South of France itinerary
Aug 14th, 2017, 02:17 PM
#41
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Laurico, your trip is very doable and should be a wonderful mix.
I think you will be surprised at how close the places are to each other. On our first trip to Provence, we stayed at Fontveille, Venasque, and Bonnieux and I don't the drive between the three places was more than 45 minutes, if it was that. However, by staying in different towns, you will get a wide view of the area.
Provence is a very dry region and you might not see any rain during your entire time there - no guarantee, but it is usually warm and dry in September. Lavender is a major crop ( long finished flowering by September), and the farmers often burn the lavender in the fall, since, apparently, the crop has to be rotated periodically. Although it might look smokey at times, there is a wonderful smell to the air, which I love.
People like me and others love Provence and return often to see parts of the region in depth. I hope you love it as much I do. This year, we are going to Brittany, and are looking forward to a new experience. Instead of using our time to explore the entire region, we are concentrating on the southern part of the peninsula. We are staying in two different towns for about a week about 2 hours from each other and will make day trips from each base. It's become our go to way of traveling unless we go on a group trip, which we did to the Galapagos and to Iceland.
Read Stu Dudley's itinerary- it is very helpful.
Let us know how the trip works for you.
I think you will be surprised at how close the places are to each other. On our first trip to Provence, we stayed at Fontveille, Venasque, and Bonnieux and I don't the drive between the three places was more than 45 minutes, if it was that. However, by staying in different towns, you will get a wide view of the area.
Provence is a very dry region and you might not see any rain during your entire time there - no guarantee, but it is usually warm and dry in September. Lavender is a major crop ( long finished flowering by September), and the farmers often burn the lavender in the fall, since, apparently, the crop has to be rotated periodically. Although it might look smokey at times, there is a wonderful smell to the air, which I love.
People like me and others love Provence and return often to see parts of the region in depth. I hope you love it as much I do. This year, we are going to Brittany, and are looking forward to a new experience. Instead of using our time to explore the entire region, we are concentrating on the southern part of the peninsula. We are staying in two different towns for about a week about 2 hours from each other and will make day trips from each base. It's become our go to way of traveling unless we go on a group trip, which we did to the Galapagos and to Iceland.
Read Stu Dudley's itinerary- it is very helpful.
Let us know how the trip works for you.
Aug 14th, 2017, 03:03 PM
#42
Stu, apparently, you do not like to drive. We do. We like stopping when we see something interesting, deciding to go down a road that looks nice, and having the independence to go where we want. DH lives 150 miles from me (commuter marriage) and drives here to NYC often since that is where I live. A few weeks ago, we drove an hour and a half just to go to a restaurant, and then drove an hour and a half back home. A 4 or 5 hour drive is really not a big deal to us. We drove that and more in Australia and enjoyed it immensely. I really do not understand the bias against driving. I know that it is not for everyone, but it is for us.
justretired, I am finally excited about this trip. I have read Stu's report and it has been helpful. I'm just glad that I finally have an itinerary. Having never been there, it was difficult trying to figure out where to go.
justretired, I am finally excited about this trip. I have read Stu's report and it has been helpful. I'm just glad that I finally have an itinerary. Having never been there, it was difficult trying to figure out where to go.
Aug 14th, 2017, 04:42 PM
#43
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We LOVE to drive. We typically put 4,000 to 5,000 kilometers on our rental car each trip. We love slow drives through the Alps, Pyrenees, Luberon Valley, Nice Hinterland, through vineyards, along rivers - visiting interesting villages, churches, & other sites we encounter along the way. Some people on Fodors have actually accused me of suggesting too much driving. Read my itineraries - specifically looking for my many "scenic drives".
However, your driving between Barcelona and Provence is nothing like that (except for Collioure). You'll be on the boring A9 most of the trip, with very few off-ramps to get off and find some interesting stuff to see. These off ramps are often 30 kilometers apart. And once you get off the A9 - there really isn't much to see & visit - except for the large cities of Montpellier, Narbonne, and Perpignan (which will consume hours). Aigues Mortes is nice - but you can visit that from Nimes. As someone mentioned - the coast south of Collioure is quite scenic, but the coast north of Collioure is not nearly as scenic with many high-rise mass "vacation villages".
We prefer to spend our time in the car driving slowly viewing scenic countryside & villages, instead of on the Autoroute going 150 K/hr & staring at asphalt & trucks.
Stu Dudley
However, your driving between Barcelona and Provence is nothing like that (except for Collioure). You'll be on the boring A9 most of the trip, with very few off-ramps to get off and find some interesting stuff to see. These off ramps are often 30 kilometers apart. And once you get off the A9 - there really isn't much to see & visit - except for the large cities of Montpellier, Narbonne, and Perpignan (which will consume hours). Aigues Mortes is nice - but you can visit that from Nimes. As someone mentioned - the coast south of Collioure is quite scenic, but the coast north of Collioure is not nearly as scenic with many high-rise mass "vacation villages".
We prefer to spend our time in the car driving slowly viewing scenic countryside & villages, instead of on the Autoroute going 150 K/hr & staring at asphalt & trucks.
Stu Dudley
Aug 15th, 2017, 01:51 PM
#44
A 5 or 6 hour "boring" drive doesn't bother me. We may not find it as boring as you. If we were embarking on a 10 hour drive to reach somewhere, yes, that would not appeal to me. But this is small potatoes.
