Hi, we are just planning our first trip to France (October 2008). We%26#39;ll be in Paris the first week, then we want to spend 5-7 days in Provence. We%26#39;ve been thinking about Arles or Avignon as a home-base and doing a lot of rail travel (combined with a LOT of walking).
Arles is our first choice due to the charm and the amount to do in that area but we want to hear feedback from people who have done similar trips....
We%26#39;d like to stay in a charming place with local flavor and with helpful bi-lingual owners/manager/concierge (it%26#39;s my husband %26amp; I without kids). Suggestions? How is Hotel Cloitre?
Traveling with cash in Provence. We are reading Rick Steve%26#39;s book and he recommends getting small amounts of cash daily from ATMs instead of relying on credit cards. Comments on this strategy?
Thanks everyone!
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You need to plan carefully because rail services to/from Arles are not all that frequent. It hasn%26#39;t got a TGV station and trains are not hugely frequent. You can download a timetable giving trains and buses run by SNCF at www.regionpaca.fr/uploads/media/guide1_02.pdf
I found this very useful. Do remember that it doesn%26#39;t include all local buses or buses outside the region. If you want to go somewhere in particular, ask at the bus station if you can get there. If they say no, go to the tourist office and ask them. The tourist offices don%26#39;t know about transport in detail but the staff speak English where as the people at the bus station may not.
It%26#39;s important to remember that public transport in France is used by commuters to get to work. The best connections are at the crack of dawn. At other times services tend to be scanty. To be honest if you want a place with good transport connections you would be better off in Avignon than in Arles. It has bus connections all over the region and a TGV station as well as a snail rail station. But I think Arles is a nicer place to stay. I plan my trips according to where I want to visit.
I always take out cash from ATMs. I%26#39;m English by the way, so you may get different advice in the States. I tend to take out a large amount every 4 or 5 days, but I also paid most of my hotels on my last trip using my credit card. Check that the hotel you book takes your - or any - credit card - some small hotels don%26#39;t.
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Interestingly enough, my wife and I will be in Paris 7 days in late September 2008 and then on to base in Arles for a week after! I spent some time worrying about Alres vs Avignon and decided on Arles because it%26#39;s 50,000 pp vs 150,000. This will be our first trip to France, we%26#39;ve been to Italy 5 times since 2000 and it%26#39;s hard to make the change!
I use the same strategy re cash - use ATMs for pocket cash and credit cards for hotels, larger restaurant bills. You need to take both Visa and Amex if you use Amex like I do (for miles), lots of places don%26#39;t take Amex. For ATM purposes be sure you have a 4-digit PIN as European ATMs won%26#39;t take longer PINs.
We%26#39;ll be in Arles Sept 29-Oct 1 and back Oct 3-5 after a trip to Carcassonne.
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Arles is a wonderful, charming place. But using it as a home base may be difficult. As a previous poster stated, the Gare SNCF in Arles is not on the TGV network, which would make traveling around a bit more difficult. On the other hand Avignon has a TGV station a few minutes outside of town (it%26#39;s a beautiful building with a beautiful plaza) that has regular high speed trains linking you to destinations all over France.
Even though Avignon has 150,000 people, it still has that small town feel. It%26#39;s quite lovely, although the Rhone appears rather murky(!)
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So are there two stations in Avignon, one for TGV and one for regular trains? I checked train schedule from Paris to Arles and came up with a very good schedule, TGV to Avignon and regular train on to Arles, 4 hours or less. That sounds like a transfer at the Avignon station.
Thanks for the advice.
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Yes, Avignon has two train stations, one of which is the newish TGV station. However, TGV lines are limited--they extend south to Marseille and east to Aix-en-Provence, but other cities are reached by regular rail lines. Both Arles and Avignon have central cores that lend themselves to easy walking. If you want to get out into the country, however, you%26#39;ll need to rely on buses, as not all towns have rail connections. A good example is the charming little town of St-Rémy.
Have you considered renting a car?
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Thanks. My plan is to get to Arles via train, explore it for a day or so and then pick up a rental car and go to Carcassonne and the coast and then back to Arles, doing some exploring in the area as well. I guess I could pick up the rental car in Avignon if it%26#39;s a hassle to switch train stations for the short trip to Arles. Perhaps a bus would be simpler. I don%26#39;t want to get the rental car until I%26#39;m ready to leave Arles, as I hear the parking is not easy. Advice appreciated.........
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Bill
What a coincidence so far in advance! We%26#39;re going for Arles, knowing that we%26#39;ll need patience if trains are late, etc... and the trains to/from Avignon appear to be very frequent.....It seems like it would be manageable (if someone has experience with this please comment!!!!). We just booked our flights last night, so the dates are now set - Sept 26-Oct 4 in Paris (Marais), then to Arles.
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You are four days behind us, more or less. We arrive Paris 9/22 and train to Arles on 9/29. Maybe we can meet for a drink somewhere when you get to Paris! Then we%26#39;re in and out of Arles until we head for home on 10/6. Just wish it were sooner.........
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Based on the good input from folks on this thread, I think we%26#39;ll plan to get up each morning in Arles %26amp; hop a train to Avignon in order to get wherever we want to go that day. Then, we%26#39;ll just plan to be back in Avignon by 5-6pm to catch transport back to Arles. We might book a tour out of Avignon to some of the more remote locations, such as les beaux.
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I%26#39;ve stayed at the Hotel Cloitre a few years back and loved it. Convenient location, lovely property with history. I don%26#39;t recall how their English was since I speak French, but they were friendly.
Never had any problems using ATMs all over Provence, but you may be charged a few bucks as a fee each time by your home USA bank... so I tend to take out the max allowed every few days rather than a little every day.
As a home base for a week in the area, I%26#39;ve used St Remy -- a little more central than Arles, even tho Arles is my favorite Provence town -- but with a rental car. (I%26#39;d strongly recommend renting a car.) However, personally, if I were using public transport for a first visit to Provence I wouldn%26#39;t stay put for a week in any one town because you%26#39;re burning so much time getting back and forth.
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