Paris

PROVENCE DEMYSTIFIED...... AND HOW TO GET THERE

Mont Ventoux

Bedoin-Beaumes de Venise

Carpentras

Isle-sur-Sorgue

Fontaine de Vaucluse

Tarascon

Pont du Gard

Montmajour
abbey

Of course, the research of all what there is to say (history, city or village visit, itineraries) that I made for 35 years is a long and difficult one. Nobody can keep notices for so long and has to be helped by already existing literature. The fact to use that literature is reprehensible when you translate it literally in complete sections sometimes, partly on other times.

This PROVENCE will be the result of all that I wrote already but in a different way, that means in my own poor English phrasing and observing a strict personal code. Of course I will need external sources for some anecdotes ( rewritten in my own words), opening and closing hours, tourist office addresses and other minor information you could find in any serious guide book ( although these hours and numbers change often, especially in France ;-)). Let’s see how it turns out. If at a certain moment the series seems to dry, and resembling the hundreds of boring guides that already exist I will stop.

The first thing a traveler is confronted with, when he wants to travel to Provence: how do I get there? Car or train? You can even take an airplane. If you go by car the quickest way is of course the “AutoRoute”. It’s not cheap, tolls are high and you have to calculate it in your budget. But it certainly not the most typical way. You have a lot of itineraries to get you to your final destination by using the “nationals” (smaller highways), passing through picturesque villages, breathtaking landscapes and passing through small cities where you can stop, have a drink, a meal and have a “real vacation” start. This is of course not to advise for those who “ vacation “ means cooking the whole day in the sun on a beach or a pool. For those, just don’t leave the highway and race! But my idea is you want to discover Provence, leave the autoroute from time to time.

A few examples: serious guides will advise you to leave at Montelimar, try to find a winery where you can taste a good Cotes du Rhone ( it’s the region for that), visit Nyons, Vaisons-la-Romaine, book a hotel near the Mont Ventoux and do some hiking, and above all discover the marvelous Luberon, where I stayed last summer at some extraordinary places and shot about 12 film rolls. A better exit for the Luberon would be Cavaillon. Off course, for the ones who have lots of time, the famous “route Napoleon” is still there, passing partly the Haute-Provence along the N 85.

If you want to take the train (which I personally never did) here are some info and hints. If going from central Paris TGVs (high speed trains) and most other trains to the area depart from the Gare de LYON. Some others run direct from Lille Europe (connections from Eurostar from the UK), Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) and Marne-la-Vallée (Disneyland). From 10^th June 2001 the high speed line is extended south from Valence to Marseille and Nimes reducing journey times considerably. New TGV stations open at Valence, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence. From Gare de Lyon the fastest journeys will be: to Valence 2hrs 11min, to Avignon 2hrs 37 mins, to Aix 2hrs 45mins, to Marseille 3hrs, to Nimes 2hrs 52mins and to Montpellier 3hrs 15mins. Frequency to Marseille is hourly with somewhat less to the other destinations. Some run on to Nice or Perpignan with about an hour less journey time than previously. There are also some through trains from Amsterdam and Brussels to some of these destinations. For further information phone the SNCF info line tel 0836353535. You can book via Internet on www.sncf.com
If you phone you can use your credit card minimum 4 days before departure.

I will pass the flying option, since this is the perfect way to see NOTHING of Provence ;)

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