Renting a House In Provence
The cuisine of Provence has more to do with
the people and the way of life than anything else.
The farmers of Provence work the land and
cherish their traditions; many of the villages hold
festivals throughout the year that include ancient
music
, dance, horsemanship, bull fighting and
traditional Provence meals.
The City of Apt , once the center of lavender
production, is a
town largely overlooked by
tourists because it is listed as an industrial
area in the guidebooks.
A pleasant surprise and a great place to base
out of for trips to the lavender fields and the
hiking, biking and kayaking of  Provence,
Apt is in a valley below another village  with a
great view, but one even more overlooked by
tourists in spite of its charm, Saignon. These
two villages,  east of Avignon,  could be a
great place to rent a house or villa for an
extended visit while on a culinary vacation or
on a biking/hiking vacation in Provence.
Although the area around Apt and Saignon
has been largely overlooked by  tourists
there are many  opportunities in the region
for hiking, biking kayaking, and culinary
vacations
Vacation In the South of France, Apt
Provence was inhabited in Neolithic times and still
has rock tombs of early settlers. Later, nomadic
shepherds built corbel vaulted beehive-like
structures of stone called bories with an estimated
3000 still standing  around Gordes and in the valley
below the village of Saignon.
Germanic Celtic tribes and Italian Ligurians
inhabited Provence before the Greek (600 BC) and
later Roman settlers (100 BC) built permanent
dwellings of stone.
From the first century BC to the third century AD,
the Romans built  extensively throughout Provence
and many of their structures still stand.
Provence History
Provence can be a great vacation spot,
especially in May and June, and in September
and October, the months when the European
travelers are back to work and not on their
six-week July/August vacations.
Many of the villages in Provence are
storybook quaint, full of ancient stone
buildings with tile roofs and narrow cobble
streets open only to pedestrians. Lavender
fields in rich purple color the hillsides in June
and July and 12Th Century chapels crown the
hilltops in the Medieval walled villages.
Farming of rice in the south and wheat and
lavender in the north along with raising of
sheep and the practice of viticulture and olive
production are the primary industries in largely
rural Provence.  
Hiking Biking Kayaking
You can rent a place in Provence and easily settle in for a brief period of
living the village life, shopping for your daily provisions, and cooking with the
locally grown produce.  From your rented house you can make day trips by
rental car to surrounding hill towns of stonewalls and Medieval castles and
you will find hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, and cliff climbing in
many of the hills and river valleys.
Renting a house with a group of friends, even if it just for a week or two, is a
good and economical way to enjoy all that Provence has to offer.
Renting a House
To start your search, ask how many people will be in your group. Rentals can accommodate  several
families or just two people. Start your search on the web with the number of people that you will
accommodate, the region you would like to visit, and your target dates.
How Many People
The regions of Provence are called departments
and include Hautes Alpes, Alpes de Haute
Provence, Alpes Maritimes, Bouches du Rhone,
Var, Vaucluse, and the Drome Provencale.

Start a search with either the region you desire or
the price range you seek. Some villages are more
expensive than others but the area is well served
by good roads so that you can base in one place
and reach many villages and walled cities in an
hours drive.  
What Region
Not too far from Apt, English writer Peter
Mayle bought a place and wrote his "A Year
In Provence," and other books that prompted
a herd of Europeans to fan out in the
countryside of the Luberon and Vaucluse
looking for distressed cottages and old farms
to buy as fix-up vacation homes and rentals.
These rentals are now plentiful and even with
the slumping dollar, affordable.
The countryside of Provence offers a
wonderful place for a vacation because it has
changed little in five hundred or so years. You
will find  No massive development, no malls,
and just a few high-speed roads.
The one major innovation, the high-speed
TGV train; with top speeds of 180 MPH, puts
Avignon just two and a half hours from Paris.
A Year In Provence
A Villa or Vacation rental
at the foot of a walled city
could accommodate up
to 15  or more and give
good access to
recreation, culture,
shopping
Saignon  on the hilltop
overlooking Apt is
postcard perfect and
near enough to the larger
city to offer transportation
A limited menu family run  
mom and pop style
restaurant in the Village of
Apt, La Manade on Rue
Rene Cassin should not be
missed
Apt
Season: High, Mid, Low
High: July August
Mid:  April, May  June, September, October,and
School Vacations
Low: November,December, January, February,
March
Renting a House in Provence, The City of Apt For The Hiking Biking and the Culinary Vacation
Culinary Vacation
Where is Provence
The southern region of France from Montelimar to
the Mediterranean, from Nice to the Saintes Maries
de la Mere in the Rhone River Delta is called
Provence. This region, rich in Roman ruins,
Medieval walled cities, Renaissance art, and famed
for its low-fat rustic cuisine, offers great hiking,
biking Kayaking and could be the venue for a
life-changing cooking experience.
Transportation
Transportation will be of crucial importance. Will you have a
rental car? (30-60 USD per day and plentiful in the major cities
and TGV stations) If not, lodging in one of the larger towns like
Apt or in a hilltop village like Saignon would be a better option.
Both have public transportation.
Provence Rental Cars     

Public  Transportation: Local buses make trips between major
cities stopping at towns and villages along the way.
France  Exchange Rates ; prices for rentals
might list in Euros or the British Pound.
If on your vacation in Provence you
do not have a rental car, bus service
extends from Cavallion, to Gordes,
Forcalquier, St Maximin, Barjols,
Apt, Marseille, Carpentras,
Pernes-les-Fontaines,
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Le Thor
Renting A House In Provence The City of Apt
Renting a House in Provence in the City of Apt For The Hiking
Biking and the Culinary Vacation can free you to cook each day
after a hike or bike ride and can save money on a vacation rental.
Reach Provence
  • Air
International flights serve Paris, Marseilles,  Locals Nimes and Avignon.
  • Train
TGV Fast trains serve Avignon and Nimes from Paris.  Local trains serve Arles
  • Auto
Rental cars are available at the TGV Stations in Paris, Avignon, and Nimes.  Available also in Arles.
Autourope is available in Avignon at the TGV  train station.
Shop for your rental car online well  ahead of your trip and choose
diesel
(more economical) or gas, luggage space,(important)  standard or
automatic,
(important)  two door, four door and other options.    
Provence Vacation Rental
Provence Transportation
Provence Trains
Provence Dining
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Provence  Hotels, Lodging
Provence Hiking, Biking
Provence Sightseeing
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Save On Air Travel
  • Free Two Week Airport Parking
When traveling by air to Provence, the South of France you can save on your air fare by Parking your Car for   
Two Weeks Free after one night Lodging in Airport Hotels near your home city.     
  • No Need For A Limo
The early shuttle from the hotel to the airline terminal will allow you to book an early flight and save money  on the
airfare.
Two weeks of free parking offsets the cost of the hotel room and you do not need to arrange for a limo from
your home to the airport.
  • Airport Shuttle
Free, 24 hour shuttles to the airport.
See details, hotel room photos, room rates, and reviews.    Cruise passengers included.
Convenient Two Week Free Airport Parking with a one night hotel stay could save you money and enhance your
Provence vacation experience.