Paris-Provence Itinerary
We spent a total of 13 nights split between Paris and Provence, with one night in Marseille tagged on at the end as a departure point. We flew into Paris, then took a high-speed train from Gare De Lyon Station in central Paris to the outskirts of Avignon, where we picked up our rental car for the one hour drive to our first hotel in Provence. After 8 nights exploring Provence, we dropped the car on the edge of downtown Marseille, from which we departed for home the next morning.
4 nights in Paris — This was our second trip in five years, so it felt just right; if it is your first trip or your sole destination, you could easily spend a week or more here.
8 nights in Provence — We split this part of the trip into two bases, allowing us to see more towns with less driving, and, frankly, because we wanted to stay at these two hotels!
1 night in Marseille — We used Marseille as our departure point for our flight home, since it was the nearest major city to the southern Provencal region we were exploring. We spent our last night there to see some of the city (and so we could leave for the airport relaxed in the morning).
GT Tips on this itinerary:
There is obviously no need for a car in Paris, but you willl absolutely need one to explore Provence.
We decided to take a high-speed train from Paris down to Provence — specifically to the TGV Mediteranee Station outside of Avignon, where there are a few car rental outlets and easy access to the freeway. It’s about a 3-3.5 hour train ride, which was followed by a one hour drive to our first hotel, vs. what would have been a six or seven hour drive from Paris. Much more relaxing.
We returned our rental car on the edge of Marseille’s center, and spent the last day exploring Marseille (and packing) before for our return home (via London) the next morning.
