Heading there in the Fall (would be the end of the season, more or less) for work and after getting so much great info on Costa Rica (which was amazing) I’d love to pick the collective brains again. I’ve looked through some past threads but would particularly love to hear about top restaurants/hotels, small towns/sights that rocked your world recently.
I think the plan is to fly into Nice and work west, sticking closer to the coast (any good beaches?), with maybe a quick stop in CdP/Avignon at the end, before train back up to Paris for a few days before leaving (new can’t miss Paris food?). Hoping for a relatively mellow schedule (not into tons of driving to see as much as humanly possible kind of thing), interspersed with work (winery) visits. Eze, Cassis, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (for the antiques) sort of on my short list currently…what should I not miss?? Thank you wonderful people so much in advance!
You already have Eze and Cassis on the list which are great. I personally love Antibes, the old town is very charming, and its not completely over the top like Cannes. Decent sandy beaches there as well. A drive around the Cap of Antibes is always great to check out the mega houses and views.
Since you will be headed towards Avignon I would stop at Aix-en-Provence along the way as well.
Looking forward to the responses as well as I am going to spend two nights in La Ciotat this summer. Last summer we stayed in Ollioules and some of the nice things we did were the Cassis-Calanques boat ride (highly recommended! - only finding a parking spot in Cassis was a bit of a challenge) and visiting the Maison des Vins in Bandol. In the latter the only possible downside is not being able to buy all you want in case you are flying back home.
Im also interested in the responses on this. Im headed there and up to Lyon (and the Rhone) as part of a honeymoon trip. Would love some tips on places to visit.
Kaitlyn, Just posed in the other thread about Lyon and the Rhone, but figured i would include it here for future searches.
Not sure where in the Rhone you were planning on tasting but for the Northern Rhone my wife and I really enjoyed our tasting at Yves Cuilleron, and in the Southern Rhone at Domaine Santa Duc
I loved Lyon so make sure to visit local bouchons, and with it being your honeymoon you must get a reservation at Paul Bocuse. It’s kind of touristy but still really great food and a fun atmosphere. Pairing that with much less formal bouchons lyonnais should give you the best feel of the city.
Since its your honeymoon I also would recommend you stay at Villa Florentine, as the view of the city is amazing.
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I have been following along with the Rhone posts lately as well. As for now, we were planning to take a day or two in the Northern Rhone and maybe only one/two stops in CdP (an early where Im not too well versed) after some time in Provence. We are really looking forward to the trip. Thanks again for the tips.
Between the coast (Marseille) and Avignon stop at the village of Eygalieres (gorgeous ancient village).
I would recommend chez Paulette as being a good typical French bistro in the village centre.
In the afternoon go to domaine de la Mordorée in Tavel (about 1hr drive) (better call them in advance, excellent wines) http://www.vin-lirac-oenotourisme.com/fr/deguster-au-caveau is also worth a visit, they open bottles on everything Lirac/Tavel has to offer.
We used Lormarin as a base to visit Avignon, CdP, Aix, Arles, Cassis, Provence and Luberon. Roussillon is a very cool town with its Ochre infused buildings. Bonnieux is where the film “A Good Year” was filmed at Château la Canorgue http://chateaulacanorgue.com/