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One important point to remember when vacationing in France, like many other exciting countries in Europe, is that you cannot see it all in one trip. The country is vast and each region, city, and town has its own flavor. Depending on the amount of time you have, it is best to choose one or two areas and explore them well, knowing, of course, that one day you will return to explore the others. So, when I had 9 days of vacation in July and wanted to spend time in France, here’s what I envisioned: visiting markets and wineries, observing fields of lavender and sunflowers, drinking rosé, and exploring quaint villages via car. All of that adds up to…Provence!
The trip started in Paris where I wanted to try out new restaurants and also spend a day in Reims touring champagne houses and doing tastings– highly recommended if you like champagne. After a couple of days, it was off to the South!
The easiest mode of transportation is via France’s fast train called the TGV. Paris has six train stations, or gares, taking passengers to destinations throughout France and the rest of Europe: Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare Montparnasse, and Gare Saint-Lazare. The route to Avignon departs from the station known as Gare de Lyon and takes less than 3 hours. I always purchase train tickets before I travel at Rail Europe.
Why Avignon? Avignon is the gateway to Provence and has car rentals right at the station making it practical and easy if you’re stepping off a train and wanting to explore the area by driving– highly recommended. We decided to stay two nights in Avignon first before heading back to the station and renting a car. I am so glad we did because Avignon has a few things to offer. One is the fabulous hotel we wanted to check out, La Mirande, with its amazing cooking classes and restaurant. The beautiful property was a welcome respite from the heat and walking the town and vineyards on our wine excursions. Avignon makes a good base for wine excursions; we visited the notable Chateauneuf de Pape and Tavel wineries. We used Viator for all of our bookings, as usual.
Avignon is also home to The Palais des Papes, a historical palace that is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century and can be visited daily for 12 euros. The famous St Bénezet Bridge is also not to be missed.
After two days in Avignon, we went to the TGV station and picked up our rental car. Make sure to get GPS in the rental car as it saved us from getting lost and missing our round-about exits. Provence has a million roundabouts, by the way. Also, make sure to get the smallest car you can as it can be difficult to navigate the narrow lanes in villages. At first, I was nervous about renting a car and driving a stick shift knowing I would be maneuvering winding two-lane roads in hilly terrain, but as my niece once said when we rented a car in Austria and drove on the very scary autobahn, “Dude, if you can drive on 285 in Atlanta, you can drive anywhere.” True story. I booked the car.
We drove to our home base, the adorable town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where we stayed at Le Mas de Carassins for the next 5 days. There are many choices on where to stay, so just look for a property that fits your needs. Our hotel was affordable and had delicious meals, was in an excellent location, and had ample parking.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is the perfect place to stay in order to explore the area, and I fell in love with the town for its charming shopping area chock full of restaurants, wine bars, bakeries, and boutiques. Saint Rémy is synonymous with Van Gogh, so make sure to visit St. Paul de Mausole and partake in the Van Gogh walk around town.
Each day in our rental, we drove to nearby towns. Here were our favorites:
Les Baux-de-Provence
This picturesque Medieval village sits atop a craggy escarpment and dates back to the 11th century. It is worth your time exploring and taking in the views for a couple of hours. The history is incredible.
Gordes
Perhaps one of the most stunning villages in Provence, Gordes is known for its scenic position perched atop a mountain as village buildings cascade downward. We got there in time for a delicious lunch and then shopped at its unique stores. Afterward, we drove to Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque right down the road– not to be missed.
Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue
Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue is called the ‘Venice of Provence’ for its canals that snake through this market town known for its abundant antique shops, book stores, and twice-weekly markets. This was THE market to find hand-carved olive wood utensils and bowls, soaps, linens, and food items. What an absolute treat. It was one of my favorite days!
Vaison-la-Romaine
This drive was the longest one we did in order to take a cooking class and see the Roman ruins that make up the largest archaeological site in France.
There were many more towns we wanted to explore but ran out of time! If I had one more day, I would have added Roussillon, the ochre village, ranked as one of the most beautiful. If you have the time, don’t miss it, and if you run out of time like we did, remember, there’s always the next visit!