2 Nights/3 Days in Provence - where? weather? what else?

Hello!

I will be traveling from Paris to Provence Nov. 18-20. I will basically have three days and two nights to spend and have not been to any part of Provence before.

Considering the limited amount of time, and also the time of year, I would love to hear ideas for perhaps hitting 2-3 spots. From the reading I%26#39;ve been doing, I%26#39;ve ruled Marseilles out. And I seem to be gravitating toward Arles/Avignon/Aix. If I took the train from Paris to Aix, and based myself there, would I be able to find good day tours to Arles and Avignon from there? And does the Arles/Avignon/Aix combo sound like a good bet, with lots to offer?

Hotel recos are welcome as well. Thanks so much!

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I think you may be trying to see a bit too much and will be spending more of your time traveling than in any of the cities mentioned. We%26#39;ve flown from Paris to Nice and Paris to Avignon (I think there are only a few flights a week now) ... you may want to fly to save time. Once in Provence, are you planning on renting a car or traveling by train? Even though Aix is probably my favorite southern France town (Cezanne %26amp; shopping) if I were you, I%26#39;d fly into Avignon, rent a car w/GPS and visit towns such as Arles, St Remy, Gordes, Rousillon, I sur la Sorgue etc.... this would give you a good overview of the area. About 5 yrs. ago stayed in Arles at Hotel D%26#39;Arlatan - beautiful old hotel built around a courtyard. If you stay outside of big cities, check out bed %26amp; breakfasts.

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Two years ago, we took a 3-night break and saw Avignon, Nimes %26amp; surrounding area. Really enjoyed it....but you need a car to get around. There%26#39;s a lot to see in Avignon (Popes%26#39; Palace, the bridge, etc) and the Roman arena and forum in Nimes are also well worth a look. The Roman Pont Du Gard near Nimes is spectacular. Also worth a look are the villages of Fontaine De Vacluse (get there early morning, before the crowds %26amp; follow the riverbank to the cliff where a powerful spring comes out of a huge cavern!) and the stunningly beautiful hilltop village of Gordes. You can find details %26amp; pictures of all these via any search engine

We stayed at the Hotel Bristol in Avignon and found it pretty comfortable

Have a good time

Chris %26amp; Lyn Howard, Tetbury UK

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