South of France in September

[kevink]

DW and I are flying into Nice in early September and spending 3 weeks. It's been 5 years since we were in France and we had an aging relative in tow last time and so were pretty restricted in our travel options.

We know the area around Mt. Ventoux and the wine villages of the Southern Rhône very well and will certainly spend some time there but are looking for suggestions of places to see from Nice all the way over to the Languedoc. We're avid hikers, love impressionist art and hope to experience a mixture of a few larger cities with small villages. We plan on using a mixture of trains and car rental. No interest in the ritzy beach places or Monaco.

Have also thought about heading to Turin and the wine villages of Piedmont towards the end of our trip. Have been once before and thought the food and wine was the best we've had anywhere.

Any suggestions appreciated!

 

[Aerides]

For a small village I would recommend a day in St Paul De Vence. Picturesque x10.

 

[COcheesehead]

Great hiking around Gordes, St Remy and Lacoste.
Hire a wine guide for a day and do Chateauneuf du Pape or Gigondas.
Avignon is a good base.

 

[Zona]

Kevink, this sounds like an awesome trip. I hope you post an update when you are back because DH and I are headed to Nice for about the same amount of time but in October.

I will be especially interested in hearing about a side trip to Turin/wine villages if you end up adding that to the itinerary.

One of the things I am looking forward to while in Nice is taking the scenic “Train des Merveilles” and doing some stops and overnights along the route for hiking. (To give credit, I learned about it from another poster on this forum, can’t remember who or which thread, but thank you!)

https://www.menton-riviera-merveilles.co.uk/mercantour-roya-bevera/the-train-des-merveilles/

Edited: spelling

 

[oiseux]

We have a place in Nice and have toured throughout the area, and into Italy. The Train des Merveilles does stop at about five villages, ending in Tende. I think the guided portion is limited to weekends in October but is still in full force in September. There is a shuttle bus to Casterino, where there are places to stay and some of the better trails deep into the Vallee des Merveilles (Valley of Wonders) begins --- this is the valley with thousands of ancient rock carvings.

The hiking at the Massif de Central (just west of Theole sur Mer) is also good. That is best reached by car. You can also hit the St. Tropez peninsula -- not for the glitz -- but the excellent rose wineries and the beautiful beach at Ramatuelle and the great drive to Hyeres -- then hit Porquerolles Island and the Port Cros National Park. Further west is Cassis and the Calanques -- Bandol is the rose region there.

Around Nice -- the best villages are Eze and La Turbie, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Mougins, and the loop of St. Paul de Vence/Vence, Tourettes Sur Loup and Gourdon.

If you have not stayed in the Luberon, I recommend it. Gordes, Roussillon, Bonnieux, Menerbes and other villages nearby. Stop at Moustiers St. Marie after visiting the Gorge du Verdon. You can hit the eastern flank of St. Remy, Arles and Les Baux.

If you have not been to the Pont du Gard, it is still worthwhile. Heading towards the Camargues, Aiges-Mortes and Setes are good stops. All the way west is Collioure and Carcassonne, but also less known places like Villenueve du Conflent (with another special railway up the Pyrenees) and places like Minerve or Pezenas. It does sound like you've done Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueras.

You can easily reach into the Barolo region from Nice. It is a pleasant drive either through the main (faster) autoroute or the slower route up through the border Alps. We stayed in the Langhe, at the edge, in our last visit, in Cherasco in a converted monastery. There are some great restaurants in that town. Alba, Barberesco, Barolo, etc are just some of the villages.

There are only a handful of wineries in the Nice area but you should hit the Fondation Maeght (SPdV), Matisse (and Matisse Chapel in Vence), Chagall, Musee des Beaux Arts. I've yet to go to the Bonnard or Renoir museums. These range from small to medium sized museums. Or course, there are more in Western Provence.

 

[ImThinkin2019]

We had a fun trip traveling from Orange to Paris using Ina Carow's book "The Road From The Past", which gives history of each place.

We followed the path of civilization development from the Romans through the start of Christianity, the time of castles, and then the development of the merchant class.

Each day before we visited a place, we read the chapter about it in the book, and learned about the history.

Being in France, every lunchtime we'd have a picnic by the side of the road, with fresh baguette, saucisson sec (dry sausage), fruit, and cheese.

Memorable places were Orange (Learning how the Romans controlled remote places), Pont du Gard (aqueduct for watering flowers), Carcasson. (fortified city) and more.

We loved the Dordonne river valley and thought if we lived in France we'd want to live there. Pastoral and beautiful.

Have a great trip!!

 

[DrRoy]

We enjoyed Carcassone and the Grotte de Clamouse.

 

[kevink]

Wow! Thank you all so much for these wonderful, helpful responses!

 

[jerryo]

My wife and I spent most of April in Nice each of the last two years. April is a bit more out of season than September, but it was already fairly crowded, so expect lots of people. There were lots of great apartments available. The first year we rented an apartment through AirBnB or VRBO in the old city about a block from the beach (near the opera). The second year we rented through a local company (Call Jeeves or something like that), also about a block from the beach, but about a mile West of the old city (half way to the Negresco), Both locations were great! If you want to spend less, there are less expensive apartments a mile or two off the beach.

Nice itself is a wonderful city and a great base for seeing the Riviera. Visiting Villefranche, Cap Ferrat, Antibes, Cannes, Monte Carlo is simple and easy by public transit; but the buses and trains were crowded, so be sure to travel early or late. There are great museums (Picasso, Chagall, etc.), a 10 or 15 Euro ticket good for 10 wonderful local museums, and a slew of great local restaurants. Vence, St. Paul, the gorge de Verdun, etc. are a bit harder to get to....and probably worth renting a local car for a day trip.
If you want to venture as far as Provence you should probably also rent a car and take at least 3 or 4 days. This last trip, my wife and I also spent a couple of days in Marseille, and were pleasantly surprised!

Have fun!!!