Please help in planning itinerary to include Pont du Gard in Provence!?

Please let me know if you have any suggestions as to how I can spend consistent nights in the same hotel and get to the Pont du Gard easily. After awakening in Arles, I am spending day 1 in Arles, sleeping somewhere night 1, day 2 at Pont du Gard, sleeping somewhere night 2, and the morning of day 3 I take the train to Nice. Where should I sleep for nights 1 and 2? I think ideally I would spend night 1 in Avignon and night 2 in Marseille, so I'd have a quick trip to Nice on day 3, but that involves a one-nighter in 3 different cities in a row. I could also spend nights 1 and 2 in Arles, but getting from Arles to Pont du Gard seems to require numerous transfers as does Arles to Nice. Additionally, I could spend nights 1 and 2 by the Marseille St Charles station, but even Marseille to Pont du Gard is very complicated! Any advice as to whether it's better to have more one-nighters or fewer train transfers? Or how to get to Pont du Gard? I will only be using train and bus - NO rental car.

Well, first Pont du Gard is not in Provence...

Then it seems complicated...i don't know where you are coming from but you should visit Pont du Gard first (a morning is enough) then take a train to Arles or a bus, it's not far away. You could sleep in Arles and then take the train to Marseille.
You won't have a lot of transfers.


If you need help, you can contact me by email, i live near Pont du Gard and i'd be pleased to help you.

Well, I think you almost found the solution.
If you stay in Avignon, you'll be both within easy reach of the Pont du Gard by bus (see below) and Nice by train.

Check bus line 205 on this website http://www.stdgard.com/accueil/horaires....
It serves the Pont du Gard from Avignon in around 40 minutes. (note that the timetable is only valid until july 3rd)

Going to Nice by train from Avignon can take as little as 3 hours and there is no train transfer.

I sugest you the following :

Day 1, after visiting Arles. Take the train to Nimes : http://www.voyages-sncf.com/
Less than 30 minutes of direct train. Sleep there night 1.

There are buses from Nimes to Pont du Gard (lines 168 and 169) : http://www.pontdugard.fr/

Sleep back in Nimes night 2. If you have times there are Romans buildings to visit in Nimes : maison carr茅e, ar茅nes, 鈥?http://www.arenes-nimes.com/en/nimes/

You can take a train the morning 3 from Nimes to Nice changing in Marseille Saint Charles. The trip will take 4 hours more or less including the time in Marseille Saint Charles station : http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvT...

If you need more information you can mail me to : siltof@hotmail.fr

Have a nice trip