Day Trips from Provence?

Hello! My husband and i are planning a week-long trip at the end of March. We will not have a car, and Nice seems like the best place from which to take day trips. Then we would like to move west to Provence. What would be a comparably good home base in the area? We want something Peter Mayle-ish and lavendar-y (please excuse the poor descriptors), but not so remote that we won%26#39;t be able to get around without a car. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

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Hi PC

In western Provence and you want to see the Luberon you WILL need a car. Foe accommodation check out Luberon B%26amp;Bs on this site.

Rgds

Wilko

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Hi

I agree with Wilko. In this area you need a car to get the best out of your holiday.

The public transport does not take you to the small Provencal villages which I am sure you want to see. Even if you were to base yourself in Isle sur la Sorgue, i think you nees a car to visit the villages.

Look at accomodation on tripadvisor in the area around Isle sur la sorgue and you will be centrally located

Good Luck

ESCARGOT

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If you are anticipating fields of purple lavender, sorry but not in March. Lavender blooms in June through August.

You will definitely need a car if you want a Mayle-ish experience. He lived just a few kilometers from the town of Bonnieux althought you don%26#39;t have to go there to see what he wrote about.

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I like Nice and regularly spend the odd weekend there.

For the real Provence experience though I would fly into Marseille or TGV to Avignon, hire a car and head for the Luberon.

The driving is easy and there are so many villages and things to see and do.

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I also suggest hiring a car, we have done this route many times and found no problems driving in France.

You will enjoy the countryside and this can only really be done by driving. In Nice you do have the options of trains but still it does not give you the freedom you need to explore this region.

Driving in Europe to us is a breeze even on the wrong side of the road, the roads are very well sign posted and the freeways are terrific.

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Greetings Pattycake,

I guess you%26#39;ll agree that the concensus would be to rent a car, which is the only practical way to visit a number of towns in the provence area. Basing yourself in Arles, might be a consideration also. This could be your hub, and then some possible day trips to

Nimes, St.Remy, Avignon, Les Baux, and even try to get to Aix-en-Provence. There is so much to see to get the true feeling of the area, but whatever, it will be etched for life. You can feel the passion of all who write, that they share their own wonderful experiences. Now go for it, and enjoy!

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At the risk of %26quot;piling on%26quot; I will add my voice to those who are telling you to rent a car. Driving in France is easy and in March you will not be contending with other tourists and/or herds of tourist coaches.

If you must try to see western Provence without a car Avignon would be your best base IMO. You can get from there to Arles, Nîmes, Tarascon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille — even Orange and l%26#39;Isle-sur-la-Sorgue — in an hour or less by train, but these are all fairly sizeable towns or cities..

If you want a %26quot;Peter Mayle-ish%26quot; experience there is no way to explore that aspect of Provence without a car.

Rent a car, get a good Michelin map of the region at 1:200 000 scale and have fun enjoying more or less empty back roads and some of the loveliest scenery anywhere, both along the coast from the Italian border to Marseille and almost anywhere inland from there.

Bonne route!

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Thank you so much for all your advice! I live in Manhattan and I haven%26#39;t actually driven a car in about ten years so I%26#39;ll either have to stick to bigger cities or start practicing!

Thanks again. You all are wonderful. You have inspired me to check out the NYC forums and see if I can help anyone.

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The most practical place to stay in Provence is Aix-en-Provence. It is a truly beautiful town with a real ambience of the region. It has very good public transport links with a regular train service to Marseille and bus services to Arles, Cassis, Marseille airport etc..

It is easy to get to Aix from Nice by train with a connection in Marseilles St. Charles station.

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Pattycake- as a reminder, the cars available will be a stick shiftt- keep that in mind when renting and practicing! (As an automatic-only driver, my SO is always our driver in Europe!) Automatc cars may sometimes be available, but at a much higher cost.

And reserve from the US on the web, prices should be cheaper.

OttoCal