I would not stay in Marseille or Cassis for the whole week.

Personally I would hire a car and either stay in a Gite - self catering small house or a bed & breakfast near Avignon, the Luberon or the Alpilles.

For the former try Gites de France or Cheznous - this one you deal directly with the owners.

There are several references in the forum to B&B's.

There is a lot to see and with a car you are not dependant on public transfer.

Staying in a Gite you can if you wish cater for yourselves using the fresh produce from the local markets or eat out as you choose.

Who can say with the weather - we have been sitting by our pool in late October as if it was spring and other years the Mistral has cut through us like an icy knife - that is part of the whole appeal of Provence.

The larger towns of Avignon, Aix and Marseille will be crowded but with a good selection of bars to sit and people watch from.

Don't try and do too much in a week but I would include:-

Avignon - Palais de Papes and "that Bridge"

Aix - wander around the shops bars and cafes

Tour of the Luberon National Park with its hill top villages and Chateaux.

Arles - lots of history.

Isle sur la Sorgues - unless you like playing spot the car park go any day except Sunday avoiding the antiques market. It is a lovely village to just walk around when not swamped by tourists.If you want to see the market on Sunday get there really early!

Those are just my preferences and I am sure other contributors to the forum will suggest their favorites like St Remy, Pont du Gard, Vaison, Chateauneuf etc.

Have a great trip

We stayed in Aix in June for our week in Provence. October temperatures should be much more comfortable than the oppressive midsummer heat day and night.We loved Aix and it was really good as a touring base for Avignon, (including "That bridge"-luv that!)and the Luberon.The local tourist office has a selection of excursions by coach including Avignon,Gorges du Verdon,Luberon Villages and Cassis. We went on the latter. Wouldn't want to be cooped up in Cassis for a week especially in October but it's a great place for a day out. We also had a hire car which we collected at Marseille Provence Airport-flew Ryanair from Manchester. It was very convenient for touring but useless in Aix. We parked it at the hotel and used the local buses for getting into the town centre.

See my TA review of Hotel le Mozart,Aix en Provence and Restaurant review of Chezjo Pizzeria which contain useful info on Aix for tourists.

I am confident you will love Provence wherever you decide to stay.

I spent a week cooped up in Cassis two years ago and absolutely loved it but I'm weird.

I can't drive and have been all over Provence by public transport. However it does mean you can only do one trip a day. Additionally Cassis wouldn't be the best place to stay if you want to get about by public transport. For that you want Arles or Aix or Avignon.

Personally I wouldn't stay in Marseilles (too big city), Cassis (too small), or Aix (too far out of the way) - instead, I would probably situate myself in or close to St. Remy since it has wonderful restaurants, and shops and also has the feel of a "real" Provencal town.

St. Remy and the immediate surrounding area, including les Alpilles,is a perfect location for explorating Western Provence. It's an easy day trip to Marseilles and/or Cassis as well as day trips to Arles, Avignon, Nimes, the Camargue, etc.

Also, I would recommend that you have a car for the entire duration of your stay since having a car will allow you to explore the smaller villages of Provence that are representative of the "soul" of the region.

AlpillesGal

PS - While the weather in October can be somewhat irregular - either gorgeous sunny days or an occasional wickedly rainy/windy day - you will probably be OK if you bring waterproof jackets since bringing them usually guarantees that there will be no rain at all

What a lot of my friends, relatives, and clients have done when visiting me (I live in Aix-en-Provence) is split their week between Aix and Avignon. I usually recommend 3 days in Aix and 4 in Avignon. Obviously you won't be spending the full 3 days in Aix or the full 4 days in Avignon, but I feel that these two locations give you a good central locations to the various parts of Provence that you would want to check out (assuming you have a car). I suggest doing Aix on the first day and Marseille the second and waiting to rent a car as you will not need one with buses providing adequate routes around both areas. With a car hire for the rest of your trip you can then branch out and explore all the smaller villages, do some wine tasting, and get lost amongst the vineyards.

As with previous posters, the weather is going to be a tough call in mid-October as this is right when the area starts its fast transition from summer to winter. So you could have blue skies and warm days or find yourself in a cold/windy spell. Best to come prepared for both!

- Brian

To WOOD0104: I agree with you about some of the excellent info already on this forum. I, too, have some relavant questions about this area. My husband and I are planning to visit the Marseille/Provence area in mid-Nov 2008. We are active senior citizens & need some of the same information you needed, only for a month later--will it be terribly cold and rainy in mid-Nov? We plan to rent a car in Marseille, & enjoy getting into small villages & towns and seeing less "touristy" things & meeting local people, along with seeing some of the sights of each area. We do not speak French - will this be a real handicap? Where would be the best place(town or facility)to find an inexpensive, clean, decent & safe place to stay for 3-4 days? Any suggestions from this forum would be welcome. Thanks