Best of Provence in 3 Days

Best of Provence in 3 Days

Peter Mayle's book A Year in Provence prescribes just that, but even a year might not be long enough to soak up all the charm of this captivating region. In three days you can see three representative (and very different) towns: Arles, Avignon, and St-Rémy; with seven days you can easily add the Camargue, the Luberon, and Aix-en-Provence; with 10 days you can add Vaison-la-Romaine and Marseille.

To make the most of your time in the region, plan to divide your days between big-city culture, backcountry tours, and waterfront leisure. If you must, you can "do" Provence at an if-this-is-Tuesday breakneck pace, but its rural roads and tiny villages will amply reward a more leisurely approach. Provence is as much a way of life as a region charged with tourist must-sees, so you should allow time to enjoy its old-fashioned pace.

3-Day Itinerary

The best gateway to the region is Avignon, where tiny, narrow streets cluster around the 14th-century Palais des Papes, as if still seeking the protection afforded them when this massive structure represented the supreme Christian authority of the world, back in the 14th century. Then make an afternoon outing west to the Pont du Gard aqueduct, a majestic relic from the ancient Romans that strikes all as more a work of art than a practical construction.

On Day 2 stop briefly in Nîmes to see the antiquities of the Arènes and the Maison Carrée -- a striking contrast to this busy commercial center -- then head into atmospheric old Arles, inspiration to Van Gogh, who captured the delicate, pointed features of the Arlésienne in some of his finest portraits.

On Day 3 drive through the countryside, stopping at the Abbaye de Montmajour -- whose cloisters are a particularly charming spot when the oleander trees are in bloom -- -and the medieval hill town of Les Baux-de-Provence; stay overnight in St-Rémy-de-Provence, with its Roman ruins and recognizable Van Gogh landmarks.