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Rick Steves' Provence & the French Riviera

Updates since the ninth edition

Provence

Arles

The Fondation Van Gogh won't move to its new home (at 35 rue du Dr. Fanton, near the Trinquetaille Bridge) until late 2012.

Riviera

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Hôtel Villa Vauban has closed.

Updates for those still traveling with the 2011 (eighth) edition

The French national tourism office in the US no longer accepts travel-related phone calls; if you can't find the information you need on their website, email info.us@franceguide.com.

Provence

Arles

Erick Vedel no longer offers cooking classes and market tours.

The Passeport Arelate is not longer sold.

The Fondation Van Gogh has moved to a temporary home at 17 rue des Suisses, three blocks west of the Arena. In 2012, it'll move to its new home at 35 rue du Dr. Fanton, near the Trinquetaille Bridge. The museum is now closed Sunday and Monday year-round, and closes at mid-day (Tue–Sat 10:00–12:30 & 14:00–17:00).

Near Arles
Les Baux

The Cathédrale d'Images cave is set to reopen in March 2012, with a new sound-and-light show and a new name: Carrière des Lumières.

St. Rémy

The Centre d'Art Présence Vincent van Gogh is closed indefinitely for a major expansion.

Avignon

Local Guide: Art historian Daniela Wedel, who also leads Rick Steves tours, moved from Germany to Provence about 12 years ago after falling in love with southern France. She eagerly shares her passion for the history, food, wine, and people of Avignon and the surrounding area (Aix-en-Provence, the Luberon, Arles, Marseille), and happily organizes personalized excursions for clients (approximately €160/half day, €270/full day, exact price varies according to itinerary and number of people, mobile 643-863-083, daniela@treasure-europe.com).

Local Guide Madeleine Vedel, who leads tours from Avignon and Arles, has a new mobile phone number: 06 88 50 03 62.

The synagogue is now only open to visitors who've made advance arrangements (call or email: tel. 04 90 55 21 24, rabinacia@hotmail.fr).

Jardin de Bacchus now has a pool and includes breakfast in its new price for 2011: Db-€90–120.

TGV trains to Marseille now take just 35 minutes.

Near Avignon
Nîmes

Netgames Internet café has closed.

L'Huilerie Epicerie is now open on Sundays, but closed Mondays.

Hôtel Brasserie des Arènes has a new email address: contact@brasserie-arenes.com.

Hill Towns of the Luberon
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Vélo Services bike rental has closed.

Roussillon

The correct number for Montgolfières–Luberon balloon flights is mobile 06 03 54 10 92.

Hôtel les Sables d'Ocre has a new website and email address: www.sablesdocre.com, sablesdocre@orange.fr.

Bonneiux

Mas del Sol has new email address: lemasdelsol@gmail.com.

Oppède-le-Vieux

Le Petit Café is now closed all day Wednesday, as well as Tuesday night.

St-Saturnin-lès-Apt

The town's market now takes place on Tuesdays, not Sundays.

Lourmarin

Les Olivettes now has email: lourmarin@olivettes.com

Marseille

The terminus for line #1 Métro has changed. To get from the train station to the Old Port, take blue line #1, direction: La Fourragère (it used to terminate at La Timone). A one-hour ticket for the bus or Métro is now €1.50.

The hours for the free shuttle boat across the Old Port have changed. It now runs daily 8:00–17:00 with a lunch break from about 12:30 to 13:15.

The Cathédrale de la Nouvelle Major is now closed on Mondays.

The Fashion Museum is closed for renovation until mid-2013, and the Marseille History Museum is shut until early 2012.

Hôtel Kyrid, near the Old Port and TI, has a new name and online addresses: Hôtel Carré, www.hvpm.fr, carre@hvpm.fr.

Hôtel Louisiana, near the Marseille airport, is now a Holiday Inn Express.

TGV trains to Avignon now take just 35 minutes. Because of its erratic hours, we no longer recommend taking the bus from Marseille to Cassis.

Aix-en-Provence

In late fall 2011, the tourist information office will move from the Rotonde (traffic circle) to 300 avenue Giuseppe Verdi.

Musée Etienne de St. Jean (also known as the Musée du Vieil Aix) has closed indefinitely.

French Riviera

Nice

Nice has a new TI, located in a kiosk at the south end of place Masséna (should be open daily 10:00–19:00). There's now a handy SNCF French rail ticket office a half-block west of avenue Jean Médecin at 2 rue de la Liberté (Mon–Sat 9:00–12:00 & 14:00–18:30).

Nice's bus station (gare routière) has been demolished, and will not be rebuilt — the area is being turned into a garden. Most stops for bus routes important to travelers (those serving Antibes, the airport, Vence, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco, and St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat) have been relocated between boulevard Jean Jaurès and avenue Félix Faure, near place Masséna. Expect changes to bus stop locations as the parkway project evolves.

Local guide Pascale Rucker has new prices for 2011: €179/half-day, €274/day (tel. & fax 04 93 87 77 89, mobile 06 16 24 29 52).

The Russian Cathedral has closed indefinitely; check to see whether it's reopened before making the walk.

Mainline trains no longer serve Digne-les-Bains. If you take the narrow-gauge train to Digne, your options are to take a bus or return on the train to Nice.

Ongoing track work is affecting the schedule of the Chemins de Fer de Provence, the scenic narrow-gauge train that runs from Nice into the Alps; be sure to double-check all departures, arrivals, and connections if you are planning a trip (tel. 04 97 03 80 80, www.trainprovence.com).

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Hôtel de la Darse's new website is www.hoteldeladarse.com; its new email address is info@hoteldeladarse.com.

Antibes

CityZen Bikes has closed down.

Bastide de la Brague now charges €25 for dinner (less for kids). To reach the Bastide, follow signs to Nice par le Bord de Mer from Antibes, turn left toward Brague and Marineland, then right at the roundabout (toward Groules), then take the first left and follow signs.

St. Tropez

La Citadelle is closed through most of 2012 for renovation.

Cassis

Visiting the fjord-like calanques may now take extra effort. From June to September, many of the calanques are closed in certain weather conditions because of the high risk of brush fires.

The phone number for Chez César restaurant was printed erroneously; the correct number is 04 42 01 75 47.

Because of its erratic hours, we no longer recommend taking the bus from Marseille to Cassis.

Inland Riviera
Gourdon

Le Nik de l'Aigle has closed.