I leave in two weeks. After quite bit of resarch, I decided to say primarily in Aix en Provence and make day trips to Arles and Avignon by train.
Now I%26#39;m beginning to doubt my choice. Based on what I%26#39;ve read, Arles is more like a big village, Avignon is a fortressed city (bigger than Arles) and Aix...well, I imagine it%26#39;s about as big as Avignon...and defintely not village, let%26#39;s say, almost (almost!) as cosmopolitan as Paris?
I%26#39;ve checked train schedules from Aix to Arles and Avignon, seems to be easy and quick.
For those of you who have been to the Three A%26#39;s- and I don%26#39;t mean overnight stays which I read alot about of the Forums- which city woud you make as a base for exploring? Or am I splitting hairs?
Thanks!!!!!
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According to http://www.beyond.fr/villages/index.html population figures are -
Aix: 123,842; Arles: 52,058; Avignon: 85,935 (with about another 100,000 in surrounding conurbation)
If you%26#39;re travelling around by public transport, Avignon is generally considered the best base for visiting Roman towns, Luberon villages and well-known wine villages (amongst other things). I%26#39;ve never been particularly keen on Aix, just because it is big, but it has a reputation as a lively university city, and I know many people rate it very highly. Arles is nice too ......
Toss a coin? ;-)
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Yes Diz, I was thinking I%26#39;d like Aix more because it is more of a University town. Dumb as this sounds, the pictures I%26#39;ve seen on the internet make Aix look pretty and Avignon seem like alot of medieval stone blocks baking in the sun...my throat gets parched.
Appreciate the website link Diz:-) Any other opinions: Aix vs. Avignon as a base?
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Actually we%26#39;ve chosen St. Remy south of Avignon, but we will have a car. If I had to pick, I think I%26#39;d go with Avignion for the location and access to transportation.
Just my deux centiemes....
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I think it comes down to what you want to do beyond your base town (if anything). If you have a car, then the main thing, in whichever town, would be to check your hotel has parking, then have a look at distances to the attractions you want to visit http://www.viamichelin.com/ If you%26#39;re depending on public transport, then Avignon almost certainly wins out, simply because it%26#39;s more centrally placed and it%26#39;s the starting point for local buses to places you%26#39;re likely to want to visit.
I don%26#39;t know how long you%26#39;re staying, but have you any options to have a couple of days in Aix, then move on if you decide you want a different base?
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Diz/Khutson...Thank you for your input! From what I%26#39;ve read Aix (En-Prov) has traffic issues. And it;s true, on the web there are different accounts of Aix: Graffiti for example. Hmm. Looking now at Avignon for two nights
Thank you
Delphi
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Aix feels much bigger to me than Avignon. Perhaps it is because I know Avignon pretty well and only go to Aix when I HAVE to. Traffic can be a total nightmare and parking too.
Yes, there is lots of tagging, but you are seeing that more and more all over Provence. I do feel it is worse in Aix than Avignon, but that is my personal opinion and it can depend on exactly where you are in Aix.
I agree that if you can split your time between the two places and visit Arles while staying in Avignon, then you will be able to come back and tell us which one you think is best.
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You have stated that you will be in Provence for two weeks, if at all possible, I would really recommend that you rent a car for the duration of your trip since if you decide to depend upon public transportation ( ie. trains ) you will spend probably 2-3 times as much time getting from place to place AND will also not have the option of exploring the many really special places that are %26quot;outside of town.%26quot;
Really hope that you will consider doing the %26quot;car option%26quot; especially since you will be travelling 6000* miles from LA to visit one of the most gorgeous places on this earth and a place with the best preserved Roman ruins anywhere.
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Alpillesgal and Toutou
And everybody else ...Merci Beaucoup! Appreciate your help and I have to say Tripadvisor is such a great place to get information. All of these wonderful people giving advice! I am very thankful.
Delphi
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