We have a rental in Goult for a week and have two days after that before we return to Aix for our last night. Please comment on these choices for those nights: Uzes, St. Remy or Nimes. They are all places we have talked about visiting. Which would be best for a base for two days (Sat & Sun)? And has anyone ever stayed at the Hôtel d'Entraigues in Uzes? We are looking for charm, good food, etc.
Thanks!

You can easily visit St Remy from Goult - so no reason to visit that area the last 2 days.

If you are visiting Avignon & Aix - I think Nimes would be kinda redundent - even more so if you also visit Arles. I'm not a real fan of that region either.

Uzes is one of my favorite towns in Provence (actually, Languedoc/Roussillon since it's in the Gard dept). It would be my choice. They have a fabulous Saturday morning market, if you can get there in time. Also, I find the town to be more interesting than St Remy. My wife claims that Uzes has an extremly high percent of shops that draw her attention. On Sunday, visit the Pont du Gard. Also visit Castillon du Gard. Like most towns, Uzes will be dead on Sunday.

If you want to see something a little different on Sunday and have the time, visit the Gorges de l'Ardeche - north of Uzes - and especially the stalactite & mite caves of Aven d'Orgnac.

My favorite restaurant in that region is l'Olivier in Serviers, just northwest of Uzes.

We've recently stayed in a Gite for 2 weeks just a little northwest of Uzes.

Remember - most shops will be closed in Aix on Monday morning - so take your time getting there.

Uzes is a neat place! We were there on a Sunday in Sept and the place was packed!! There was a big market in Place aux Herbes the day we werethere...not a food market, but tons of vendor stalls selling shawls, scarves, coats etc...not sure if it was a special ocassion of some sort that day. Everything was very pricey and some gorgeous stuff if you like to shop.

It's a nice size place for exploring with a real mix of architecture. There is the "castle" and the cathedral with the Fenestrell tower, very unique.

Nimes is a city, but a lot of things to see also. The arena is very well preserved. Lots of restaurants etc.

I would say Uzes for a quieter/quainter stop and if you're looking more for a "city" atmosphere, then Nimes.

St. Remy is gorgeous! But you are going to be close so do it as a day trip. It was one of my fav places.

Linda.

I vote for Uzes also.
or Arles.

Thank you all for your input....
Stu, once again thank you for the wealth of info and help in planning our Sunday.
Americana & Liz, thanks for helping to confirm my choice..Uzes.
The B&B I wanted to stay at is full and I was able to get reservations for the Hotel d' Entraigues which gets mixed reviews on another site, but it is in the heart of Uzes. Do you have any suggestions on other places to stay or comments on the Hotel d'Entraigues?

My friends really liked Au Quinze, said it was très chic.
http://www.auquinze.com/indexen.htm

Bon voyage.

We spent 3 days in Uzès this past Sept. and were delighted with the small, recently renovated Hostellerie Provençal and found their little restaurant, La Parenthese, to be the most inventive, serving top quality product, artfully plated. I found our Sunday there completely different than Stu described; the morning was bustling and mid-day was full of families...it did thin out on the main market square a bit at night.

All in all it was one of our favorite little towns, but there are many others as everybody else has pointed out.

Laidback, your description of the Hostellerie Provençal is intriguing....how far is the walk to the center of Uzes/Place de Herbes? And is it a "flat" walk? One of the reasons I selected the Hotel d'Entraigues was because it seems like it is right in the center. My husband has some health issues that make walking more than a few blocks difficult and especially if there is any incline. Also I had read on another sight that getting to the parking was difficult...did you find it so? Thanks!

Hostellerie Provençal actually abuts the main "ring road" and is perhaps the equivalent of 2 blocks from the Place aux Herbes and the landscape in Uzès is pretty flat, but the hotel has an elevator. Their private parking is about the same distance.

We stayed at the d'entraigues. Parking was across the street.

Both hotels are an easy walk to Place aux Herbes. Host. Provençale is actually closer. You are probably aware that it is rated #1 on Trip Advisor.

I have owned a little studio in uzes for a couple of years; it is a very special town, restored under the aegis of france's heritage body; a weekend spent there will be a well spent one; it is chic, bourgeois, rather pricey and a bit touristy at the height of the season but for a weekend it is perfect.

with regard to hotels, the entraigues is quite an up market hotel, the provencale looks inviting though I have never been inside, au quinze is a fabulous place with great hosts, as is maison de la bourgade which is close by and in a more provencale style. both of the last two are very reasonably priced and extremely elegant choices. the entraigues is within the town centre and the others are all within a stone's throw of the pedestrianised centre of the town - it is a very small place so you will have no problems walking about. 'ring road' gives the wrong impression - it is a very small road - we are not talking new york or london or paris here!

there are loads of attractions to fit into a weekend or you can just chill, eat and watch the flaneurs, sitting in place aux herbes or on the boulevard. the saturday market is truly fabulous for regional foods and wines. the surrounding countryside - the uzege - is very beautiful with the pont du gard being very much worth a visit. bon voyage!

Andre Gide's father wrote:
"O little town of Uzes,
Were you in Umbria,
Parisians would flock to visit you."

Hello Lindajanet and Welcome to Slow Travel.

I haven't been Uzes but it sounds like a wonderful place to visit. I am glad you have joined and we now have a member who lives in the village.

Thank you for your suggestions. La Maison de la Bourgade looks very interesting also. I don't know if it will work for TravelB since her husband has difficulty climbing stairs. Maybe one of the rooms are on the ground floor.

I'm going to bookmark these locations for my future use.

Hello Lindajanet....thanks for your input.....I had contacted both La Maison de la Bourgade which was already filled and Au Quinze which looks so lovely but is the most costly rate I was quoted of all options in Uzes. With the falling dollar, I have been looking at options that are lower in cost ....
So I have begun looking at places that are not right in Uzes but nearby. Do you know anything about La Maison du Blauzac, Mas de Oleandre or l'Oliviers?
Or do you think that to really enjoy Uzes the most, one must stay right in the center of it?
Also, what are your thoughts on moderately priced cafes/restaurants and anything else we shouldn't miss? I certainly appreciate any ideas you have.

hi travelB!

i'm sorry that Au Quinze was so expensive - they must have increased their rates - it happens I guess once people become established! they do have self-catering studios. perhaps stick with your original choice of entraigues or provencale?

i don't know anything about the two out of town places you mention - blauzac is a village in the Uzege so I imagine it would be a shortish drive into the town. However, the experience of staying out of town would be essentially different from that of being right in town.

n town, you would be able to enjoy the quietness of an early coffee and croissant before the world had woken up; a stroll about the backstreets and lanes before they become a bit crowded; a late meal followed by a wander about for a coffee or a nightcap; the peal of the church bells.

In the country I guess you will have all the charms the the country offers anywhere - quiet, the dawn chorus, the sky and the surrounding landscape.

Too many choices!

I will give some thought to cafes and restaurants and other amenities and get back to you. There is a good tourist office in the town at Place Albert Premier which will be able to direct you towards any special events that are taking place plus give you info about the tours of uzes and villages which happen fairly regularly. Cheers!

When I recommended Au Quinze on this thread, I thought it was a rather inexpensive ( = under 100 euro ) b&b too !
I notice that many b&b and rental establishments have made an effort to hold down their prices becase travellers from dollar-pegged countries really feel the pressure. Not Au Quinze, I guess. But Uzes, like St Rémy, has always been considered rather "bourge".

hi travelB,

i am not sure what time of year you are visiting france, hope this is not too late.

you asked about places to visit/ eat etc; at this time of year quite a few eating places are closed but if you are there in season you will have a big choice of restaurants and coffee bars. it's very agreeable to sit outside in the place aux herbes to eat and drink.

my favourite restaurant there is a small one called coin des pates where the food and the service is good and it's not too expensive.

coffees are usually good everywhere but i had a bad and expensive experience in one place in the square - 3.90 euros! for a coffee!! granted it was a caffee latte or grand creme as it's called there which tend to be more expensive than a straight black, but still...... sadly, i cannot remember the name of the place but it has masses of seats outside and a very touristy menu. the cafe facing the esplanade is great for sitting and watching people. beware.

the place to eat for a treat is a an expensive restaurant in a grand ancient house called les trois salons; the courtyard is just fabulous on a balmy day. also bec a vin is good. le fil d'eau is supposed to be good for fish though i have never been there myself. there are lots of less prestigious but cheaper restaurants which serve very good food too.

i had a drink last week in the entraigues and the people and ambience were very charming even if the drink was incredibly expensive. they had a log fire in a little lounge room just inside the front door, sort of boho chic. it felt good.

there is a medieval garden which is quite interesting and restful; the market on saturday of course and on sunday a flea market just a five minute walk out of the town. plus lots of other tourist attractions which you will find in a guide from the tourist office.

anyway, i hope you have a great holiday in france and look forward to hearing about your experiences.
cheers, linda janet

travelB, sorry, it's late and i am tired so my last message was a bit garbled. firstly, i should have said that i was talking about uzes. then i put BEWARE in the wrong place - i meant beware of the expensive coffee place, not of the people watching at the esplanade! the people are perfectly fine.

Uzes is indeed a wonderful place. It's what many of us want the south of France to be like.

Someone mentioned Mas d'Oleandre which is a few kilometers out of town, a lovely B&B. The Dutch owners are a very hosittable couple, the rooms are tastefully decorated and the pool has wonderful views across to Uzes.

Should anyone be looking for somewhere a little more expensive don't be afraid to go to Chateau d'Arpaillargues. I got married there last summer. The rooms aren't all that but the restaurant is good and the pool very inviting. It's a greta place for a getaway. Hotel d'Entraigues in the center of Uzes is owned by the same family. It's narrow corridors make for a cool place in the heat of the summer (not too hot this year though!). Again it has an excellent restaurant and a bar to end the evening with a cognac.