Provence in November?

My husband and I are planning to fly from Barcelona to Marseille in mid-Nov 2008 and want to spend a few days in Provence. We are vital %26amp; active senior citizens, but don%26#39;t want to do a lot of over-active things! We plan to rent a car in Marseille as we enjoy getting into small towns %26amp; villages; seeing less %26quot;touristy%26quot; things, meeting local people %26amp; seeing some of the sights of each area. What kind of weather can we expect? Will it be terribly cold and rainy in mid-Nov? 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 %26amp; safe place to stay for 3-4 days? Same for restaurants? Any suggestions from this forum would be welcome. Thanks

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It is not a great time to visit Provence as it can be wet and cold but it can also be sunny and clear.

Many of the small villages and towns will have a very subdued atmosphere and in certain of the Luberon villages many places will be shut.

The main towns oand attractions will of course all be open.

A few phrases in French will certainly help.

I am tempted to suggest that for this holiday you see more of Spain and visit Provence another time when the weather is better in say late spring/early summer.

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Have you checked out flights from Barcelona to Marseille? Not sure that there are any cheap deals there and I wonder if it%26#39;s worth paying for a flight to Marseille just to stay for 3-4 days. Another option would be to explore rural Catalonia which is less touristy and very pretty.

Actually weather in Catalonia in November could also be wet and cold or sunny and clear. I%26#39;ve seen snow flurries in central Barcelona in November (OK,only once!)and certainly autumn is our rainy season though that tends to mean thunderstorms rather than all-day rain.

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