Provence Walking Tour: Guided Walking Tours in France, Italy, Croatia, Switzerland and USA -Andiamo Adventours

Provence Walking—Trip Overview
“Antiquity to Van Gough”

Spend a wonderful week with them in the land of Van Gogh and Cézanne, with its olive orchards, sunflower and lavender fields punctuated by stately cypress trees. The quality of the light has been renowned for centuries. We’ll come to appreciate the bounties of regional cuisine and wine while discovering the area’s many delights.

Days 1-2: Meet & Greet
Visit the 2000 year old Roman aqueduct with its newly constructed state-of-the-art interactive museum. Lunch in the historic town of Uzès, declared a national treasure in the 1960s.

Days 3-4: The Vaucluse, Les Alpilles
Wander within the Provençal market in Vaison-la-Romaine, the largest and most varied. Enjoy wine tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape, and a cooking lesson and dinner. Visit St. Rémy-de-Provence, with the opportunity to explore St. Paul de Mausole, the asylum where Van Gogh spent a prolific last year (1889-1890),and tour Les Baux de Provence with it’s medieval ruins, history and spectacular vistas then the Marius Fabre soap factory and museum on the way home.

Days 5-6: Le Grand Luberon
Journey to the Château Val Joanis winery for a tasting and wonderful lunch. Explore the site of Peter Mayle’s "A Year in Provence" and stroll through the forests of the Luberon. Off to Rousillon where we explore the ochre quarries and visit this charming hill town. Finally, wander the spectacular village of Gordes, built on the face of a cliff, and the cistercian Abbaye de Senanque with its well-known lavender fields.

Days 7-9:
Visit Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the antique capital of France (some say of Europe!) with over 300 dealers. Then visit the unique Jardin de L'Alchimiste. Then a grand farewell dinner.

Inclusions:

All lodging
All breakfasts, 5 dinners (as listed) and two picnic-lunches (Val Joanis and Auberge des Séguins)
Entry fees to visits and gardens (as listed in the itinerary)
One cooking class
Ground transportation including pick-up and drop-off in Avignon (train from Paris not included)
Service of two bilingual guides with a knowledge of the region’s culture

Not included: Airfare, beverages, trip insurance (strongly recommended), personal items, guide tips.

Provence Walking—Detailed Trip Itinerary

Spend a wonderful week in the land of Van Gogh and Cézanne, with its olive orchards, sunflower and lavender fields punctuated by stately cypress trees. The quality of the light has been renowned for centuries. We’ll come to appreciate the bounties of regional cuisine and wine while discovering the area’s many delights. Restaurants and sites, many of which are not found in guidebooks, are carefully chosen by our hosts for their character and ambiance to create an unforgettable experience. This week also includes some time to explore and discover Provence on your own, in an unhurried way -- l’art de vivre -- the “art of living”!

Day 1: Le Moulin des Vignes Vieilles

Land in Paris and take the TGV (train à grande vitesse - fast train) to Avignon, a 2-½ hour train ride. An afternoon pick-up at the TGV station in Avignon we then transfer to the Moulin des Vignes Vieilles in the charming Provençal town of Eyguières. The Moulin’s 250-year-old plane trees shade the terraces and the garden is made for lingering. Rooms are simply yet elegantly decorated, emphasizing the beautiful colors of Provence. Aperitif and welcome dinner at the Moulin.

Day 2: Pont du Gard / Uzes

We visit the 2000 year old Roman aqueduct with its newly constructed state-of-the-art interactive museum /visitor's cente (http://www.provence-infos.com/pontdugard2.htm), learning about Roman times and construction techniques. Lunch in the historic town of Uzès, which has been beautifully restored by the government after being declared a national treasure in the 1960s. This afternoon we visit the lovely garden of a local artist and friend of our hosts in St. Rémy de Provence. Dinner on the terrace of Coté Sud (Salon de Provence).

Day 3: The Vaucluse

Early departure for the Provençal market in Vaison-la-Romaine, the largest and most varied known to our hosts. Lunch on our own in the local cafes, then visit the hill village of Séguret. After a wonderful wine tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape, half of us will arrange a picnic dinner (from the bounties of the morning market) at ‘home’ on the terrace of Le Moulin, while half will join Ghislaine Castellino-Martin in her intimate kitchen in Salon-de-Provence for a cooking lesson and dinner.

Day 4: Les Alpilles

Visit St. Rémy-de-Provence, with the opportunity to explore St. Paul de Mausole, the asylum where Van Gogh spent a prolific last year (1889-1890), or the village of Glanum, a Roman archeological site. We enjoy lunch, a chocolate tasting and shopping in St Rémy. After lunch tour Les Baux de Provence with it’s medieval ruins, history and spectacular vistas then the Marius Fabre soap factory and museum on the way home. Free night for dinner.

Day 5: The Luberon

Today will be spent journeying to the Château Val Joanis winery for a leisurely visit of the 19th century style terraced gardens (http://www.val-joanis.com/jardins2.htm). A wine tasting and wonderful lunch will follow. The late afternoon find half of us at Ghislaine’s cooking lesson and dinner, while the others are on our own to dine in the charming village of Eyguières, just a short walk from the Moulin.

Day 6: - Le Grand Luberon - site of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence

Our day will begin with a trip to the charming town of Lourmarin (Peter Mayle’s current home) for a final market stop. Avoiding the hustle and bustle of tourists, we will stroll through the forests of the Luberon and lunch at L’Auberge des Séguins at the end of a valley surrounded by cliffs. Off to Rousillon where we explore the ochre quarries to visit this charming hill town. Finally, visit the spectacular village of Gordes, built on the face of a cliff, and the cistercian Abbaye de Senanque with its well-known lavender fields. We arrive late afternoon arrival at Le Moulin, in time to prepare our bags for the trip home. Intimate dinner at the charming Le Petit Bru (Eygalières).

Day 7: - Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

After fresh fruit, croissants and coffee, we’ll drive to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the antique capital of France (some say of Europe!) with over 300 dealers. The Provençal market fills the center of town until 1:30, while the antique flea market continues all afternoon. Lunch will be on your own in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. This afternoon we will visit the unique Jardin de L'Alchimiste (www.jardin-alchimiste.com) in Eygalières. Farewell dinner at Le Moulin des Vignes Vieilles in Eyguières.

Day 8: - Departures

Depart late morning from Avignon TGV station.