We stayed 2 weeks just outside of Carcassonne in Trebes about 5 years ago. The Citi of Carcassonne is about a 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hr visit if you don't have lunch there. Seems like perhaps not the best use of your too-few days. Toulouse is our second favorite city in France (along with Dijon). But unlike Avignon, the sites within a short train/bus/taxi ride from Toulouse are not very interesting - except for Albi. Stick with Avignon for 4-5 nights with 1-2 nights in/around Gordes with an all-day visit to the villages & countryside in the Luberon by car or small tour group.

Stu Dudley

I don't care much for the idea of expanding your trip.

@StuDudley and @shelemm, thank you. I've zeroed in on a few private tour options for the Luberon, all of which would start and end in Avignon over the course of one day. As it is private, we would have the option of our routing as well as staying longer in places and leaving sooner depending on how we feel about each place. In any case, I assume we would limit ourselves to three villages or it would all become a blur. I have to admit, I am piqued by Toulouse and Carcassonne though as I read more about it. Other parts of France too. Just have to plan another trip after this one, I guess.

If you are not planning on grocery shopping in the various village markets, I am kind of wondering what you think you might find in those places.

Unless you are very young, you are going to run out of time before you run out of interesting places to visit in France. My wife & I retired in 1999 when she was 50 & I was 52. We wanted to travel more. Starting in 1999, we've make 2 trips a year for 1 month each to (mainly) France. Three Christmases in Paris added to this.

We happen to like Carcassonne - but many people don't. It can get very crowded mid-day. Also, the train station serving la Citi of Carcassonne is kinda far away in the Bastide town of Carcassonne.

For your Luberon trip, start in Gordes, then follow my itinerary to Oppede les Vieux (the Chateau - not the town), then keep following my recommended roads to Menerbes, Bonnieux, and finishing in Roussillon. Keep on the roads I specify. The best way to the next village is not usually the fastest way there.

Stu Dudley.

Wow, i never thought that StuDudley was the travel god who could order people to follow his itineraries. He gives a lot of excellent advice from his experience but I don't think that straying from his recommendations is a punishable offence.

Lighten up. You can follow my recommendations or not. When did I threaten punishment

The Michelin Green Guides all have recommended roads to follow, Their maps have recommended roads also. So do the Thomas Cook guides, the three guides to Paris by Thirza Vallois - actually most guides have walking or driving itineraries.

Stu Dudley

@kerouac, I enjoy markets and am only looking at going to a couple, mostly for the experience and the atmosphere. Perhaps we'll pick up something we like to take home or find a couple of things to nibble on as well as do some people watching. This is why I am largely not planning my itinerary around it.

@StuDudley, I expect to start and end in Avignon and sample a few villages in the Luberon within one day. At the moment, I don't plan to stay in one of the villages. We may consider a second day in a car somewhere like the Cote du Rhone villages from a base in Avignon, but unlikely more than that. With six nights in Avignon and five days, we would be looking at:

1 day in Avignon
1 day in Arles
1 day in Le Remy and Les Baux
1 day at Pont du Gard and in Nimes
1 day in the Luberon

If we decide to add a second day with a car to the Cote du Rhone, then we would probably drop Nimes and add Pont du Gard to our Arles day.

I went on a 'pilgrimage' that many others have followed before me and since after reading Village in the Vaucluse by Laurence Wylie. The book is about Roussillon which is indeed a remarkable place, but it is also a sociological study of village life that could apply to much of Europe. Just the first several paragraphs alone are enough to make your head spin and make the book worth getting. As I said before, aside from Roussillon I do highly recommend Fontaine de Vaucluse, Grottes de Cales, and Vieux Vernegues. You could hit all those in a day and still have time for more. Grottes de Cales is 7th Century BC Ligurian grottoes, Vieux Vernegues is in ruins, Roussillon has an ochre quarry among many great features, and I've already detailed the many reasons to visit Fontaine. Some other places are worth a glance and you will find many opinions on ye olde internet. Also, if you see something interesting (this will happen), just stop wherever you want. Just make sure your guide is flexible too.

Kerouac-
As I recall (perhaps incorrectly), you live in Paris, where there are perhaps 8 or 10 daily markets. So you see such markets almost daily. It's old hat to you.
On the other hand, the OP (Original Poster) says this will be his 1st time in southern France. Probably never seen the uniqueness of the French markets.
I know I never had experienced anything like them. Sure, we have "farmer's markets" in our town during the summer, but they don't hold a candle to a French market. Consider that Stu Dudley was recommending them to the "first-timer" tripplanner001, not to Kerouac. Personally, I find the markets in France to be highly interesting, in part because they're so unique to my experience, and in part because they sell so much other stuff besides groceries. It's really somewhat of an insight into French culture that one can't get in a museum.

Personally, I'm surprised no one ever made a website called "MarketDaysInFrance.com", where you could hover your cursor over a village name on a zoom-able map of France, and a little M,T,W,H,F or S would show over the town name. This would enable a traveler in the Midi-Pyreenees region, for example, to look at such map and say to himself, "if I turn left at the next intersection, I'm only 10 minutes from the market in..____). It was only happenstance that we stumbled upon an interesting market in Montignac, and another in Menerbes.

We love visiting French markets, and I agree with Tomboy that they are highly interesting. The markets I have visited in New England where I live don't hold a candle to the French markets, to repeat what Tomboy said. While shopping at the French markets, we have purchased pottery, linens, soaps, various lavender products, etc. And something to snack on. The French markets offer great photo opportunities, too.

We spent a month in Aix-en-Provence recently without a car. The Tourism Office arranged a tour of the Luberon and it was wonderful. Visited Lourmarin, Rousillion and Gordes. You could easily book one from Avignon.

I like your itinerary. It’s busy but you will see a lot. Seize the day!

Thanks so much for that explanation, even if it was obvious to most people here!

I live in Germany, and we have a weekly market, and I've always failed to see the huge attraction some tourists feel for European markets. I'm not much of a cook, so I've always thought that was why markets always left me cold.

But German markets do not have the stuff you listed... pottery, linens, soaps.... YES! Now that, I agree, would be great to browse among and to shop for.

Thanks again

:wow:

s

More of the same..........
If I hadn't visited a market in southern France, :

• I wouldn't know there were more kinds of olives than just green and black
• I wouldn't know that you could get oil out of a walnut
• I would never have had a cantaloupe sorbet cone
• I wouldn't think there was any culinary use for a duck gizzard, or the cheek of a pig
• I wouldn't know that you can make goat milk into soap

The list goes on. Sure, some folks will say I'm backward, or parochial, or sheltered. Let them rant. Travel is broadening, and leads one to realize there are alternative viewpoints to consider

Tomboy, I forgot to mention olives! Prior to visiting Girona, Spain, in 2010, I did not like olives. While in Girona, we visited a market that had a huge array of olives. And they were so pretty too with its different colors and shapes and sizes, so again another photo op. So we purchased some olives along with other food items for an easy lunch (no cooking involved), and now I love olives!!! I always tell people it's because of the market in Girona that I now appreciate and love olives!

>>I could use and appreciate your help in how to order some of the days to maximize market days
(we don’t need to visit every market in every town we’re including, but at least a couple would be nice), pointing out redundancies, suggesting substitutions, etc.
Thanks again.<<

For your consideration:

Friday, 4/15: Arrive in Avignon (5 nights).

Saturday, 4/16: Visit Arles (Market day)

Easter Sunday, 4/17: L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the morning (Market day). Afternoon in Avignon.

Monday, 4/18: Pont du Gard and Nimes (Consider Uzês,Market day is Saturday, as a substitute for Nimes)
https://www.thegeographicalcure.com/...st-oozes-charm
https://shuttersandsunflowers.com/wp...Uze%CC%80s.pdf

Tuesday, 4/19: Les Baux-de-Provence and St-Rêmy-de-Provence

Wednesday, 4/20:Luberon villages and surroundings-Gordes, Roussilllon, Petit Luberon villages as time allows. Spend the night at Mas Perreal (1 night, perhaps 2)
( https://masperreal.com/ ) near St-Saternin-les-Apt for a setting and experience unique to this region. This will be the highlight of your trip.

Thursday, 4/21: After waking up to the Provence of Peter Mayle and your gourmet breakfast you are off to Aix-en-Provence (2 nights) via private/public transportation.
With a private driver you could stop at Lourmarin enroute. https://goo.gl/maps/zq7iXZp1XEun5DzZA Afternoon in Aix-en-Provence.

Friday, 4/22: Train to Cassis. Visit Cassis and take a boat ride to view the Calanques.

Saturday, 4/23: Train to Nice (4 nights). Visit Nice.

Sunday, 4/24: Day trip to Villefranche-sur-Mer and Cap Ferrat.

Monday, 4/25: Day trip to Eze and Monaco .

Tuesday, 4/26: Day trip to St-Paul-de-Vence. Visit Nice.

Wednesday, 4/20:Fly Home.


https://provencedays.com/explore/activities/markets/

Thank you for all the food for thought that you’re providing me.

I appreciate the discussion on the French market. I enjoy markets and try to sample them on my travels. While I’ve intended to include markets for a trip to the South of France, you’ve definitely piqued my interest more and make me think about prioritizing it more.

@tomboy, @KarenWoo, and @swandav2000, your observations about the French markets lead me to recall some of our market experiences on prior trips. Still vivid in my mind are the cacophony of the calls of vendors at the Pettah markets in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the sheer variety on sale at the markets in Lima, Peru, to the intensity of colors and smells at the souqs of Fez, Morocco. Markets in a way offer unique insights into some of the places we visit.

@lrice, thank you for confirming that my itinerary is doable.

@dugi_otok, appreciate the fresh perspective of how we could arrange our time. Thank you.

In 2017 we were in Avignon for eight nights with day trips by train to Arles and Marseille as well as a guided day trip (in a van with three other people) that stopped at Nimes, Pont du Garde, and Uzes. We also rented a car for an overnight to Roussillon that stopped at L'Ile-sur-la-Sorgue, Abbeye Senanque, Gouffre de la Sorgue, St-Pantaleon, and Village des Bories. Easy drive with short times between each stop on the way and on the way back. This gave us three days in Avignon (plus the other evenings). Much to see.

ssander

@ssander, thank you for the first-hand feedback.

I've given some more thought to flushing out my days in western Provence, all from a base in Avignon and taking day trips from there. Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

Friday, 4/15: Arrive in Avignon.

Saturday, 4/16: Visit Avignon. Late afternoon visit to Pont du Gard.

Sunday, 4/17: Morning market at L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue followed by a tour of villages of the Luberon using a private tour / car with driver. A couple of options I'm looking at: sunday morning market in isle-sur-la-sorgue, gordes and roussillon (provence-travel.com), Regular tours from Avignon | 12. Experience in Luberon | Provence Panorama (provence-panorama.com)

Monday, 4/18: Arles. Assuming that the Feria d'Arles is happening, I'm looking at securing tickets for the bullfight that afternoon.

Tuesday, 4/19: Les Baux and St. Remy

Wednesday, 4/20: Private wine tasting tour / car with driver of Cote du Rhone villages. A few options include: wine tour in châteauneuf du pape, vacqueyras, gigondas (provence-travel.com), Côtes du Rhône wine tour - Provence & Wine (provenceandwine.com), Hill Towns of the Cotes du Rhone private wine tours by Tours du Rhone

My only concern is visiting the market in L'Isle sur la Sorgue on a Sunday morning. When we visited several years ago (before the pandemic) on a Sunday, the market was obscenely crowded! My husband drove around and around looking for parking spaces. It wasn't enjoyable because of the crowds. My French son-in-law said he will never come back on a Sunday. Maybe it isn't as bad because of Covid now, and maybe a private driver has some secret parking spaces. We have also been to this market on a Thursday, and it was less crowded, easy to find parking, and therefore more enjoyable.