Visiting la Province

Thriving student town meant to be conquered on foot. Elegant architecture, excellent crepes, friendly people. Home of painter Paul Cezanne. Boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year. Excellent day trip/base in Provence. TGV station 20 minutes away, has shuttles to transport travelers into town.

Considered the "real" Provence. Tiny towns, bus loads of tourists, but still retain their adorable, breathtaking atmosphere. Towns include L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, home of the biggest outdoor market outside of Paris (on Sundays), Roussillon, famous for its red ocre cliffs (Le Sentier des Ocres), and Gordes, a sweet cream-colored town with a nearby monastery. Three towns can be conquered in one day's worth of time. NOT accessible by train - rent a car or use a tour instead.

Doubles as French inspiration for Van Gogh and home to one of two still-standing Roman arenas in France (the other is in Nimes). Also has amphitheater. Four themed walking tours available. Gateway to the Camargue. Accessible by local trains.

What did you do today? "I went to an audio-visual art show in a cathedral that used to by a quarry, then I climbed the tours of castle ruins even though a sign told me not to in six different languages." You'll be able to say that after visiting Les Baux de Provence.

Second biggest city in France. Hustle and bustle of New York meets sunshine and sea of Southern France. Chateau d'If (prison featured in Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo) accessible by boat from the Vieux Port. City topped by Notre Dame de la Garde, a fine example of Romanesque/Byzantine architecture. Try the coucous. Accessible by train (Marseille St. Charles station).

Guilty of luring the papacy away from Rome with its pure beauty. Palais des Papes = bigger than you could ever imagine. Accessible by train with Avignon TGV station a few minutes outside of town. Shuttles available.

Nearest beach from Aix. Sorry folks, no sand here. Strictly pebbles. If possible, tour the calanques (French version of fjords). Accessible by train.

First city on the list NOT in the South of France. A little piece of pleasant Normandy. Sites include castle of William the Conqueror and two abbeys. Accessible by local trains.

Germanese spoken here. Notre Dame de Strasbourg made famous by its giant...rather bizarre looking clock. Thanks to the new TGV Est line, distance between here and Paris: 2:20.