I am looking to spend 10 days in Provence in July and would appreciate any suggestions regarding what to see and do and where to stay. I want to do this as economically as possible. What towns would you suggest I definitely see? I want to see as much of the countryside as possible including lavender fields , vineyards etc. I hear their are little villages perched on hillsides close to the sea. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

There is a lot to see in Provence and ten days can give you a good taste of the region. The perched villages are in Haute Provence, the northern part of the region, east of Avignon. The topography changes as you get closer to the coast, and the perched villages are not found there, although there are parts of some towns (e.g. Cassis) that overlook the ocean. There are many ways to approach the area, but if you have ten days, you could rent an apartment in one of the hilltop villages (Venasque is quite nice) and explore the Haute Provence and some of the wine-growing regions around Avignon from such a base. You will be close to many lavendar fields, especially the famous ones around Notre Dame de Senanque if you in a hill town such as Venasque. You could then spend some time on the coast or in Aix-En-Provence. The apartment rental would likely be economical. We rented an apartment that slept four for under $1000 USD for a week.

I imagine the OP is talking about the perched villages in the Luberon which are not in Haute Provence they are in the Vaucluse (84).

Some confusion arises from the fact that Provence (the ancient Roman Provincia Narbonensis) is a pretty large region. Usually, the Provence is considered as the stretch that goes roughly from Nimes to the Italian border. (Ironically, this modern-day-concept does not include the City Narbonne after which the Romans named the province.) With every (cultural, historical and geographical) reason I would include Pont-du-Gard into Provence, although it technically does not belong to one of the modern-day departments which form the region Provence. So much for the smart-ass.

Now, what to see.

Since the Provence is basically Roman, you will of course see the many remnants of the Romans. IMO, Provence has the best Roman remains, even better than in Rome. You find great Roman monuments in

- Nimes (including the best-conserved amphitheater and a temple in perfect shape),
- Arles (the second-best amphitheater and many more),
- in the countryside south of St. Remy (Glanum and Les Antiques),
- Pont du Gard - a most impressive aquaeduct,
- Orange (the best Greek theatre and much more),
- Vaison-la-Romaine (a huge archeological site).

All these places are pretty close to each other in western Provence.

Avignon is a beautiful medieval city with a magnificent and historically significant Papal Palace. Les Beaux is a picturesque ruined medieval town, located in the scenic Alpilles mountain chain. Aigues-Mortes is a completely walled medieval town. The Camargue is a marshland and natural reserve with wild flamingoes which can be seen with horserides.

The upper Provence has more countryside and villages. Attractions include
- Senanque Abbey (in the middle of lavender fields),
- nearby Gordes is an interesting village, surrounded by the Bories (stone huts) in the fields,
- nearby Roussillion has a colourful ocre canyon.
- the Luberon is a harsh mountain chain with many scenic drives.

Said all this, I would rent a house in region between Avignon, Carpentras, Cavaillon, Gordes, St. Remy. Geographically, this would be the best base for daytrips.

I am interested in the discussion as I'm planning trip at end of September for about 8 days, (mother and daughter). We will not be driving and the best idea I can come up with is train from London to Avignon for 3 days and hopefully do a full day organised minibus tour to Les Beaux, Gordes, Roussillion and the Luberon. I'm unsure whether we should go to Arles or Aigues-Mortes by train on another day. I do not know much about either city.

Then I think we would go to Nice by train and spend 4 or 5 days there with independant day trips - train to Monaco; bus to St.Paul de Vence; the mountain train to Puget Theniers and Digne-les-bains. Then we would fly back to London from Nice.

We have never been to this region and I have just got these ideas from reading. Am I on the right track for a fairly relaxed overview of Provence or can someone offer some suggestions. Is it worth having a mineral spa at Digne, for example, and would Aigues-Mortes or Arles be a good day trip from Avignon.
Thankyou.

adelaidian:

From Avignon-Centre to Nimes, the train takes 27 minutes.
To Arles, it takes 17 minutes. From Nimes to Arles, 27 minutes.

So, you can easily see both Nimes and Arles in one day from Avignon.

To Aigues-Mortes, train takes 1:23. Given your time limit, I would skip that. (Aigues-Mortes is nice if you combine it with a horse-ride through the Camargue, but that requires a car.)

hi ra,

Have you looked up Provence under "Destinations"?

Regarding your question about the Cote d'Azur:

- Monaco is a good idea, also St. Paul de Vence. Do not miss Fondation Maeght - one of the greatest art galleries on earth.

- I am doubtful, if I would spend a time riding to Digne if I had such few time. I would rather recommend a train trip between Cannes and Agay and back in order to see the spectacular Esterel Coast. On the way back, you may spend an hour or two in Cannes to get a taste of this city.

Thanks for the suggestions, Echnaton and ira.

Rachel,

I enjoyed staying 2 weeks in the beautiful town of Lourmarin and doing day trips by car. The town is everything you hope for and the area lovely. There are nice places to stay in town and just outside. The Provence Byways Guidebook I provide a link to below has some great recommendations for lodging (as well as other useful info). Here is where I stayed (their website also has great info)-

http://www.rentourhomeinprovence.com/

I highly, highly, highly recommend buying the Provence Byways Guide and using it to point you in the right direction. The daytrips outlined in the guide all start in Lourmarin, are very detailed and easy to follow. The Rough Guide Provence is also useful.

http://www.provencebyways.com/

I flew into/out of Marseille and rented my car at the airport and had no problems navigating.

Wilko: Sorry, I substituted Haute Provence for Vaucluse.

Rachel: We are assuming you will be driving. You probably needs to clarify that; otherwise the suggestions for adelaidian will be more relevant for you as well.

Rental properties in Venasque and St. Didier (and perhaps a few other places in the Vaucluse) are available from John Reese who runs a website out of New Zealand (ww.france.co.nz), which might seem like an unusual place for Americans to be renting properties in France, but John was very easy to work with and the property he rented to us was all it was described to be, if not more. My only concern is that when I checked his website a few minutes ago, they had availability charts for 2009 still posted.

For some visual ideas, you may want to check the phototravelogue of the 10 days of touring we did last September, at http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...08%3A540606391

I spent a night in Aigues-Mortes and had dinner at the Carmargue restaurant where we were entertained by Gypsy Kings wannabees. The day was spent exploring the Carmargue and we returned again and again throughout the years.
My favorite area is Les apilles but the Luberon is also
a favorite. On the Cote D'Azur, I never feel like i'm in Provence, though I find Cassis charming. Most of my inland Provencal friends, consider the Cote D'Azur something else/

We had a WONDERFUL trip in July 2007. I did a trip report. Click on my name and search back to 2007 to find it. I am sorry I don't know how to put the "address" here. Maybe someone will enlighten me.

Echnaton.......what a cultivated and cultured fellow you are and many thanks for the lecture.
Just a couple of points. Provence stretches from the Italian border to the Rhone. Gallia Narbonensis was the Roman name for the area between the Alps and the Pyrenees. With time, the name became definitively attached to the eastern part of Gallia Narbonensis, the area to the east of the Rhone, whose capital was a town called Aquae Sextiae, the town now known as Aix-en-Provence.
The name: from the Latin 'provincia'
It was the first Province of the Roman Empire (they took it from the Greeks) and thus called simply 'the Province' - Provincia.
Lastly it's Les Baux........there'e no E in it, and you don't need to be on a horse to see flamingoes in the Carmargue, you can see them from the road.
From one SA to another, but at least this one checked the facts.

In the Camargue there are lookout platforms where you can see the flamingoes. I was more thrilled seeing a dozen white wild horses with their manes flying.

Thanks so much to all of you for taking the time to give me all of this very valuable information. I greatly appreciate it. How much of a hindrance will it be that I don't speak French?

not a hindrance as long as you remeber to always greet a shop person or anyone with bonjour and au revoir. Curtesy is very important to the French. Many Amrticans get a cold shoulder because the forgot that simple rule and think the French rude.

Another question, what's the cheapest way to fly to France and get to Provence? I would be flying out of Boston as I live in Maine. I actually live on the ocean and was considering doing a house exchange? Any feedback on this?

Will the lavender fields be in bloom in late June?