Weve stayed in Saint-Rmy-de-Provence and Lourmarin and absolutely loved our experiences in both. The gorgeous city of Aix-en-Provence is known for its beauty, its accessibilitythis is a great place to base yourself for part of your southern France tripand most importantly, its markets. Love your travels. Id also recommend looking into a boat trip around the Calanques! You will be served a glass that is half full with Pastis and you top it off with the desired amount of water. Each season brings with it a reason to visit the south of France! Take a joyride through the Camargue (but if it's summer, when flamingos are scarce and mosquitoes aren't, skip it and visit Les Baux instead). This is exactly the itinerary I plan to follow next month, and I just have one question. Hello, What a great source of information-so very helpful in planning our trip which begins in Avignon on July 31. We loved exploring markets on market days. Les Baux is a medieval town on a hillside overlooking Provence. Our website uses cookies. There are many tours that leave from Avignon. As much as I love visiting a city, its the countryside where I feel most at home and at ease with life. Provence-Alpes-Cte dAzur is then divided into six subregions, whose names youll probably notice around you as you work through this south of France itineraryVaucluse is one example. Getting Around During Your Trip to Southern France. This is such a great guide! The absolute best lavender fields are over at the Valensole Plateau, which is a bit of a drive but worth it if you want to see the biggest fields. Our longest beach day was in. Once in the city, it was almost impossible to get around by car. Travel Insurance We dont ever suggest traveling without insuranceanything can happen anywhere, and this is definitely a case of better safe than sorry. As a silver lining, if the lavender is gone some of the crowds will disperse also. Shop train tickets from Paris to the south of France, Honeymoon in Italy: How to Plan the Perfect Trip, https://www.ourescapeclause.com/3-days-in-paris-itinerary/, https://www.ourescapeclause.com/things-to-do-in-annecy-france/, https://www.ourescapeclause.com/things-to-do-in-cassis-france/, Magical Monsanto, Portugal: Things to Do (+ Map & Tips for Visiting! to places like Eze, St-Paul-de-Vence, Monaco, etc, might suit you perfectly. Cheers, Julie. Before we left the States, we did a lot of research to find small towns to visit during our stay, which we added to our Google Maps. Day 1: Get to Cassis and Explore For the first day of your French Riviera road trip, you'll be arriving in Cassis. The food was fantastic, but the sunset we witnessed was one of the most incredible sunsets weve ever seen, with the sky and calm blue waters turning a cotton candy pink hue. Continue south and set up in Avignon. Sit down for a fantastic French meal on a stunning terrace, and youll immediately feel all the glitz and glamour of the Cote dAzur. Both are gorgeous small towns with excellent views. Check into your hotel, take a quick nap if necessary, and then spend the late afternoon and early evening exploring Nice. former home of Van Gogh and a bit of an artistic enclave. Next, they escorted us inside, where we began with an amuse-bouche and a salad course. were so happy to have a home base during our time in Provence. Do you have any questions about this French Riviera itinerary? Something to consider when negotiating prices is that summertime is the height of tourist season, therefore it is the most expensive time to buy antiques in places like LIsle-sur-la-Sorgue. are lovely. We had previously made reservations at their gourmet restaurant. Itd be a busy itinerary, but the Luberon Valley has a high concentration of darling Provencal villages so you can see several in quick succession. Parking is at the bottom of the village and a good 15 minute walk. Ohand definitely grab a cup of coffee at the cafe just outside the town walls. Make your way from the seaside in Provence to the rolling hills of Tuscany, taking in some of France and Italy's most striking vistas as you go. Nice: Cote d'Azur, French Riviera, Saint Paul de Vence; Provence: Saint Remy, Journey Villa, Avignon, Les Baux, Culinary Experience; . LEARN MORE: A Brief Tour through the Provencal Wine Region, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, St. Remy, and more. at a pretty leisurely pace and enjoy some beach time! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Villefranche-Sur-Mer panoramic view. We have reimagined our brand and blog for a better future. Stroll around the city and take in the old Baroque buildings and little cafes. SLEEP IN: Aix-en-Provence Pick up your rental car and drive to Aix-en-Provence. There is a small beach and harbor here. The day starts with a half an hour drive west from Avignon to the Pont du Gard. Renting a car would be ideal because that would make it easier to get around. Perusing the open-air markets of the villages of Provence is an iconic part of any trip to the regionso make sure to structure your South of France itinerary so you dont miss the best ones! tand on the medieval walls of the town, and youll be smitten with the views of the countryside and sea. And, whether you want to go for a hike or simply take a boat tour past the beautiful calanques, visiting this stunning part of the French coastline is a must! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. If youd like to see several of Provences most iconic villages without driving, its a fun way to do so! Provence and the French Riviera in particular are so treasure-filled that you may barely do more than skim the surface in a week. Several questions. Thank you, From Lyon, I highly recommend a day trip to Annecy! If your group is comfortable with it, Id look into potentially taking a train from Paris to Aix-en-Provence or Avignon and then hiring a driver for the Provence portion. Plus, as a bonus, Provencal Christmas traditions (and markets!) Street parking is available nearby, and everything you could hope to visit within the center of Aix-en-Provence is at your fingertips when staying at Les Quatre Dauphins. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. see our FAQ. Europe - French Riviera & Provence itinerary - Hi, My husband and I in our early 30s will be visiting French Riviera & Provence next week! Check rates & book your stay at Hotel Negresco! The traffic getting into and out of St. Tropez was a nightmare. Day 3: Coastal Route to Monaco. In 5 Days: Pick One Region - Provence or the French Riviera Pont d'Avignon Provence A perfect cocktail of history, culture, and wine-tasting, plus sunset by the sea Combine the top towns, from Aix-en-Provence and Avignon to Marseilles Add a Rhne Valley wine tour, including renowned Chteauneuf du Pape I did mean that. We were looking at an Airbnb in La Ciotat. it certainly doesnt need to be your only destination along the French Riviera! This is hilltop town perched on ochre red cliffs. How to choose? After you get your fill of snapping photos, head to the Verdon Gorge, home to cascading cliffs, turquoise water, the nearby Lake of Sainte-Croix, some incredible hiking, andagain for summer visitors specificallyexcellent kayaking and rafting. at Bastide de Marie is wonderful! Spend the day exploring the town, hitting up the impressive Papal Palace, the Pont dAvignon, and the Les Halles Market in between wandering the streets and marveling that youre finally in southern France! Larger yachts will be anchored farther out in the deeper waters.For a scenic stroll, walk along the Promenade Maurice Rouvier to Beaulieu-sur-Mer. ALSACE WINE REGION: Learn how to plan your visit in our 3 Day Alsace Wine Region itinerary. Heres our post on it: https://www.ourescapeclause.com/things-to-do-in-annecy-france/. Id recommend booking things with as flexible as cancellation policies as possible. Provence, rather than trying to squeeze both destinations into your limited time. Wed recommend only changing lodging every 2-3 days at the absolute maximum, and structuring your trip to the south of France as a series of day trips taken from various bases instead of actually sleeping in each location. : Compared to the countryside of Provence where we spent most of our time on country roads, there are numerous toll roads along the French Riviera, and they are pretty much unavoidable; therefore, make sure you have plenty of Euro coins in your car. To open the map in a new window, click the button on the top right of the map. We typically find and save on the map way more than we can possibly visit in a single trip. Personally, if I were renting a villa Id look somewhere in the Luberon Valley, so near villages like Gordes or Bonnieux. ), 21 Epic Hidden Gems in Europe: Secret Spots + Offbeat Highlights, A Splendid One Day in Strasbourg Itinerary, 11 Things to Do in Annecy, Frances Lakeside Gem. Celebration of my 70th birthday and my wedding anniversary in 45 years. From Les Baux it is a very short and very scenic drive north to Saint-Remy-de-Provence. The best option is to fly into Nice or Marseille and pick up a rental car . Here are some quick pros and cons of completing this south of France itinerary in each season. Spend most of your day in Arles, then drive to Les Baux for late afternoon sightseeing and dinner (sleep in Arles), Day 12: Aix-en-Provence or Marseille. Explore, shop and save your most loved outfits, daily looks and inspiration from the blog. The red hills of the Esterel alternate with the green olive trees and vineyards with glimpses of the blue Mediterranean in the distance. Thank you so much. From the Old Port you can take a two or three hour boat tour of the coastline. From here you can uber back to Nice. We had never witnessed such incredible hydrangeas and bougainvillea. The dates for the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 are May 16 to May 27. Unlike many other places, though, traveling during the high (read: summer) season here comes with enough advantages that unless youre entirely allergic to crowds and high prices, Id recommend planning your trip then. Planning a trip to France? Its definitely one of my favorite and probably one of the most scenic spots in all of Provence. Based in Nice for 4 nights and Luberon for 5night. This time I want to go to the south of France but not sure the best way to do that if I am traveling solo. With 18 days you have some flexibility. Aix and Nice are both pretty bignot Paris big, but definitely small towns. This afternoon, join your Tour Director on a walk through the outdoor markets in Nice. Choose your own departure city and dates. When you click and shop the links, we receive a commission. Provence & French Riviera Itinerary Just a short drive from famous hot spots of Nice and Cannes, the dramatic Gorges du Verdon offer a scenic escape from coastal crowds. The coffee is merely average (by impeccable French standards, anyway), and I wouldnt take chances on the touristy food, but its worth sitting down just to see if the adorable corgi who passes through regularly happens to come by! Obviously not enough time to see both in detail, but thought we could get a basic overview & know if there was somewhere we want to return with more time. Avignon to the Pont du Gard car and drive to Aix-en-Provence case of better safe sorry... 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