Hi Everyone!
We have 4 days/nights to spend in Provence in May. Will have a rental car coming from Paris...I have narrowed it down to making either St Remy or Aix en Provence our base for 4 days/ nights.
I noticed there are a lot more places of interest near St. Remy, the Luberon...ie. Arles, Avignon, Roussillon, Gourdes %26amp; Chateauneuf de Papes.
Aix seems more isolated from sites, yet very appealing with Cours Mirambeau %26amp; great markets.
What do you think?
First time in Provence. Which is a better base. We%26#39;d rather have one base for the 4 days. More relaxed.
Any suggestions are much appreciated!
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I strongly urge you to follow your instincts and base yourself in St. Remy, as it is indeed ideally situated for exploring virtually all of Western Provence. If you are there on a Wednesday, be sure to check out the market - it is a real gem, but if you miss it I hope that you will be able to go to the Sunday Market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
Other places that oyu might want to consider include the Camargue and Vaison-la-Romaine.
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Definitely St Remy by a mile, I would say. You%26#39;ll be within an easy drive of so many gorgeous places, and you are right, Aix is a bit further from most of them. Which days of the week will you be in Provence? It makes a difference owing to the weekly markets. But I would urge you to book accommodation without delay, St Remy is popular.
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I should consider St. Rémy de Provence a good place to visit if one has already explored areas more representative of Provençal themes: Roussillon, l%26#39;Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Vaison-la-Romaine, Arles, and Sénanque. It is also a good place to stop for lunch when visiting the popular les Baux-de-Provence, a ruined 11th century fortress.
However as a base it falls short. It%26#39;s underwhelming; full of expensive boutiques selling products chosen to fascinate tourists and overpriced galleries selling contemporary art to the near-wealthy. There are several good restaurants, notably Pierre Reboul and La Maison Jeaune but quality options become limited at lower price points.
Aix-en-Provence has a rich history; it’s a stunningly beautiful place, filled with fountains and notable architecture. Its old streets are alive with people, drawn to the numerous restaurants, attractive shops, and bustling cafés. There are museums including: Paul Cézanne’s workshop still in the conditions in which he left it, Musée Granet covering art and archeology, and the Musée des Tapisseries with a superb tapestry collection. There is a wide choice of excellent restaurants at all price levels, many serving classic Provençal food as well as ethnic choices from elsewhere.
Neither of these cities is geographically central to Provence, perhaps Aix’s principal drawback albeit not really a dis-qualifier. I usually recommend a gîte or chambre d’hôte somewhere in the Luberon as an ideal location from which to explore Provence. But given only a choice between two locations, I prefer Aix-en-Provence.
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I say St Remy because of all the interesting things to see in the area, plus you can visit the Gard where the Pont de Gard and Uzes are located,
I%26#39;ve gone to Aix as a day trip several times.
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Thanks everyone for your replies, some great recommendations! I will have to make a decision soon.
I get the idea that St Remy is the smaller town feel and Aix is the larger, similar to Avignon..
The difficulty I am having is with the accomodations. Not a lot of places to stay in town. All are mostly a few miles outside...
Anyone know of any charming, quaint country places to stay in Aix and St Remy with grounds, yet not too far removed from town?
Thanks again!
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Sorry to have to disagree with Sarcastro, but I think that if you look at any map of Provence, you will find Aix-en-Provence to be quite a bit distant from the more significant historical sites of the region.
So, I continue to recommend establishing a base in or near St. Remy. It has one of the best markets of the region every Wednesday, and has a wonderful, traditionally different, area -the Cours Mirabeau- with loads of restaurants, cafes and shops. Sorry, there are no fountains as in Aix - but there are wonderful Roman ruins within 3/4 miles from downtown and all of the other places that you have mentioned can be easily visited via a series of day-trips.
AlpillesGal
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I would definitely say St Remy is central to western Provence, and find it pretty typical of the towns in the area. I travel on a strict budget, and while I%26#39;m able to splash out occasionally, normally eat at cheaper restaurants. What I particularly like about St Remy is the intimate atmosphere of it, the fabulous market and the fact that it is close to a whole range of great places to visit. I%26#39;m going there for the third year running this year. I%26#39;ve stayed all over the western half of Provence and it%26#39;s my favourite inland town at the moment.
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