I am planning a 10 day trip to Provence in summer 2008. I was think about spending 7 days at a home base in either Avignon or Aix en Provence. I would like to stay in one of the cities, and do day trips to the other, and also to Arles (via train). I am not interested in renting a car. So one week in that general vicinity, and then 3 or 4 days in the Nice area.
Which home base is preferred, Avignon, or Aix. Keeping in mind, I need easy access via train to other Provence cities, Nice, and Paris (where I will be flying into)??
In provence, I am hoping to keep the accommadations under $250 a night, so I am looking into B%26amp;Bs as an option. I would also like to stay in the city area, as to avoid having to rent a car. In Avignon, Clos du Rempart, Avignon Lumani, Le Limas and The Banasterie look nice, and have good reviews. And in Aix, Sous Le Tilleul looks ok. Any other lodging ideas, or suggestions?
|||
Much better train access from Avignon. Note that the Avignon TGV station is outside of town [very fast train from Paris].
Train schedules, route map and tickets:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
…raileurope.com/map_of_europe/france.html
www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…
|||
My personal preference is Avignon but Aix en Provence also has much to offer. There are many hotels within your price range.
In general, touring in this area without a car is ill-advised. Few picturesque towns are connected by rail. There is some bus service but you%26#39;ll spend a great deal of time concentrating on transportation schedules and miss much of the enjoyment of stumbling upon unknown tourist delights. Much more ground can by covered by those who drive themselves.
Some useful websites:
www.aixenprovencetourism.com/hallgb.htm
http://www.tourisme.ville-arles.fr/
http://www.ot-avignon.fr/
http://www.pontdugard.fr/
http://www.uzes-tourisme.com/
http://www.gigondas-dm.fr/
http://www.web-provence.com/
bus information (in French only)
http://www.lepilote.com/
shuttles:
http://www.ventoux-decouvertes.com/
Regional wine:
http://www.val-joanis.com/
http://www.vins-rhone.com/pages/home-en.asp
Train information:
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/
|||
Hello lesm1 !
I simply cannot choose - both of the cities are terrific bases with plenty of attractions and lovely atmospheres. The tourist offices provide invaluable resources for visitors, including tours of the local area - use them! They are centers of culture in Provence. You will have no trouble accessing the region from either city. Both are short bus rides from TGV stations, connecting you to the high speed rail lines.
I would advise you to visit each city%26#39;s tourism website. Regardless of your final decision, a pleasant time is nearly guaranteed.
Avignon - http://www.ot-avignon.fr/
Aix-en-Provence - http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/uk/
|||
If you are thinking of flying to Nice, look into British Airways.
|||
we stayed in Avignon in June 2007 and found it a very good base. The train station is very good and we also used the terrific tourist information office in the main street to book a couple of tours. There are many tours to choose from and can be with small groups of 6-8 or large buses.
|||
As well as the RailEurope map which Francophool has posted, there are also some maps of the local ter network, linked to timetables (fiches horaires).
ter-sncf.com/Paca/carte_horaires/index.asp to travel south and east of Avignon
http://www.ter-sncf.com/languedoc/ to travel west of Avignon (it%26#39;s not loading for me at present, but it%26#39;s there somewhere!)
Avignon is well-placed to travel in various directions, including Arles, whereas Aix is on the line between Marseille and the mountains - and it%26#39;s worth noting that travel between the two (Avignon to Aix) either involves shuttle buses from the town centres to the TGV station outside town, or a local train trip with a connection via Marseille, or a bus ride.
However, I agree with Sarastro that you need a car to get the best out of your stay - you will find it difficult to visit some of the most scenic villages in the Luberon, or to get out to the Alpilles, or to wine villages. The buses are subsidised to help locals get about their daily life, so they don%26#39;t necessarily run at times which suit an occasional foreign tourist.
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 11:15 am, September 05, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment