Arles and Monte Carlo

My husband and I will be traveling to Arles and settling in for a week of day trips next week. We would also like to take in F1 in Monaco for Thursday (5/22/09) practice. Can anyone offer advise on getting to Monte-Carlo from Arles by train and also any advise on other sightseeing we should not miss during the week please? Thank you!

|||

I must leave it to others who may know what Monte Carlo is like in Grand Prix week, but the train journey would take about 5 hours each way with a bus to Aix TGV station, a TGV train from there to Nice and then a local train for the last leg. Although the TGV is a high speed train, there is not yet a high speed line between Marseilles and Nice. Also you may find that most reservations on the TGV that day have already been sold.

There are plenty of places in western Provence and eastern Languedoc that are much easier to get to by public transprt including Avignon, Orange, Nimes, Montpellier, Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Aigues Mortes, Tarascon, the Camargue.

|||

What if we drove to Marseille and took the train from there?

|||

It%26#39;s about three hours from Marseille. I should warn you Monte Carlo itself is not very interesting, lots of concrete and traffic. Unless you are set on it, I would give Monte a miss.

In the vicinity of Arles, however, is enough to keep you happy for a month:

The Camargue

Arles itself: cathedral and cloister, old town, van Gogh associations, river, five Roman sites of note

St Remy (try to go there on a Wednesday for the market) and near it the ruined hilltop town of les Baux and Glanum (more Roman ruins) and the monstery of St Paul de Mausole (more van Gogh)

l%26#39;Isle sur la sorgue (best on Sunday for the antiques market) and Fontaine de Vaucluse

The Luberon, popularised by Peter Mayle, my faves there are Roussillon and Apt (good Saturday market there)

Aix for the cathedral and Cezanne associations as a change from van Gogh. You can see his gallery. Also the cathedral, dozens of fountains and a great cafe scene.

Tarascon with fab castle right on the Rhone, Avignon for the bridges and the Pope%26#39;s palace, the pont du Gard

Cassis for the day if you want seaside.

Now you wish you were going for a fortnight.

|||

Thanks so much this is such valuable information.

Take care!