Aix En Provence vs. Castellet

[Diane Rose]

We will be cruising into Toulon on a Sunday.  Lots of OBC so need to decide between 2 ship tours.  Aix on your own pretty much. On Sunday shops are closed, so is there much to do/see.  Castellet I have read is a very small village, tour does include a tour guide and a wine tasting. Thoughts please.

[marazul]

There is a lot to see in Aix. I think a first timer would do better with a guide.

Castellet is a beautiful village and I think you would find that excursion to be very enjoyable. 

[edinburgher]

le Castellet is extremely touristy with almost every building housing a shop, cafe restaurant or gallery  so  I would be very surprised if everything were closed especially if your visit is during the tourist season.

 

 and you won't have far to drive for wine tasting as It is also surrounded by vineyards so really quite scenic around there.  The area/route between le Castellet and Bandol is quite famous for vineyards and  scenic driving.

 

Which month of the year will you be there?

 

Do look at Ttripadvisor for le Castellet.  Lots of photos and suggestions for what to see and do there.so might help you decide.

 

By contrast, Aix is a working town and more likely to close on Sundays.

Edited August 3, 2022 by edinburgher

[Diane Rose]

44 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

 

Which month of the year will you be there?

 

Do look at Ttripadvisor for le Castellet.  Lots of photos and suggestions for what to see and do there.so might help you decide.

 

By contrast, Aix is a working town and more likely to close on Sundays.

We are doing a Transatlantic, so we’ll be there the last week of October.  It’s definitely tending toward off season.  Does that make a difference?

 

Diane

[edinburgher]

We are doing a Transatlantic, so we’ll be there the last week of October.  It’s definitely tending toward off season.  Does that make a difference?

 

We have never visited quite as late in the year so do not know definitively.

 

That late in October the weather will be much cooler but could still be fairly warm.and the vines will most likely be stripped of grapes and looking rather bare unless the vendange is unusually late, unlikely this year given the extreme heat in the area this summer, so if anything it could be earlier than usual.  On the plus side, the main tourist season will be over and should make visiting le Castellet a more pleasant experience as the narrow village steeets are not ideally suited to crowds of tourists..

 

I would also expect that some of the shops, galleries etc could be closed as the owners take a holiday at the end of a long season,but there will still be tourists around so some could still be open and the village would be quite attractive to wander. (see online images)

 

)I still think Aix would be more closed on a Sunday.

 

You could ask questions on the relevant Tripadvisor forum if you are a member and find average temps online..

 

It is your decision to make. Look into both options and ask the relevant questions (Tripadvisor?) then decide which appeals to you most.

Edited August 3, 2022 by edinburgher