Séguret vs Vaison-la-Romaine
 

Next spring we'll be visiting Geneva, Annecy & Lyon. We also want to travel down to Provence/Rhone area and we love small, ancient hill towns. We're having trouble deciding on whether to spend a couple nights in either Séguret or Vaison-la-Romaine. Any thoughts?

Seguret is so much smaller than than Vaison but has two very good restaurants. This village has a Christmas celebration where the town folk dress as they did in the days of the birth of Christ. That I'd love to see.

Neither one fits my definition of a place I'd want to hang around, but for a couple of nights, it'll be nice. Vaison has a good bit more to offer in the way of sightseeing. You could always pop over to one of Cigale's restaurants in Séguret for a meal (what are they, Mimi?).

There is Le Mesclun, my favorite, great views but the reviews seem to favor Le Table du Comtet= On My visit there some trees blocked the view. Hopefully they have been trimmed since that time.

Thanks for the feedback, including the restaurants. We'll have a car so we do plan on day trips to Avignon & some of the southern Rhone wine villages. I just saw the web site for the hotel La Fête en Provence in Vaison la Romaine, which looks appealing.

>>we love small, ancient hill towns<<

I think that would describe Seguret more than Vaison. The latter has a very nice small medieval section on one side of the river, but the larger area of Vaison is a little touristy and for the most part, I would not call it cute/ancient - or small. Crestet in the same region is ancient & small.

Stu Dudley

One of my life's most memorable meals was at Le Mesclun. We road up on bikes just before they were to stop serving the midday meal, but they graciously accommodated us and it was heaven. Such a wonderful afternoon!

Beyond that, Seguret was really beautiful, though I don't know that I'd need two nights there. It is close to other similar towns, however, and a little wandering in the area would be fun.

Vaison is definitely more of a city. The Roman ruins and museum are worth a visit.

I'm wondering just how small Seguret is. Is there a simple cafe where one could get crepes or similar for breakfast there? Is there a place at night where we could go for an after dinner an espresso and/or cocktail? If so, then it would serve us well. If not, then perhaps Vaison would be a better choice. We're also thinking about spending a few days in Bonnieux as well.

Nope - no such cafes/after dinner stuff in Seguret. It does not have much commerce at all - other than a few artisan shops, le Mesclun, and Comtet hotel/restaurant. Cute, but small.

Vaison has lots of cafes & places for expressos/cocktails.

Stu Dudley

We had lunch at La Table du Comtat in Seguret; beautiful views of the hills, les Dentelles de Montmirail.

Crèpes are not breakfast food in France. If you need a place to have breakfast or cocktails, you'll be better off in Vaison (though even there after dark there's not much going on in the upper town).

Crestet, which someone mentioned, is well worth a 20-minute visit. Beautiful views.

Based on the fact that you are wanting someplace with a choice for breakfast and apperitif (cocktail), I think Vaison la Romaine would probably be the best choice.
L'Evêché is a fab little B&B in the center of the cité médiévale. I agree that Le Crestet is worth a visit. There's a tiny little snack bar all the way at the top that offers an impressive view of the region.
Mirabel-aux-Baronnies is another "small, ancient hill town" near Vaison. Actually, it's between Vaison and Nyons. It is quite spectacular, not to mention the fact that it is home to, IMO, the best olive oil in the world. Check out Le Vieux Moulin oil mill! Seriously, to die for olive oil.

Both Mirabel and Le Crestet are quite close to Vaison, so you could do day trips!

Jeni

They do serve dessert crepes at breakfast in some cafes in Paris, though, I've seen that. That's for folks who basically want dessert for breakfast (crepes with fruit and something sweet on them). They probably do it to please tourists. Whether that idea has hit smaller towns, who knows.

If I were you, I'd stay in Vaison.

In Paris we'd often have ham & cheese crepes in the late morning, but perhaps that was in a more touristy area. Thanks again for the feedback.

oh, well then maybe you were having lunch, not breakfast if you mean a sit-down restaurant, not a crepe stand.

The only place I've ever seen a crèpe offered for breakfast in Paris was on rue Cler - and one can surmise why, with a gazillion Rick Steves dévotées milling around. The French themselves would never have a crèpe for breakfast. But if you want one, and can find one, go for it.

Having a savory crèpe from a stand in late morning is not an anomaly at all. Lots of people, Parisians and tourists alike, do that.