illustration - paper fashion
Getting Around...
Whether arriving in Provence by air, by sea or by rail it is still advisable to rent a car. Provence is a large region and the public transport system does not cater for tourists unless you are with a group and on an arranged tour. Taxis are not readily or easily available and the distances between cities and villages is great. Having your own transport is essential, unless you are happy to stay in one specific place and explore by foot. Most friends who visit Provence usually have an itinerary that takes in a selection of towns and villages.
Hiring cars is easy in France and most of that can be done over the internet before you arrive. All the major companies have representatives at the airports and train stations. There are a few little tricks to renting cars in France...
Most cars are manual so unless automatic is specified be prepared to shift the gears. (Boîte de vitesse... very handy words when wishing to discuss the gearbox...)
Be prepared that the car you select on the internet may not be the one waiting for you in the car park. This has happened time and time again to my friends so I urge confirmation upon confirmation to avoid disappointment. The French seem very adept with these car hire contracts and once you arrive hot and bothered after a long journey, the will to argue in a foreign language is almost nil... and more often than not round one goes to them.
Do not presume that the car will be air conditioned... unbelievable, but true. It is not a given that the vehicle will be fitted with 'climatisation'... If your travels bring you to southern France in the summer it is a non-negotiable. Make sure to specify before your arrival.
Satellite navigation is not integrated into most rental vehicles... ( that's an easy one... satellite de navigation) Who wants to drive without a talking 'assistant' when travelling in unknown territory? It is an optional extra and must be pre-ordered... What you will be given is a TomTom to plug into the car... My advice is to save your money and bring one from home that is familiar, making sure that it works as required.
The maps (les cartes) that the car hire companies include are generally not very detailed and if the satellite navigation is non existent or unfamiliar, leaving the station or the airport can be very stressful. I've lost count of the tense holiday starts we have had because we don't know exactly where we are going... Bring your own maps and plot out your first destination. Via Michelin is also a useful site for line by line directions.
Via Michelin here...
** It might be me but I seem to find hire care offices very slow to deal with customers and oftentimes inefficient... When we hire a car (for many years we hired cars in Marseille and Avignon) we have a system... One waits for the luggage and one heads straight to arrange the car hire. The queues in these places can be phenomenal because everyone is arriving at the same time... playing it this way means the waiting time is less...
What to Pack...
The simple answer is... always less than you think. Provence is a casual and relaxed part of France and unless you are specifically invited to something formal, what to wear is pretty easy.
In the summer I wear mostly dresses or capri pants and tee shirts. Linen is cool and comfortable although not brilliant for travelling. I like wrap dresses which are easy to pack and can take me anywhere... dressed up with a necklace, dressed down with a pair of flip flops... I also include long sleeve shirts to protect against the sun and a pliable sunhat... A lightweight jacket or cardigan is useful if the temperature drops... Footwear is easy... ballet flats or the flip flops... Heels are for special occasions and they usually stay home when I am on tour... In the winter I am a jeans, cargo style pants, Converse and cashmere sweater girl all the way. An all weather puffer jacket is what I wear when I am travelling. Add a few changes of scarves, a flash of jewellery and a pair of boots and the evenings are taken care of... For mid season travelling, a mix of the two with the addition of a trench coat is perfect for Provence... More about what French women wear here and here...
When you are on the move, it doesn't matter if you duplicate clothing and wear similar outfits each day... mostly you will be somewhere new and with different people. The same goes for shoes... Be strict... one pair for comfort and mobility and one pair for the evening.
The essential ingredient when travelling is to be comfortable. Leave behind those clothing items that require loads of breathing in or are high maintenance care. Pack clothes that work together and that you love. Think of a travel wardrobe like a uniform... as functional and as one that requires little thought each day... Comfort doesn't mean you won't look fabulous, comfort means ease. Moving around, however enjoyable, is tiring both physically and mentally; comfort is a priority.
Take time and plan what to pack... Time spent preparing at home will save hours of indecision on the road. Be strategic...
Remember to leave space in your suitcase for all the fabulous finds that will tempt you in Provence. If the bags (les valises) do runneth over the best place to buy luggage is in the large supermarket chains... Auchan and Géant Casino in particular. These stores are usually on the outskirts of the big towns and cities. It is unlikely that you will find luggage shops in the small village areas of Provence so do come prepared with extra fold ups in your suitcase if possible.
Location of Auchan and Géant Casino stores here...
Pharmacies are in every village and always a temptation in themselves. There will be everything that you need and more so forgetting toiletries is not a big problem. Supermarkets also stock a full pharmacy... As for adapters, chargers, cords and all that... try to pack those... they are not so easy to find...
Tickets, passport, CC's and a few euros are the real party starters... Don't worry too much about the luggage... the bags have a habit of taking care of themselves...
Happy travelling and part three of 'travelling to Provence' to follow... xv
Maps of Provence to travel with...
French Vocabulary... a must for the handbag...
Soft luggage for those I-can't-fit-anymore-in-my-suitcase-without-breaking-the-zipper-moments...
Dear Vicki
ReplyDeleteOur last hire car experience from Europcar, Aix en Provence tgv station, was a disaster. We booked an automatic with air conditioning and picked it up without much of a queue. But once we got on the road to St Remy we began to have problems. Because we'd never driven this model Citroen before we thought the problems were caused by our unfamiliarity with the vehicle. And on arrival at St Remy we had more trouble parking, starting,reversing etc. It turned out to be a fault with the automatic transmission (we had it looked at by the Citroen dealer in St Remy who told us this - but naturally we weren't keen to pay for the dealer to fix this as it was a hire car not our own). We tried calling Europcar to exchange it for another but for a day or two could not get through to them, no-one ever seemed to answer their phone, or on the rare occasion when they did, they put us on hold and then forgot us. Eventually the kind proprietor of our hotel spent an hour getting through to a real person who told us they had no other cars to exchange it with. They were all booked - so we were stuck with a dud car that was quite scary to drive because it would stall or kangaroo hop at dangerous moments. So not sure what the lesson is here for other travellers - perhaps don't book an automatic. And personally we would never book with Europcar again as they were so unhelpful.
In addition to bringing soft bags inside suitcases on the way over, we also send things back home through the French Post Office. We work out which of our clothing items we no longer need for the holiday, likewise any guide books (and any other books we've bought) and pack them into their strong cardboard box - colisimo I think it's called. You pay a flat fee for the box and postage. The box goes air mail and is usually home before you. It's not cheap but depending on your airline, excess baggage could be a lot more expensive. Also you no longer have to lug this extra weight around for the rest of the holiday. Because we send home clothes we've brought with us, books and a few items bought locally (like Provencal bedcovers) there's never been duty to pay at home. Though once Customs opened one of our Colisimos because the drug dogs that inspect the bags got over excited. There were no drugs of course but there was a pair of my husband's old sneakers he couldn't bear to part with - we think these are what excited the dogs. But every bag (and there've been lots over the years) we've ever sent from France has arrived safely - though this is not true of Italian post office bags which are much more flimsy and unreliable.
ReplyDeleteMa chère je toujours prête pour vous rejoindre... j'affectionne tant cette région.
ReplyDeleteGros bisous
This is so fantastic that you are doing this, Vicki. I can only imagine all of the travelers that you are going to help! And you have really thought it all through--maybe another book is on its way?
ReplyDeleteI would simply second the importance of comfortable walking shoes, essential! And no one does what to pack for France (even though she tends to be more Paris-centric which is deifferent than the casual South) better than the Vivienne Files--she is amazing! She has also done a few guest posts over at A Femme d'un certain age. Great resources, both.
We were very fortunate with our trip to France last year... kind of! My husband was very nervous about driving on the wrong side of the road and was also concerned about driving a manual, to the point that he accidentally burnt out the clutch while we were in a traffic jam coming out of Paris a km out from the car rental premises. He thought he was in first gear but actually in 3rd ( we think) The lady was wonderful and upgraded our car to a peugeot luxury car with a sat nav to die for!! We realised how stupid we were to think we could travel around France without a navigational system!! It was a dream and even though stressful at the time, everything from then on went to plan perfectly. It was what we called 'a blessing in disguise!' x
ReplyDeleteVicki, merci beaucoup for more tips on Provence. I especially liked the ones about the car, an essential if you are planning to visit several villages in Provence. I emailed this to myself for safekeeping to file under France so I don't lose it. Love that little email button at the bottom of posts. So handy.
ReplyDeleteSam
Hi Vicki, all these tips are fabulous. xxCorrina.
ReplyDeleteDear Vicky, great advice. Be careful when filling up a car. Some gas pumps show different colors than we are used to. Always READ if it is Gasoline or Diesel.
ReplyDeleteWe always travel light...22 lbs I allow myself for a 2 week trip. I pack cottons, cashmere, silk and some light wool. In other words, all natural materials, they have served me well on our forty some ought trips to Europe and other parts of the world.
Good Morning Vicki
ReplyDeleteThis is very useful information and I shall do like Sam and save it,
Rushing and just wanted to say hi
Helen xx
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Thanks, I do hope to get to Provence one day...meanwhile I get my fix by reading your blog!
Karen
This is wonderful advice, Vicki (and I agree with you totally on the shoes...). Rental cars in foreign countries are a bit tricky, but having driven in Ireland (on what they call "roads" sometimes) in a touchy rental car, I think I can drive anywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteSo happy you discussed what to pack and the car rentals. Such good information for anyone who hasn't learned the hard way to pare down and had huge difficulties with the car rental procedures & equipment. Of course, there will always be the totally unexpected "wrong turn" like the time I drove from Napoli to Salerno instead of Sorrento, but then again I'm blonde :)'s
ReplyDeletexx's
What helpful information + Grand. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteThat was a very thorough reference quide! Easy to read sensible tips - thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, Yes! I agree with Heather! A France travel, how-to, book! Your experience, language expertise and intimate knowledge of so much of the country point to success, therein, not to mention all the bloggers who follow you worldwide.
ReplyDeletePlease...as the kids say...pretty please!?
I have saved all of your informational posts re: travel, dress, etc. (Oh, I think that is EVERY post!?) for reference compiled into a smaller format book would be perfect
xo, Chris
I will get there again. You don't know how many of us are filing these tips away Vicki! You are the go to girl for everything French. A-M xx
ReplyDeleteOn my to do list!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vicki. Practical and elegant! Even when going away here for a long weekend with the comfort and space of being able to stow things in the car from A to B, I'm quite obsessive about packing as lightly as possible. It's always great to read other people's tips on such things. {Not to mention the cars... I wouldn't have thought to check on air-con and navigation systems!}
ReplyDeleteI always travel light but this time I left at home my makeup base, rouge and my lipstick is finished.
ReplyDeleteMore than clothes you need 'your face' with you!!
Quelle nightmare.
I don't drive either so Provence is probably out for me...
WOnderful advice! I have travelled through Normandy, have visited Paris regularly and have holidayed in Charente Maritime, but have sadly yet to visit Provence. I will be saving these tips, and you have definitely inspired me to start planning a visit in the very near future. Lovely blog by the way, I shall be back often. x
ReplyDeleteExcellent advise. I adore the charms of the Provence and the French Riviera.
ReplyDeletea little off topic.. who is the artist for the above watercolor? it's precious.
ReplyDeleteI fyou click on the link at the bottom of the post you will be directed to 'paper fashion'... xv
DeleteYou write the perfect travel guide. When traveling to Avignon, I usually bring an assistant along to help out with keeping track of purchases and logistic and as a reward, they would fight as cats and dogs in the office as to who will be coming along next! One time, my assistant arrives at JFK to meet me with an enormous suitcase, stuffed with stilleto,pocketbooks, outfits .. (try walking in Avignon in high heels!) Her suitcase did not even fit in the trunk of my rental car. I am the drastic opposite and only travel with carry on. When short on outfits, I resort to shopping, with not an ounce of guilt.
ReplyDeleteNext time I will be your assistant Francine! xv
DeleteVicki,
ReplyDeleteWe took our Garmon from the U.S. We ordered a "chip" for France ....I think it also included Belgium. We have used it twice in France and it was a lifesaver...Worth every dime!