iregeo2

Hi all! It's been a long time, and I hope you are all well. I used to hang out here a lot, many many years ago. I'm back to pick your well travelled brains.

I will be meeting a friend in France following her 10 days in Paris. We wish to travel together for another 10-12 days. After perusing the Michelin Green Guide on France, I am eyeing Provence, where neither of us have been before. That said, I know you have.

We are both well travelled, and enjoy art, architecture, history, photography, food, scenery, walking, relaxing. We are not interested in a different locale each day, preferring instead to base out of one or two areas, to experience a local feel. We will look to stay in smaller hotels or b and b's, or preferably, an apartment or house. We will drive, train, and/or fly, as currently I have no flight reservations at all.

My next step is to scour the forum for information, but I thought I'd give this post a whirl.

How would you do this trip?

Thanks!

StCirq

What time of year would this be?

isabel

I based in St Remy on my last trip to the area and loved it. Great town itself plus very central to a lot of places. You could easily spend a week. Then I'd move to Aix or Marseille (and do the other as a day trip). Or if you prefer a slightly faster pace and want a third location then move on to either Nice or Vence.

Here's the trip report from my most recent trip to the area - Photo Safari to the south of France, the Italian Rivera and the Swiss Alps

Photos at: https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f667172952

iregeo2

Late September into Early October, this year.

iregeo2

Thanks Isabel!

Underhill

Late September/early October should bring very nice weather. Are you interested in seeing the coast or being primarily inland? As you already know, there is much to see in Provence. Consult the Michelin recommended itineraries for a start, both in the Guides and at viamichelin.com, and see where those would take you. The other question is whether you want to tour western or eastern Provence (aka the Côte d'Azur). With the amount of time, you could do a bit of both, concentrating on Roman history and the Luberon hilltop towns in the west and then the beautiful scenery along the coast in the east.

For architecture you will certainly want to visit the Pont du Gard, and both Arles and Nîmes for other Roman edifices. The Greek/Roman settlement ruins at Glanum are well worth a visit, too.

If you decide to head to eastern Provence, you'll want to read the Michelin Guide to the Côte d'Azur. There you have to decide on whether you want to be by the coast or inland. I highly recommend Domaine les Cigalles, a charming, almost luxurious B&B near the small town of Mouans-Sartoux, off the beaten tourist track. There's a modern-art museum in the town. Over the hill to Vence takes you to the Matisse chapel; just down the road is the fine Maeght Fondation art museum.

Then there's Nice, my favorite city in France. Much to see in art terms: the superb Chagall museum, the Matisse museum, the Musée des Beaux Arts (splendid Dufy collection as well as some surprising Impressionist paintings).

You'll have a great time in Provence no matter your choices. Enjoy!

tomboy

Maybe Domme in the West; near Sarlat, but not IN Sarlat

Maybe St. Remy in the East.

zoecat

i recommend staying here-
Bed and Breakfast - Luberon B&B - Provence - a beautiful inn located in the Luberon Park in the heart of Provence.

it it is a lovely property surrounded by a vineyard and very central for exploring the Luberon and beyond. The owners are fantastic. The small village within walking distance has several great places to eat and 2 bakeries.

StCirq

tomboy, Domme is HOURS from where the OP is headed. It's only a few kilometers outside Sarlat. Unless the OP wants to split this trip up into one segment in Provence and one in the Dordogne, this would not make sense.

iregeo2

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Time to sit down with a map and plot this out.

iregeo2

Any comments about the village of Egalieres?

KarenWoo

We have been to Eygalieres several times because our daughter lives in Provence, and we love to visit Eygalieres when we are there. In fact, we were just there this past April. Eygalieres is not a touristy town; it is not a town that was renovated for tourism. They have a wonderful Friday market. And whenever we have been there, we haven't heard any English. It's primarily local French people who go to the market. Once we did meet some people from Belgium who were sitting next to us in a restaurant. There is a cafe, Cafe Progress, right in front of the market, where we have had good lunches. On Fridays only, they serve a delicious fish dish. there is another excellent restaurant we have been to but I don't remember the name. There is also a castle in Eygalieres, but we have not gone there yet. I think you have to walk uphill quite a bit (can't drive there), and we have always been there with our little grandchildren and didn't feel like pushing them uphill in strollers. Anyways, if you are looking for a place off the beaten tourist track, I think Eygalieres is a great place!

iregeo2

Thank you KarenWoo.

kja

Assuming you mean Eygalieres, I agree with KarenWoo that it is a charming little place, well worth a (brief) visit. For me, it is too little to use as a base; YMMV.

KarenWoo

I might have misunderstood the OP. I wasn't suggesting Eygalieres as a base because it is small. I am recommending it as a place for a half day visit or so, especially on a Friday to see the market, have lunch, and perhaps visit the castle. We really like Eygalieres because it is not over crowded with tourists.

jpie

People here know we love Uzès which is a good size and that time of year will be less crowded than the summer. But if you want your base more central then St Remy is probably a better choice since it is about as central as you can get. And for larger base lots of folks love Aix-en-Provence and Nimes is also getting more popular.

iregeo2

Thanks. I really appreciate your input.

kja

Uzes is charming, but a bit west of Provence and so best, IMO, if one is hoping to explore western Provence and Gard.

jpie

Yes as I mentioned Uzès is more west of the "true" Provence area, and for first time visitors I would suggest that you stay more centrally just because if you don't explore the cities that are considered the heart of the Provence you may feel like you are missing out. That said, after visiting the region for many decades we much prefer the western part of the region which is really more Languedoc simply because it tends to be not quite as busy or expensive during peak times, but given your dates I don't think that is as big an issue. Also if you like to drive then even staying further west or splitting your stays will of course allow you to see more adjoining areas. I personally love to drive so I don't mind moving around more than some folks. But if that isn't your cup of tea you probably will want to be more central.

iregeo2

Checking back in. I've read the Provence Green Guide and so many posts here, and my head is swimming with information. Please help me to narrow things down and pencil out an itinerary that will allow us toleisurely enjoy the region. Here is our broadest framework

Sept. 25 - Arrive CDG from LAX
Sept. 25, 26 - Paris on my own, OR, TGV to Aix and meet my friend there on 9/27
Sept. 27 - meet my friend in Paris and TGV to Provence (city TBD based on itinerary plan)
Oct. 9 - Fly home from Nice

We will rent a car in Provence, returning in Nice. We know we want to see the Carrieres de Lumieres in Les Baux, some Luberon hill towns and Aix-en-Provence. We want to see art museums, gardens and generally enjoy the culture, food and pace of the region. We plan to skip Marseille on this trip.

We initially thought of basing out of St. Remy for several days, then moving to Aix before taking a scenic drive to Nice. While that is certainly an option, what about a little more off the beaten path? Is St. Remy very touristy? Would you suggest a smaller village (or two) as a base? We would love a small, charming accommodation, preferably with 2 bedrooms, where we can relax, have breakfast, have dinner options in the village, and still be central for day trips.

What would be your dream itinerary for this time period?

Can someone send me Stu Dudley's Provence and Nice Guidelines? [email protected]

Thanks so much for your time.