which city in provence to stay?
 

My wife and I are planning a trip to France. Which city in Provence would be best to stay? And how long should we stay in the area to do it right?

Do a search on the "France" forum for "Provence Hotels" . <BR>There have been several similar questions recently and many good replies. <BR>Hope this helps

My preference is to stay near or in St. Remy. It has everything, near many sites, but not as big of a city as Aix or Avignon. However, it depends on what you want to do in Provence. It is a big region and you need to base yourself close to sites that you most want to see.

We spent the last week of our two weeks in France in Provence. We stayed in Orange for three nights and just outside Aix the last half. While Orange and Aix are not far apart, I thought in planning the trip that I could cover the parts of Provence I wanted to see better by basing ourselves in these two areas. I bought the Michelin green book on Provence and by reading this and asking questions on this site, made my decisions. There is much to see and do and even though I carefully planned our days, we still didn't see all that I wanted to see. I guess that means we will have to return! We could have devoted the entire two weeks to Provence and still not done everything I wanted to do. So, do your research, plan and do the best you can and have fun. Good luck.

The first time I went to Provence, I stayed in Avignon. I enjoyed it very much, but the next time, I stayed in Gordes for four nights and Arles for three nights and liked it even more. I'm going back soon and will stay in a small town (thinking Loumarin, Goult or Bonnieux) because I love the atmosphere in the small hilltowns. However, it depends upon what you like to do. Obviously, I'm not done yet, because I keep planning my next trip to Provence...and the one after that.

If you have a car then finding a place near St. Remy would be the best. Avignon was my favorite city. The scenery is beautiful and the driving is just as much a treat as seeing the sights. You probably want to find lodging somewhere between Avignon and Arles if you have a car. If you have to rely on public transportation that I would look in Avignon.