My friends and I are planning a trip to Provence and Cinque Terre mid-October for 10 days. We land in Nice and were planning to spend about 5 days exploring Provence (perhaps a day trip to Monte Carlo?) and taking a train (?) to Cinque Terre. We will be flying out of Milan.
We will NOT have a car. Can you provide us with must-see places that we can cover in the time frame we are there? Our interests include the outdoors, history and art. Also, from what I have read so far, St. Remy seems to be the top choice for a base. Any thoughts on that front and accommodation and transportation tips will be highly appreciated.
Merci!
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%26lt;%26lt;St. Remy seems to be the top choice for a base.%26gt;%26gt;
There are many of us who would not recommend St. Remy as a top choice for as base; Isle-sur-la-Sorgue or Gordes would be much higher on my list. As for someone without a car and only 5 days (one of which to be spent in Monte Carlo), you%26#39;ll want a location with much better access to public transportation than what is available from St. Remy.
If you absolutely will not rent a car, stay somewhere you%26#39;ll have reasonable access to trains and buses - as limited as bus service will be. My top choice is central Avignon which is arguably the transportation hub of this region. From Avignon you%26#39;ll have easy train access to Marseille, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Nimes (if you have an interest in Roman ruins), and points east. There%26#39;s also relatively good bus service to Pont du Gard (and Uzès), St. Remy (the service to Les Baux will be suspended for the year by October), and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and its wonderful markets.
These points alone will consume your available time.
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I agree with Sarastro. Everyone has their favorite area (and I wouldn%26#39;t recommend St. Remy even if you DID have a car), but if you plan to be here without a car, Avignon will be your best option for public transport and/or group (small or large) tours for the region.
Where-ever you stay, enjoy your holiday.
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Have I understood right? Are you staying in Nice first, then moving on? If not, I would suggest staying in Nice and using the excellent public transport there to follow up your interests.
Otherwise Avignon also gets a vote from me. Lots of history, good transport links etc. We%26#39;ve stayed at St Remy with transport, and enjoyed our visit to the general area, but without transport I wouldn%26#39;t contemplate it.
Jo
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Thank you all. We will be flying into Nice, yes but were thinking of staying in one of the smaller places in Provence and then walking/using the bus to get around.
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I tend to agree with the suggestion that you base yourselves in Nice and explore the places you can easily reach by train and/or bus from there. In mid-October as the days get shorter and the weather both colder and less reliably sunny and dry, I think there is a lot to be said for having the options of a city available.
Also you suggest, rather vaguely, a day trip to Monte Carlo. It would take about four hours each way to travel from Avignon to MC, not really a doable day trip.
If it is really western Provence you want to visit rather than the Côte d%26#39;Azur, I agree with the suggestion of Avignon as a base, and definitely NOT St. Rémy especially if you do not intend to rent a car.
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Hi all - I have looked into all your recommendations and was hoping for some feedback on our ideas.
1. We fly into Nice in the morning and check into a hotel there, go to Monte Carlo in the afternoon and head back to Nice for the night.
2. Take a train to Avignon from Nice the next day. I looked at raileurope.com and it seems to be a 6 hour journey with a stop in Toulouse.
3. Alternatively, we scratch out the Monte Carlo plan and instead take a train from Nice to Arles that same day we land.
4. From Arles we head to Avignon which appears to be the most popular recommendation for a base.
5. Spend the rest of the time using Avignon as a base to explore St Remy and other places.
We are not terribly attached to Monte Carlo but if it makes sense, would like to check it out. Any insight would be much appreciated!
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%26lt;%26lt;2. Take a train to Avignon from Nice the next day. I looked at raileurope.com and it seems to be a 6 hour journey with a stop in Toulouse.%26gt;%26gt;
Trains from Nice to Avignon should take from just under 3 hours to 3+30 depending upon which train you book. Advance purchase fares start at 22€.
I recommend you avoid the raileurope.com site as they sell tickets to Americans at prices higher than are available elsewhere.
Try to purchase tickets on line here:
www.voyages-sncf.com (in French only)
www.tgv-europe.com select UK as your country and pickup your tickets at any SNCF boutique or services window.
To pickup tickets you will need:
1. the reservation number
2. to present to the agent for inspection, the same credit card used for the on line purchase.
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Skip Monte Carlo. Spend the day in Nice, a VASTLY more interesting town IMO. All MC has is a lot of over-priced real estate crammed too close together, a lot of even more over-priced shops, a lot of bored, rich people with not enough to do, and a casino...
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Yes, do spend time in Nice; it%26#39;s a lovely place with lots to see and do.
Then off to Avignon; lots of lovely buildings, art etc. Easy to get to Nimes, Pont du Gard etc from there. More than enough to fill your time without too much time wasted on travelling vast distances. Build in plenty of stopping to people-watch at cafes etc. Relax and enjoy it!
Jo
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Hi Tiggy
I have stayed in St Remy twice, and haven%26#39;t had a car cos I can%26#39;t drive! I stay there because I love it rather than because it is blessed with good public transport links. It%26#39;s not, but that doesn%26#39;t stop me going or prevent me from getting around. The most useful web page for buses in that area is www.lepilote.com/transports/index.asp…
The buses that go to St Remy are the 57, which runs from Avignon to St Remy, almost hourly, and costs E4.40 one way, and the 54 which runs between Arles and Cavaillon, taking in St Remy on its way but there are only three a day and none on Sundays.
You will not be able to get a bus to Les Baux in October, so you will have to walk/cycle or take a taxi. It%26#39;s about five miles from St Remy. However the monastery of St Paul de Mausole and Glanum are about 15 minutes%26#39; walk from the town centre, so within easy walking distance.
Places that are easy to get to from St Remy are Arles (fab Roman ruins), Avignon (a good transport hub and you can visit the pope%26#39;s palace and bridge) and Tarascon (fab castle on the Rhone).
If you decide on St Remy, I recommend the Hotel du Soleil. If you stay in Avignon, the hotel Medieval is good, and inexpensive.
Other places to visit in the area are l%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue, fontaine de Vaucluse and the Luberon villages, also Apt. You can get buses to l%26#39;Isle and Fontaine from Avignon, also a few trains. Where the Luberon is concerned, you might find it easier to take a coach tour as some of the villages have no bus service and for others services are scanty and go in the wrong direction at the wrong time as they are taking villagers to work in towns in the morning and then taking them home again in the evening.
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