janinelouise

Starting point is Carcassone mid May and flying out Nice/London/Singapore/Sydney on 1 June.
Needing advice on how to spend two weeks wisely - would like to mix up art, scenery, architecture, history, food. Planning to use trains and maybe the odd day tour, as travelling by myself. Does this mean I am better to stay in big towns (eg Avignon)?
Will I miss anything vital by going directly from Carcassone to Avignon?
How to divide the time? A week in Nice and a week in Avignon? Would love a diversion to the Alps - too far?
Should I take the plunge and hire a car - is the navigation and driving on the wrong side of the road too much for a 50 something woman to tackle by herself? I know the answer to that - but is it so much better to drive??
All help appreciated!

GregY2

You can easily move between larger towns, eg Carcassonne to Avignon by train but personally I think Provence is best seen with a car. Even where there is public transport it is often not frequent and you can spend a lot of time making connections. Driving in rural France is not difficult - raods are generally good, signage is consistent and usually clear, and drivers are much more courteous than you will be used to in Australia. A week in the Avignon area would be good but - if you do get a car - you would would probably be more comfortable in a smaller town and taking a week would allow you to look at self-catering accomodation. A lot of people recommend St Rèmy as a base. You could then spend a week in the vicinity of Nice, but again you may be better off in a smaller town if you want to see the surrounding area. Nice is NOT a city to have a car as parking is very difficult and very expensive. Whatever you decide you will certainly miss some things that you would have like to see but you have to just go for what you can sensibly fit in. Good luck.

sfgirl42

The Languedoc-Roussillon Rough Guide has more information than you'll find in most guides, including those in French...a new edition is coming out but the previous one is still very current (it's one of the few I do buy, even though I've been going to the area for 10 years).
I first went when I was 57 and had never been out of the US--rented a car, got along fine...so much of what you might want to see is really accessible only by car--and so much easier when it comes to handling the luggage!
Personally, I love Carcassonne but I have to admit that it is not that great a city after you've seen the Cite---
I don't know about the Provence area, but in L-R there are a lot of English speaking people and there are a number of websites which could be helpful. Even though I get along in French it's nice to speak English sometimes. I can send you a list of some of the sites if you like.
What had you planned on doing in/around Carca?

Denise

Topping

aussie_10

The roads around Provence are easy enough to drive as there is not too much traffic. But I myself having just returned from France would think it might be difficult driving by yourself if you go into the larger towns.

We had a TomTom and always had someone navigating as well. Its easy to miss a turn.

That said wherever you go I think you will love the French countryside

mpprh

I'd agree with the car rental thoughts. It will get you further, faster !

There are lots of arty things that you can link up with the scenery, architecture and history by car.

I'd do some research on :

West -
Figueres
Ceret
Port Legat
Perpignan
Carcassonne
Narbonne
Lodeve
Montpellier

East-
Nimes
Arles
St Remy
Avignon
Cassis
Cannes
Nice
Vence

Maybe use the train + 2 car rentals ?

Photos of the area : http://the-languedoc-page.com/photos...ry/gallery.php

Peter

SeeDee

I would favour public transport for what you are planning. Motoring in France is not a particular problem but self drive without a navigator could be stressful.

If you are based in Nice area for your second week, there is no difficulty in exploring the area without a car. The local train service links all the towns, Menton Monte Carlo Villefranche Cannes and local buses serve the smaller places like Eze.

The SNCF website will give you an idea of the connections between cities such as Arles, Nimes, Avignon, Orange, Aix but moving between these using the train should be quite manageable and spare you the stress of parking etc. Staying a night and moving on would allow you to explore an interesting mix of cities, each of which can be done in a 24 hour stay.

If you do go for the car rental option. try and visit Aigues Mortes.

janinelouise

The car votes have it - as a blended solution, I could travel by train to Avignon from Carcassone and then pick up and return the car there before training to Nice.
Unless of course the drive from Carcassone is special?
Any problem not booking the car rental? That way I could make a better call on how bold I am about the driving and whether my French has improved in the previous 5 weeks, once there.
All so helpful, thanks!

Underhill

You'll get a better rate on a car if you book from the U.S. Check out the autoeurope.com and sixt.com web sites and begin looking at rates.