any suggestions for Provence?

My husband and I are taking a Mediterranean cruise, leaving next week. We have one day where we port near Provence. I%26#39;m struggling with what cities or villages to visit in Provence. I love quaint little towns with neat cafes, shopping, and great scenic views. Main goal is to relax and enjoy the beauty of the region. Any suggestions? the %26#39;tour options%26quot; are.... 1. Arles and Les Baux........2. Rousillon and Ansouis....3. Lourmarin and L%26#39;isle sur sorgue.....4. aix en provence and Lourmarin.

Please help, I want this to be at least a beautiful quick peek into provence.

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The Rousillon and Ansouis tour will meet your wishes. The other tours would also be good, but for small villages #2 is the best. Plus you%26#39;ll get into the Luberon when you go to Rousillon. It is very beautiful there with many perched villages, wineries and orchards.

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anyone been to L%26#39;isle sur Sorgue... opinions??

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Yes, I stayed in l%26#39;Isle for a week about three years ago. Very pretty town, however my concern would be

which day are you going to be there? l%26#39;Isle shuts down for Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, semi-wakes up Thursday, and goes into full swing starting Friday in time for the famous antiques market on Sunday. So I%26#39;d say if you are in Provence Fri or Sat, it%26#39;s a maybe, Sunday definitely, other days you might want to think about somewhere else. It is very pretty and the surrounding scenery is great, but it%26#39;s very very quiet at the start of the week. I don%26#39;t know Lourmarin cos I can%26#39;t drive and the local public transport is patchy to say the least.

If you%26#39;re in port on a Saturday, there%26#39;s a good market in Aix that day and an excellent one in Apt though it doesn%26#39;t look as though any of your options take in Apt. Does Arles and les Baux give you any time at all in St Remy, which is nearby and gorgeous too? Roussillon is stunning, I don%26#39;t know Ansouis. Oh decisions, I%26#39;m glad it%26#39;s you has to decide and not me. Arles is for Roman ruins and Les Baux is a mediaeval ruin of course.

On the whole I think I%26#39;d go for the Roussillon one too, the place is full of art galleries and there are walking trails and you get to zip along the N100 which Peter Mayle writes about. Unless you will be there on Sunday in which case it has to be l%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue.

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Was in Provenc last month. I would opt for Roussillon and Ansouis if your goal is samll village feel. The advice you got from ChicChantal on L%26#39;Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is spot on. Aix is larger than %26quot;village%26quot; size and Arles/Les Baux is all about ruins of one sort or another.

Have fun!

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Hi, utdocOO

Your post really caught my eye as my husband and I are now asking exactly the same question as you had posted here. We will be on the Emerald Princess, and in Marseiles for one day in late August.

Have any advice for us since you have just been there? For instance, were the excursions good or should we hire a private driver to try to see more in that one day ? or to be able to stop along the way for a photo ?

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Don%26#39;t know if you can change tours, but if you could do Roussillon and Lourmarin, that%26#39;s what I would choose. I have been in Roussillon two times and it is absolutely spectacular! Take a large memory stick or lots of film!

Unfortunately, we ran out of time before seeing Lourmarin so that%26#39;s on my list for a future trip.

Enjoy!

joy/luvparee

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I just realized that you are already gone on that fabulous trip !

I%26#39;d love to hear back from you afterwards. I know you had a great time, especially in Provence ! Please tell us what you finally decided to see there and whether you%26#39;d recommend the same.

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