We are looking to rent a villa in the environs to St Remy De Provence for the month of September. We have not visited this area before and I am just trying to get a feel for the town.

We stayed some time ago walking distance from a small village called Marsanne. We enjoyed the fact that it had that small village feel and did not have any tourists at all. We could buy our bread and visit the butcher and truly be immersed in the local culture.

Is St Remy overrun with tourists?? Does it still retain a simple french village feel?

Any input on this would be much appreciated.

thanks derickg

I haven't actually stayed in St. Remy so can't speak with authority. However, last September I went to France and was considering St. Remy but ended up staying at Le Thor near to Isle sur la Sorgue. We went to St Remy for lunch on our way to Le Thor from Marseilles and I got a really "good" feeling about the place. A fantastic size, not too big but certainly big enough to have several restaurants/cafes and some lovely shops/boutiques etc. My first thought as we drove in was "oh, we should have stayed here!" However, it took us forever to get over the river later on that day and I didn't want to do that when we were visiting Isle sur S markets on the Sunday morning.

Having waffled on now, the answer I would have is No it is not overrun with tourists but certainly they were there. We were also there in September. And yes, it did maintain that French feel. It is not a little village but certainly not a huge town either, just the right size not to get bored etc.

If you do a search on Fodors for St. remy you will probably get lots of threads which should give you more info. Good luck, let us know what you decide. Schnauzer

St Remy might suit you, as it is a smaller town, and pleasant enough. It is definitely not an unspoiled French village, though -- it isn't a village and is very popular for tourists. I think Princess Caroline of Monaco likes to stay there a lot, so I wouldn't call that a simple French village. There are definitely lots of tourists there, but it is only really overrun in summer and on market days, I think. Then you can't even park in the center very well.

Thanks for this input. Much appreciated.

derickg

We stayed 5 nights in Le Paradou and visited St-Rémy a number of times. It did not have "a simple french village feel" IMO. And it was "overrun with tourists". I might be wrong, but you might not be able to find a villa within walking distance of town.

In fact, we failed to see why it has the reputation it enjoys.

Nearby Mausanne or Eygalières might better suit your criteria.

We stayed at a villa with walking distance of St. Remy and found it a very good center for touring Provence. St Remy is not a village, more of a small town; it has a good market and a nice choice of restaurants.