Avignon? Any good tour operators?

I’m interested in getting a tour to Avignon during our stop in Marseilles. The typical cruise excursions are usually vastly overpriced and somewhat crowded.

Any advice is appreciated.

One problem in France is that its very difficult to find a decent tour or tour guide for a low price. France is a pretty expensive country for tourists. So what to do? You can certainly go on your own to Avignon by simply taking the train (from Marseille). You have the choice of regional trains (slower but will take you to a station within easy walking distance of the walled city of Avignon) or the faster TGV trains (you will need a shuttle bus from the TGV station to the walled city). But once at the old city (walled city) you can explore everything on foot (assuming you can walk a few miles). We love Avignon and have stayed in the city for two extended visits (including renting a gorgeous condo). Once at the walled city you can head directly to the local tourist office where they have free maps and suggestions. The Palace of the Popes, Bridge, etc is all within walking distance once you are in the old town area,

If you do want to try and get together with others on a private tour you might post on your CC Roll Call...and perhaps get lucky. But one warning. Do not expect to get off the ship and find lots of good tour options. There will be some taxis willing to take you (for a lot of Euros) but the taxi drivers are not professional guides (many do not speak much English).

In defense of cruise line excursions (which we avoid like the Bubonic Plague), they do suit folks that do not want to do their homework, be somewhat adventurous, etc. You are paying for the convenience and the companionship of at least 50 other cruisers (which is another reason why DW and I prefer to do our own thing).

Hank

P.S. Another option for the truly adventurous folks is to rent a car and drive yourself to Avignon and perhaps 1 or 2 other places. This is something we do....but do not normally recommend unless somebody asks for specific suggestions.

We did our tour with Provence Connection. Our stops were Avignon, St.-Remy-en-Provence, Les Baux, and Arles. We had eight on our tour. Not a cheap tour, but much less expensive than what the cruise line was offering. If you're only interested in Avignon I'd look at independent travel such as the train.

Thanks everybody. I’ve driven in France so I’m not intimidated by doing that. Not a terrible idea, actually.

One problem in France is that its very difficult to find a decent tour or tour guide for a low price. France is a pretty expensive country for tourists. So what to do? You can certainly go on your own to Avignon by simply taking the train (from Marseille). You have the choice of regional trains (slower but will take you to a station within easy walking distance of the walled city of Avignon) or the faster TGV trains (you will need a shuttle bus from the TGV station to the walled city). But once at the old city (walled city) you can explore everything on foot (assuming you can walk a few miles). We love Avignon and have stayed in the city for two extended visits (including renting a gorgeous condo). Once at the walled city you can head directly to the local tourist office where they have free maps and suggestions. The Palace of the Popes, Bridge, etc is all within walking distance once you are in the old town area,

 

If you do want to try and get together with others on a private tour you might post on your CC Roll Call...and perhaps get lucky. But one warning. Do not expect to get off the ship and find lots of good tour options. There will be some taxis willing to take you (for a lot of Euros) but the taxi drivers are not professional guides (many do not speak much English).

 

In defense of cruise line excursions (which we avoid like the Bubonic Plague), they do suit folks that do not want to do their homework, be somewhat adventurous, etc. You are paying for the convenience and the companionship of at least 50 other cruisers (which is another reason why DW and I prefer to do our own thing).

 

Hank

P.S. Another option for the truly adventurous folks is to rent a car and drive yourself to Avignon and perhaps 1 or 2 other places. This is something we do....but do not normally recommend unless somebody asks for specific suggestions.

We are on the same page. Our family of 4 will be in port in Marseille in April and we were planning on renting a car to go to Aix and perhaps one more stop. (Kids are excellent travelers and not a factor). Any recommendations appreciated.

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We are on the same page. Our family of 4 will be in port in Marseille in April and we were planning on renting a car to go to Aix and perhaps one more stop. (Kids are excellent travelers and not a factor). Any recommendations appreciated.

 

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Your question does not have an easy answer, because of the geography and time issues. Anywhere else you drive is going to take significant driving time which means making choices. And, of course, you would want to consider what the kids might enjoy. Avignon is another larger city with its famous bridge (or what's left of it) and anyone taking children or teens to this town might want to learn the song " Sur le Pont d'Avignon) which has been taught to children for hundreds or years.

A bit closer (about 1:15 min drive from Aix en Provence) is the hilltop (and very popular) town of Les Baux which does offer some nice views. Les Baux has more than its share of shops and food venues (think ice cream, sandwiches, etc).

Another option (although it involves a slightly longer drive than Les Baux) is the site of Pont du Gard (you can Google this to read about its history). This place is worthy of a half hour stop, but the history and view of the remaining aqueduct is interesting and also an educations experience for the kids (and parents).

The other possibility is to simply drive through the Luberon area (where there are many small villages) which was made famous by Peter Mayle when he wrote "A Year in Provence." If your timing is right you would see some nice lavender fields and sunflower fields. It is still an unspoiled part of France, but not sure it would interest kids.

Hank

P.S. One personal tip for a cruise day. If you going to be driving afar.....head to your most distant places early in the day, and then work your way back towards the port. Its one of those common sense things that is often ignored (at your own peril) by cruisers who later sing their regrets because they had to rush back to the port (praying all the way) or perhaps even miss their ship.

Thanks so much for your help! We are docked in Marseille 8am to 6pm so I think we have some good time there. What do you think? Google maps and Rick Steves’ cruise guide book shows Aix as a 50 min drive from the port of Marseille. Avignon, we’d love to see but the drive time is 1 hr 25. (Rick did a great podcast of the Markets of Provance with author Marjorie Williams whose recent book is of the same name). I didn’t/don’t think we’d have time to do both Aix and Avignon. I thought we’d do Aix and then a half hour stop that you suggested. Our two boys are old souls (age 13 and 11). We spent just over 2 weeks in Tuscany this summer and their favorite day was the crazy day we spent in Florence from 7:30 am to 6pm after a 2 hr drive there from our agriturismo. (Walks of Italy had a tremendous tour where we went in through the back door of everything. We paid up $70 pp for a card to skip lines at every other site that wasn’t covered in the Walks tour. Rick’s audio tours are priceless- especially for kids- for anyone else reading this). We love the go-go-go. They are extraordinary travelers with more energy and endurance than most adults. We are so lucky. I was anticipating a more leisurely day in Aix than our other stops. I lived in Barcelona for a summer and can’t figure out how to structure that day yet. The markets will be open that Thursday in full swing in Aix. Hitting your furthest spot first makes total sense. Agree 100%.

Do you remember which car rental agency you used? You are a pro! I’d love to bounce our other stops off of you and pick your brain. Thanks again!

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LOL (am truly laughing). I read the last post to my DW...who is a retired Elementary School teacher and asked her if she thought that 11 and 13 yr old boys would enjoy. DW's quick answer was "no, boys at that age do not enjoy anything!" Too funny. In your situation we would probably ask the boys for their suggestions, giving them the options and letting them do their own research (at that age they know the internet better than us). Here is the link to the official Pond du Gard web site http://www.pontdugard.fr/en

When our DD was 9 we took her to Europe for her first major trip and planned things we thought she would enjoy. We had it all wrong. To this day (nearly thirty years later) she remembers the highlights as when she bought a pair of dress shoes in Paris, and also remembers her "Orangina and ice cream" breaks. Apparently places like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre did not make a great impression.

Hank

Avignon is 1 hour from Aix on the A7. The Pont du Gard is 20 minutes further on the A9.

Les Baux is also 1 hour from Aix.

Avignon is 1:10 from Marseille. Les Baux is the same time because of the smaller roads.

Avignon is 1 hour from Aix on the A7. The Pont du Gard is 20 minutes further on the A9.

Les Baux is also 1 hour from Aix.

 

Avignon is 1:10 from Marseille. Les Baux is the same time because of the smaller roads.

Great intel. Thank you!

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Hank- HA!!! I honestly don’t know where they came from. Both A Team athletes and have loved museums, art, history and books since they were babies. My 13 yr old asked for The Complete Holmes and The Art of War for his birthday after researching which translation he would prefer. I can’t make that up.

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Avignon is 1 hour from Aix on the A7. The Pont du Gard is 20 minutes further on the A9.

Les Baux is also 1 hour from Aix.

 

Avignon is 1:10 from Marseille. Les Baux is the same time because of the smaller roads.

This is what I was talking about re: Marseille to Aix. Avignon from Aix seems like too much in one day? Is Avignon preferable?

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Avignon vs Aix en Provence is a good question (we like both cities). The major plus for Aix is that its much closer to Marseille. Aix also seems to have a more modern feel than the walled part of Avignon (where all the tourists go). But Avignon has the Pope Palace and that silly bridge (we could care less about the bridge but many do go looking for that place). We have twice spent a week vacation in Avignon (once in a good hotel and most recently in an apartment rental) but have never chosen to stay in Aix...so perhaps that says something about our personal bias.

I do not normally suggest that cruisers try to do both Aix and Avignon on a cruise day because we think 1 larger city coupled with a smaller town or place makes more sense....to get more variety in a compact cruise day. For a first time visitor to the area we always suggest Aix over Avignon...because Aix is so much closer and you will spend a lot less of that short cruise day on the road. If anyone is counting, Aix has a population of about 140,000 where Avignon has about 90.000. But Avignon does feel much smaller since the tourist area is contained within the walls of the old town....with the surrounding area generally ignored by tourists.

Hank

A very popular side trip, especially on a long day in port, would be to return from Aix by way of Cassis. Cassis, is a small seaport with lovely restaurants. You can take a boat trip from the port to go to the Calanques.

Hi,

I've been stopping in Marseille last june. From the port you can't rent a car (no service) or reach the train station (too far).

A friend of mine had a great tour with Provenceprivatetour.com so I mailed them and they made a Avignon & Les Baux le Provence private tour for us. By the way you shouldn't miss Les Carieres des lumieres art exhibition !

We had a great guide his name was Roman and they offered Champagne :)

Hope it can help. Happy New Year

Hi,

I've been stopping in Marseille last june. From the port you can't rent a car (no service) or reach the train station (too far).

A friend of mine had a great tour with Provenceprivatetour.com so I mailed them and they made a Avignon & Les Baux le Provence private tour for us. By the way you shouldn't miss Les Carieres des lumieres art exhibition !

We had a great guide his name was Roman and they offered Champagne :)

 

Hope it can help. Happy New Year

You are correct that its not reasonable to walk from the port to the train station. But nearly all the cruise lines run shuttle buses (either free or for a small cost) between the pier and the old port from where you can walk to the train station in about 15 min. It is also possible to simply share a taxi from the port to the train station and the cost should be no more than 5€ per person.

Hank

We picked up a rental car from the train station and drove to Arles and Pont du Gard (fabulous). Getting out of and back downtown to the station was a little hairy but doable (lots of construction when we were there) since we have driven many times in

Europe. It takes longer than you think to get places because of the small villages and slowing down in each one. Don't plan too many stops