was amazed. We chatted in broken pieces of the 3 languages. He said he thought we were going to hug each other.

The blue room must have had 5 different coordinating blue fabrics. The bathroom counter was about a 10' long piece of antique blue marble.

The daughter spoke English, but we didn't talk to her much as she was cooking breakfast.

StuDudley

" A couple of nights in the Dordogne"...."3 nights to play with" in Provence.

In both cases, that's not much time at all. I would strongly recommend that you skip an overnight in Carcassonne and limit your market visits to ONE only.

Remember, in Provence most shops will be closed in St Remy on Monday morning & some all day, Arles on Sun & Monday morning (Avignon, Vaison, Uzes also), Bonnieux on Sunday & perhaps Monday morning).

Stu Dudley

StCirq

Actually, with only 5 nights, I'd pick EITHER the Dordogne OR Provence. But if you must do both, I'd have to say also skip the Sarlat market or you'll mess up the rest of the day. And yes, St-Rémy is the better base.

nightjar

Thank you all for the great advice and recommendations! I know I'm doing this whirlwind- not really my preferred method for these areas, but I do want to make the most of my short time. I definitely think we'll skip the Sarlat market as Stu proposed and high tail it for St Remy after Carcassonne. Is there anything on this road that is a "must do" other than Peche Merle?

StuDudley

>>Is there anything on this road that is a "must do" other than Peche Merle?<<


There are lots of things - but they'll consume too much time getting to, visiting, and then back on the road again. Just Peche Merle, Carcassonne, & St Remy. Just make sure you reserve Peche Merle before the lunch closing, and also consider the lunch closing for the Carcassonne tour (which is really the only way to see the best stuff). You'll probably get to Carcassonne around the closing - so have lunch there first & take the first tour after lunch. The trickest part of traveling in France is juggling things around the lunch closings.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

I checked the Carcassonne web site, and it seems that the guided tours don't close for lunch. When we last visited in June '04, there was an English tour, but it was cancelled because the English speaking guide did not show up. My wife speaks French, so she was the translator for me & others on the tour.

Stu Dudley