I have seen a number of posts that warn against leaving anything in a car in Luberon (and indeed, all of Provence).
The problem is that we are planning a curcuit that requires us to see sights en-route between accommodation (via rental car). This means that we would have to leave all our luggage in the car while visiting the sights (such as Pont du Gard, Baux de Provence and in small market towns e.g Seguret, Saignon).
Acknowledgeing that this is otherwise sensible advice (i.e. all other things being equal, do not leave items in cars if you have other options), how many travellers have not experienced any issues leaving their belongings in the car?
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Perhaps, the important issue here is not those who have never been targets of theft but rather the experiences of those who have.
This problem is not isolated to those traveling the Luberon. Friends of ours living in Paris never leaving anything in their cars while shopping or parking their cars in public locations.
It is important to be cautious, keep in mind that thieves know which cars are likely being driven by tourists. Those with:
1. red license plates - indicating a non taxed, or foreign leased auto.
2. distant department numbers on the license plate. The last two digits on a French plate indicate the department of registration. Europcar for instance registers many of their automobiles in Haute Normandie. When driving around Provence with a plate ending in 76, the fact that you are either from a distant department or probably a renter is not missed by those looking for tourist prey.
3. little white square stickers still stuck near the refuel port which say something like %26quot;gasoil only%26quot;. These stickers are placed on all new cars with diesel engines to remind owners of the correct fuel requirements. Real owners remove them, renters don%26#39;t bother.
It is difficult to avoid leaving items in your car when on vacation. Some suggestions:
1. lock valuables in the glove box.
2. leave nothing in plain view, particularly maps and English language magazines or newspapers.
3. Leave a copy of a local French newspaper (date not important) clearly visible in the windshield.
There are no guarantees but common sense can help avoid tragedies.
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I%26#39;ve never had a problem, but it%26#39;s a calculated risk we all have to take, along with some insurance.
My only tip, if you can%26#39;t hide everything in the trunk/boot, is go for the %26quot;pigpen%26quot; effect; leave (preferably dirty) clothes and half-eaten food strewn around the car, but strategically placed to cover up the Louis Vuitton. The message to any prospective tealeaf is that I don%26#39;t have anything he%26#39;d want to steal.
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We have driven regularly in France for more than 20 years, usually in a British registered car, making it very obvious that we are on holiday. We have often left luggage in the trunk and never had a problem. Leaving items in full view is asking for trouble almost anywhere in the world.
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Well, we have had a break-in in France, despite having nothing worth stealing in the car, and it was a downright nuisance - they broke a rear window to get in and also slashed one of the tyres. We wasted the next day buying a new tyre, and working out how we were going to a) keep the rain out and b) continue our holiday when we couldn%26#39;t secure the car (we had to wait til we got home before we could get a replacement window). Then there was the time taken to find the relevant police station and make a report so that we could make a claim on the insurance .....
The car park we had used was in the country, near a known attraction, but it was later in the day and most of the cars had already left by the time we got there.
As a result, if we%26#39;re leaving the car now, we look for a busy car park and also park in such a way that it would be difficult for thieves to get into the boot ... if we can%26#39;t do this, we tend to move on.
We were in Provence last summer, visited everywhere we wanted and had no problems :-)
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I often have no option but to leave a load of stuff in the car when I park and so far have not had a problem.
The trouble with rental cars is making sure you lock them. If you have a top of the range renault megane I have found it almost impossible to lock it and make sure it%26#39;s locked. The problem lies with keyless entry - you cant lock the car then lift the handle to make sure it%26#39;s locked. If you have the key on your person it just unlocks again. Mrs Wiz was perpetually p*ssed off with me sending her back to the car to make sure it was locked.
Mind you - I have a similar problem with my own car. The number of times I have unlocked it by accidentally pressing the fob as I clip the key inside my pack........
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You have stated that you are planning your stay in Provence as a %26quot;circuit%26quot; which will require that you %26quot;see sights en-route between accomodation(s).%26quot;
Since distances within Provence are really not all that great, you may want to consider staying several nights in one location and using this place as a base rather than packing-up every morning and un-packing every night - thus eliminating the luggage- in-car problem altogether except when it is absolutely necessary to relocate. When you have to relocate you may want to look into whether it will be possible to drop off your luggage at your new htoel/gite or wherever prior to the official check-in time and spend the rest of that day sightseeing in that general area.
If you can provide the members of this Forum with information regarding your trip ( when, how long, and what sorts of sites you want to visit and things you like to do) we can probably come up with a perfect site that will eliminate the problems of leaving stuff in your car.
Personally, we never leave anything in the car except perhaps a copy of a newspaper (French) or magazine (also French). Maybe having grown up in New York City has just made me alot more wary regarding the possibility of this type of criminal activity, but caution is the best preventative method since a car break-in will totally ruin your vacation especially since these type of events are pretty much totally preventable.
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Thanks for all the good advice.
Yes we have tried to base ourseleves as much as possible. The circuit we are planning is:
Day 1 arrive Avignon via TGV. Pick up rental car and see Avignon in the afternoon (belongings in car in Avignon). Finish up in Blanches that night (pre-positioned to see Pont du Gard).
Day 2. Pont Du Gard, Les Baux then on to Vaison La Romaine in evening (belongings in car during day at Pont %26amp; Baux).
Day 3. Vaison and surrounds. back to Vaison La Romaine in evening.
Day 4. Vaison to Isle Sur la Sorgue.
Day 5. (Saturday) Apt market in morning, surrounding area that afternoon - probably Gordes and Roussillon). Back to Isle Sur la Sorgue thast night.
day 6 (Sunday) Isle Sur la Sorgue market in morning, Saignon in afternoon. back to Isle Sur la Sorgue.
Day 7 depart Provence via car (or possibly TGV).
We%26#39;re hoping to see lavender and possibly visit some lavender distilleries (it will be late June). We are travelling with two children ages 8 and 6.
This itinerary is forgoing seeing the Roman ruins in Nimes and visiting Orange, both of which we would do if we had more time.
So the belongings in the car are really only %26#39;at risk%26#39; on the first and third days. However, the car will be parked at tourist traps...
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We will be in Provence in late July, rather than June, per my post above.
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We just returned from Provence. We had three days of travel/sightseeing when we left luggage and other belongings in the trunk of our rental car. We parked in Monaco, Avignon, Pont du Gard, Arles, and Les Baux during those days without a problem. Just keep things out of sight.
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The lavender harvest will probably be over or really near its%26#39; finale in late July - but, as always, this will depend upon this years%26#39; weather. In any case, the major lavender fields are a bit to the north of the areas that you have mentioned - so you may want to look into heading further North - direction Nyons - to see more of these.
Don%26#39;t know where les Blanches is so can%26#39;t commment on whether it is a good place to stay on night #1 , however it seems to me that wherever it is,it doesn%26#39;t make much sense to drive from the Pont du Gard to Les Baux and then stay in Vaison la Romaines on night # 2 - it%26#39;s just way too much back and forth time in the car (especially with 6 and 8 year olds who may still be suffering from jet-lag).
Since you are arriving in Avignon on a Tuesday, you might want to consider doing a tour of the Palais des Papes and then driving a bit South and locating in/or near St Remy and doing the St Remy market on Wednesday AM then doing Les Riuns (just outside of St Remy) and Les Baux that afternoon.
Personally (and I admit that I am an AlpillesGal), I think that the area around St.Remy is perfectly situated for exploring most of Provence since it allows for rapid access to those areas to the South (including the Camargue - which your kids will probably love) and to the North (including the area of the Cotes-du-Rhone vinyards). Check out the availability of Gites in the area as they will give you and your kids more of a feeling of %26quot;home.%26quot;
However, if you are really thinking about staying in Vaison-la-Romaine I hope that you are considering Le Beffroi - while it has been some time since we have stayed there, we have wonderful memories of both the hotel and the restaurant. Unfortunately, I am not sure that there is going to be much in that area that is going to %26quot;turn your kids on%26quot; - likewise Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
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