Which town to pick in Provence?
 

We will be in Provence in June for 3-4 nights with our 9 & 11 year old daughters. We're planning on renting a car but don't want to spend lots of time in the car with the kids - keeping trips to 30 minutes is best. We would like to stay in a charming a small town and do the 'slow travel' thing after spending 5 days in Paris. Maybe take a cooking class, visit a castle and see a couple of towns but we won't worry about hitting every site. We'll arrive on a Thursday and will leave on Sunday or Monday. I've considered staying at Les Olivettes in Lourmarin because it has a nice grounds, a pool and good space and we can still walk to town for dinner. However, I'm worried that Lourmarin is too far from other places. And, what is the drive like to Lourmarin? We are happy to drive but don't want to feel like we might fall off the side of a mountain! :)

Any thoughts?

www.lecalendal.com Arles my fav

small town vibe where Van Gough painted

"Starry Night"

Yep - Lourmarin is a little "too removed" from the main sites in Provence. Not too many castles in Provence either. Perhaps consider St Remy as a base - and increase your tolerance for time in the car to 45 min so you can explore the Luberon, Pont du Gard, Uzes, Dentelles (wine area), and even a trip to Lourmarin.

Stu Dudley

Carpentras is centrally located. About 40 minutes to Roussillon, Vaison-la-Romaine, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Gordes, etc.

Yes, Arles is very nice.

Aix is nice also. Hub and I stayed at Aqua Bella and loved it. Pool, restaurant and walking distance to many restos and market.

http://www.aquabella.fr/

Forgot to say extremely nearby garage.

St Remy is a good choice. We have also stayed in Les Baux which has a number of other towns within 45 minutes.

I don't remember the drive to/from Lourmarin has being difficult, but I just went through it going from Marseille to somewhere else in the Luberons where I was staying (I think Roussillon that trip). I wouldn't want to stay there for any particular reason, it's not that close to anything you probably want to see or do. I do sort of recall one windy road going north from there, but it was daytime in the summer and I wasn't in a hurry. Probalby the part of D943 before you hit Bonnieux.

I wouldn't stay in Lourmarin in your situation.

Les Baux is very close to St.-Remy.

every year, We stayed mostly in the Alpilles but always visited the Luberon, particularly Lourmarin where we like to lunch and it has a favorite shop of mine. It's no big deal getting to what you want to see or go.

P'S. We went for lunch to the Cote D'azure for lunch at a friend's hotel. Were back very early, long before dinner time

Thank you for all of the great ideas. We'll be taking the train in from Paris and then renting a car. I assume it makes sense to train into Avignon, rent the car there and then drive to the town we chose. Is that the best option?

We stayed in Lourmarin a few years ago - it is the perfect base to explore the hill towns of the Luberon, and there is a castle right in the town. It is a long haul from Lourmarin to Arles and Avignon, but the countryside of the Luberon area is far more scenic than around Arles and Avignon.

To answer the OP's question, yes, train to Avignon and driving from there works well for most of inland Provence. The TGV station is south of Avignon. There are many car rental offices there, and it's a short drive to St.-Remy in particular. Where would you drop off the car?

we stayed a week in Lourmarin. It is a lovely village. The drive is difficult and you would not want to be on the road after dark.

We plan to be in the area around that time as well. How are you getting there? From Paris or Barcelona or???? We must fly form NY.

otto2
I think I replied to your e-mail. Provence is only 3 hrs away from the CDG airport or Paris. That's the best way to get to Provence, IMO, unless you can fly to Marseille or Nice directly.

Stu Dudley

We've stayed in a tiny village just south of Nimes often because a friend has a place, and based on that experience I think the Arles recommendation is a great one. One direction puts you into the Camargue, with the friendly beach at Ste. Marie d.l.Mere at the end of the highway; if you go further west you have the epic walled town of Aigues Mortes (and further south the beach resort at Le Grau de Roi). Toward Nimes, Saint-Gilles is a small town with a great market and a tiny pretty church up top, you can drive through the narrow lanes through vineyards to get to bitty Generac where you can buy tasty boudin-rouge and nice local wines, Nimes itself has a great center, and north of that (if you can handle a longer drive) Uzes is gorgeous, with the Pont Du Gard on the way back south. From Arles you can also easily get to spectacular Les Baux, and St. Remy (for Van Gogh's asylum), though these are a bit more than 30 minutes but well worth it.

Mimar - I assumed the best plan was to pick up and drop off the car in Avignon. After we drop it off, we'll take the train to Antibes and spend 3 days there without our a car. What do you think?

Otto2 - We are flying into Paris and spending a few days there. Then we'll train to Avignon and rent a car for 4 days. After Provence, we'll take the train to Antibes and eventually fly out of Nice. I think there are direct flights from JFK to Nice.

I'd be inclined to keep the car until Antibes. Although you might have to pay a bit extra to drop at another location.

You could stop in Aix-en-Provence en route or maybe check out the calanques from Cassis, also en route -- kinda.