I’m finalising our plans for our 15 day visit in Languedoc %26amp; Provance in September and I have few questions:
Cassis vs. Camargue. My initial plan was to do a day trip from St Remy where we are staying for a week, to St Maries de la Mar %26amp; Aigues Mortes + Camargue area. I%26#39;m having second thoughts now though, after reading posts from people saying that they were disapointed with Camargue and others who mentioned Cassis %26amp; Calanques being one of the highlights of their trip. We don’t have time to visit both properly so I’m asking people who have visited both which one would you recommend? (If we decide to go Cassis, we would still visit Aigues Mortes).
If we decide to go Cassis, how early do you think we should get there? It’s just that someone was complaining that they arrive way too late there and couldn’t get anywhere to park. Mind you they were there in August, we will be in mid September. We don’t want to get up too early on our holidays, and it is over an hour’s drive, so I would guess that we will arrive in Cassis around midday. Is this too late to get parking? Also how early does the boat trips to Calanques fill up and should we think about booking one in advance?
Another question about parking: Is it easy to get parking in Arles? is there car park outskirts of the town from where you could walk to town centre, or is it easy enought to drive to the town centre and get parking there? Also how long would you say it takes to visit Arles, just to see the main sights (and maybe sit down for a coffee)? I was thinking around 2-3hrs. is this too little?
thanks in advance.
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We were in Cassis late July and used a park and ride called Parking des gorguettes - there is some info and a map (if you can stop the scroll!) on http://www.cassis.fr/pageLibre000108cc.html. Loads of spaces and frequent cheap shuttles - we found it by accident, following signs (I think) for %26#39;parking navettes%26#39;. It looked like parking on school sports grounds, so may not be available after the main holiday period. Walking round the town later, we found some of the signposted car parks were for permit holders only in high season.
Our trip to the Calanques was short as the sea was rough and they were only visiting 3 out of the 8 possible - we just booked and got on the next departure. According to the website, you can%26#39;t book in advance - and they also don%26#39;t take credit cards anyway! http://www.cassis-calanques.com/
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Do not miss the tip at Cap Canaille and its impressive cliffs, the highest point in the European coast. The road up there is awesome -You can imagine the views-. We explore the cape this past April and all I can say is: unforgettable.
Good trip.
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The best place for parking in Arles that we have found is right on Boulevard des Lices which is the main street that borders the south side of the old center. On the south side of the street there is a multi-level municipal parking garage located about 100 yards east of the tourist information center. Park in the garage, cross the street, go through the small park and up the stairs and you%26#39;re in the old town and a very short walk from the arena. Be aware that the local market is along that boulevard so the garage will fill early on those days. Old Arles is a fairly compact place so the time you mention would be just enough for a quick stroll through and coffee. There is a very interesting folk museum (Museon Arlaten) that%26#39;s worth a visit along with the Roman arena and some of the Van Gogh related sights. Also, if you%26#39;re in the area and have a car, the Camargue Museum is on the D570 about 5 miles south of Arles. It%26#39;s very nicely done and a provides a good perspective on the history and development of the Camargue. We enjoy visiting Arles so would suggest you give it a lot more time - there are plenty of decent restaurants for dinner.
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If you are based in St Remy for 15 days you will have plenty of time to visit both.
Personally I am not that fond of St Marie de la Mer and would give it a miss and spend more time in Aigues Mort.
I think with Cassis you are just going to have to get up early to get a parking space even in September.
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Thanks everyone for their advise %26amp; suggestons, this is all great help when deciding what to see and what to miss! Boucheboy, we are not going to be based on St Remy for the whole of our stay. In fact we will only be there for 6 nights (five full days) Our itinerary is as follows: 1 night in Carcassonne, followed by 7 nights in Pezenas, 6 nights in St Remy %26amp; final night in Nice, (from where we have flight back home).
Thanks again.
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I would give St Maries a miss, as well as the Camargue.you are right in keeping Aigues Mortes in your list - a great stop.
We were in Cassis on a dya trip last September and did not have too much trouble with parking when we arrived at 11:00 or so. They were doing a lot of road work but it was still a fairly easy in and out. We were not able to do a boat trip because of weather conditions, so I can%26#39;t help you there.
Arles is definitely worth at least a few hours -- we stayed there and loved the town.
jhgrady
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I would suggest you go to Cassis.
Great spot on the harbour for a lovely French lunch and the boat trip should certainly be a highlight if you have time.
We were there last Sept and hopefully this one too and we parked very easily.
There is quite a lot of on street parking (small charge)as you go down towards the town and then it is a short stroll to the harbour.
We approached it from the D1 from the Autoroute with parking around area of Ave Jules Ferry %26amp; Av Joseph Liautaud.
Link to map :
http://www.multimap.com/maps/#t=l%26amp;map=43.22523,5.54556|16|4%26amp;loc=FR:43.21601:5.53863:14|Cassis|Cassis,%20Bouches-du-Rhône
Neal
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Thanks so much jhgrady %26amp; neil for your contributions. This is exactly the sort of information I was looking for, great stuff!
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