Just got back from Avignon...

Hi All,

My husband and I just got back from avignon, very nice. Also, for those who recommended renting a car...THANK YOU, a car is a must, otherwise you%26#39;ll miss all the beautiful country side. Driving is easy, we barely used our map.

As for Avignon, had we known we would have stayed around 2 days at most (yes, it is a good central point to see other places) but I would have love to stay in other B%26amp;B%26#39;s outside of Avignon.

Our trip was great, thanks all for your help.

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Glad you had a great time---Avignon is beautiful. Did you have a hard time finding a parking space? I had to drive around a long time before finding one last year, but that was in late June. The countryside is wonderful. Did you drive to Arles? The fields of lavender and sunflowers looked just like a postcard!

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We had no problems w/ finding a parking spot. We were right on the wall and we always found a spot.

We didn%26#39;t go to Arles, no sufficient time but we did go to Gordes/Les Baux/Isle Sur La Sorgue/Fountaine de Vaucluse and lastly we took off to Paris for a day and half (my husband insisted in going since we had never been), he was right though, we couldn%26#39;t leave france w/ out seeing Paris.

Great trip.

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Told you...you wouldn%26#39;t need your map much!!!! Next time look into Chateau Talaud....15 minutes from Avignon.

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Hello

My husband and I are going to be in Provence for 5 nights. I am overwhelmed with where to start, stay. We were thinking 2 nights 1 night 2 nights in different places.

Any help would be appreciated!!!

Gloria

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Hi Gloria,

Welcome to the TA community. I think you%26#39;ll find lots of help here - the level of experience is incredible.

Some suggestions to get you started: first, use the forum search feature as there is lots of good current info that%26#39;s already been discussed.

If that doesn%26#39;t cover your needs then you should initiate a separate post on the forum. You%26#39;ll get best results if you provide some specificity such as areas you%26#39;ll be visiting, date of travel, interests, etc.

The best place to start is, of course, your public library for two or three guidebooks to help refine your planning. There%26#39;s a lot of good stuff out there and my recommendations would be the Rick Steves%26#39; book, the DK series and the Fodors.

Good luck with your planning!

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Hi Gloria

if you base yourselves centrally in the Luberon you could see most of the area from one base. look at B%26amp;Bs in the luberon on this site.

Enjoy Provence

Wilko

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Hello GLoria,

I have just finished planning an eleven day trip to Provence and Cote d%26#39;Azur. After much research, I learned that the distance between towns in Provence is not far and I decided to stay in B%26amp;amp;Bs. We%26#39;ll have two nights in Ventabren and four nites in Isle d%26#39;Sorgue at B%26amp;amp;Bs that offer two room suites to accomodate myself and my husband and our teenage daughter.

We prefer this over staying in the busy towns, which we will visit during the day. We also want to visit the vineyards of Chateneuff du Pape, Rhone Valley and Luberon. Rather than moving around a lot, I suggest you decide on a home base in the middle or upper part of Provence, between Avignon and Apt.

I always rely upon Trip Advisor when selecting hotels but didn%26#39;t find much advice for B%26amp;amp;Bs so I reserched several sites. www.Fleursdusoleil.com is a very nice site, featuring smaller, but lovely guesthouses. Good luck.

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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;www.Fleursdusoleil.com is a very nice site, featuring smaller, but lovely guesthouses%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;

You may want to check this source for B %26amp; Bs Par%26amp;George, it appears to be a business in California.

Gloria,

I do not like to spend time searching for hotels. If I had 5 nights to spend in Provence I should stay 3 nights in Avignon and 2 somewhere else (there is a large possibility of appropriate locations). I prefer a bigger town as we enjoy restaurants and Avignon has a good number.

A word of caution: never drive after having consumed more than one glass of wine (assuming you enjoy the local product). The French are very intolerant of driving and drinking. This is a main reason I always dine at a restaurants within walking distance and therefor prefer towns as a base.

If you are looking for B%26amp;Bs, and they are an excellent choice for travel accommodations, they are easier to find if you search for Chambres d%26#39;Hotes as they are called in France. Here is the best source:

gites-de-france.com/gites/fr/chambres_d_hotes

I prefer the hotels found here:

http://www.silencehotel.com/

http://www.logis-de-france.fr/

http://www.tables-auberges.com/

http://www.moulinetape.com/

Lastly, I have found the only consistently reliable reference for hotels and restaurants is the Michelin Red Guide, available through all of the normal bookstore sources.

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www.Fleursdusoleil.com is a very nice site, featuring smaller, but lovely guesthouses. Good luck.

I tried cutting and pasting this link to take a look. I got a flower design site. Could the address be different?

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www.Fleursdusoleil.com is a very nice site, featuring smaller, but lovely guesthouses. Good luck.

I tried cutting and pasting this link to take a look. I got a flower design site. Could the address be different?