ASouthofFranceTourinProvence

Provence is located in southern France on the Mediterranean Sea, stretching from thesouthern Alps to the French Riviera and adjacent to Italy and Monaco to the east. It isconsideredthehomeofmanyvarietiesofgrapes,havingdifferentsoils,climate,altitudeandhistoricalinfluences.Thiscustomizeditineraryisfocusedonthebestofwhatthisregionhastooffer.

DAY1—Arrival

ArrivalattheairportbyaTBAflight.Youwillbetransferredtoyourhotel.

*VERYIMPORTANT*- The driver will be waiting for you outside the Customs Area and the Baggage Claim Area,holdingasignboard/iPadwithyournameonit.-DriversandassistantsareNOTallowedtoentertheCustomsArea.DAY2—AIX-EN-PROVENCEANDMARSEILLES(FullDay–8hours)AixwasthecapitalofProvenceinthe15thcentury.WealthymerchantsandlocaldignitarieshelpedturnthiscityintotheFlorenceofProvence:privatemansionsoftheupperclass,citysquaresburstingwithflowers,ancientfountainsandshadednarrowstreets.InthecenterofAix you find the old town (or vieille ville), which is ringed by a circle of boulevards andsquares.CoursMirabeau,whichisfoundinthecenterofthecenterofAix,isabeautifultree-lined avenue, with wonderful terrace cafés and bookshops on one side. Marseilles, theadministrative and commercial capital of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, is one of France’sfastest-growingregions.AstrollaroundtheancientharborgivesvisitorsafeelforthethrivingMediterraneanatmosphereofMarseilles.Thelivelywaterfrontisafocalpointfortourists,andmanysaythatthisareaisthebestplacetofindauthenticbouillabaisse,the

flavorfulseafoodstewthatisaspecialtyofMarseilles.Ontheeastsideoftheharbor,theQuaidesBelgeshostsafishmarketeverymorning.Onceanimportantcommercialport,theVieuxPortisnowusedprimarilybyfishingboatsandsportscraft.

DAY3—ARLES,AVIGNON,NÎMES(FullDay–8hours)

ArlesisagoodexampleofanancientcityadaptedtomedievalEuropeancivilization.IthassomeimpressiveRomanmonuments,suchastheRomanArena,thatdatebacktothe1stcenturyB.C.Duringthe4thcenturyA.D.,Arlesexperiencedasecondgoldenage,evidencedbytheBathsofConstantineandthenecropolisofAlyscamps.AvignonisfamousforbeingthecitytowhichthePopesfledafterleavingRomeduetocorruptioninthe14thcentury.LePalaisdesPapes,orthePalaceofthePopes,istheworld'slargestGothicbuilding.Ithasbeenemptiedoverthecenturies,anditsvaststoneroomsarefilledwithlittlemorethanoldfrescos,butitisstillanimposingbuilding.NotfarfromthePalaceofthePopes,youwillfindthePontd’Avignon(AvignonBridge).Accordingtolegend,thebridgewasbuiltinthe12thcenturybyayoungshepherd,Bénézet(aderivativeofBenedict),whohadbeeninspiredbyangelstobuildit.Nîmesisalivelycommercialcenterthesedays,buttwomillenniaagoitwasoneofthemostimportantcitiesofRomanGaul.Thereareplentyofmuseumsandmarketstoexploreinthecity’spalm-tree-linedstreets,aswellasahostofhigh-profilefestivalsthroughouttheyear.Thecityisfamedforthehard-wearingtwillfabricknownassergedeNîmes,whichistraditionallywornbyagriculturallaborersandisnowuniversallyknownasdenim.

DAY4—LUBERONPARKVILLAGES(FullDay–8hours)

Luberon Park features a spectacular countryside with vineyards, orchards and a series ofstrikinglypicturesquehilltopvillages,whichseemasiftheyhavebeenperchedontopofthehills. The villages date back over 1,000 years or more. Some famous ones are Gordes,Roussillon,Bonnieux,LacosteandMénerbes,butthereisalsoahostofbeautifulvillagesthatarerelativelyunknown.IntheLuberonregionthereisanopen-airmarketfoundeverydayoftheweek in a different village or town.Here youwill find food that is fresh, artisanal andunadulterated—seasonal fruitandvegetables,meat, fish,bread,olives, tapenade,honeyandconserves, herbs and spices, cheese, flowers, oils and wines, ready-to-eat rotisseriechickens—aswellasProvençalfabricsandhousewares,clothesandsomuchmore…Enjoy!

DAY5—AVIGNON,UZÈS,PONTDUGARDAQUEDUCT(FullDay–8hours)

IfyouwanttocombineAvignonwithUzèsandthePontduGardeAqueduct, this isthebestfull-daytour.UzèsisasmalltownintheGarddepartment,northofNîmes,withahistorythatdatesbacktoRomantimes.Thecircularstreetsaroundthehistoricalcenterwereoncewallsthatprotectedthemedievalcastleinthe11thand12thcenturies.Themedievalstreetsinthetown’s center are perfect for wandering and exploring. The Place aux Herbes, with itsfountain,arcadesand terracecafés, isoftencrowdedwithpeopleand fullofactivityduringthefamousSaturdaymarketandoffersagreatplaceforacoffeeorlunch.ThePontduGard

Aqueduct is one of the most visited ancient monuments in France and listed as a WorldHeritageSitebyUNESCO.ThePontduGardAqueductremainsoneofhumankind'sgreatesttechnical feats. It is48metershighandhas threevertical rowsofarches:sixon the lowestlevel,11onthesecondleveland35onthethirdandtoplevel.Itsupperpartreachesalengthof273meters(originally360meterswhenthereweretwelveextraarches). Itservedasanaqueduct until the 6th century before becoming a tollgate in theMiddleAges and finally aroadbridgefromthe18thto20thcentury.

DAY6—Departure

Checkoutofyourhotelthismorningafterbreakfastandmeetyourprivatedriverforyourtransfertotheairport,intimeforyouroutboundflight.

Thankyouforallowingustohandleyourtrip,wehopeyouenjoyedit.

Aurevoir&comebacksoon.