The Essence of Provence

This is a slower-paced tour with leisurely lunches and sightseeing. This tour takes you to the quintessential Provencal spots: the region’s best French markets, lunches at wineries, visits to several charming hill top towns. We also explore several historical sights and a visit a local artisan’s studio.

Travelers on this tour will have several afternoons to explore the towns we are staying in. We are typically together in the morning and at lunch, returning to our hotel in the early afternoon.

While this is a slower paced tour, travelers should be comfortable staying on their feet for 1-2 hours at a time and to walking over uneven terrain.

• 6 nights accommodation in 4 star hotels.

• Two full-time expert guides: Laura, an art historian, and Ross, an antiques expert

• Private transportation by minibus.

• All breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners

• Admission and private guide fees at all included sites.

• Exclusive visit to a terre melee studio

• Assistance with buying and translation at antiques markets.

• Airfare

• Travel Insurance. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance.

• Any meals or activities not listed on the itinerary.

• A tip to our driver

• There are two easy ways to travel to Provence: you can take the high-speed from Paris or you can fly to Marseille (with a layover in Paris).

• If you can lift your own suitcase, we recommend flying into Paris a few days before the tour starts and then taking the train to Provence on April 16th.

• If you cannot lift your suitcase, you should fly in and out of the Marseille airport for this trip.

• We recommend flying out of the Marseille airport on departure day.

  Whatever you choose, we can arrange private transfers to and from the Marseille airport and the Avignon-TGV train station at an additional cost.

• One suitcase! Each traveler is permitted one suitcase measuring no more than 26 × 18 × 12 inches.

• We are offering a group transfer from Paris to Arles on the day the tour begins. You will meet Laura and Ross at Paris’s Gare de Lyon train station the morning of April 16th and take the high-speed train to Provence. The train is a quick and comfortable 2.5 hours and there is a restaurant car with food and beverages (and wine!). On arrival, our driver will meet us at the train station to take us to our hotel in Arles.

• Additional cost. Includes First Class train ticket and private transfer to Arles.

• **To take the train you MUST be able to lift your luggage on and off the train, without assistance, in one go.