where to hub in southern France
My husband and I are looking for a place in or around Provence to hub in October for a week to see the southern region. We enjoy rural leisurely days, taking in wineries, cafes and an occasional musuem or historical site. Any ideas on towns or lodging? Hotels not necessarily preferred
sandi
fresno, ca usa 5/13/08
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You'll want a rental car then. With one, I'd suggest St. Remy - it's handy to a good range of destinations in Provence and a great base on its own.
Doug is spot on re a car and St. Remy. "Rural" rules out some of the usual larger places. Possibly consider a village in the Cotes du Rhone, only because you mentioned wineries--say, one of the villages on the "circle" south of Vaison la Romaine, possibly Seguret or Suzette (lodging may be tough, they're small places).
Sandi.. I just emailed you and I thought of some other things. One of the reasons we like Ile sur la Sorgue is that there is parking at the Hotel Nevons and there are wonderful cafes and a wonderful bakery and many antique shops. It has a wonderful Sunday food and antique market known all over France. We are coming in on Monday to avoid the market traffic and then staying til the following Monday so we can see the market and the over 2oo brocante and antique shops. It has many canals and waterways.
Scope out the Gites and do a bit of reseach about where you want to stay for a week. Some towns can be a bit sleepy (e.g. museum is more like the tractor museum, not fine art), while other towns have a bit going on, and more than one place to eat.
If you want some museums without driving, look to the bigger places to base, but if you truly want a rural experience, there are some great spots.
I'd put in a second vote for L'Isle sur la Sorgue for a potential hub - market days are not to be missed!
But even L'Isle sur la Sorgue is pretty darn urban compared to places like Gorges du Verdon.
We spent 5 days in St. Remy and loved it. We hit everything around including Isle sur le Sorgue..but if I had to do over again, I think I would rather spend a week in Avignon and branch out from there.
Hi Sandi, We stayed a week in a apartment in Beaucaire and really enjoyed the town, the region, and the proximity to Languedoc and Provence. It was easy to visit Avignon, Arles, Nimes, Beaux du Provence, St. Remy, the Camargue, Pont du Gard, Apt, etc. The apartment we stayed in was in a very old part of Beaucaire near the river. It was very nice with three bedrooms, and had an outdoor patio. Here is the website. www.mybeaucaire.com Charlie, Lodi, CA