Hi all,

I had planned a day visiting The Colorado de Provence** (near Rustrel) and then Bonnieux*, LaCoste, Menerbes* and Oppede*.

I could also drive through the Gorge de l'Ardeche***, visit the cave at Aven d'Orgnac** and see a bit of Orange**.

I can't do both.

Please help me decide.

Thanx


The * are Michelin Green Guide ratings.

Hi, Ira--

The Ardèche gorgegets my vote--the views from the corniche are first rate. The Aven d'Orgnac is, I think, a must-see that doesn't get a lot of press and is a really amazing experience. Note that you will have to climb the equivalent of 8 to 10 stories to return to the top of the cave itself; there are elevators that go up to and down from the entrance.

In Orange you can see the Roman amphitheater and triumphal arch fairly quickly, leaving you adequate time for the Ardèche region.

Hi U,

> Note that you will have to climb the equivalent of 8 to 10 stories to return to the top of the cave itself;....<

The Michelin Green Guide says one has to go DOWN 778 steps and that there is an elevator to the top.

Are they wrong?

Ira

You've seen the Tarn, which is better than the Ardeche, IMO. You've also visited several caves in the Dordogne & surrounding area. Orange is one of my least favorite cities in Provence, and just about every time I've visited the ampitheater, it's been covered with stage props.

The Luberon is one of my favorite regions in Provence. I've only driven around the Colorado, & thought it was a little over-rated.

Are you visiting Gordes & Roussillon on another day - perhaps after the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue? If so, unless the Rustel really appeals to you and if you're also planning on driving through the Luberon countryside (on the Luberon Drive in my Itinerary) while visiting Gordes & Roussillon - then I would head to the Ardeche.

IMO, the Luberon countryside itself is a ** site.

Stu Dudley

Thanks much, Stu,

>Are you visiting Gordes & Roussillon on another day - perhaps after the market in l'Isle sur la Sorgue?<

Yes.

>... unless the Rustel really appeals to you and if you're also planning on driving through the Luberon countryside (on the Luberon Drive in my Itinerary) while visiting Gordes & Roussillon - then I would head to the Ardeche. <

The Ardeche it is, then.

Orange is not much except for the ampitheater.
After Verdon and the Tarn, the others pale.
Don't overlook the Alpilles, very different than
the Luberon with its knarled olive trees twisted by the Mistral.

Thanks, cigal.

I'll look into it.

Ira -

Either one of your options will be a truly fine day - depends what you're in the mood for...

Stu -

While I'll freely admit the Colorado is small-time compared to the National Parks in the SW US, it's still very beautiful and one of my top places around for a casual walk. And I love the fact that it is totally laid-back and non commercial. In fact, entrance is free - you just need to park out on the road. Next time your in town, we'll have to go over so I can convince you that it at least deserves its rating !!

-Kevin

First hand, my vote would go clearly for the Ardeche-Orange option.

Probably the best way to enjoy the Ardeche would be by canoeing (we once did it and had a lot of fun).

I would not underrate Orange. The Greek Theater IS spectacular and unique in Provence. Orange also has a fine arc de triomphe. You would spend most of the day at the Ardeche anyway and the Theater would make a good contrast.

Option 1, the Luberon, would mostly be mild scenery. The Colorado de Rustrel is for many Europeans the only option to see yellowish-reddish mudhills. For anyone who has been to the Southwest of the USA, it would be not worth to mention. Other options in the area are the Abbay de Senanque, Gordes and the Fontaine de Vaucluse.

hi ira,

my vote is for gorges de l'ardeche ...

we were in provence in october. there is an elevator to get to the top of the cave. didn't find anything physically strenuous at all ... although, the cave was a bit chilly - bring a jacket.

if you have the time, park the car and walk out to vallon pont d'arc - wished we did that.

here's my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35162199

Let me understand correctly: there is now an elevator at the bottom of the actual cave, not just from ground level down to the cave's entrance? If so, boy, do I wish it had been there when we visited!

yep, we walked down to the entrance of the cave and took the elevator up.

btw - ira, the tour @ aven d'orgnac is in FRENCH.

I'm still confused. There's an elevator that goes from ground level down to the entrance of the cave. From there one follows a path to the bottom (a goodly distance), where during our visit there was a sort of son-et-lumière display. Then we climbed many stairs back to the level with the elevator to return to the surface.

No more stairs?

hi underhill - stairs on the way down to the 'start' of the tour, then we followed the path throughout the cave system (some stairs going down involved here) and then elevator all the way back up to the top.

when were you last there? we visited in october 2008.

Well, that is a great improvement! We were there somewhere around 1999.

Ira...

Have you decided?

Hi all,

Thanks for all of the advice.

We shall do one day for the Gorges and the cave. If there is time, we shall make a short stop in Orange.

On another day, we shall drive out to Colorado and return via Oppede, LaCost, etc.

Another day we shall visit Gordes, Rousillon, etc.

We shall be staying at http://www.hotel-en-provence.com/ang...efault-ang.htm in Graveson.

We will also visit Uzes, the Pont du Gard, Nimes and Arles.

Did I miss anything?

Yes, I would suggest Les Antiques (two impressive monuments, south of St. Remy - takes just minutes) and Les Baux (ruined medieval village in scenic surroundings). Maybe Aigues-Mortes (walled medieval city) - but only if time allows.

hi ira,

how long are you going for and when??

arles is nice ... and the saturday market was a lot of fun! and if you're into markets, then the carpentras market was the biggest of the ones we visited.

If ancient ruins are on your list, try to make time to visit Glanum. It's a Greco/Roman town not far from St-Rémy, and there's a good little museum of the archaeological finds from the site. What's left of the town gives quite a good idea of the original.

Here's a bit of my article on the Aven d'Orgnac that I wrote for the bonjourparis.com web site (I'd provide the link, but it's gone with the transfer to a new site).

THE AVEN D’ORGNAC: A VERY BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND

by Jean Underhill


On one of our stays in our favorite village of Le Poët-Laval, we found ourselves with a day to spare. We pulled out our battered green Michelin Guide for the region and perused the handy map in the front that rated nearby attractions. Our eyes fell on two sights bordered in green, the guide’s way of giving them 3*: “worth a journey,” just like 3* restaurants. The first not-to-be missed sight was the Ardèche gorge; the second was the Aven d’Orgnac, one of France’s most celebrated caves. The combination seemed like a good way to spend the day.

The road to the Ardèche gorge leads across the Rhône river on the St.-Esprit bridge, where two major roads intersect. Traffic was light at our hour of the morning, and we zipped up the N86 on our way to one of those interesting, twisty yellow roads shown on the Michelin map. (I should have remembered the time my husband proudly showed me one of those when we were in Annecy, telling me that our route through Switzerland to Italy would be very scenec. It was, especially looking straight down a 10,000-foot mountain from a corkscrew road with nothing between us and the edge.)

We turned off onto the corniche road that wound round and round the Ardèche gorge toward the Belvedere de la Corniche lookout. “Spectacular” doesn’t begin to describe the incredible view—and “numerous” falls far short of describing the number of turns in the road. As we meandered along, we saw below us kayakers floating slowly along the river, which glistened far below in the bright sunlight, and tiny figures sitting on rocks along the shore.

Eventually we reached the D579 and turned south, aiming for L’Aven d’Orgnac. After a drive of about half an hour we found ourselves in a dirt parking lot. Following the signs, we arrived at the ticket window of what was a surprisingly large building in the rather desolate fields, baking in the sun of late August.

We bought our tickets, went inside, and were happy to find elevators to take us down. And down. And down. After a long ride we exited into a sort of antechamber leading to an enormous, high cavern. We followed the path that wound down toward the cave’s bottom, stopping to admire the fantastic formations along the way and revelling in the cool, dry air.

Visiting the cave requires good leg muscles. It took us a long time to get to the bottom of the chamber, and our calves were aching by the time we finally staggered off the steps onto a more level path that led to a particularly fine group of stalagmites and stalactites. As we stood admiring their complexity and beauty, colored lights suddenly bathed the formations in a dramatic mix of green and red and gold, while a rousing rendition of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” blared out at us. Our eyes met, and we knew we were both thinking “Only in France….”