Provence & the French Riviera

Best and worst sights, experiences and destinations:

Best: Using the buses in Nice
Why: Easy to follow instructions for using this great public transportation option.

Jane Sauther in Spokane Valley, WA USA 08/26/2008

Best: Les Baux
Why: Exactly as Uncle Rick suggested, we entered the castle grounds at the last entry (8 p.m.). Besides our family of four, there were only two other people on the grounds. We explored the castle before the sun set, enjoyed spectacular views, and only left when the lights were turned on (providing for a stunning photograph). Les Baux is breathtaking and extraordinary!

Worst: Arles
Why: Not everyone in our group felt this way, but I was not impressed with Arles. After visiting some spectacular towns and villages in the surrounding area, I found Arles to be dirty and unwelcoming :(

Beth Triggs in North Vancouver, BC Canada 08/06/2008

Best: Vence
Why: Small, quaint authentic walled city, absence of overwhelming tourists and souvenir shops. A "hidden secret". I was expecting Vence to be just a bedroom town for Nice and Cannes

Worst: Traffic in Nice and Monaco
Why: Horendous traffic, impossible parking,Not possible to enjoy if driving and traveling by car

Martin Jansen in Agoura Hills, Ca USA 07/13/2008

Best: Nice
Why: Two excellent museums, beautiful old town. great visit, even though crowded.

Sanford Lavine in Alameda, CA USA 07/11/2008

Best: Canoeing the Gardon River under the Pont du Gard
Why: Just canoeing the Gardon river was a lot of fun. Seeing the Pont du Gard come into view around a bend in the river, and looking up to see the keystone with it's engraved dedication pass above us was wonderful. Stopping for lunch and ice cream on the beach next to the Pont, before continuing on down the river felt decadent and was the icing on the cake for us that day.

Worst: The Nice train station
Why: The Nice train station was a whole order of magnitude worse than any train station I have ever been through, in my whole life. There was no drop off zone. I had to pack our luggage from the 6th floor parking garage, including going down three flights of stairs, because the elevator only goes from the 6th to the 3rd floor. When we went inside the station, it was filled with people sleeping on the floor, and panhandlers and grifters constantly harassing us. We had planned to arrive in the morning, have lunch in a place recommended to us in Nice, and then catch a train we had reserved in the afternoon to Levanto. Instead, I bought tickets on the next train to Ventimiglia where we went to the beach for lunch, and we waited there for our through train to Levanto. On our vacation we passed through wonderful stations in Frankfurt, Strassbourg, Colmar, Forbach, Paris East, North, St. Lazarre and Lyon. And Avignon, Arles, Ventimiglia, Genoa, Levanto and Milan where the service and signage were great and the stations were wonderful. I can't understand why the Nice station was such a horrid inhospitable mess.

Jon Broshious in Berkeley, Ca USA 07/09/2008

Best: Bus 100 trip,
Why: Wonderful views, now only 1 Euro. Easily can do Villefranche, Monaco, etc.

Worst: Bus 200 trip
Why: Lousy views...go to Antibes, Cannes, by train. Bus 200 is very slow and has no views. Train follows coastline.

Paul Lightner in Novato, CA USA 07/03/2008

Best: small towns in the Luberon
Why: Seeing these towns was such an adventure; they are all so gorgeous!

Worst: Village les Bories near Gordes
Why: Skip it! This is a stone village that has been inhabited for hundreds of years, but apart from seeing stone huts that have been used as recently as the 1900's, nothing is here. The long winding (single lane)road that goes to the site is treacherous. IMO other stops are probably more worthwhile.

Victoria Van Wie in Cypress, Tx USA 06/22/2008

Best: roussillon
Why: Roussillon en Provence, the “Village of Ochre,“ is experiencing an artistic rebirth, and re-confirming its reputation in the Luberon Valley and in the world, as a place of stunning beauty and inspiration. Today, Roussillon en Provence boasts more than eleven art galleries representing fifty artists, and reaffirming the artistic spirit of Roussillon.

Eight galleries and artists have joined together to create a unrivaled cultural hub for art lovers who will find works to appeal to all tastes.

Visitors will have the pleasure of discovering the beauty of Roussillon as they discover the creations of our inspired artists.

The light, the colors, and the ochre earth itself, are the heart and the inspiration for the diverse works of art, which include figural and abstract painting, ceramic sculpture, bronzes, glass and artist-created jewelry.

This Celebration of the Arts continues daily and will be ongoing each year. We would be delighted to welcome you and your clients to our village.

Thank you to insert these information on your guide and or your website.

riqueau USA 06/16/2008

Best: Les Baux and Cathedrale d'Images
Why: We arrived at Les Baux around 10:30 am and expected a crowd but it wasn't bad (however this was during the last week of May). We spent several hours here and enjoyed wandering the castle ruins and the medieval town. Another reader had mentioned they thought this was a tourist trap but it really is a sight well worth visiting. Lunch at "Le Varietes" in their garden courtyard was very good and reasonably priced. Cathedrale d'Images is very close to Les Baux (we walked from Les Baux). The Cathedrale is unlike any other experience. Just being inside a rock quarry is interesting given that so many structures have been built for centuries using this rock. This year’s theme is Van Gogh. The sound and light show was profoundly moving. You shouldn't miss this!

Anne Schiedel in Basel, Switzerland 06/08/2008

Best: Carmargue, coastal area near Arles
Why: With a car this area can be covered in a day and is truly a bird watchers paradise(pink flamingos, various herons, avocets, etc etc). I could have spent a lot more time and wished I had a spotting scope.Driving along D-37 and the Etang de Vaccares was the best for bird watching.We went back a second day to see St Maries de la Mer, the seaside town. It was a bit touristy but worth a quick visit. Truly a unique part of the world....the horses, bulls, salt and rice industry and the culture. And yes the insects and mosquitoes are really bad!

Anne Schiedel in Basel, Switzerland 06/08/2008

Worst: Wine Safari
Why: We paid for a private tour, but were joined by a busload of engineering students (35 people) without any notice. They were a lot of fun, but a private tour is a private tour. Mike seemed to sleepwalk through the tour. We would not go back.

Karen in San Diego, CA USA 06/03/2008

Best: Cote du Rhone Driving Tour
Why: It was a fantastic way to spend the day. The scenery was breathtaking. Our favorite spots were our lunch stop in Suzette where we dined at Les Coquelicot (tres bon), a cocktail to enjoy the view at Le Panoramic in Le Crestet, and finally our stop at the Domaine des Girasols. The wine tasting experience was very fun as we had "Mama" who shared her love of wine and quilting with us.

Worst: Stes-Maries-de-la-mer
Why: Rick is not kidding when he talks about the crowds of people...we enjoyed the Camargue, but we decided we would skip the overcrowded town after a drive by where cars were parked miles down from the town.

Lisa Valle in Sycamore, IL USA 05/26/2008

Best: St. Remy de Provence
Why: Both the Wednesday market and the town's shops were easier to find and of higher quality than in most other Provence towns. It's easy to spend a whole day here.

Worst: L'Isle Sur la Sorgue Sunday antique market
Why: Wherever it was, we missed it. Antiquing was our primary focal point for the whole trip, but the merchandise was flea market quality or worse.

Lane Dolly in Falls Church, VA USA 05/25/2008

Worst: Arles arena
Why: Found it pretty pricey and you don't see much. Save your money and admire it from the outside

Kate Buechler in Winnipeg, MB Canada 05/22/2008

Best: Therese, the Socca lady
Why: She is everything Rick said, and more--she has raised her prices to 3 Euros per portion

Betsy Romano in Bloomfield Township, MI USA 03/10/2008

Best: Therese, the Socca lady
Why: She is everything Rick said, and more--she has raised her prices to 3 Euros per portion

Betsy Romano in Bloomfield Township, MI USA 03/10/2008

Best: Saturday Market
Why: The Saturday market in Arles is excellent--the best place to put together a picnic. We got a small tub of paella valencia, grapes, goat cheese and a baguette. Our best lunch in Provence.

Aimee in Oakland, CA USA 08/26/2007

Best: We loved the Russian Orthodox church-Nice
Why: The history of this church was amazing - so beautiful!

Sharon & Leo Marty in Olympia, WA USA 08/21/2007

Best: Plage Bestouin
Why: we liked this beach much better than the one by the TI, better swimming and less crowded and better vibe.

How to take the bus from Nice to Monaco and back

Walking tours in old Nice

Worst: tourist train
Why: didn't go to castle on hill (was hard to tell from the flyer), only went to view the calanque

Cindy in Shurtleff, wa USA 07/13/2007

Best: Les Baux
Why: Come late before closing and you will have the castle as well as the village all to yourself. We came at 7 pm right before closing, there were few people but by 8 pm we were all alone in that magnificent setting climbing through the castle ruins. There were only few people in the village as well. That was beginning of June.

Edward in Newton, MA USA 06/25/2007

Best: Pont du Gard, Domaine des Girasols
Why: Our picnic and hike at the beautiful Pont du Gard was one of my favorite days of our trip. It could be I was just getting tired of cities and needed to get outdoors, could be I was starting to yearn for home or could be I just didn't respond to Avignon which I thought was crowded, dowdy and grey. It was fun watching and listening to all the French families picnicing and hiking as well. It was the Sunday of a holiday weekend so crowded but a nice, mellow crowd. Everyone was there for the same break I was seeking. Also our wine tasting at Domaine des Girasols was so pleasant and fun. Marie Elizabeth's English is very good and she is so warm and kind. I really regreted being able to buy only one bottle of the fantastic wine, I would love a case...

Worst: Avignon
Why: I just didn't get the appeal. It was just grey and crowded and we balked at paying 4E to walk on a bridge that doesn't cross the river.

Terry in Lafayette, CA USA 06/05/2007

Best: Aix-en-Provence
Why: Exactly as described, a place to people watch and experience high-energy, but also relax. The hotel there, Hotel le Manoir, was also quiet and lovely, making me wish we'd planned to stay there longer.

Worst: Les Baux, Tour of Palace of the Popes, Nice Light Rail
Why: Although I would probably go back to Les Baux, and would recommend anyone to go there because it was so beautiful, it was unfortunately absolutely jammed with tourists. Although we arrived early as recommended, staying into the afternoon meant not even being able to walk the very crowded streets. And this was in May! Must be worse in the summer. So I would say if you can't get there early, don't even bother going.

The Palace of the Popes is impressive from the outside, but the audio tour is rather boring. The place needs some life and props, like Madame Toussaud has done with Warwick Castle (sounds corny, but it was very well done!).

Just an update on the Nice tram- not done, no sign of being done, and therefore the city was still quite a mess.

Tod Weber in Cupertino, ca USA 05/28/2007

Best: Pont du Gard
Why: Simply an amazing structure which must be seen to fully appreciate. What an incredible spot for a picnic!

Worst: French Riviera (with disclaimer)
Why: Something beyond anyone's control--the miserable weather while we were there. We had a great time anyway.

Jeri Cary in Juneau, AK USA 05/08/2007

Best: Entrevaux
Why: Scenic ride on the narrow-guage railway. After climbing the 9 switchbacks to the top of the citadel, photo panels detail the ongoing renovation work by volunteers. But warn visitors coming from Nice that in winter the village is deserted, shops closed, and it's COLD in the mountains! Wear warm clothes and bring your lunch. We planned to stay all day but took an earlier train back to Nice because once we climbed up to the citadel there wasn't anything else to do.

Karen Woodworth in Athens, OH USA 01/17/2007

Best: Hotel Suisse - Nice
Why: Room 12 overlooked the Promenade - lots of local action/traffic below but the view was outstanding. The sunsets were out of this world. We stayed 4 nites. A great spot !!

W R Judah in Newport Beach, CA USA 11/12/2006

Best: Eze
Why: As Rick described, "the most perfectly perched of the coast's villages, and has some of the most breathtaking views."

George Kemptner in Laguna Niguel, CA USA 10/24/2006

Best: Arles Saturday Market
Why: Just a phenomenal market-produce, meats, cheeses, spices, soap, gifts, ready to eat foods like rotisserie chickens, paella, clams, snails...

Worst: Driving to and in Provence
Why: We did this as part of a larger trip around France. Every place took much longer to drive to than Mapquest, Mappy.com or the Rick Steves map said it would. Road construction, horrible traffic every time we passed through a city of any size...next time we will take the train to various parts of the country and just rent a car locally rather than doing a big road trip.

Christy in Seattle, WA USA 10/13/2006

Best: Villefranche sur Mer
Why: A wonderful place to stay. We intended to spend some time in Nice, especially the old city, but once we escaped the crowds of Nice and arrived in Villefranche we were very happy to spend our time there.

Ron in DeWitt, MI USA 10/13/2006

Best: Domaine des Girasols
Why: We spent the better part of an hour with Marie-Elizibeth talking culture, wine, family and the ever present problem of the the new generation. She was a font of information and oh, by the way, the wine was supurb.

clark montgomery in l, USA 09/30/2006

Best: La Part des Anges
Why: Being a wine store, the wine selection was incredible. The menu changes daily (black board) and was top notch. Dining room is small and a bit smokey, but will worth the inconvienience considering the quality of the wine and food. Our waiter was most knowledgeable and paired our food with their wine and kept to a budget we requested....Two bottles wine, two dinners...85 euros. Valure of memory incaluable.

clark montgomery in lakewood, wa USA 09/30/2006

Best: Nimes
Why: Great shopping, great Roman sites and wonderful gardens!

Worst: Marseille
Why: La Canebierre is completely torn up for construction along its entire length. This has made traffic even worse, and has also ruined the browsing along this street. There are piles of garbage everywhere along the construction that the city apparently doesn't know how to deal with. They must have removed public garbage containers. Also, the alter at Notre Dame de la Garde is covered up for renovations, which made the trip up rather underwhelming. The 15Euro each trip to Chateau d'If with a required 2-hour minimum stay is not worth it and ends up being a bore.

Dave VanderWiel in Brecksville, OH USA 08/28/2006

Best: Grand Canyon du Verdon
Why: As amazing as the American Grand Canyon but without all the commercialism.

Hilary Thornburrow in Stanwood, WA USA 08/08/2006

Best: Cathedral d' Images in Les Baux, Isle sur la Sorgue, Eze
Why: Cathedral d'Images is absolutely a MUST SEE. I've never experienced anything else so remarkable. This writer does a good job of explaining the feelings that words can't describe when you enter the dark, cold cave on a blazing hot day. http://www.provencebeyond.com/sites/cathedralimages.html The artwork and music are stunning, captivating. Cezanne is the featured artist this year. Do NOT miss Cathedral d'Images if you are traveling to Provence. L'isle sur la Sorgue is charming, beautiful, can't wait to return. Eze is stunningly beautiful. Eze Village is a great place to stay. Well situated for day trips, but lovely and quiet, outside the crush of Nice and Monaco. We stumbled upon Residence Eza Vista, a brand new apartment hotel right in the center of Eze on the middle corniche. Modern conveniences with A/C and wi-fi, pristine, contemporary decor. Lovely staff.

Mary Ann in Rochester, MN USA 08/07/2006

Best: Nimes, Pont du Gard, Les Baux
Why: Don't miss Nime (arena and temple), Pont du Gard (the Aqueduct will take your breath away) or Les Baux (the boys, young and old, LOVED the castle).

Marsha Hudson in Seattle, WA USA 08/04/2006

Best: Hill Towns of the Luberon
Why: On-target, accurate descriptions of these towns.

Patrick Purcell in Los Angeles, CA USA 07/31/2006

Best: Le Luberon Classique driving tour, Cotes du Rhone driving tour and Sunday market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Why: Just returned a week ago from a 3-week trip to France and Italy with my husband and two teen sons.

We enjoyed both of these driving tours. On the Luberon Classique tour, the climb to the church in Oppede-le-Vieux could indeed be an ankle-twisting climb as the book states, but well worth the effort for the wonderful view. After our climb to the top, there was an orchestra concert in the church which we enjoyed for a few minutes.

The villages on the Cotes du Rhone tour are all charming, but we found the tiny village of Le Crestet especially picturesque. The Sunday Market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue was huge and alot of fun. I took Rick's advice--I went local and the first thing I did was to buy a really cute market basket to put all my purchases in. We spent several hours browsing through all the stalls. One tip would be if you see something you are thinking of buying--get it as you may not be able to find that particular market stall again. For the trip home, I stuffed my market basket with clothes and put it in my suitcase.

Janet in Maple Grove, MN USA 07/24/2006

Best: Market towns of Provence
Why: Wonderful food on which we picnicked daily.

Worst: Theft from our rental car at Abbaye St. Hilaire
Why: Self-evident

Charles Soberman in Bloomfield Hills, MI USA 07/24/2006

Best: Hotel le Calendal - Arles
Why: Location is great, next to the ampetheater & areana. Staff was very pleasant and helpfull. Breakfast was nice. Room was nice and gave a great feel of the area. I would happily return there.

Joe Acosta in Torrance, Ca USA 07/14/2006

Best: Entrevaux
Why: One can spend days exploring the areas in and around this walled village.One can rent a "Smart" car in the village right before Entrevaux, Puget-Theniers.

Worst: Nice
Why: Nice is pretty torn up with the new trams they are putting it. Pollution, heat, tourist crowds and high prices make this city a "downer" for me

Tom Kilroy in San Diego, CA USA 07/12/2006

Best: Cassis
Why: Everything we wanted out of the French Riviera without the crowds and tourists of Nice. Charming port with great people watching promenade, excellent food at the restaurants. Calanques both by foot and by boat were exceptionally beautiful; great sandy beach. We stayed there 4 nights on the front of our trip and liked it so much we stayed two more at the end on our way back to fly in-out of Marseilles.

Tammy Bailey in Heidelberg, Germany 07/09/2006

Best: Mas d'Aigret
Why: I am not your typical reader. As a 58 year old senior partner in a law firm, who has traveled to Europe for 30 years, I am looking for more than Rick's typical basic accomodations. Your newest guides make occasional recommendations for upscale hotels (not luxurious, but not backpackers either) that are more on target for us and very much a welcome improvement. Mas d'Aigret was perfect.

ken rubin in washington , dc USA 07/07/2006

Best: Seguret
Why: Charming spot

Lori USA 06/25/2006

Best: Le Cedre, it was everthing you said it would be
Why: after leaving avignon, anything would have been an improvement, but this hotel exceeded our expectations. It was beautiful, large spacious rooms, and comfortable

Worst: AVIGNON!! Le Colbert
Why: The owners were rude, grumpy and didn't even get the reservation right. If we hadn't had our confirmation there would have been 4 in one room. Although that would have been better than the room they gave our friends. their toilet wouln't flush. our bath light didn't work. We found out that after 10PM you aren't allowed to talk in your room if you don't want the owners to come and knock on your door!!! They told us we were too loud and we would need to leave in the morning! I guess he forgot we were only staying one night!! As i said it was the" Bates Hotel"

karen lockhart in montrose, AL USA 06/18/2006

Best: We loved the old city centre of Avignon
Why: Contrary to prior remarks - we loved Avignon! We were 2 white-haired senior citizens, travelling in May, spent 6 days there - a number of small museums to spend an hour or so (not as overwhelming as large ones (like the Louvre) can be. Nice little shopping neighborhoods along some of the old narrow streets. Went out every evening, always felt safe, food was great - enjoyed the park above the Palais du Papes. Mind you the square nearby was often busy and crowded but it is easy to find quiet, little nooks here and there. Our hotel proprietor was lovely and thoughtful. We bought him a plant before we left and he gifted us with a bottle of wine and spent an hour entertaining us one afternoon in his lobby - such hospitality (I lost my key one day and he never charged for a replacement - gave us excellent recommendations for meals). Mind you I can only speak a modest amount of French - a few basics, essential phrases but we were charmed by the hospitality of the French. So make an effort, everybody - try just a few words - and you will generally be amply rewarded with good service.

Kathy Grant in Osceola, WI USA 06/15/2006

Best: Loved the TGV train system - Paris to Avignon
Why: Excellent service, attractive station in Avignon, clean cars, modern, efficient, easy to use and understand. Love those European trains!

Kathy Grant in Osceola, WI USA 06/15/2006

Best: Cathedral de Image in Le Baux
Why: So unusual and intense. All your senses are wound up in the experience.

Worst: Finding food in Marseille after dark near the train station
Why: Nothing's open. And we are single women of an age.

Skell in Goens, Wa USA 05/23/2006

Best: Vision la Romaine
Why: Great town to base out of for a couple of days. The Cote du Rhone Senic Loop is a drive that should not be missed. We started the loop in the afternoon with very few people. You could really enjoy the quiet of the midieval villages. After stopping in several small wine caves, we tasted and purchased several wines that we enjoyed thru out our trip.

Worst: Canne / Nice
Why: After spending a relaxing week driving the Cotes du Rhone and the hills of Provonce. The traffic and conjestion of these cities was not the way to end our vacation.

Debbie Foley & Paul Haas in Naples, Fl USA 05/23/2006

Best: Street Markets
Why: We loved the ones in Vaison and Arles, so different from greenmarkets in US, all the spices, sausages, flowers, cloth etc. We were there in late May and tourists were at a minimum a nice opportunity to mingle with locals.

Marian in Brooklyn, NY USA 05/21/2006

Worst: Avignon
Why: You did advise your readers to center in Arles or somewhere other than Avignon, but I think you should tell the real reason: French prisoners are released into Avignon. I felt threatened and in danger only in Avignon. The homeless, beggars, drug addicts with dogs, angry youth, etc., all intimidated me at night. I felt all right in the daytime. My first night there, a young man hurled invective at me and came up close and struck a billboard near my head. This might be offbase, but I suspect that the local youth aren't financially secure and resent what seems to them to be rich tourists.

If I had it to do over, I would have stayed somewhere else and driven into Avignon. On the plus side, by staying there it became my city for a while.

carolyn wolfe in Boise, Id USA 05/09/2006

Best: Eze
Why: Beautiful medieval city. Stunning view from the exotic gardens. The bus ride is now a flat 1.30E from Nice.

Worst: Cannes
Why: Not worth the 6-8E one way in the train, and the bus at 1.30E is a good deal but takes 1 hr 45 min. We thought it was mostly dirty with very little to see.

Carol Sabbar in Kenosha, WI USA 05/05/2006