My opinion of Fountain Vaucluse:
a 15 minute walk to it from parking
get to it, it's a pond at the bottom of a 50' deep hole.
return to car

Depends if you visit the Fontaine when it’s really flowing, tomboy, which is fairly likely in late February. We saw it at a good moment one May, and the whole scene reminded me of Rivendell. And then we visited the small, well-curated, sobering museum of life and resistance in Vichy France. Easy to drop by if visiting I’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

Fontaine de Vaucluse is rated as “Worth the Journey” by the Michelin Green Guide, the highest rating. That’s because of multiple historic sites as well as its dream of a setting. If you want more info, I recommend looking up its listing here:

www.Provenceweb.fr

this is an excellent resource for info about Provence, especially villages.

Oh, it looks like we're getting to the fun point of planning now. It always starts once the "final plan" has been announced. :serious:

Thanks joannyc. i was hoping to stay right in town in Aix but I guess a 12 min walk isn't too bad ;-). Shelemm, I did mean to add Roussillon to my list. I know it is supposed to be beautiful. I think Fontaine de Vaucluse will have to wait our next trip. Kerouac, yeah, never say never or final, right :-)

I'm still working away on our trip. Really appreciate everyone's input. It has been very helpful. Keep your comments and suggestions coming. I'm having a hard time finding accommodations in St. Remy. Just when I think I've found something I look at the reviews and they aren't so good.

You could, depending upon your arrival time, catch a TGV to the Aix-en-Provence TGV directly from CDG. They have multiple no change trains in the 3 to 3.5 hour range. You'd be at the TGV outside the city itself, but could, via public transport, be in Aix itself in about an hour.

thanks apersuader65! That is my next assignment. Do you have a specific site your recommend using? I have to look at best train options from CDG to Aix on Feb. 21st. (arriving as early in the day as possible) and then on Feb. 28th from Avignon back to CDG (arriving as early in the day as possible. I'm out of town for a few days but will share my findings and see if you have any suggestions. Merci

OP CC,
Maybe try to time your Lourmarin visit to coincide with its excellent Friday market?
Best cherry tomatoes ever and probably best lemon pie ever. Not to mention genuine 'home-cooked' pret-manger stalls and much more.
We literally delayed our departure from Lourmarin to include a second Friday, solely to purchase those market items again!
I am done. the Provencal popotes

Hello Zebec, My mouth is watering and my stomach growling. I'm going to make that a must do. I'm going to look at our dates to work it out. Thank you for the recommendation.

I have another question for all you global travelers out there. We are taking the train from Paris to Aix. Then a Tax to our hotel in Aix (town center). We will stay in Aix for 3 days and then pick up a Hertz car rental and drive to St. Remy. It looks like there are two Hertz locations but it is kind of confusing. I need one closes to the center of town. Do you know if these are correct locations and which is closes?TGV Gare Ferroviaire - Hertz - Route De L'arbois Departamentale 9, 13290 Aix En Provence, 13592, Aix En Provence +33 04 42 69 31 10

Voiture A Aix-En-Provence Gare TGV -- Gare d'Aix en Provence-TGV, 13290 Aix-en-Provence, France

We will have the car for 5 days and then drive to Avignon to drop the car off at the Train station and taking the TGV into Paris. Does this look like the correct Hertz location in Avignon at train station. 33 (0) 4 32 74 62 80
As always, I appreciate your thoughts and help.

You can use Google maps to determine the distance between these train stations and your hotel.

Ciaociao, I do believe there is only one Hertz location in Aix and it is the one way out at the TGV station. Be aware that it is located about 8 km out of town so you would have to take a cab back out to the station for car pick up. When we were there earlier this year, I excluded renting from Hertz for that reason as we wanted an in-town pickup location. For example Sixt and Europcar have central office locations.

As for Avignon, the location on the map in your post above is the correct one and about 1,000 feet away from the station (walkable).

Sorry just to be clear, both addresses for Hertz at Aix that you have in your post are in fact the same location, expressed 2 different ways.

OP CC,
Maybe our TR below will have some usefulness? It is loooong, it is six years old and it includes exact details about where those stalls are located within the Lourmarin market.
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-echo-1661119/
I am done. the Provencal

Easier to drive away from Aix TGV than out of the downtown, no? But kanadajin will know better about that.

Your hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the Aix bus station (Gare routière) from which regular shuttle buses leave for Marseille airport, with a stop at the Aix TGV. That will be a good option if you are (a) not lugging too much luggage and (b) firm in your intention to use Hertz.

autoeurope.com will give you a quick comparison of rates from all the operators willing to let you leave from Aix and drop back to Avignon.

Hi FTOttawa :) You raise a good point but I personally feel it is a non issue for 2 reasons.

1- Both the Sixt and Europcar agencies are on Blvd de la République; just drive down the street from the pick up point (very straightforward) and then you are just next to a highway leading out towards North or NE or NW, or optionally to get on the autoroute (toll). This sounds as if it would be right in the direction the OP is going, easy peasy just a few traffic lights and off you go. I did just this.

2- The TGV station is located in the opposite direction (SW) not all that far from the Marignane (Marseille) airport actually. Picking up the car there would imply that OP would then have to retrace his steps, going back towards Aix and circumvalating it (is that a word?) before heading towards where I believe he is looking to go. This option IMO is more time consuming and confusing for navigating (look at a road map to see what I mean), not to mention the taxi/shuttle fare.

In any case, both can be made to work. If Hertz is significantly cheaper than the competition it may be worth it. My 2 euro cents.

I did say kanadajin would know better...

FTOttawa, kanadajin, and zebec,

Thank you all. I don’t know what I would do with you guys. What an amazing community of people! Zebec, I will definitely look at your trip report. I’m sure it will be enticing and helpful. FTOttawa and kanadajin, thanks for the options and ideas regarding car rental. I was a little confused with the Hertz location in Aix but your confirmation helped. We have status with Hertz because we use them a lot but….I’m going to look into Europcar and Sixt. At least I know what is ahead of us.

Merci 😊

You may want to look at AutoEurope.com and kemwel.com for rental cars also.

Thanks joannyc. I will do that! On another note, I would love to know if anyone of you have favorite restaurants in Aix, St. Remy and Paris. We will try lunches, etc. throughout Provence but for dinners, we generally lie to eat in the towns we are staying so we can walk to dinner or taxi if necessary. This is one of my favorite parts of planning.

Santé!

In Aix: My dinner at La Tomate Verte was wonderful. https://www.latomateverte-restaurant.com/