Avignon & Marseille
 

Planning a 6 day trip to the Provence at the end of June. I thought of spending 2 days in Marseille and 4 days in Avignon.
My top two things to do are visiting the Luberon to see the lavender fields and kayak under the Pont Du Gard (using Avignon as a base).

Any comments, suggestions?

Not sure exactly what one does for two days in Marseille but I would include a visit to Cassis, just to the east.

There are no shortage of possible itineraries for the Luberon and surrounding areas but I would include Uzès on any Pont du Gard visit. Other places of note: St Rémy, les Baux de Provence, and the Alpilles; Gordes, Fontaine de Vaucluse, and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; and perhaps going a bit north to Vaison la Romaine.

For restaurant and hotel information I regularly consult the Michelin Red Guide. The Michelin Green Guide for the Luberon is excellent for driving itineraries.

Since I will be traveling solo, I am not planning to rent a car other than to drive to Collias for the kayak trip (public transport to Collias seems horrible and taxis are expensive).
You think 2 days in Marseille is too short? Suggest a longer stay, or skip it altogether?

Edit to add: I had another look at my schedule and I think I can stay a little longer in the region. For instance: 5 nights Avignon and 3 nights Marseille.

??? Why do Parisiens hate Marseille so much? We go every year for a 3 day weekend and love the city. Sure Cassis is nice too though especially if the weather is nice.

It's a ****hole of a city. Sure the city centre is nice, but everything around it is just annoying. The problems with drug trade are really bad (compared to other European cities of that size), but a tourist driving motorway in and out of Marseille wouldn't notice it. I personally prefer Nice or smaller cities along the coast.

How do you plan getting around. Seems like a nightmare to me to travel the Provence without a car. I would rent something small and just hit the road (stop whenever you want, change plans, etc.). A small car won't be too expensive. A Twingo for a week is probably around 200$ with larger agencies and before applying any discount codes.

I thought of signing up for tours (Viator, etc.) instead of renting a car.

Tad off topic, but Viator isn't really a tour operation, just a booking agency. You are usually better off booking directly with a tour, rather than using a middleman.

Cassis is a must. Rent a car and enjoy driving the area

I'm a Parisian and I think Marseille is an excellent city. Two days is good for a first taste of the city, but you will probably want to return.

I go to the Avignon festival every July for about a week, so I know the city (at least intra muros) by heart. I find it wonderful in July, but I quickly get bored if I go there any other month, but that's just me. In any case it is an excellent base for visiting the Luberon. Some friends met me in Avignon last year when I had had enough of the festival and we went to the Pont du Gard, Saint Rémy, Les Baux, Gordes, Mont Ventoux and all though the lavender fields. It was wonderful.