We are planning a trip to the south of France in mid September and are looking forward to spending some time in The Cotes-du-Rhone. We were thinking of basing out of Avignon, but have heard conflicting stories.. Does anyone have any ideas about this? Other options are Orange and Arles, both of which we would like to see. We plan to spend two to three nights and we will be driving. Hoping to learn something about French wines. We plan to be there two to three days before moving on to the French coast. So if anyone has any great places to stay or any othe input as to winerys it would be greatly appreciated.

Le Barroux would be perfect!

By the way, my husband said to sy we will be heading toward the French Riveria, not the French coast. Whatever!

so youd'azure are going to thecote






So you are going to the Cote D'Azure.

We have stayed in Avignon several times and love it. We are partial to wines from the Chateauneuf du pape region which is very close. We like the ambiance of Avignon. We usually rent an apartment and settle in for a week or two.

I think you will be well based in Avignon. I often stay in the city when I travel to this area. I would like to mention that since you will have a car, you might also consider staying in one of the smaller villages that adds a bit of charm and ambiance, like Gordes or Saint Remy. Everything is relatively close in these areas and you will not be far to explore many of the towns villages and vineyards in the area.

If you have a favortie wine in the region you might consider arranging for a visit and tasting ahead of time.

We love wine, but are sadly to say, ignorant of French wines. We are using this trip as a learning tool. Any information you can give will be helpful. We love the idea of charm and ambience, and of course a reasonable price for excellent accommodations. I like the idea of smaller villages within a good driving proximity.