We took the train from Paris to Avignon (about 3 hours) and rented a car at the station for the rest of the trip. A few notes: pay for 1st class seating on the train (it is worth every damn penny, don't cut corners here), you have to ask for an automatic car when renting one, it is ESSENTIAL you pay for GPS in your car, do not be intimated by driving in France. Also, the 2-4 p.m. shut down rule really does apply in small town Provence. Make sure to always have a snack with you during these times if you are on the road because you are not going to find anything open.
Lavender Field Exploring
Where we stayed:
Grand Hôtel Henri- located in the perfect little town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue this greatest hotel we have every stayed in. No joke. The service and staff are five star. The rooms are big and comfortable. The location is prime. And it is exactly what you want when you are staying in Provence. Plus the price is unreal for what you get. Please try and get a room here if you are staying in Provence, you will not be disappointed and will cry when you leave (I did).
What we did/ate (by day):
Exploring L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue-a mix between Venice and side streets in Italy, this little town is right out of a movie. It is not very touristy so be prepared to really step up your French charades game. Wonder the street, stop in all the local shops, have beers on the canal and enjoy a little piece of heaven. There are lots of antique shops too! We could not have loved this location and town more!
Dinner- Le Petite Henri- located in the hotel you are hopefully staying in the chef is Michelin star rated but the dining is snappy casual. The food is served in courses and will not dissapoint. If you are looking for a splurge during your time in Provence now would be the time to do it! The menu changes weekly with what is local at the market, you can make rezzie through the hotel and it is highly recommended
Winery Day
*Wine country is about 45 minutes from your hotel and is very easy to navigate thanks to the GPS in the car. You need to make reservations to taste but make sure you leave 30 minutes between appointments. Also, don't be alarmed if they don't get back to you right away, keep on emailing them and if all else fails ask your hotel to make the reservation for you*
Chateau Mont-Redon- wow. wow. wow. wow. I was speechless from the time we drove up to the time we left. Jaggs pretty much had to force me to leave. A beautiful chateau with beautiful wine in the middle of wine country. Is is perfect. Just perfect
Lunch- L'Hostellerie du Château des Fines Roches- lunch in a castle over looking 360 degree wine country. Okay. Twist my arm
Chateau la Nerthe- 2nd largest wine producer in Provence, the grounds are spectacular and the caves date back to the 16th Century. I hate to be honest, the wines were good, not great. But I would go back just for the scenery
Explore
Châteauneuf-du-Pape-the small town of
Tea at hotel-we enjoyed tea every afternoon at the hotel in the study. So cliche yet so necessary. Just tell the front desk you would like tea and they will bring it to you in your room, outside on the patio or in the bar. It was such a treat and we really looked forward to it every day, perfect way to decompress and talk about the day
Dinner- L’Ecailler-located .2 miles from the hotel on the canal we made a rezzie for outside seating. The food is good, the location is amazing
Note: we did buy wine and put it in our checked bag on the way home. I highly recommend if you THINK you are going to buy 1 or 6 bottles that you purchase "wine skins" from Amazon before you leave for your trip. We always travel with them and have never had a problem getting wine home. Plus, we reuse them for the next trip!
Lavender Field Exploring
Morning market in Carpentras- there is nothing I love more than to travel to other markets no matter what country/city we are visiting. This little town is about 20 minutes from the hotel and the market on Friday is worth a trip. We loaded up on picnic treats for our day of exploring the lavender fields
Sault-45 minute drive from Carpentras you really get into the mountains for Provence. The landscape totally changes and as you enter the town of Sault you literally drive to the top of the mountain and when you don't think you can see anything all of a sudden the lavender fields appear in the valley. It is a moment I will never forget. You can see the purple, you can see the small town sitting on the hillside and if you roll down your window you can smell the lavender. We parked on the side of the road and stopped at a lot of the lavender fields to take one million pictures. Driving up into the city of Sault is VERY much worth it for the views and because you can sit on a park bench and get your eat on with your snacks from the market. Some people say it is very touristy and I would agree BUT I am always okay with something touristy if it provides me with views/memories
Abbey Notre-Dame de Sénanque- 12th Century Abbey that takes you back into time with lavender fields in the front. Yes, please. Very much worth a visit to see for your own eyes
Gordes-WOW. The town literally sit on a mountain side and has castles. It is breathtaking and worth wondering around. The views from around the city will take your breath away and leave you speechless
Dinner- Mistral-the highlight of our time in Provence. Locally owned by a husband and wife who focus on getting vegetables and seafood from the market daily, the taste of Provence are here. Get the hotel to make a reservation for you because it only has about 20 seats and is very popular
Note: Take time to explore Provence. We literally spent the day driving and stopping, driving and stopping. The small towns of Provence are going to be the places you will not forget but you can't really "plan" lots to do when you are exploring. Pick some towns you want to see or you have heard about, pack a lunch/water and have a sober day of living life in France. Trust me. I can't tell you how many times the words "Whoa" came out of mouths when we drove over the horizon to see new landscapes or old towns/buildings
Last Day in Provence
Saint Remy de Provence- a perfectly wonderful town about 25 minutes from the hotel and 20 minutes from the train station in Avignon. We wanted to use our full day before the train back to Paris as another day to explore. While my hope was that we got to drive to the coast, it was just too far and this little town had a good bit of offerings for our wandering hearts
Saint-Paul de Mausole- as you know I am not much of an art or museum kind of gal (never have been) but this was outside and the grounds were beautiful. There is rich history here with Van Gough staying here when he went crazy (I am sure that is interesting to some of you) but we went for the lavender fields in front of the abbey. It costs 5 euros to wander and it was worth it
Lunch- L'Estagnol- rose and seafood. Say no more. We had a three hour Provence lunch and talked about every detail of our trip outside under the blue sky. The meal was a highlight filled fresh Mediterranean fish and local salads. This is a must and needs to be on your to do list. And the rose was amaze
Note: Our train left Avignon at 6 p.m. and got into Charles de Gaulle airport/train station at 9. The sun doesn't set until about 10 p.m. in France so make sure you don't waste your last day travelling and at an airport hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle which was perfectly fine and yards from the airport. Do not make the mistake of getting a hotel in Paris for your last night and then trying to go to the airport the next morning, it is about a 30-45 minute drive (if there is no traffic) and honestly isn't worth the cost. End your trip with ease and stay practically at the airport, all the flights are in the morning anyway.
