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How many days in Provence? 5 days, one base change and a car for the villages
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Provence is a region of small towns 30-60 km apart, so the question is less how many days than how many bases. Give it five days with two bases: Avignon for the north (the papal city, the Luberon villages, Arles and the Pont du Gard) and Aix-en-Provence or Marseille for the south coast. Trains link the cities well; the hill villages really need a car, even for one day.
Short answer
Three days covers Avignon, one Luberon driving loop and either Arles or Marseille. Five days adds Aix, the Calanques by boat from Cassis and time for a village market morning, which is the reason many people come.
The 5-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Avignon: the popes' palace and the broken bridge
Morning. Be at the Palais des Papes when it opens at 9:00 (about €15, or around €18-20 combined with the bridge). The 14th-century palace was the seat of seven popes, and the tablet-guided route takes about 1.5 hours through the vast empty halls and the frescoed Chambre du Cerf. Walk 5 minutes up to the Rocher des Doms garden for the view over the Rhône.
Afternoon. Walk out onto the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the 'Pont d'Avignon' of the song, which stops after four arches mid-river. Then stroll the shaded Rue des Teinturiers, where water wheels once turned for the cloth dyers, and stop at Les Halles covered market on Place Pie (mornings only, closed Mondays) if you come early.
Evening. Have an apéritif on Place de l'Horloge or the quieter Place des Corps Saints, where plane trees shade the café tables. A two-course menu in the old town costs about €22-35.
In July the Festival d'Avignon fills every room in town and prices double; book months ahead or stay in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon across the river.
Day 2: The Luberon villages by car
Morning. Drive 40 minutes east to Gordes, the stone village stacked on a cliff, and take the photo from the roadside viewpoint on the D15 before the coaches arrive. Continue 4 km down a narrow lane to the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de Sénanque, the Cistercian abbey framed by lavender; the fields flower from about late June to mid-July.
Afternoon. Drive 15 minutes to Roussillon and walk the Sentier des Ocres (about €3-4, 30-60 minutes) through cliffs of red and orange ochre. Then cross the Luberon ridge by the Combe de Lourmarin road to Lourmarin, with its Renaissance château and the grave of Albert Camus.
Evening. Eat on a terrace in Lourmarin or Bonnieux before the 1-hour drive back to Avignon. Country restaurants here serve set menus of about €30-45.
Village markets are the event of the week: L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Sunday (antiques and food), Lourmarin on Friday, Gordes on Tuesday. Arrive by 9:00 to park.
Day 3: Pont du Gard and Roman Arles
Morning. Drive about 30 minutes west to the Pont du Gard, the three-tiered Roman aqueduct bridge, 48 metres high, built about 2,000 years ago. Entry with parking is about €10 per person; in summer you can swim in the Gardon river below it.
Afternoon. Continue 45 minutes to Arles, or take the train from Avignon (about 20 minutes). Visit the Arènes, the Roman amphitheatre still used for bullfights, the Théâtre Antique and the Cryptoportiques under the town hall; a pass for several monuments costs about €12-15. Find the café Van Gogh painted on Place du Forum.
Evening. See the silver LUMA Arles tower by Frank Gehry (the park and many exhibitions are free), then eat in the old town; Camargue bull stew (gardianne de taureau) with rice is the local dish, about €18-24.
If you have an extra half day, the Camargue wetlands with flamingos and white horses start 30 minutes south of Arles, around Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Day 4: Aix-en-Provence, Cézanne's town
Morning. Move base south: Aix is about 1 hour by car from Avignon, or 20 minutes on the TGV to Aix TGV station plus a 20-minute shuttle bus. Walk the Cours Mirabeau, lined with plane trees and moss-covered fountains, and the morning market on Place Richelme (daily) with its olives, cheese and calissons.
Afternoon. See the Musée Granet (about €8-12) for Cézanne and Picasso, then walk or take a local bus 15 minutes uphill to the Atelier de Cézanne (about €7-8, book a slot), where his studio is kept as he left it. Five minutes further, the Terrain des Peintres looks at the Montagne Sainte-Victoire he painted again and again.
Evening. Dinner in the old quarter around the Forum des Cardeurs, where tables fill the square, then a drink on the Cours Mirabeau at Les Deux Garçons, a café open since 1792.
Buy calissons, the almond-and-melon sweets of Aix, at a confiserie like Léonard Parli; a small box costs about €8-12.
Day 5: Marseille and the Calanques from Cassis
Morning. Take the bus or TER train from Aix to Marseille (about 40 minutes, around €6-8). Start at the Vieux-Port fish market on the Quai des Belges, then climb into Le Panier, the oldest quarter, to the Vieille Charité, and walk 10 minutes to the MuCEM (about €11-13), linked by footbridge to Fort Saint-Jean.
Afternoon. Catch the bus or train to Cassis (about 30-45 minutes) and take a boat from the harbour to the Calanques, the white limestone inlets of the national park; a trip to three calanques takes about 45 minutes for roughly €20-25. Fit walkers can hike 1 hour each way to Port-Pin and En-Vau.
Evening. Back in Marseille, go up to Notre-Dame de la Garde (free, bus 60 from the Vieux-Port) for sunset over the islands, then eat bouillabaisse at a specialist like Le Miramar or Chez Fonfon, about €65-80 a person for the real thing.
In summer some Calanques trails close on high fire-risk days, and Sugiton needs a free online reservation; check the Parc national des Calanques site the evening before.
Only have 3 days?
With 3 days, stay in Avignon: do Day 1, the Luberon loop on Day 2, and Arles with the Pont du Gard on Day 3. You miss Aix, Marseille and the coast.
Got extra days?
A 6th day suits the Gorges du Verdon, about 1h45 from Aix by car, or the wine village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (20 minutes from Avignon). With a week, add Les Baux-de-Provence and Saint-Rémy, where Van Gogh painted at the asylum of Saint-Paul.
Where to stay in Provence
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Avignon outside the walls / Marseille Noailles | Cheaper rooms near the stations; still 10-15 minutes on foot to the sights. | €70-110 |
| Mid-range | Avignon inside the walls | Walk to the palace, trains to Arles, an easy start for the Luberon by car. | €110-190 |
| Mid-range | Aix-en-Provence old town | Elegant, safe at night, buses to Marseille every 10-15 minutes. | €120-200 |
| Comfort | Luberon mas or bastide (Gordes, Ménerbes, Lourmarin) | Farmhouse hotels with pools and views; a car is essential. | €230-500 |
Getting around
The TGV reaches Avignon TGV from Paris in about 2h40 and Marseille in about 3h10; Avignon Centre, Arles, Marseille Saint-Charles and Aix are linked by TER regional trains and buses for about €6-15 a ride. The villages of the Luberon and the Pont du Gard have very few buses, so rent a car for at least one or two days, ideally from Avignon TGV station to avoid driving in the old towns. Parking in villages costs about €3-6, and old-town centres are partly closed to cars. Marseille has a metro and tram (about €2 a ride).
What to eat in Provence
Provençal food follows the market: tomatoes, courgette flowers, goat's cheese, olives, garlic and herbs. Try tapenade and anchoïade with bread, ratatouille or tian of vegetables, daube (beef stew with red wine), pieds-paquets in Marseille, panisses (chickpea-flour fritters), and bouillabaisse, the Marseille fish soup that is served in two courses and should cost €60 or more if made properly. A weekday formule lunch (starter and main) costs €18-25. Drink rosé from the Côtes de Provence, red from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas, and pastis at the café. Lunch is 12:00-14:00 and many kitchens close in between.
Best time to visit
May, June and September are best, with 22-28°C and the markets in full swing. Lavender peaks from about late June to mid-July, which is also the busiest and hottest time (often 33°C and more) and the month of the Avignon festival. The mistral wind can blow cold and hard for days in spring and winter. November to March is quiet; many village restaurants and hotels close.
Month-by-month weather for Provence →
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €45 | €80 | €170 |
| Food & drink | €30 | €55 | €100 |
| Sights & tickets | €12 | €25 | €45 |
| Local transport | €10 | €30 | €55 |
| Total per person, per day | about €97 | about €190 | about €370 |
Approximate 2026 prices; car hire (about €40-70 a day plus fuel and tolls) is shared between two in the mid-range and comfort columns, and French towns add a taxe de séjour of about €1-4 per person per night.
Before you go
Common questions
Can I see Provence without a car?
Partly. Avignon, Arles, Aix, Marseille and Cassis are all linked by trains and buses, and you can do Days 1, 3 (by train to Arles), 4 and 5 without driving. The Luberon villages, Sénanque and the Pont du Gard are hard by bus, so either rent a car for one day or join a small-group tour from Avignon, which costs about €70-100 per person for a full day.
When exactly does the lavender bloom?
In the Luberon and around Sénanque, usually from about the third week of June to mid-July; on the higher Valensole plateau, roughly late June to late July. Harvesting starts in July, so fields can be cut by the end of the month. Dates move by a week or two with the weather.
Is Marseille safe for visitors?
The tourist areas, the Vieux-Port, Le Panier, the MuCEM, the Corniche and Notre-Dame de la Garde, are fine with normal city care. Watch your phone and bag on the metro, around Saint-Charles station and in Noailles market, and avoid the northern districts, which have no sights anyway.
Which is the better base, Aix or Marseille?
Aix is smaller, calmer and prettier at night, with buses to Marseille every 10-15 minutes. Marseille has more to see, the sea, better transport to Cassis and cheaper hotels. For a short stay focused on the coast and the Calanques, choose Marseille; for markets, cafés and Cézanne, choose Aix.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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