Suggestions for best route to drive from Avignon to Cassis

We have a hire car to get us from Avignon to Cassis on Monday, 20 October (in case the day makes a difference to what we%26#39;re about to say) and are looking for suggestions on the most scenic route. Our problem lies in that most of the areas we have been tipped to visit (eg. Venasque to Gordes/Roussillon, Bedoin, Uzes) lie to the north of Avignon ie. in the opposite direction to our travels. In addition, we would like to make a stop at the Pont du Gard. We are not adverse to heading %26quot;in the wrong direction%26quot; for some of the drive (we realise we are in for a long day, but hey) however if we do, we want to make sure the villages/scenery are worth the diversion. To narrow it down, we%26#39;re not necessarily looking to stop at each place (naturally, we will for lunch)... we%26#39;re looking for mountains, quaint French villages and most importantly %26quot;ooh aah%26quot; vistas as we drive. Some of the other areas that have been suggested: L%26#39;Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Saint Remy through to Les-Baux-de-Provence, Aix, Apt, Lacoste, Oppede, Bonnieux. Suggestions for where we should head via and estimated travel time would be gratefully received! (Oh, and we would like to arrive in Cassis in daylight.)

THANKS.

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I%26#39;m not a real expert on this route although I have done this several times.

I%26#39;d go from Avignon straight to Pont du Gard (quite obviously) then to Arles (Roman amphitheatre) then to Marseille and to Cassis. I also love Camargue but it can be boring for a lot of people just to drive through.

For me the 360 degree view from the Notre Dame de la Garde basilica in Marseille is one of the most %26quot;ooh aah%26quot;s of the World and the route on D559 from Marseille to Cassis is also quite ooh-aah although the best view is Marseille and the see from the hills so you%26#39;ll have to keep looking backwards or stop whereever you can to enjoy it.

I know, these are not the hidden gems but why look for the hidden stuff if the not hidden ones are also great?

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Once you decide, this link is helpful in route planning. Simply put in origin/destination and you%26#39;ll get loads of good information.

www.drive-alive.co.uk/route_planner.asp

Enjoy,

Kenny

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two additional route-planning sites:

www.viamichelin.com

www.mappy.com

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