excursion choices from Marseille?

We'll be stopping at Sanary Sur Mer the following day, so we've saved Aix for that port day.

From Marseille, trying to decide among these choices (included excursions through the ship, except for the last, which has a slight up-charge):

Avignon and Les Baux

Le Castellet

St Remy and Arles

Rousillon and Gordes

I know that different people will have different druthers, but I'd appreciate hearing about them. We don't enjoy shopping, if that makes a difference. The port stop will be June 16. All but Castellet will be an 8 hour tour, a very long day for us oldsters, but these are places we haven't been to in 50 years (and are not likely to see again), so I'm trying to make a good choice. No doubt we'd enjoy them all, but....

Thanks very much.

This summer we were in Avignon, Les Baux, Arles and St. Remy in one day from Marseille. Of the choices you present I would recommend St. Remy and Arles. That would change if you wanted to tour the Palace of the Popes.

I would do the last one and hope the lavender bloom is a bit early.

Does it go to the Senanque Abbey?

Avignon is not to be missed. The city is delightful and the Sur le Pont Bridge and Palace of the Popes are well worth a visit. Make sure you get a bar of olive oil soap.

We would recommend 2 of the excursions, depending on your personal preference. If you enjoy cities, the excursion to Avignon and Les Baux is a very good combination. Avignon is a relatively large (for the region) city with its famous bridge and the Pope's Palace. Les Baux is a very popular tourist town with a delightful hilltop location. Just beware that both of these places will require a fair amount of walking...so wear very comfy footwear.

The Rousillon/Gordes tour will give you a more rural taste of Provence (and the Luberon). This area was made very popular by Peter Mayle after his book "A Year in Provence" because a best seller (many residents in the region never forgave him for bringing traffic to their region). And we really enjoy both of these villages.

Hank

There are so many beautiful French towns and villages near Marseilles. Avignon, Nimes, Cassis and Aix-en-Provence are our favourite!

http://ProvenceFrance.ca

Grant: Do you like Avignon, Nimes, and Cassis (we won't be able to do calanques) better than Roussillon, Gordes, St Remy and Arles?

Hlitner: We tend to like towns better than cities, especially when (as will be the case) we don't have a lot of time. But we don't like shops. E.g. from a Monte Carlo port stop, I used to love St Paul de Vence, but last time we were there, I didn't much enjoy it: mainly stores and stores and more stores. Same with Eze.

The Roussillon/Gordes tour will not be going to Senanque. Alas.

Appreciate the input!

Poss: Sorry, I haven't been to Roussillon, Gordes or St Remy yet, so can't comment on those places.

Arles France, however, is very nice. If you are familiar with the Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, the town is of particular interest. Van Gogh lived there for years and many of his most famous works were painted in and around Arles.

There's a famous song by Don McLean called "Vincent" that makes reference to Van Gogh's painting "Starry Starry Night" which was painted on the Rhone River in Arles:

http://arlesfrance.ca/attractions/vincent-van-gogh.html

If you visit Arles, you'll see some of the places that he painted.

Grant: Do you like Avignon, Nimes, and Cassis (we won't be able to do calanques) better than Roussillon, Gordes, St Remy and Arles?

 

Hlitner: We tend to like towns better than cities, especially when (as will be the case) we don't have a lot of time. But we don't like shops. E.g. from a Monte Carlo port stop, I used to love St Paul de Vence, but last time we were there, I didn't much enjoy it: mainly stores and stores and more stores. Same with Eze.

 

The Roussillon/Gordes tour will not be going to Senanque. Alas.

 

Appreciate the input!

That is unfortunate the excursion is not going to Sananque, it is so close to

Gordes.

As for Luberon towns, they have all run together in my mind, but I don't recall any that seemed more "tourist shop" than real village. Les Baux (not in the Luberon), while lovely, could seem that way.

I am trying to envision the Luberon excursion, because it would be difficult to spend hours in each of those towns. It seems it would be a nice easy day through the French countryside, with two little town visits and probably a nice lunch.

Arles is not my favorite town in Provence, but it might have just been a confluence of things that would not be impact someone doing a short excursion through the town's highlights at a wonderful time of year. It is flat and does have a nice mix of things to interest a visitor. And, the drive to St. Remy would most likely include some roads that have plane tree canopies.

If the date is a Saturday, that is the big market day in Aix. We love strolling authentic French markets, watching the locals, but that might not be your thing. Aix is definitely authentic in feel.

Can anyone tell me about Cassis? Thinking about it!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Casis is beautiful. The town is quaint but the main attraction are the cliffs in my opinion. This is a must for anyone visiting the region.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums