Perfect Provence & The Cote d’Azur in 5 Days

Spending a lifetime in the South of France sounds like perfection…if I only had the opportunity to just up-root my life and bring it there!?! But…since I don’t have that opportunity right now, spending 5 days in Provence and the Cote d’Azur with my best gal pal on a #momcation of a lifetime could be a close 2nd place. After our whirlwind, action-packed 4 days in Paris (read my blog post ‘Perfect Paris in 4 Days,’ we took the high-speed TGV from Paris —> Aix En Provence and it was a cinch! We’d highly recommend it since you can kick back, relax and snooze during this 3h48 m ride. The fare is also quite economical when you factor in not driving for 6+ hours (that’s how long the car ride is), navigating one of the main thoroughfares of France, stress and just the sheer time involved. Once in Aix (the locals just call it Aix, pronounced “X”), you really have to rent a car. This is the only location where we felt we had to rent a car and that was fairly easy as well. We pre-booked it ahead of time due to the high volume of tourist traffic in July, and picked up the rental car right at the Aix train station. Easy-peasy. And…we were off! Tip: Spring for the navigation package in your rental car! It’s worth the little extra money you’ll pay because even though the French roadway systems are well-marked, you still don’t know where you’re going and unless you’re proficient in French, you’ll have a double-barrier on your hands providing some added complexities. And…this is your vacation, let’s make things tres facile, ok? Oui. We booked a B&B just outside the city of Aix, which was perfect for our needs and a great launchpad for our day trips. We spent the remaining portion of day 4 driving to our B&B, having dinner in Aix and getting settled in.

Day 1 of Perfect Provence: Aix-En-Provence~A little R&R…Then Gordes

We took the morning of day 5 to catch up on our whirlwind adventure from Paris to Provence-enjoying a fabulous breakfast while getting to know our neighbors at the B&B, and spent most of this 100F day by the pool at our countryside digs.

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Finally by late afternoon, we were ready to go on our next adventure–a drive through the National Park of Luberon & a visit to the Senanque Abbey just outside the gorgeous village of Gordes. The owner of our B&B said we could take 2 routes: the freeway system or the ‘scenic route.’ One should note that any time a local mentions a ‘scenic route’ in Europe, there will be mountains to cross, unmarked partially shut-down roads, gravel roads, hairpin-turns and cliffs without guardrails. Just thought I’d mention this. Naturally being the wild adventurers we are (wink, wink), we decided to live life on the edge while in Provence & we took the ‘scenic route’ through the National Park of Luberon. How scary could it really be? Luckily, my husband and I had driven through Europe several other times prior to this vacation. It turned out that it wasn’t that scary…for me. For my travel partner, on the other hand, it was terrifying because that was the first time she’d experienced that style of driving and those roadways! I’m pretty sure she had her eyes closed for 99% of the drive and that was probably for the best! I’d have to say it was worth the risk and adventure to take this route! The scenery was incredibly breathtaking and we arrived to Gordes in one solid piece-the scenic route for the win! Alas…the arrival of the Senanque Abbey…

Gorgeous in every way imagineable. It surpassed my wildest dreams; we felt like we were in a movie.

The Senanque Abbey closed around 7 p.m. that evening so we had to make our way back to Aix to enjoy a proper French dinner around 10 p.m. After reminiscing the day’s events during dinner, we were ready for the day to come to a close.

Day 2 of Perfect Provence: Valensole & The Lavender Fields

This is it. Here’s the day we were waiting for & the main reason you’ll want to rent a car while staying in Provence (unless that’s beyond your comfort level and you want to hire a guide or take an organized tour; those are all available here as well). A drive from Aix to Valensole…

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Once you’re intoxicated enough from the scent of lavender, loop around, head south back towards Aix, take in a phenomenal lunch at some fabulous bistro in Greoux-les-Bains & do some shopping for lavender products. Here’s my recommendation: dedicate an entire day to frolicking in the lavender fields! Stop on the side of the road for photo ops every single time you feel the urge. It’s glorious!

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Since our rental car needed to be returned to the rental location within the city limits of Aix by 7 p.m.–which was highly convenient for us not to have to drive it back to the train station about 45 minutes away–we spent the evening strolling through the city of Aix, shopping and having a fabulous dinner. We both agreed that we could come back to Provence and spend an entire vacation just being here! A few days was not long enough but it gave us a taste and left us with a desire to go back with our husbands!

Day 3: Train des Pignes from Digne-les-Bains to Nice

Up & at it early again as we decided to take the scenic Train des Pignes from the quaint town of Digne-les-Baines to Nice. A mere 3h20m ride through the Haute Provence Alps and countryside on an old-fashioned steam train that chugs along at an average speed of 60km/hour-slow enough to take in the scenery around, but fast enough to get you there in a decent amount of time! For more information on this train ride, click here.

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Tip: The old-fashioned steam train ride was a relaxing way to see much of the southern Provencal countryside and arrive into the Cote d’Azur without the hassle and stress of driving there. We’d highly recommend it as a means of transportation if traveling through this area! Nice…we finally arrived in Nice a little dusty, a little sweaty and a little unprepared to navigate this bustling city with our carry-on luggage in tow on Bastille Day! Goodness (insert: face palm)…we didn’t even think about the date (ahead of time) that we were going to be arriving in Nice, let alone educate ourselves that the French President Emmanuel Macron & the US President Donald Trump were going to be giving public speeches in Massena Square just outside our hotel! The security-oh my heavenly stars-the security was INSANE! As it should be, #forthelove. It just made the journey to our hotel a little more complex! After hours of walking in circles and being denied access by the French military time and time again, we finally got to the hotel. (Side note: this only happened after we convinced a few French military officers that we weren’t threats to the Presidents and that we would let them open up our luggage in broad daylight on the Promenade des Anglais for a full search & seisure. No one was excluded from their search.)

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We booked Les Suites Massena in Nice. I should note that Nice was the only location where we booked an actual hotel, not an apartment or B&B, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the PERFECT location and beauty of this hotel. Our room was quaint but spacious, especially for European standards. It was perfectly comfortable. We received a complimentary breakfast each morning at our time of convenience which was a wonderful addition to our stay! The remainder of the day was spent strolling through the Nice city streets, a long stroll along the Promenade des Anglais and an early “linner” as we called it–we had dinner at 4 p.m. because we had been up since 5 a.m. To Europeans we were eating lunch, to us Americans, we were just enjoying an early dinner + Rose. A perfect way to wind down a big travel day in our book!

Day 4 of Perfect Cote d’Azur: Nice Highlights, Eze & Monaco

Our morning started with a hike up to Castle Hill, the famed overlook of the Promenade des Anglais & a view of the Mediterranean Sea in Nice. There are 426 steps with several viewing platforms and picture-taking opportunities on the way to the top. Wear good shoes and bring your camera because you’ll be smiling once you get there!

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There is a park on the very top of the hill which would be a fantastic place to have a picnic lunch, so plan ahead if you’ll be there during that time of day & if that interests you! After Castle Hill, one must venture down and take a photo with the famous #ILoveNice letters!

After our gorgeous morning, we did a little shopping and strolling through the Nice cobblestone streets. I purchased a Fedora, some amazing spices and lavender soap. Next up on the agenda—>A freshen up at the hotel room & then a bus/train ride to Eze village & champagne in Monaco!

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Getting to Eze village was a bit more complicated than I had imagined! A portion of the city metro was closed down, but after an hour of bus/train/bus/train, we finally got the correct instructions and hopped on the right bus! Yaaaaassssss! Eze. Oh, Eze. You are a beauty and I could visit you forever. Please, please, please. If you make it all the way to Nice, please take an afternoon or an evening and a little bus/train ride combo just up the coast to Eze Village. Its hilltop midieval village is spectacular. Everything felt so old and fairy-tale like. Truly magical. While in Eze we had a very late lunch by American standards. We had nick-named it the ‘European Linner!’ Linner and a glass of ice-cold Rose…because it was only 105 F degrees that day. (I’m really not kidding, it was 105F that day and Rose was the only thing that fixed that). We also went shopping and bought gorgeous pieces of jewelry from a French designer who owned her own shop. Next—->Monaco. Monaco…you fancy, fancy beast you. I can’t even describe the fancy in this .78 square mile country. It’s un.be.liev.a.ble. You most definitely feel like you’re on set of a movie! Because basically you are. There are so many iconic films such as ‘GoldenEye,’ ‘Never Say Never, Again,’ ‘Iron Man 2,’ and many more that have been filmed here. The cars. The casino. The yachts. The people.

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We spent the evening sipping a glass of Dom Perignon Champagne in an outdoor restaurant and snacking on crudites while gawking at all the crazy-fancy happening in this space. There was also a Rolls Royce Annual Meeting taking place right next to us. Ok…time for us to return to reality, I think!

Day 5: Nice Beach, Shopping & Dinner~A Perfect Day in the Cote d’Azur

Our last full day in Nice started with a little morning beach time at the Promenade des Anglais beach. This is probably the most famous stretch of beach in Nice. It runs along Baie des Anges, backed by the famed Promenade des Anglais. This beach has several public areas so grab a towel and your camera and head on down! Do note this is a pebbly beach. It is not like the ones you’re use to in the Caribbean, but it has a beautiful charm to it. After getting a significant amount of sun (read: sunburn for me) and the temperatures reaching well into the low 100’s by mid-day, we hit the shops one more time and then went in for one last GREAT dinner of our vacation.

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Near the wharf area in Nice, there are several fantastic restaurants all offering amazing local seafood. Take a walk around down there, you’ll be sure to find one with a menu that strikes you. We enjoyed grilled prawns & octopus with seasonal veggies and of course, ice-cold Rose to cap off the evening.

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Our momcation of a lifetime was coming to a close. The next morning would consist of packing and getting ourselves ready for a very long travel day.

Au revoir, France. Jusqu’à la prochaine fois. (until next time…and there will be a next time) So…when are you going to take that #momcation of a lifetime?! It doesn’t even have to be France. Seriously, it could be Iowa. (Sorry Iowa, not trying to roast your gorgeous farm fields…) My point here is this: Take the trip. You can always make more money. You can’t reverse time. I hope this inspires you to get out there. For more gal-pal travel inspo, check out my blog post 5 Days in Nashville~The Best of the Best! Until next time: Travel often. Eat well. Love much.

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