Provence & the French Riviera Guidebook
Guidebook corrections:
Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.
No
Sampa Santra in Brookline, MA USA 07/27/2011
Gare Routiere in Nice is closed; many buses now leave from a new Gare Routiere at Vauban tram stop, including long distance buses (Aix-en-Provence and many others). Many local Nice buses have new stop and start locations - the bus map from Lignes d'Azur is up to date, as is web site.
Tom Rohrbach in Montgomery Twp, NJ USA 07/06/2011
First, Hotel les Florets (p. 186 - Provence/Riviera book) was open for lunch on Wed 6/1/11. They indicated that they are now open for meals on Wednesdays, as of mid-May.
Second, I think it's incorrect to say that Domaine des Tilleuls (p. 186) has WiFi. It's not always on, and it's never on after 9:30pm or so, when the owners turn it off each night!
Robin in Menlo Park, CA USA 06/17/2011
In Aix en Provence, there is also a large market on the Cours Mirabeau on Sunday mornings
Neil Phillips in Cherry Hill, NJ USA 06/06/2011
Musee Renoir in Cagnes-sur-Mer fee is now 4 euros. Paradox english language book store in Aix-en-Provence is out of business.
Bill Jensen in Toronto, ON Canada 05/30/2011
La Gare Routiere (Central Bus Station) in Nice is not operational anymore: " www.lignesdazur.com/presentation/?rub_code=85 ".
Emil Marcus in Aberdeen, NJ USA 05/03/2011
For La Ferme Degoutaud, a chambre d'hote near Suzette, it would help if it were listed as cash only. We provided the credit card information, but then were surprised to learn that Mme. Marin did not use the information for billing (unless we were a no show). She was perfectly polite and pleasant about the mix-up, but we had to dash down to Malaucene to withdraw some additional cash. It might also be helpful to mention that La Degoutaud is distance up a curving hilly road with switchbacks. If one didn't know, one might have thought one was lost.
Those points made, this was the nicest/best place we stayed between Arles, Nice, and Suzette. Mme. Marin was a gracious hostess and you are correct that the rooms were nicely and creatively decorated. This was an excellent starting point for daytrips to Vaison la Romaine and the small villages in the Cote du Rhones.
Warren Lo in Columbus, OH USA 04/03/2011
In researching Cathedrale d'Images in Les Baux, I also went to their website and found the following:
ShowInformationGroupsArea ProShopContactJoomla Slide Menu by DART Creations Due to a court decision, CATHEDRAL IMAGES is expelled. We're sorry but for now there will be no show.
If you wish to contact us:
email: contact@cathedrale-images.com This email address is protected against spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it. by voice mail: CATHEDRAL IMAGES Road Maillane 13520 Les Baux de Provence Due to a short ruling, CATHEDRAL IMAGES IS evicted. We are sorry to There Will Be No future shows.
If you want to contact us:
by email: contact@cathedrale-images.com This email address is protected against spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it. by mail: CATHEDRAL IMAGES Road Maillane 13520 Les Baux de Provence
Paul Stevens in Redmond, WA United States 01/28/2011
Provence 2011 has still not fixed the error I reported in 2007. Pont Julien (near Lacoste) is named after Julius Caesar who was definitely not a saint. For just one example of what the locals call it see http://www.lepontjulien.com/ Whatever you call it, the 2000-yr-old bridge is worth seeing.
Dave Fisher in Calgary, AB Canada 01/25/2011
We were in Saint Remy with a tour group which previously had a planned dinner at La Gousse d'Ail. When I asked why we weren't going there on this trip, the local guides (who live in Avignon) told me that the restaurant is under new management and they had several bad experiences.
Jack in Falls Church, VA USA 10/27/2010
Confirming what another reader posted: we were at Pont du Gard on 2 October 2010 and the parking fee is now 15 Euro per car, inclusive of admission to the museum, film, and other attractions formerly paid for separately. This must be a recent change, as the people ahead of me in line were none too happy and seemed surprised.
Beth in Fort Lauderdale, FL USA 10/17/2010
Hotel Les Cigales in Nice - "plush accommodations"... Really???? Did they pay you to write this? Did you actually sleep in the hotel? This place sucks and is really not worthy of 3 stars nor a recommendation in your book. We've stayed at better Super 8s in US roadsides! About the only thing going for it is it was clean and attendants helpful. The bed was rock hard, there is absolutely NO water pressure (trickle shower), the water temperature fluctuates from chilled to scalding hot every 3 seconds, and worse, the walls are paper thin - we can hear EVERYTHING in the next room... yep, we heard that too! We've taken some wonderful vacations in the past, but you've really let us down this time Rick! =(
Ruben in San Joce, CA USA 10/15/2010
Pont du Gard, floating on your back under the structure as described on p 142 of the 2010 Provence guidebook sounded intriguing, but, alas, no longer allowed. There is now a signpost forbidding swimming for 30 m upstream and downstream of the pont.
Barb Farnworth in Kelowna, BC Canada 09/29/2010
Pont du gard no longer has the option of paying for individual amenities (parking, museum, etc.) Now it is a flat 15 euro fee which includes everything (not great if you have limited time and you just want to pay for parking, see the aqueduct and skip the museum)
Andres Acosta in Gainesville, FL USA 09/21/2010
We were not allowed to get in to Hotel Negresco (no beach attire on our side). The portiere turned us back rather rudely after he learned that we are not staying in the Hotel. "Only for customers was his reply" when we asked to take a look at the chandelier mentioned in the guidebook. May be we were just unlucky but this experience was rather humiliating!
Lev in Gainesville, Fl USA 07/24/2010
On pg 41 of Provence and the French Riviera 2010, there is a list of Top 10 Provencal town and Villages on page 41. Brantes and Nyons are on the list, but they are not listed in the index, excepton page 41. Since these rate high enough to be on the top 10 list, it would be helpful to show in the index where we can read about these towns, if they are in the book. I did read the book, but will have to read through it again to find those two towns.
June Plummer in Thousand Oaks, CA USA 07/22/2010
ARLES The Ancient history museum is CLOSED on Tuesdays. We went there on the bus Tues despite warning by local tourist shop (thought she misunderstood the museum name..)
Rousellion area/APT The Hotel Voyageur in APT is impossible to find - we circled five times, could not find and gave up.
kathy Law in Oakland, CA USA 06/09/2010
In Arles, the Van Gogh replica of his bedroom has recently closed. There is a local radio station now in the building. Also, there are wheat fields planted once again outside of Arles, rather than the rice fields mentioned in the book. We took a wonderful photo of us standing in Van Gogh's wheat field.
Polly Curtis in Morro Bay, CA USA 06/02/2010
Chez Laure in St. Remy is closed on Monday. Also, if you are driving, our U.S. credit cards did work in the automated toll booths. However, we mostly stuck to the booths with a live person.
Sara in Pleasant Prairie, WI USA 05/27/2010
-Nice's Hotel Negresco (including the restaurant) is closed Jan-June 2010 for renovations. -The Promenade des Anglais walk in Nice is a must, but if you do it at dusk as suggested, Castle Hill will be closed when you get there--it closes at 8 p.m. -At the Pont du Gard, please consider adding a note of warning about the heights for the hikes for panoramic views on the right bank. The climb was steep and not 100% stable, even in good shoes, and we were totally unprepared for it based on the description in the guidebook. I nearly had a panic attack at the top, especially with the wind whipping the way it was. I didn't realize how steep the walk was until we were nearly at the top.
Julie Stewart in Arlington, VA USA 05/24/2010
Pont du Gard is now a flat 15 euro fee which includes everything - parking, museum, film, Ludo.
Rebecca in Washington, DC, USA 05/22/2010
Your discussion of Arles did not mention the "tourist train", which can be accessed at either the Roman Arena or at the plaza on Bouleverd de Lices. it cost 6.59 Euros fora turn around the central city, that gives a decent idea of what you will see on a visit here. The English narrative was completely understandablke,m though not especially informative. Anyway, it gave us ideas for locations we wanted to explore further and was worht the time and relativley small cost.
Curtis Zeitelhack in Phoenix, AZ USA 05/19/2010
The Hotel Boquier in Avignon is mismarked on the map. It should be on rue du portail Boquier.
Il Vina Ino in Nice is misspelled.
Kerrie Giesen in Webster, NY USA 05/18/2010
In Arles, you recommend Soleileis ice cream parlor, which was indeed great. However, the "fadoli" flavor you mention is not olive oil ice cream. It's honey, nougatine and olive oil.
S.W. in London, UK 05/16/2010
No your Guide is really precise and accurate. We went into a WINE TOUR with WINE in PROVENCE as described in your Guide, it was perfect. However the hotel LA MAISON d'AIX is so amazing, we can not imagine you will not add this utmost place in the GUIDE.
HAGEGE EDWARD in HONG KONG , HK HONG KONG 04/24/2010
Arle: Starlette bus takes you to the Ancient History Museum. No Bus #1. The walk to the museum is only 10 to 15 minutes, not 25 minutes. Nimes: Maison Carree is being renovated, you see only small section of exterior Kayaks and canoes not available to rent until mid-April at Kayak Verts in Fontaine de Vaucluse and also in Cassis for calanques exploration. Nice: Some restaurants not open any longer. L'Authentic is not at 18 bis rue Biscarra, but is a couple doors away on the corner. Fantastic meal! Hotel Negresco is shut down til June 2010--for renovation.
jill in durall, CT USA 04/18/2010
Arle: Starlette bus takes you to the Ancient History Museum. No Bus #1. The walk to the museum is only 10 to 15 minutes, not 25 minutes. Nimes: Maison Carree is being renovated, you see only small section of exterior Kayaks and canoes not available to rent until mid-April at Kayak Verts in Fontaine de Vaucluse and also in Cassis for calanques exploration. Nice: Some restaurants not open any longer. L'Authentic is not at 18 bis rue Biscarra, but is a couple doors away on the corner. Fantastic meal! Hotel Negresco is shut down til June 2010--for renovation.
jill in durall, CT USA 04/18/2010
As of 01/01/2010 Barbara Schuerenberg's cooking classes in Vaison la Romaine are € 70
N. Muller in London, Great Britain 04/14/2010
Don't bother to say a hotel has a jacuzzi. Not a one was heated. They thought we were crazy for asking about heat - "it is warmed by the sun."
Heather in Olympia, WA USA 03/21/2010
The archeological museum in Arles is now an option on the one museum and four site Arles pass. They are showing new material from the bed of the Rhone River including a bust of Julius Ceasar.
Larry Nielsen in Golden Valley, MN USA 03/18/2010
Just a suggestion when you get on a bus, let the driver know where you want to get off while you pay him. They do not announce stops and we missed two by not paying attention.
G. Sellers in Melbourne Beach, FL USA 02/09/2010
Restaurant Chez Palmyre in Nice is closed indefinitely.
The TI office in Vence has moved. It is now a 5 minute walk from the main central bus stop. As you exit the bus, turn right on to Avenue de la Résistance and the office will be on your left at Place du Grand Jardin.
Lars Borg in Västerås, Sweden 10/21/2009
we had several problems with the cotes du rhones driving wine tour. i left my RS guidebook in france so i am going from memory. the winery outside of beaumes de venise (up the endless private drive with the modern tasting room) now has very, very limited hours. my guess is that they no longer need tasting customers. it was closed and open only a couple days a week for a couple of hours. at the next vineyard on the itinerary (in the unbelevably beautiful setting), the woman working the tasting room was not at all friendly and very "put out" by the fact that we were there. i speak french. my boyfriend knows a lot about wine and that seemed to soften her up a bit, but we stayed only minutes because of l'attitude. the tasting room in the town with the "orientation table" has moved entirely. about a mile or so away. we didn't go. the tasting room in gigondas was packed and great although i think the americans think that the tasting experience is an excuse to get drunk for free. (might explain the attitude at the previously mentioned tasting room.) oh, also, we started the day early-ish as recommended in seguret (about 10:30 am) and found we were the only people in the entire town with nothing open at all. also, the 89 year old man who made the guide and you are supposed to knock on his door... he is dead. we knocked on his door and then found the plaque dedicated to him further up the hill. this is the town with only 35 people living there yearly. high up on the hill. amazing location and views, but the guy died in 2008. We think we had a 2009 guide. i think you need to have someone drive the tour and update a bit.
s. elizabeth in philadelphia, pa USA 10/05/2009
Pont du Gard now offers guided walks across the top level. The walks cost 10 euros and are lead by a multi-lingual guide. They start from the East end of the aqueduct, so if you park on the West of the river, you will need to walk across the lower bridge to get to the start of the walk.
Gregg in Jackson, CA USA 09/08/2009
p. 132 - Orange introduction. "...Even in Roman times, career military men retired after only 20 years. Does the emperor want thousands of well-trained, relatively young guys hanging around Rome? No way." I realise this is a kind of joke, and perhaps I've lost my sense of humour, but this introduction seems to me to show a lack of understanding of Roman history (quite a big deal in Orange!). If you managed to survive past the age of 10 in Roman times, your life expectancy was around 37... so retiring from the Roman army after 20 years' service, you wouldn't be a young man at all - you'd be an old coot.
Amy Walker UK 05/30/2009
Le Petit Duc in St. Remy does not offer a kitchen tour, according to the staff that we asked while there in April 2009. We were there on Friday as instructed by the book and asked.
Anna USA 05/21/2009
in Nice France: Nice Home Sweet Home B&B is quoting prices extremely higher than 09 book: We knew we should expect higher prices during May 09 Grand Prix dates (our request was for May 20-25)but not more than triple! Our request for double with bathroom in corridor (listed in 09 book from 61-70Euros) was met with reply asking for 180 euros/night with bathroom in corridor. Isn't this price gouging? Needless to say we did not book with Genevieve!
Maria Logo USA 01/30/2009
Please make the Trophee des Alpes information clearer. By reading the book, I thought just the museum was closed on Mondays, only to get all the way to La Turbie and have no access the entire monument. The view from afar was still nice (as was the view overlooking Monaco), but I wasted 2 hours of time (getting to La Turbie, waiting for the next bus, getting back to Nice). I was also disappointed to see the Castellum in Nice fenced off (after seeing Rick standing in it on TV!). It was still amazing to see. The hotel at the end of the Cap Ferrat walk on p. 301 may now be called the Royal Riviera. (I couldn't see a hotel named the Grand Hotel Riviera, but maybe I wasn't looking in the right place.) The Plage Paloma walk to Cap Ferrat was blocked off half-way, but hopefully that is only temporary. On the Nice tramway machines, you must spin the knob to choose English (it's not a touchscreen). Provence Reservation tours are less guided tours and more transportation with live commentary. They take you to a location/site (such as Nimes), give you a map, and tell you when to be back at the mini-bus. While it was fine, it was not the "guided tour" I expected. Luckily I had my Rick Steves guidebook to point out the best places to check out during the "free time" in the places.
Kyla Gurganus in Ypsilanti, MI USA 01/02/2009