Hello there

Nice,Eze in beautiful,Grasse - perfume factory, Monoco, Monte Carlo by night,St. Paul is atmospheric. Try and go to the famous museum nearby. Cannes was a let down. Eat like the locals do. Enjoy:)

I would split myself between three areas: the cote d'azur, somewhere in the middle (Hyeres would be my choice, or Aix if you don't want more seaside) and somewhere on the western side, around the Arles/Avignon area.

Here are my top ten towns to visit and places near them:

1 Nice because there is nowhere like it, visit the art galleries and the castle overlooking the town. Don't miss the walk round the coast to Villefranche. Also don't miss Eze: I took the train to Eze s/mer and walked up the Nietzsche path to the village itself, about 50 minutes' very steep walk but you can get the bus from Eze village itself. Take the train des pignes up to Entrevaux or Digne or both.

2 Hyeres, which has a mediaeval town, a ruined castle, a modernist house (Villa Noailles) a five-mile long sandy peninsula with beaches either side, ending with the village of Giens and near it the port from which you get boats to the isle of Porquerolles. This is sublime: pine forests right down to the white sand plage d'argent, other beaches, no cars, bicycles to hire, clear blue water . . . out of this world. There are a couple of hotels on the island if you want to actually stay there but I always stay at the hotel des orangers.

3 Aix, a classy town with a wonderful evening promenade of people to watch on the cours Mirabeau. I stayed at the Hotel le Mozart, only two stars but inexpensive and great value. In Aix you can visit Cezanne's studio and the 2 Garcons cafe where he used to hang out (with Zola, I think), a couple of hundred (reportedly) fountains including the mossy one on the cours Mirabeau, which is thermal, the four dolphins (the dolphins have teeth) and the cathedral and many art galleries.

4 Roussillon, my favourite Luberon village, with its ochre cliffs, multiple art galleries, walks around to see the different coloured rock (they make them into ochre pigment and the colour originated there).

5 Arles for the Roman ruins: the thermes, burial ground, theatre and arena; the van Gogh connections, you can see a cafe, a bridge and a house he painted; the Camargue, where you can see wild horses and flamingoes and take a boat trip from Stes Maries de la Mer; and the cathedral and cloister.

6 Avignon for the river (again) the famous bridge and the pope's palace and to take in the Pont du Gard, the Roman viaduct.

7 St Remy, my favourite town inland, for fantastic restaurants and food shops, the fabulous Wednesday food market, the Roman ruins at Glanum, the monastery of St Paul de Mausole where van Gogh stayed. Visit les Baux, the ruined hilltop village, while you are staying there too.

8 L'isle sur la Sorgue, a must see on Sundays for the antiques market, which covers nearly the whole town. Arrive by 8 to get the best parking space. Also see the ear sculpture in the river, the waterwheels and go up the road to Fontaine de Vaucluse to see the fountain and Petrarch's cave.

9 Cassis, by the sea, a small and lovely fishing town with good beaches and excellent restaurants, walks or boat trips up to the calanques (cliffs).

10 Apt, like Roussillon, in the Luberon but very different, a non-touristy small town with good restaurants (l'Intramuros was my favourite) and a cathedral.

11 Tarascon, near Arle, but on the Rhone, with an excellent mediaeval castle and a mythical animal, the Tarasque, all of its own.

Did I say 10? Oops.

You don't really want to play GOLF while you are there, do you?

Hi

I was reading your post on Trip Advisor and it seems you obviously have a great knowledge of France. I am turning 50 in March of 2009. My gift 2 myself is to spend 12 days driving through France.

We have booked a flight into Nice 2/26 and out of Paris 3/6.

I love historical sites, beautiful landscapes, fine wine and great food. I would appreciate it if you could suggest a road trip that would satisfy these requirements. My husband speaks enough French so that we are able to communicate with the locals.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Carla

cac@bbn.com

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Your wonderful and comprehensive information would certainly help in my planning. Appreciate that.

And yes, would very much like to play a few rounds of Golf because you would never get that kind of weather (clear sky and cool temperature) in this part of the world where I live in.

Cheers

Johnno

John, I don't know when you are planning to go but summers in Provence are boiling hot.

CAC07, You've already heard everything I know about France, (apart from Paris) that's it . . . however other bits of France that I haven't visited but which people say are beautiful are the Dordogne, and the Atlantic coast near Vendee. Also Carcassonne, which I have been to, is worth a couple of days at least as are the nearby Cathar castles though I didn't get to see them as I can't drive and there's no public transport to them.

ChicChantal,

I will be there from middle of September till early Oct.

Hope the weather is fine then.

Will I be able to see the lavender field then?

Johnno

Hi Johnno

The weather in late September through the first week in October is, generally just gorgeous. It is still quite warm and most years also dry. This is especially important because the vendange (grape harvest) will probably still be going on during at least the early part of your trip and nothing will ruin a years harvest like rain.

I hope you get to see some of the activities associated with the vendange - we always find it to be fascinating.

Sorry, but you will be way too late to see the fields of lavender in bloom. My guess is that they are, to a great extent, in bloom right now and that the harvest has probably already been completed in some areas

AlpillesGal

PS - Even though the weather is sure to be wonderful, we always take along light weight Gore-Tex jackets as a kind of trip insurance. Why? Because, if it does rain the rains can be torrential and there are, on occasion, almost Mistral-like winds that can last for a day or two.