I am finally planning my two-week itineray for Provence. After much deliberation, I decided to just go solo. Why wait? My plan is to fly to Paris CDG in late June this year and take the TGV to Avignon
I am finally planning my two-week itineray for Provence. After much deliberation, I decided to just go solo. Why wait?
My plan is to fly to Paris CDG in late June this year and take the TGV to Avignon. I'm wondering how long to stay in Avignon. Is seven nights too long? I'd also like to spend some time in Aix, as I hear it's a wonderful place. Can anyone recommend a village for a night or two (or three) that will not be so quiet?
I will not be renting a car. I am thinking of the logistics of the trip and how to make it go smoothly. I'm a single young 50ss (of course!) female and fluent in French.
Seven days is too long for Avignon itself, but it is a wonderful base for someone who will be without a car. Public transportation options aren't plentiful once you get away from the population centers, and Avignon has the most to offer in this regard. The tourist office there can direct you to all manner of day tours of the wine country, the Luberon villages, and probably for you at the time you are going the lavender fields (they are sure in July and probable in late June). You can also take the train to Arles or the bus to Uzes, St-Remy, Les Baux, and Pont du Gard. So I think Avignon would be a wonderful base for a week.
I don't know how long you want in Aix. Aix is more of a place to be than a place to see, if you know what I mean. It is very picturesque, but it's light on sights. On the other hand, it is one of the most charming places I have ever been, so if you are looking for a small historic city in which to relax for a few days, it's tops in Provence.
A village that is not so quiet is a bit of an oxymoron, as villages by their nature are quiet places. However, St-Remy is a larger village that might meet your requirements and is still reasonably connected by bus. From St-Remy you can bus to Arles and Les Baux, and if you are in St-Remy on a Wednesday, you can enjoy its large farmers market. BTW Arles has a huge market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Aix has small markets daily and large ones on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I would not want to visit Provence without experiencing one of the markets!
Thanks alot Road Crazy, this is very helpful. I'll plan on Avignon for the most part and take tours from there. I can decide how many days to spend in Aix and/or St. Remy.
From another Barbara Ann who was in Provence in November. If you have the time, visit Lyon and Beaune. Lyon is considered the gastronomical capital of France and there are several excellent restaurants (think Paul Bocuse, he has five there). Be sure to see the Cathedral and the Basilica as well as the Old Town. In Beaune, the Hospital Dieu, the medieval charity hospital, is well worth a visit. In Beaune, there are many wine tasting rooms as well. Look at the train schedules on Rail Europe to see if you can make a day trip from Avignon (really, a full day in Avignon is probably plenty). A TGV train requires reservations while the regionals do not. Arles, St. Remy and Les Baux are very interesting places, but you should be able to cover much of that with a day in each. Watch out on souvenirs ... I felt that unless pottery or tablecloths said specifically "Made in France," that they were mass produced elsewhere.
If you decide on that trip (or others), you're best off NOT booking your tickets through Rail Europe, which not only does not list all trains, but doesn't list all the discounts and best prices.
Since you're fluent in French, http://voyages.sncf.fr wil be your best bet (for those who prefer English, it's mirrored on http:/www.tgv-europe.com, which doesn't list just TGV). Tickets are usually purchasable (and with discounts) about 90 days in advance, but check other posts here for good discount strategies.
The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectation.
2 days at the most for Avignon. I personally didn't like Avignon as much as Aix en Provence. Avignon is a bit "délabré" and even if that was a few years ago, I can't think it would have changed that much yet. Rent a car and drive around in the Provence and the Luberon, would be my advise.
I did this trip about 15 years ago, when I first retired. My base was Aix (delightful) where I rented a car. The best of Provence is to be found on the smaller, back roads. I don't know if buses would take you there. As a previous writer noted, Arles is not that nice. The smaller villages are much more interesting. The train, by the way, was packed solid so get your seat in advance.
An add-on note to Wild Flower's recommendation: If you decide on that trip (or others), you're best off NOT booking your tickets through Rail Europe, which not only does not list all trains, but doesn't list all the discounts and best prices. Since you're fluent in French, http://voyages.sncf.fr wil be your best bet (for those who prefer English, it's mirrored on http://tgv-europe.com, which doesn't list just TGV). Tickets are usually purchasable (and with discounts) about 90 days in advance, but check other posts here for good discount strategies. The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectation. Posted by PHeymont
See if there's a bus tour to Orange. The Roman theater there is spectacular- possible the best Roman ruin in all of France. There's a recorded, do-it-yourself tour. The right tour will stop in chateaux-neuf-du-pape on the way back for a wine tasting. or you could rent a car for the day. That trip is very easy driving on a country road with little traffic.
We used Avignon as a base from Provence several years ago. Agree with earlier posters that it is a good base for public transportation and that the town itself doesn't offer much after the first day. There was a train/bus strike while we were there so we left a few days sooner than planned, so assuming you don't run into a transportation strike, you should be able to get to most of the places you'd like to see.
While in Avignon we stayed in a convent that had been converted to a hotel - great location and ambience.
We enjoyed Aix a lot and would go back. It's a great university town so a good place to just relax. If you like art, it is the home of Cezanne and you can visit his home. We stayed at a hotel associated with a historic spa (sorry can't remember the name). It was within walking distance of everything. Just something to consider with Aix. The TVG station is outside of town, you will need to transfer to a bus, at the TVG station to get into town, at least that was the case when we were there.
I agree with GingerK - Arles is wonderful. Big Wednesday and Saturday (I think) markets, transportation to the smaller villages. Avignon is just -- well, the Palais des Papes and the Pont d'Avignon. In Arles, the Hotel Calendal shines, it's centrally located, right across from the amazing Roman amphtitheatre, and with a very helpful staff. I also second all those who recommended St. Rémy, but don't expect any night life. The days are wonderful enough in Provence!!
To follow up on the post above that recommended Orange, I would not rent a car to go there. It is a 20-minute train ride from Avignon.
I found Arles pretty dead at night. I haven't been in Avignon in the evening, but the only place I know has some nightlife in the region is Aix-en-Provence, which as a university town always has something going on.
I am also attempting to make plans for my first trip to Provence for week to ten days for this May. I am a 71 year old male and always travel solo. I plan in using Avignon as my base because of it's accessibility by rail from Charles de Gaulle Airport. From Avignon I hope to make several day trips to the cities of Nimes, Arles and Orange. I do not drive and always depend on public transport. On my return to CDG, my current plans are to stopover in Lyon before I take the train to the airport. Your brief comments on Lyon are the most positive I've read and are encouraging. Would a two day layover be enough time to see the city? Also, am I correct in assuming that TGV Gare Lyon Part Dieu is the closest station to the city's center? Thank you.
Jeff41, I suggest you start your own thread to discuss Lyon - you will likely get more responses. Click the red Start New Discussion button to begin.
However, it makes no sense to go from Avignon to Paris and then go to Lyon. Lyon is only an hour plus a bit by TGV train from Avignon, and then it's another two hours or so from there up to Paris, rather than 2.5+ hours from Avignon to Paris and then 2+ hours from Paris back to Lyon. Some TGV runs from Avignon to Paris even include a stop in Lyon, or you can take other TGV routings from Avignon to Lyon. See Lyon en route.
Thank you for the response. The reason i've decided to stop in Lyon is to get myself closer to Paris CDG. I could, of course, stay in Paris again but that is not my objective. I wish to spend as much time as possible to the south of Paris and then head for CDG for my return flight.
In Response to Re: Provence for a Solo Traveler : PHeymont..... The url you posted for the English version ( http://tgv-europe.com) isn't valid. It can be found at: http://www.tgv-europe.com/ Posted by Parisfox
My husband and I went to Provence this summer. We took the fast train from Paris, which is great, but then we rented a car when we got to Avignon. I don't know how you get around without a car. Avignon was okay - but we loved St. Remy, Aix en Provence, and Arles is good. Then there are the perched villages - like Les Baux. We missed Luberon, which is where the lavender is. We also drove to the Camargue.
We found a travel agent at Liberty Travel, who only does France, so he was helpful.
