September trip Bordeaux/Provence/Nice
 

Hello. I am working on a last minute trip to France ( September) and looking for suggestions! We plan to fly into Bordeaux and grab a car. Was planning to base ourselves in Saint Emilion for 4 nights. Looking for hotel and restaurant recommendations. Want to enjoy wine ( looking for a driver/tour) and will take some day trips. ( Favorite villages, wineries and drives?)
Our next stop is Provence and I am unsure where to base ourselves for 4 nights. I am wanting the Tuscany feeling but in France. Plan to venture out for scenic drives and visits to small villages. Want to be able to return at the end of the day and be able to walk to dinner. Homebase suggestions??
Also has anyone done the drive Bordeaux to Provence? Would you drive or fly into Marseille and grab a car?
We return home from Nice so that will be out last stop and plan to do 3 nights there. Again looking for hotels and restaurants. Here we will not have car. Appreciate any and all suggestions!!
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I don't believe you said where you are starting, but please note that if you are coming from the US, you will not be safe to drive -- safe for yourselves or anyone else on the roads -- for at least 36 hours.

To get from Bordeaux to Provence, check your options on rome2rio.com and make sure to click through to the underlying sites as the top level is often misleading. I certainly would not fly from Bordeaux to Marseille -- that would take hours more than any ground transportation.

FWIW, 4 nights (3 days) is very little for Provence and 3 nights (2 days) is very little for Nice. You will need to be selective.

For the sections from Marseille through Nice, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...rance-1669406/

I did 8 nights in Nice last September and it was wonderful. There are 4 main areas you can stay in:

1) By the sea. We stayed at Le Meridien Nice which is expensive and not worth the money (we used points) for what it is but has a great location. Anything between (location wise) AC Hotel Nice and Hotel Mercure Nice Marche aux Fleurs is a good location.

2) We also stayed at Nice Best Western Plus Hôtel Massena which was really nice at a good price (not cheap). The location is fantastic. You can walk to the beach, old town and transit. There was an amazing bakery within 5 minutes walk where we had our breakfast everyday. Anything around there is fantastic. Le Carre d'Or is the most popular hotel area for tourists for good reason.

3) Old town: self explanatory and close to beach. However, super busy, loud and old. I would not stay here.

4) Old port. Nice part of Nice but removed from the main tourist area so more quiet. You would need transit (good system so no worries) to access old town and Carre D'Or. Has a lot of nice food spots.

We did 3 day trips from Nice. Villefranche-sur-Mer was our favourite. Antibes was also wonderful. Last was Monaco but I would skip that.

I am going back to Nice for 5 nights in a month (we loved it that much) and plan to visit Eze and Menton. These 4 are probably the most recommended day trips.

This year, we are also planning to stay in Provence for 4 nights. We never visited so this is all based on my research. We plan to base out of St. Remy de Provence. Using an AirBnB due to lack of hotels in the centre. It is the most recommended village base in Provence based on my research. We plan to visit Aix-En-Provence (another option for a base), Roussillon, Gordes and Les Baux de Provence. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is optional if we have time (also a good base).

We don't plan to visit any cities but if you want one as a base, then Arles and Avignon are the most recommended. Avignon mostly because it is a transit hub which you dont need if you have a car.

I would stay in Roussillon for those 4 nights. What you dream of when you think about Provence. And if you want to read one of the all time works great works of non-fiction, read Village in the Vaucluse by Laurence Wylie, which is a sociological study that will make you cry. It is about Roussillon. Many fellow travelers have made a pilgrimage there because of that book.

In Nice, understand that it is part of Provence, so much of the cuisine will reflect that. In addition, there is a micro-regional cuisine, Nissarde, with its own distinct dishes, ingredients, and history. There's a group of restaurants that have earned the label Cuisine Nissarde for their fidelity to promoting the local character of the food. Here is a list, from which I can recommend La Table Alziari, but I am sure they alll have their good points. BTW, Salade Nissarde (aka Nicoise) does not have any cooked vegetables, so no green beans or potato as served in the US. It is a cornucopia of fresh garden vegetables.

https://www.explorenicecotedazur.com...sine-nissarde/

And here is some info related to the cuisine:

CLIMATE
Although the climate in the Nice area and the Côte d’Azur has done much to boost
tourism development in the region, for a long time it was a significant obstacle to local
farming life. Long periods of drought broken up by violent, sometimes devastating
storms, threatened good harvests and pastoral activity. Communities were
consequently forced to adapt farming to the climate, which explains why plant
species requiring little water such as olive and fig trees, vines, almond trees, etc.
were introduced. The olive tree has been grown since Antiquity and became the
ultimate symbol of Mediterranean culture for a multitude of reasons.
For a long time, olive oil was the only grease used in cooking, seasoning and
preserving food. Olives are also eaten at the dinner table or turned into tapenade, a
condiment that was already known to and loved by the Romans. Olive oil boasts a
number of dietary virtues that combine to make it a much-desired product today. The
cultivation of vines was an integral part of the agricultural landscape for a long time,
before being concentrated into fine wine production. This lead to the «Vins de Bellet»
appellation, drawing its name from the hills upon which the vineyards unfurl. Wines
from Villars sur Var and Baous are also very well-known and much-appreciated.

Coast
Tucked between sea and mountain, the inhabitants of the Nice region were also
forced to adapt their pastoral activities to the hilly surroundings and difficult climate by
choosing to raise goats and sheep - animals which survive on little grass and live on
craggy land. Locals have always eaten little meat, as it was a rarity and thus too
expensive. Traditionally at times of celebration, sheep or kid was served for Easter,
offal was prepared as were local tripe specialities, ‘trule’ blood pudding, caillettes
from the valleys, or cheaper cuts of meat such as veal breast or stewing meat. Hens
were mainly reared for eggs, while rabbit and sometimes pork provided the
occasional treat. Hunting and fishing allowed locals to add some much-appreciated
variety to their diets.
Down by the coast, the sea is sadly lacking in fish. Locals mainly eat sardines,
anchovies, some types of rock fish, octopus and crustaceans (sea urchins, crabs)
fished locally, as well as salted (cod) or dried (stockfish) fish, brought back from the
ocean thanks to maritime exchange. «Poutine“ sardines and sand-smelt in their larval
state and «Nonnat” gobies are highly sought-after and original local specialities.

@ shelemm: I wonder -- are these quotations? If so, from what source?

kja Thanks for asking. It's from a 2014 publication about the Nissarde Cuisine label. I imagine a more recent edition is available, but I showed portions for which any update would not be necessary.

@ shelemm -- thanks! I have a serious dislike of seeing quotations that aren't properly attributed and am glad you have now provided that information.

Five years ago we rented a car in Bordeaux, where we stayed for 4-5 nights. From there we went out to Paulliac and toured wineries (Premier Cru Mouton Rothschild, then to Margaux, then thru Medoc). That was one full day. Another day we drove over the river to St. Emilion, another full day, and no need to stay there any more -- Bordeaux has so much to offer. Do not miss the Aquitaine Musee there. We then continued east to Sarlat where we based for probably 3 nights -- Rocamadour was splendid (though lots of Fodorites pan it due to tourists -- yeah, well that's cause we tourists want to see such) -- and then down through the Dordogne through many villages, stopping in Albi, then Carcassone, then couple nights in Toulouse before arriving at our final destination St. Remy. From there we visited Avignon and Arles, and turned the car in at the Avignon TGV station, taking the train back to CDG/Paris. Now this is a longer trip than you've planned, but yes, we drove from Bordeaux to Provence and it was fabulous. You must map out the route for your own interests and timetable. We always begin our France trips with 5 nights in Paris, and this trip took us a full four weeks.
But Bordeaux to Provence is a fabulous and scenic journey!

I didn't post earlier because I have not been to Bordeaux, but I too would drive from Bordeaux to Provence (instead of flying). I would want to see the countryside along the way.

I think you can't go wrong with St Remy or anywhere nearby. I loved Eygalières and that would be a good base too. I loved where I stayed but it was not really walkable to the town center for dinner. Other options are available though in town.

Thank you ! I will read through your trip report. We are coming from London after a week there. Agree jet lag and driving are a bad combo!

I’m not sure how Travel_To_Eat identifies the “most popular” or “most recommended” sites, day trips, etc., but for what it’s worth, I’ve never found popularity to be a good indicator of what I will enjoy. If it works for her, that’s great! But I find a good guidebook (such as the Rough Guide or Michelin Green or Moon Guide) to be MUCH more helpful because reading the descriptions of all the things I might see or do lets me pick and choose what best matches my interests. To each his / her / their own.

It is a good 6 hour drive from Saint Emilion to St Remy, assuming you take the toll roads, and don't stop at all. Bear that in mind in your planning. You will whizz past many interesting places, which seems a shame.
I know Americans think nothing of such driving times but traffic is heavier in Europe and a break or two is a good idea to help keep your wits about you. And you are on holiday so relax a tad.

You could drive across France but the main route goes through some places that are quite wonderful to stop at - you will want at least to stop a few times. There is also the train, including an IC that may take the same amount of time. I think people mentioned St. Remy and places in the Luberon (like Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux) . You will still want a car. If you do have an interest in wines, the southern Rhone region is where you will want to drive -- it is terrific in the fall -- Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueras are still much lower scale wine tourism. In the Luberon, focus on the roses and whites.

In Nice, people have covered it well (we have a place there, I'm spending the summer), here are some suggestions
Nicois: La Marenda, Chez Davia
French with Provencal/Nicoi/Med Influence: Comptoir du Marche, Bar des Oiseux, Le Sejour, Fine Guele, Olive et Artichaut, Bistrot d'Antoine, Marmar
Fish: Peixes, Cafe de Turin
Modern French: L'Alchimie, Cantine du Meme
Haute Cusine: Jan, Flaveur, Racines (veg)

Just for future reference -- when one posts copyrighted information one should always include attribution. Not sure if that is spelled out in Fodors posting guidelines but I assume it is.

. . . .

Just checked and this is Fodors published rule:

1. Do not post copyrighted material. Loved an article that you read elsewhere? You are welcome to link to it, but please don’t copy and paste its content in the forums. Please include a small explanation to make it easy for fellow members to decide whether or not the content is of interest to them."

Simple. Based on my research (which I qualified) on forums and online, you tend to get the same common recommendations.

We drove it once, about 10 years ago, after having visited the inner stops in other times.
Didn't find the traffic at all heavy, versus US. Not a "hyper drive".

Personally, I would split it up and enjoy the journey.
I drive a LOT in the US but rarely would drive 6 hours nonstop - even in the US.

Some folks drive 18 hours nonstop to visit Florida in the winter.
Different folks, different strokes.

I think, the drive from Bordeaux to Provence is scenic but long almost 6–7 hours, and flying to Marseille and renting a car is quicker and more relaxing.