Which city to base in Provence?

I have 12 nights to expplore France for the first time. I am staying 5 nights in Paris and 4 nights in Nice. I want to spend three nights to explore Provence and wondered whether it would be better to base myself in Avignon or Aix en Provence. I would probably use 2 of the days for side trips to villages. We enjoy walking through older European cities and have a generalized interest in arts, shopping and general exploring.

Any recommedations? We will be in Paris Septemeber 21 - 25, Provence 26-28 and Nice the 29 through the 3rd of October.

Thanks

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We stayed in both Aix and Arles during a trip to Provence - we enjoyed both places very much. We did visit Avignon but were glad we stayed in Arles. Avignon felt very big and crowded to us. If I had to choose which would be better for side trips, I would say Arles - It%26#39;s about an hour away from St. Remy, Glanum and Les Beaux on one side, and about an hour or so to Aigues Mortes and Le Carmougue (sp?) to the south. Avignon, Chateau Neuf de Pape and Pont du Gard are about an hour or so to the north. I might shave a day from Nice and stop over in Aix for a day/night

jhgrady

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%26lt;%26lt;Avignon felt very big and crowded to us%26gt;%26gt;

This is an interesting comment (and of course one with which I take great issue).

janeharriet - As a comparison, would it be fair to state that Worcester, MA has a population of over 780,000 people; give or take a few?

On the other hand, Avignon has a population of well under 100,000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon

Of course there are the tourists but is it really fair to characterize Avignon as %26quot;very big%26quot;? Of course one will want to stay within the old city walls as the suburbs hold little touristic draw (isn%26#39;t Paris the same in this respect?)

If one visits in July, it can be crowded, it%26#39;s festival time and the city population swells. But otherwise, central Avignon is a charming location, with delightful squares, numerous cafés, interesting shops, and outstanding restaurants. No other town in Provence can equal its excellent rail links or offer a more centralized location for exploring the region between Nimes, Pont du Gard, the Luberon, and the Camargue.

If one visits Provence without a car, and has but a few days, I strongly recommend he consider either Avignon or Aix-en-Provence as a base.

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Personally, I would spend more time in Western Provence and less along the Cote d%26#39;Azur, but, as they say en Francais, chacun a son gout (every man to his own taste or to each his own).

I would suggest that you consider basing yourselves in St Remy as it is slightly more of a centralized location, especially if you are considering perhaps checking out some of the vinyards of the Southern Cotes-du-Rhone (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras Gigondas etc.) or some of the historical sites more to the North such as Vaison-la-Romaine.

As to whether Avignon has a big-city feel to it, I%26#39;m afraid that I have to agree with janeharriet on that one - While it has some important sites, it has little of the type of true Provencal ambiance that I am seeking when I travel to Provence for a month every September.