Everything You Need to Know and More (South of France)

Sept 28 to October 10 - South of France

Here is a break down of our itinerary with links that may be helpful to you. Keep in mind that I am a 3 star kind of traveler so the accommodations were excellent for me and I try to travel and live as much as possible like the locals.

Sept 28 - RyanAir flight from Malta to Marseille. Place in Marseille is steps away from the main cathedral. It is at the highest point in Marseille. The walk up here was a challenge, but the apartment is fantastic. Small, but so comfortable. Walked up and saw the cathedral Notre Dame de la Garde, since we were already up here. Did a full self guided tour of Marseille, including Napoleon’s cathedral, La Piene area and the other sites. Marseille is the second largest city in France but felt so small. 

Sept 29 - Took the train to Cassis. A small old fishing village that is now a high end yacht stop. Small boat tour to the cliffs. After looked so nice. Walked the village. Saw the few sites. Had mussels by the water and headed back. From the train station in Marseille, went to see the Longchamps Palace amazing and the start of the aqueducts. Walked back to the room. 30,000 steps today. Up and down and up and down. Walked to the trending area Cours Julien for a light dinner. 

Sept 30 - After breakfast, took the train to Avignon. Checked into a nice apartment right in the old city. This is the perfect size, with real life here. Went to La Vintage for dinner. Steak and pork. Wonderful. A lovely German couple and a big group of obnoxious Italian men. 

Oct 1 -Took train to Aix en Provence. Walked around. Self guided tour. Ate and enjoyed. Bought pasta and fresh sauce at their open air market and ate in that night when we arrived back to Avignon. 

Oct 2 - Explored Avignon with a walking tour. Lots of history in Avignon. Avignon was the Papal seat for about 100 years in the 1500s. One of the few cities in France with its walls intact. Lots of Roman history as well! 

Oct 3 - Wine Country Time! Rented a 500. Drove to Chateaunuef du Pape. Went to Le Pegau winery. Nice tour of the cellars and a tasting. Lunch at LaMule de Pape in Chateaunuef du Pape. Rabbit! Excellent service and food. Drove to Nimes. What a place tons of Roman ruins. A huge and well maintained arena. Temple. We walked along a large garden around the highest point, where the Romans built a watch tower. 

Oct 4 - Tasting at Domain Galevan. The owner was lovely. They said they would host us to go and live and work for a month? Once we retire. Lunch in Gigondas. Cod and pork. Again. Excellent. Drove to Domain de la Mordoree. Great tour through the vineyards and lots of tasting. 

Oct 5 - Travel Day to Montpelier only just over an hour train ride to get there. Walked to apartment. Right in old area. Uphill and up three flights, though a number of doors. Super cute old cave apartment. Lots of space. Walked the old town in the afternoon. Amazing cathedral here. And another church called St Roch is 1,000 years old and half destroyed. Montpellier has 95,000 students. On a Wednesday night it was absolutely alive. More typical French architecture. Such a beautiful place and only 10 minutes from the beach. We ate at Les Fils de Mamman, highly recommend eating here. Wish we had stayed a few more days here to explore!

Oct 7 - Train to Toulouse, approximately 2.5 hours. Wonderful Airbnb compound. Hosts were Eric and Jose. A lovely couple. Our apartment was perfect. Spacious comfortable and a nice outdoor patio area. Walked around and got to know our surroundings. 

Oct 8 - Bike tour of Toulouse. All Roman history destroyed by government in 1850. Wanted to make a more expansive and beautiful city. We rode along the canal du midi, discovered that the blue paint that is very typical of Toulouse is made from urine and plants. Beautiful architecture and French balconies. So many beautiful squares and places to eat, drink aperitifs and relax. 

Oct 9 - Carcassonne. Bus tour right from the city of Toulouse. Medieval walled city. Was to be torn down in 1849. Towns mayor saved it. Has been restored and is mainly for tourism now. Large castle that is a museum you can walk through. You can also walk around the inner walls and through the moat between the outer and inner walls. Lots of shops and restaurants. Charming, and much larger than Obidos for those of you who have visited this walled in city in Portugal. But Obidos seems to have more life and is more interesting. Headed back to Toulouse for the evening. Walked around, got a crepe and coffee. I made a lovely dinner from local fresh market produce. 

Oct 10 - Last day in Toulouse. Saw St Servin Basilica where six of the apostles’ remains are kept. A breathtaking church. Overwhelming architectural features inside. 

As I have mentioned in other posts, the South of France was an amazing experience and a very easy place to travel, sightsee or even just relax!

Next week I will post the links and itinerary for the UK and Ireland!