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Villefranche
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Provence
is a part of France that is easy to reach. Travellers from
Britain who
don't
want to drive can fly to a choice of destinations in or near Provence; but if
you want to travel to
Provence by car, remember to allow eight to twelve hours' driving,
depending
on where your destination is. The
alternative solution is to take the Eurostar Provence service, which
will take you at high-speed all the way from London St. Pancras to
Avignon.
Fly
to Provence
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Provence
is relatively well served by airports; the main airports
serving Provence are located in Marseilles and Nice, with smaller
airports at Toulon-Hyères and Avignon.
Nimes airport is just
outside Provence.
For visitors arriving in Paris, there are plenty of connecting flights
from Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports - or the option of hiring a
car. |
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Traditional
carriers:
A
number of traditional airlines serve the airports at Marseilles and
Nice from a range of cities throughout Europe and beyond. Here is a
selection of carriers with direct services. to and from the British
Isles and the USA.
| Provence
Airport |
Carrier |
Flights
to / from |
| Marseilles |
British
Airways |
London
Gatwick |
| Nice |
British
Airways
Aer Lingus
Air France
Air France / Delta |
London
Gatwick, London Heathrow, and more
Dublin
London city,
New York JFK |
Low
cost carriers
The
four Provence airports are served by direct flights from a number of
UK and Irish airports.
| Provence
Airport |
Carrier |
Flights
to / from |
| Nice |
Flybe
Easyjet
Ryanair
BmiBaby
Globespan
Jet2 |
Exeter,
Southampton
Liverpool, London Gatwick, Luton, London
Stansted,
Dublin,
Birmingham, East Midlands, London Heathrow
Edinburgh
Leeds-Bradford, Manchester |
| Marseilles |
Ryanair
Easyjet
BmiBaby |
Bournemouth,
Dublin, Glasgow, London Stansted
London
Gatwick
Birmingham |
| Toulon
Hyères |
Ryanair |
London
Stansted |
| Avignon
Provence |
Flybe
Jet2 |
Exeter,
Southampton
Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford |
Sail
and Drive to Provence
If
driving to Provence, the easiest way is to take a short
Channel
crossing to Calais (using SeaFrance,
P&O Ferries, Eurotunnel or others) , then follow
the French motorway network via Arras,
Reims, Chaumont, Dijon, Bourg-en-Bresse, and Lyon,
avoiding Paris by passing well to the east. (see right)
Much of the driving will be
on fairly clear motorways with a fraction of the traffic found on major
UK motorways. However, the Lyon area and the Rhone valley to the south
are unavoidable bottlenecks. On Saturdays in July and August, traffic
jams and slowdowns can occur anywhere, and are virtually guaranteed in
the bottleneck areas.
If entering France at Boulogne, the eastern
route is still
recommended.
If travelling from Cherbourg
or Le Havre,
a good route is to drive via
Orleans, Clermont Ferrand and St. Etienne, or else from
Clermont Ferrand go south via Le Puy en Velay and Aubenas, to
join the Rhone valley at Montelimar. This avoids all major bottlenecks,
but includes about 180 km on single carriageway roads, through
beautiful countryside and hills. |
The best route for driving from
the UK to Provence:
- From Calais
follow A 26 motorway to Reims
(Rheims).
- At Reims:
join A 4, direction Metz Strasbourg.
- At Chalon
en Champagne, rejoin A 26, direction
Troyes, Lyon.
- At Troyes,
join A 5, direction Chaumont, Dijon.
- At Chaumont,
join A 31, direction Dijon
- At Dijon,
take A 39, direction Dole, Bourg en Bresse
- At Bourg-en-Bresse,
follow A 40, then A 42, direction Lyon.
- Before
Lyon, turn off onto A 432 direction Airport Lyon St
Exupery, Grenoble.
- Just
after the airport, join A 43 direction Lyon, Marseille.
- After
just 8 km, turn right (south) onto A 46 Lyon orbital,
direction Marseille.
- Thereafter,
just follow signs for Marseille
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Train / Train and drive to Provence
The most
convenient means of travelling by train from London to
Provence is to
take the
Eurostar direct
service to Avignon. This is a summer Saturday service only, departing
St Pancras at 7.19, but getting you to Avignon at 14.08, with plenty of
time to reach your holiday destination in time for a dip in the pool.
On other days, take a Eurostar train from
London, Ebbsfleet or Ashford to Lille, and connect at Lille
to a French
TGV running directly to Avignon, Aix en Provence, Marseilles
or Nice. By changing at Lille, travellers do not need to change
stations or cross Paris; Eurostars and French TGVs share the same
platforms at Lille Europe station.
Trains with direct connections to Provence from Lille leave St
Pancras at 7.00, 9.57 and 12.57.
Click
here to check timetables and book tickets.
Train
and drive to
Provence involves taking the Eurotunnel
shuttle, then following the motorway as indicated above .
Holiday cottages & gites in
Provence
Provence gites tend to be quickly booked up for the peak season,
notably between mid July and mid August, so booking early is a wise
move.
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