Hi everyone,
Have asked this question in another thread but thought it mmight get a better response if I specified a topic on car rental.
My partner and I are spending 4 days in Provence in may (our first time) and staying in a small B %26amp; B outside of Aix. The owner has kindly offered us free airport pickup and drop off, so we don%26#39;t need to hire a car for the whole time.
We are however interested in hiring a car for a day either to head coastal or inland.
We are thinking of going to the Sunday Isle-sur-la-Sorgue markets -- thinking this may be the good day to hire a car?
If we chose to do this rather than hiring for a trip to the coast, is it easy to reach nice coastal areas from Aix via public transport?
Our itinerary is shaping up something like this:
Thursday afternoon: Relax at B %26amp; B head into Aix for dinner/drink
Friday: Check out Aix most of the day (is a day overkill for Aix? Maybe head to Avignon in the afternoon?)
Saturday: Head to the coast via public transport (any advice great?). Back to Aix in the evening to pick up car.
Sunday: Drive with hire car to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue area.
Thoughts?
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One more question -- the Saint Tropez area -- thought it might be fun to see the place (even if glitz and glamour isn%26#39;t generally our speed). Is this do-able by public transport or car needed?
just trying to guage if we can get away with only 1 day car of we need two...
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Hello,
Your best bet is to hire the car for L%26#39;Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and go by train to Nice. Go to www.sncf.fr and choose language English. In the %26quot;Travel%26quot; drop down menu choose %26quot;TER%26quot; and plan your trip. I looked and Aix to Nice is about 3 hours by train from Aix%26#39;s central station (not the TGV i.e. bullit train as it is outside of Aix and you would need transportation to get there like taxi or other...).
You seem to be adding bits and pieces here and there for which you might need a rental car throughout your stay: for Avignon and Saint Tropez you need a vehicle also.
Hope this helps,
Lou Gari
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There are several areas of research you need to complete to help formulate this itinerary.
1. Do you know the cost of a one day car rental? Keep in mind that if you pickup a car at a train station there is a special fee for this which can run as high as 40€ plus the rental costs. There may be few options to pick up a rental car very late in the day Saturday. It might be better to pick one up in Marseille.
2. %26quot;Avignon for the afternoon%26quot;. The train from central Aix to central Avignon takes about 1+10 each way. How long did you want to stay in Avignon? Is late night transportation available from the Aix train station to where you are staying?
3. Specifically, what %26quot;coastal areas%26quot; do you want to reach from Aix. You could take a bus to Marseille and connect to Cassis. I should estimate 2 hours en route each way.
4. There is no train service to St. Tropez. There is bus service from St. Raphael. Driving time from Aix to St. Tropez is 1+40.
Generally, there is bus service throughout Provence but frequency can be a problem for someone with limited time. With only a few days and an itinerary that takes you quite a distance from where you are staying, I strongly suggest you rent a car upon arrival at the airport.
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I have already done the research on car costs -- we could realistically afford one day easily and another one possibly.
Sorry if I am being vague -- just trying to work the area out having never been.
We have been told you can get a train from Marseille west along the coast to visit various little beaches etc...thought this might be an option. But no idea how the coast to the west of Marseille compares the coast to the East.
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Hi Sarastro,
Your post was very helpful for what it%26#39;s worth!
Considering we can%26#39;t and don%26#39;t want to hire a car for the whole time,your comments have helped a lot in terms of refining the itinerary.
You seam to have a lot of knowledge of the area -- if we are happy to relax on the Thursday, check out Aix on the the Friday and do a coastal and inland day trip on Saturday and Sunday what/when/where would you (or anyone else advise?).
We would love to see good flea markets...
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A quick map check and I can see a rail line west of Marseille with several coastal stops. I have never taken the time to drive through this area as it looks rather industrial but there may be several very suitable beaches.
Because of high fixed costs of car rentals (airport/train station pick up surcharges and road tax fees) short term rentals (1-2 days) cost no less than 3 sometimes 4 day rentals if arranged through a broker (brokers do not handle rental of fewer than 3 days). Hence my suggestion to rent a car upon arrival.
While Aix-en-Provence is a worthy destination, its location within Provence (somewhat easterly of most tourist destinations) does not make it as interesting a base to explore without a car as locations more central to the Luberon.
None the less, a couple of highlights nearby include:
http://www.val-joanis.com/
http://www.ot-cassis.com/
http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/
The markets of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue are well know so if you do drive there on the weekend, plan to arrive early as parking becomes increasingly distant (due to the large number of cars) from the center of town as the morning progresses. Near here you may want to visit: Roussillon, Gordes, St. Rémy and les Beaux de Provence.
If you like shopping for bargains, Aix itself has several dozen resale shops where one can find amazing value. Look for the sign BROCANTE.
My favorite small restaurant in Aix (there are many from which to choose) is Le Comté d%26#39;Aix at 17, Rue De la Couronne. The owner is quite a jolly fellow; the food encompasses regional specialties. I recommend reserving in advance: 04 42 26 79 26
There are a number of excursions from Aix that may interest you. They are listed here:
aixenprovencetourism.com/uk/aix-excursions.h…
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Oh thanks so much plenty of info to sort through there!
Cassis looks very appealing -- maybe more so than west of Marseille??! The owner of the B %26amp; B said there was a boat you can get from Marseille that goes east for an hour or so...would this be to Cassis?
WIll look at the rest of your suggestions in the morning...thanks again!
One question though - if I was to (for budget reasons and a lack of desire to drive too much) only hire a car one day to head out into the interior, which day is better Saturday or Sunday? Cassis being the other day for arguments sake...
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Please do check the car hire prices carefully. I have often found that 3 days costs little more than 1 day and less than 2 days. It seems that 3 days is the magic figure - or always used to be. You can do so much more with a car.
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If you are interested in the coast between Marseille and Cassis, there are a couple of websites for boat trips:
from Marseille visite-des-calanques.com/marseille-cassis-cr…
from Cassis http://www.calanques-cassis.com/
There are local trains between Marseille and Cassis:
ter-sncf.com/paca/carte_horaires/index.asp
My memory is that the station is a couple of miles outside Cassis, but there is a shuttle bus to the town centre.
If you are keen to avoid driving, there are local bus timetables:
for Aix / Marseille area www.lepilote.com/recherche/index.asp?guide=ok
for Avignon area www.vaucluse.fr/1119-recherche-de-lignes.htm
However, as others have said, the most time-efficient way of exploring Provence is by car.
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That is so strange -- the magic three days!
It is 40 Euro cheaper for three days than two...strange!
Sounds like everyone agrees a car make the region far more accessible.
Even if we don%26#39;t use it the whole time it sounds a must...A lot of people have mentioned the difficulty of parking though...I guess that%26#39;s part of the fun!
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