Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Travel Forum

Hello out there
Can someone help add to my inspiration with their personal little gems of experience in the area.

My idea of cycling for a few days, unfortunately, fell through, so now we plan to hire a car from Avignon for 3 days (...only).

I've been researching "self contained" areas to explore but hope that your enthusiasm for specific choices can help me. Areas close by for example - The Alpilles, The Luberon...
We will have just spent a week at a gite in Roussillon so will have hopefully seen and "felt" some of the area already (with such limited time!).

I'm looking to consider other options so we can head off in a new direction for a "look-see". We prefer the Off the Beaten Track places, not touristy preferably, characterful in every French respect imaginable (including accommodation). Interests are history and architecture, nature for hiking... local markets and customs... I have 'some' French but am not afraid to be caught without English.

Actually anything - as long as it's not along with the sway of the mass of 'visitors'

Having already been inspired by some of your travel pages, thank you so much if you can enthuse with me further.
eve

I haven't been in the area since 1964. I used the Michlein Guide to figure out where to go. This is what I wrote at that time:

"Yesterday we rented a car ($5.00/day) and it is really a LITTLE car -- not height wise, it is about the same as a VW and also has a roll-back top, but the interior finish has been put on with scotch tape and it drives like a golf cart. Bob says the engine is similar to a motorcycle or a lawn mower and he calculated that we get about 70 mpg. It is a Citroen 2CV [and the gear lever sticks out of the dashboard].

"Anyway, we drove along the coast, thru fishing villages and Toulon and to St. Tropez and Ste. Maxime. We bought a loaf of French bread and some cheese and meringues and orange soda and had lunch by the wayside. We have been advised not to drink the water here in Marseille.

"There we stopped and had a swim. There was so much salt in the water that even Bob could float. Then we drove back along the mountains -- in some places the pavement vanished altogether and once we met a logging truck and had to back down until we could find a place to pass. We ate dinner here and it was pretty good, at a sidewalk restaurant along the waterfront.

"August 6, Thursday
"Today we visited Avignon, Arles, Les Baux, and Aix en Provance. We really had a rather good day altho the tours of the Pope's Palace etc. were exclusively in French and so not much of a success. Otherwise we had a good stay.

"We turned our car in with about 800 km or 500 miles on it."

Thanks for your 'blast from the past'... And how wonderful it would be to get one of the old Citroen 2CV. So very French and nostalgic for my first visit to France in 1967 - although I've been back on a few occasions through the years. For many, many years I've loved the idea of living in France but... pipedreams.

So we organise holidays to fill the appetite.

If I had only three days, I'd spend one of them in Avignon since that's where you are staying. I'd take another and visit Arles and the Camargue (Les Baux only if it's not tourist season). The third day, I'd go to the Pont du Gard and drive on up to Uzes before turning in my rental car. That should cover nearly all the interests you mentioned. BTW, you can rent a kayak under the Pont du Gard; spectacular way to see it . . . or there are hiking trails.

Type these places into the VT Search Window above and see what VT members have posted. There should be lots of photos and links to web sites in their Tips.

You can also click on the names of those who answer you here and check their Travel Pages on these areas and others that interest you.

It is an amazing area and you will have so many choices to make.