Where to stay in Provence

[Penn251]

Judy and I will be in Provence next May for 10 days at the end of a longer trip starting in Italy (3 weeks in Lucca, 1 week in Puglia and 11 days in Sardinia). We are looking for suggestions of a location that would serve as a good base from which to explore. We would really like to stay in one place rather than pack/unpack, etc. We like saying in a town center that has cafes, restaurants, shopping and some vitality within walking distance. We will have a car, but also are good with trains if that is convenient. As this will be our first trip to Provence, any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bill

 

[aap519]

Provence is so BIG. Just off the top of my head I would say Nice would be your best bet, unless you are looking for a smaller village feeling.

 

[chachalaca]

Bill,

Give us some more info, please...
What's really important?
1. Are you "foodies", or just into good food?
2. Do you love a certain wine? this helps us, it really does!
3. Village or city? We see you want to walk to shops & markets, but is a city what you want? I read your post as maybe not a big city.
4. Anything on your list you're "dying to see/experience/taste" that might help us direct you?
5. What do you "imagine" Provence to be like?

Laura

 

[Chris]

Laura's questions are exactly right. Also, are you envisioning a seaside place, or wine country, or ....? Provence is large enough that you'll need to narrow it down a little because there's no way you'll see it all in 10 days. I've been there 10+ (I've lost count) times for at least a week, and I definitely haven't seen it all!

 

[Penn251]

All good questions that I will try to answer.

First, we are not "foodies" in the sense that we don't look for the esoteric, but we definitely do look for appreciate good food and local specialties. We like like fresh, simple and well-prepared food that has some modern healthy sensibilities. Quality over quantity.

As for wine, we are not that familiar with French varietals and terroir (horrors I know). We are much more familiar with Italian wines (since we have been to Italy a lot). In Italian wine our tastes run towards the super Tuscans (Bolgheri, etc.) or some of the Piemonte wines (E.g. Dolcetto). We also like the Alto Adige wines. Hope that gives you enough of an idea of where our tastes might gravitate to in Provence.

As far as village or city, I guess the best answer is a smaller city or a larger village. We want to have wide choices for restaurants and a variety of specialty food shops and cafes to pick and choose among. We definitely want a place that has vitality at night. If only a larger city gives us that, so be it.

We are much more interested in the interior country-side than the seashore (although that might make a nice day). Our image of Provence is Cezanne, Van Gogh. Although we have not been to Provence, we are experienced travelers and are comfortable navigating by car, train or bus as makes the most sense for any particular excursion.

Hope this is helpful. If you need more detail or answers to other questions, just ask.

Thanks again for any help.

 

[aap519]

... We want to have wide choices for restaurants and a variety of specialty food shops and cafes to pick and choose among. We definitely want a place that has vitality at night....

That says Nice to me, (It's your first time in Provence, correct?) but it is along the Mediterranean. There's a lot of day trips you can take by train over your 10 day stay.

 

[Penn251]

Oh...I also meant to mention that we are walkers/hikers, so any suggested hikes would be nice too.

 

[chachalaca]

Great, Bill, this is a great start. Now your homework begins! As the suggestions come in you have to research (at least cursorily) the destinations and weigh in w/ yes, no, right directon, too whatever. This way we can offer other ideas and suggestions and maybe lead you to the "right" spot, which only you can ultimately decide.

My first two thoughts are Aix-En-Provence or Vaison La Romaine. While a city, Aix offers an old city center that feels like a village. It's easy to get to Arles, Avignon, Cassis and many other destinations from here. Vaison La Romaine is a larger village with an incredible market and great food (shops and restaurants), hiking and perched villages are nearby. In my opinion, the one thing it lacks is a true "Place" (or piazza), it has one, but not "in the center", it's offset and not square.

There are many other travelers here that have much more experience and expertise. Bonnieux and Lourmarin are smaller villages and lively. Don't hesitate with questions.

 

[Chris]

There are a few places I think you should look into.

Aix-en-Provence was the first place that came to mind when I read your description of restaurant choices and vitality at night. It's a lovely little city that doesn't really have any tourist attractions other than its beautiful street markets. It's not far from Cassis and the Bandol wine region and it's within daytrip range of Avignon, Saint-Remy and the Luberon.

Another possibility would be Vaison la Romaine, in the northern part of Provence, smaller than Aix, but a good place to base if you want to explore the Rhone wine villages.

Then there's my favorite, Lourmarin. It's quite small, but has many more restaurants/shops than most Provencal villages its size. I've heard that it can be very overcrowded in midsummer, but I've stayed there in May and October and it's just right. It's not far from Aix, just a short twisty ride over the mountain to the Luberon Valley and villages, and an easy drive to St. Remy, Arles and Nimes.

There are several really lovely villages in the Luberon Valley (I'll be in Bonnieux the last week of October), but they are small and might be way too quiet for you in the evenings.

Kathy Wood, a regular in this community who leads small group tours in the Luberon as well as other areas, is a walker/hiker and knows the Luberon area very well. I think she's written some articles about walking in the area -- I'll see if I can find them.

 

[Chris]

I just posted this and noticed that Laura and I are thinking alike!

 

[Roz]

We LOVE Vaison-la-Romaine. In fact we are going there for the 3rd time this October. Here is a review I wrote of the apartment we stayed in on our first visit, returned to last year, and are going to again this fall. I disagree with Laura about not having a place, since the Place Montfort is great and has some good cafes and a lot going on -- although I'll agree it's not as lively as the Cours Mirabeau in Aix. However, Vaison is not so big, and is not so crammed with tourists, at least not in the times we've been there.

By the way, one great spot on the Place Montfort is L'Arbre à Vins, which is an amazing wine shop. Every Friday night the owner, Mathieu, serves an incredible meal for 15 euro. If you go to the website you can see some of the previous menus. Even though his website is all in French, Mathieu does speak very good English.

If you want to know more about the region, a good resource is a blog (in English) written by someone who has a house in nearby Sablet: Sablet House. Note that the current first entry in his blog is about Aix-en-Provence, but he also has several writeups on Vaison. He has wonderful recommendations for numerous great restaurants and day trips in the area.

And of course the hiking in that area is terrific.

 

[chachalaca]

You're right, Roz, it does have a place! I forgot about PM. The first time we stayed there Place Montfort was nothing more than a gravelled parking lot, so all day long it was just full of cars. But that was one of those wonderful changes we saw last time. Thank you for reminding me.

Chris, I think it's funny our lists are the same. But, then again, you led me to Lourmarin (and the mini shower capsule!).

We were in Lourmarin in summer and it was crowded. But, only being able to travel for long periods ( like now!!!) during the summer we just know to seek out something un touristy or roll with the crowd.

 

[Penn251]

This is all really helpful. I am glad I asked the question. Aix and Vaison-la-Romaine seem to be consensus choices...and both have an appeal to us. Aix has appeal since city living is in our easy comfort zone. On the other hand, when we travel we like to get to places that give us a different experience than we can get at home. We are leaning towards Vaison-la-Romaine because it seems like it will get us immersed in the country-side more readily. The only concern is whether the town itself will hold our interest for 10 days. We know there are more than 10 days of things to do and see within striking distance, but having trouble picturing what a stroll around town would feel like or the breadth of restaurant/cafe options. Any reassurance that you can provide about that would likely push us over the top. Roz, the place you rented there looks really nice to us.

Any insight about Avignon as a base? Or Nimes (seems a bit out of the heart of things)? Any other thoughts?

 

[Penn251]

Just looked through the Sablet House blog that Roz linked to. Have a better sense of Vaison-la-Romaine now...all to the good. Still interested in all your advice and insight as well.

 

[Amy]

We also spent time in Vaison, and greatly enjoyed our week there. It is a small town; but a lively one with restaurants at all price points and level of cuisine. Since we usually ate lunch out when exploring and dinner at the apartment, we didn't get to many of the ones right in town. Highlights for us were the Roman ruins, sitting in a cafe for coffee or apero, the engaging small museum, the market, and the evocative medieval area up on a hill above the more modern 17th and 18th century town. If it is any help to you, here is my blog from our week in October two years ago. I'm itching to get back. https://argilman.wordpress.com/category/france/provence/

 

[Penn251]

Thanks Amy. Your blog is really helpful. Which apartment did you stay in (did you like it)? Wondering if it is the same one that Roz linked to in her reply above.

 

[Amy]

Our apartment was just two or three houses down from Roz's. https://www.vrbo.com/387624

 

[DDTraveler]

We LOVE Vaison-la-Romaine. In fact we are going there for the 3rd time this October. Here is a review I wrote of the apartment we stayed in on our first visit, returned to last year, and are going to again this fall. I disagree with Laura about not having a place, since the Place Montfort is great and has some good cafes and a lot going on -- although I'll agree it's not as lively as the Cours Mirabeau in Aix. However, Vaison is not so big, and is not so crammed with tourists, at least not in the times we've been there.

I second Roz's apartment choice -- we also stayed there for a week a couple of years ago. It is a lovely apartment, one of the nicest we've ever stayed in. I actually preferred Vaison to Aix, as it was less touristy.

There's a nice wine shop on the same street as Roz's and Amy's apartments -- very nice young man will help you choose a wine

DD

 

[Pauline]

Or Nimes (seems a bit out of the heart of things)?

We spent a week in Nimes a few years ago and it was a nice town but I don't recommend it for a base. It takes a good 20 minutes to get out of town by car and it is not an easy drive. The town is interesting, but doesn't have that much to see. It has a great daily market. If you do decide on Nimes, we loved the apartment we rented.

If you want to explore that area, stay in Uzes, one of my favorite spots. We have visted three times. The hiking is good - they produce local maps with all the hikes. I posted a few trip reports.

Review of Nimes apartment
Review of Uzes apartment
Trip Report - Uzes 2014
There are two more trip reports for Uzes and one from Nimes.

This area may be part of Provence after their reorganization of regions, but before it was the Languedoc. It does not feel like Provence. The area around Uzes is more open and desert like - small trees - not as lush as Provence.

 

[Pauline]

The last time we were in Vaison there was a very good vegetarian restaurant on the main square. We had an excellent lunch. And I love the Roman ruins.