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Our Tour "Themes"...

The Bike Tour
The Roman & Castle Tour
Art and Beach Tour
Camargue and Féria Tour
Le Lubéron Tour
The Wine Crush Tour
The Fall Colors Tour
The Marmiton Cooking Class
The Avignon Festival Tour
The Senior Tour of Provençe
American Student Tour of Provençe
Abbeys and Cathedrals of Provençe
The Dive Trip

Other...

Pictures of the Parish House
The Manse
The Cloister
Doing Business in France
Products of Provençe
Places by Name
Links

TRAVEL TIPS

The Parish House is a perfect destination for getting into the warm French countryside FAST. If you land at Paris' Roissy Charles DeGaulle, the TGV (French bullet train) leaves directly from the Airport at 10am and 1pm, getting into Avignon 2 1/2 hours later. The train is fast, silent, and a relaxing way to view France at 180  mph. BETTER YET, from the Marseilles Airport you're only 40 minutes away by rental car. FranceRail offers a 3-day First Class Railpass for about $2000, with a 3-day car/rail package for or extra days of travel options that are hard to beat. Local deals abound, for instance you can fly to Manchester for $100 roundtrip. For travel from the US, I recommend a NY travel consolidator, Welcome Pino Travel (800.247.6578), who like The Parish House, operates on a cash-in-advance basis, for good value and reliability. Call 800.677.8585 for railpasses. Local transportation on public buses is reliable, and cheap. Local car rental can be as little as $25 per day. Bike Rentals are everywhere, about $10 per day.

Weather: Avignon has 320 average days of sun per year. Summer temperatures are in the low 90's, relatively dry, mostly due to the occasional wind ("Le Mistral"), which cools in the summer but can be chilling in November or March, when 55-60º is the daytime norm. JULY AND AUGUST are reputedly high temperature months, and the travel industry over the years urges you to "come at another time". This is HOGWASH.  Of course its hot in the summer, just like it is in New York, Cleveland, or Kansas City for goodness sake!  A couple of years ago we had a month of August that had two weeks in the mid-60's!  Is watching the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong go through Avignon worth braving 95F balmy weather?  What the "tourist boards" don't tell you is that they don't NEED you in those months because with all of Europe taking their vacations, everything is booked up!  They don't tell you that this is the period when all the great Fairs, Ferias, and Performing Arts Festivals (Avignon's is the entire month of July and is the basis for its having been designated the EEC's "City of Culture). The Parish House is Water-Cooled, not refrigerated, but comfortable enough, with its thick walls and breezes through its large windows.  July and August is when Avignon and Provence vibrates! 

Dress: Try not to look too American. Sweatsuits are out. Sandals are nice, especially a good brand like "Teva"; you can wear them with socks in France without looking out of place. A backpack is a good idea, or a shoulder bag whose strap would be carried across your body. An umbrella. Shorts. T-shirts in the summer. Layers, layers, layers all other times. In April and late October bring a woolly scarf, a pair of light wool gloves wouldn't hurt, either. Sunglasses. Bring a bathrobe, you'll find it useful lounging around the Parish House.

Telephone Communication: There is no telephone for the use of guests in their suites.  The way you reach home is relatively simple: There is a glassed telephone booth at "La Manutention", a theater/restaurant just 100 feet up the street, towards the Palais, just follow the signs; the number at that phone booth is 011 33 4 90 14 63 10. Calls TO the US are less than $1/min using the French Phone Cards. THE BEST WAY is for you to call the States, and then have THEM call you back.  I can show you a way for this to cost 7 cents per minute! Although I carry a Cell Phone at all times, the number of which will be given to you on request, what with all the tall buildings in Avignon, reception is not reliable. THEREFORE, know that our email (toursofprovence@aol.com) is constantly monitored, and that this always available to friends and relatives in the States.

French Phone Cards: For all essential purposes, you cannot use the French telephone system unless you have a French telephone card. Everyone carries one in their wallet (Cost 5 Eu). Every local call is debited visually on the Cabin's LED as you speak from that card on a minute by minute basis. These cards are bought at "TABACS", bar/cigarette shops which are practically everywhere, and some newsstands. They are open early and close late, but buy one as soon as you arrive; you will use it. Call the US by preceding the US number with "001", then the US area code. When you enter a phone booth, the LED will say "décrochez" (pick up the phone), then it says "introduire carte ou faite numéro libre" (insert card or use a free phone number). After you insert your card and wait a few short seconds, it will say "numerotez" (dial, please). Sometimes the machine will say "Anomalie", at which time it will buzz you, and you will have to remove your card, hang up, and start over again. Wipe the card's memory chip with a clean cloth if the problem persists.

Laundry & Other Services: Once you arrive at The Parish House, your laundry can be washed by the caretakers for $10 a load, or you can go to the "Lavomat" for $5 (this gives you a chance to visit with some of the university students). Guests get newly laundered towels and sheets once per week.  Ironing boards and irons are available. So are Hair dryers.  If you need to recharge your batteries or whatever, bring a 220 Volt converter.
The caretakers make ends meet by serving your needs, as you request them, at $10 per hour. If this makes you feel like you have Room Service, and you need it, so much the better, they are glad to earn something extra.  They can pick up medicine (bring your US prescription), stock your refrigerator, shlep bottled water from the store (necessary in the coffee makers in your kitchenettes), negotiate purchases at the local antique market, even take you to the large restaurant market, or wine tasting, or drive you to numerous local spots (Example: 1/2 day drive to antique market on Saturday $50 plus gas). A full day's trip is $150 for 2, $250 for 4, $350 for 6 people or more. If you do not speak French, Jean speaks fluent Spanish.

When you arrive, the refrigerator is not stocked. Only salt, pepper, and coffee filters are provided. Any of the small markets on Rue Carnot stay open until 7 or 8pm. If you are driving in, you may wish to have your coffee, milk, butter, and eggs already purchased, or you may wish to have the caretakers shop and stock for you before you arrive...$10 plus the tab for what you order.

Bicycles:  There is one bike at the house, rented at $10 per day, to be paid to Jean IF it is available. Never, ever, take your HAND off this bike. Use the Bike lock. Bike theft is rampant in Avignon. The Bike Shop down the street charges a little more, and will take your credit card blank for security if you rent from him.

Bus Schedules: Go to the Regional Bus Station and ask for the schedules for the places you want to go to. If you're there for only two weeks, don't be too ambitious.  Stick to Arles, Nîmes, Orange, Vaisson la Romaine, Le Pont du Gard, Uzés, Isle sur la Sorgue, or Aix-en-Provence (most guests' favorite DayOff bus trip). Always ask the bus driver, even if by sign language, if you are on the right bus, AND (this is important!) always ask him WHEN THE LAST BUS LEAVES TO GO BACK TO AVIGNON. The "Gare Routiere" is one block east of the downtown Avignon train station. The train is easier to use but will sometimes prevent you from taking your bike. Plus, there is the expense of getting from the Aix Train Station to downtown Aix.  Not so with the bus. You may also go to the City Bus Station on Place Pie and buy an inexpensive weekly pass for jaunts around town. From Place Pie, take the bus to the train station if you wish to avoid the 15 minute walk . The map of Avignon we give you on the first day should be carried with you at all times.

Renting a Car:  It just saves time, especially if you want to go a little afield, like to Carcasonne, or visit Les Grottes de Lascaux's wall paintings, or just revisit some of the haunts from our "Daytrips": Gordes, and its Abbé de Sénanque, St Marie La Mer on the seashore, Chateauneuf du Pape just 15 minutes north of Avignon, the small towns to the northeast of Carpentras, in the shadow of the Mont Ventoux ( the big mountain visible from Avignon), are just a few examples. Spending the evening at Van Gogh's restaurant in Arles, visiting the Lubéron's further reaches, into the Alps, are then much easier. There are several car rental places at and near the train station. Reserve your car from the US for a better rate (usually).

If approaching The Parish by car, go into the walled city by "La Porte de la Ligne" or follow the signs that say Hotel "La Mirande". Consult your map . Turn right immediately upon entering La Porte de la Ligne, park alongside the walled ramparts immediately, if you can. Walk to The Parish down Rue Banasterie, as there is no reliable parking within 150 feet of The Parish. Avoid coming into the city to look for parking between 7-10 PM. Ask Jean to help you park if you have a problem finding one in the one-way "loop" formed by Rue Rempart de la Ligne, Banasterie, Rue des Trois Paradis, Rue St. Joseph, Rue Rempart Saint Lazare. Never drive down Rue Banasterie past Rue Escaliers St Anne or you will be forced to the EXIT the city to get back to The Parish. This town is a walking town, not a driving town.

The Train: Know that the "Good Deal" is buying the FranceRailPass before you leave the States. The other good deal is to use your military or senior status to buy a Reduced Price ticket at the station (40% off). You can take the train to Marseilles from Avignon, a lovely "DayOff" trip, and then go east to Monaco, Nice, Cannes. The last train from Marseilles to Avignon is about "23:20 H" or 11:20 PM (get used to military timetables). Its a lovely ride, even if you don't get off the train! It is also the best way to get around, like to Aix en Provençe, Arles, Nîmes, Carcassonne, Montpellier; some even take the early 6am train back to Paris, spend a day there and take the TGV back to Avignon late at night. You should arrange to be a guest for at least three weeks to really enjoy Provençe AND Italy & Spain, though. There is an information and reservation room in the station where they speak English. Speak slowly and politely, as if they are doing you a favor. Smile alot. Do not get frustrated by the "manana" attitude of Provence.

Headphones: Bring your own CD player. There is no music in the suites, although a television is provided, if you want to follow the news in french.

Wine Sampling: "Dégustation" at Vineyards is not "free sampling" like in a grocery-store, or what you see in the Napa Valley. You really can't walk out of a French cellar after sampling without buying something, and the locals can get a little offended since they don't know that we are used to "freebies". So when we stop for a winetasting be prepared to put up 1 Euro apiece.  The American tendency is to be overly-polite in this winetasting setting, which is interpreted as enthusiastic. If you walk out without buying, you leave the impression that you are a hypocrite.  Thats where the 1 Euro comes in.  

PARIS-AVIGNON-PARIS TRAIN: A $120 SPECIAL ROUND-TRIP TICKET IS AVAILABLE once you get to Avignon. We can buy it for you. . PARIS: There are two ways to see Paris, at the beginning of your Parish stay, or after. I recommend after. Unless you have a flight leaving Paris CDG after 1pm, you can't make it every day of the week from Avignon to the Airport in time (the 7:30am train arrives at the Airport at 11:20). EXCEPTION: THERE IS USUALLY AN EARLY MONDAY TRAIN TO CDG. There is also a midnight train (sleepers available) that get into Paris Gare de Lyon about 7am. Therefore, leave Avignon leisurely, at 10pm, taking the full advantage of not having to check out until then. Be in Paris for a day, or at least an afternoon and the following morning. Rooms in Paris can be had for $80. Eat breakfast at Montmartre. Go up the Eiffel tower, then go to the airport.

AMSTERDAM: There are a lot of cheap flights, all year 'round, going into Amsterdam (Martinair runs charters from major US hubs). Although the train ride is significantly more tedious from Amsterdam to Avignon, this is a great opportunity to visit the Van Gogh Museum, and get a whiff of Holland.

These are just SOME of the tips we can offer for traveling to the Parish House.  We pride ourselves on EXTENSIVE email correspondence with our clients, answering any and all questions.  Remember, our tours are only 8 people, max.  We protect you while you are there, and we advise you on how to get there, relaxed, and in a good mood.

For more information, please contact me at:

toursofprovence@aol.com

or call

970.241.5034