Both the 7-day tour (June 6-13) and the 10-day tour (June 17-27) 2015 are now sold out! Please get in touch if you are interested in joining us in June 2016 as we offer early bird discounts.
Guided sight-seeing tour with your hosts, Claire and Liz.
Both tours include:
Airport pick-up and drop-off, accommodation (7 days in 200-year old farmhouse near St Remy, with pool and wifi), sight-seeing day trips (6 or 9), breakfast, lunch, wine, soft drinks and bottled water every day, and dinner on the first and last night.
10-day tour includes in addition, 3 nights in a hotel (12th century former convent)
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In the South of France, between the azure
blue of the Mediterranean and soaring French Alps, lies
a land of such beauty that writers and painters have flocked
here for hundreds of years. This is a place of ancient
history and timeless traditions, where you will experience
wonderfully preserved Roman architecture, centuries-old
monasteries, palaces and castles. Stroll along the winding
cobblestone lanes of the famous perched villages, explore
the local galleries, museums and artists' workshops, and
pick out the perfect Provençal souvenirs to take home.
The fruit and vegetable markets are brimming with the
taste and smell of the famous local cuisine with creamy
cheeses, an astounding choice of olives, and endless varieties
of wine. The miles of lavender fields, sprawling vineyards
and the stunning scenery create memories that will remain
with you forever.
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We are
not a tour company, and run only one tour per year, marketing
by word of mouth to relatives, friends, and their friends
and relatives. We treat you as our guests, making all
the arrangements for you and taking the stress and uncertainty
out of travel... all you need to do is book your flights.
Our tour combines peace and tranquility with the opportunity to experience all that Provence
has to offer: wonderful food and wine, and truly breathtaking
scenery. Accommodation is in a fabulous sprawling 200-year farmhouse (7 nights), with seven bedrooms, a large pool, wifi and a grand piano. There are a couple of horses on the property, but they are not used to being ridden. For three nights (10-day tour only) we will be staying in a 3-star hotel in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, a former convent founded in the 13th century. For more details see our accommodation
page.
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Each day begins with a leisurely breakfast served from 8-9am. Breakfast consists
of fresh-baked croissants and pastries from the local
boulangerie, hot coffee or tea, juice, eggs, sausage,
yogurt, and fresh fruit from the local markets. After
breakfast we will head out around 10am each day. Some of our destinations are close (15-20 minutes drive) while a couple take a bit longer (45 minutes drive). We are there to ensure
your days are enjoyable and stress free. Most destinations are quite close by (15-30 minutes away) although a couple may be slightly longer. We will transport
you around Provence in a comfortable, air-conditioned car. |
If you have any special requests for places you HAVE to see, let us know! We make all
the arrangements, so that ALL your time is spent relaxing
and enjoying your immersion in the Provençal
way of life. We will visit markets, Roman ruins, castles, palaces, museums, artists workshops, perched hilltop villages, and the Mediterranean coast.
On each of our guided day-trips, we will eat lunch in a local café or
restaurant, and spend the afternoon sight-seeing. While
all activities are included in the cost of the tour, you may choose
to opt out of any activity at any time and relax at the house. |
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The 10-day tour participants will spend three nights in a hotel (with two full day trips: the first to La Ciotat and Cassis, on the Mediterranean Coast, and the second slightly inland in Aix-en-Provence). We will be based in a 3-star hotel that is a former convent, and will eat out at restaurants each evening. Both tours (7- and 10-day) will spend one week in the farmhouse, we will have a feast "en famille' to welcome everyone on our first night there, and another one on the last night in the farmhouse. All other evenings at the farmhouse you are free to do as you choose - shop and cook at home, or eat out in local towns (e.g. Eygalieres, St. Remy). |
We recommend flying into Marseille airport where we will pick you up. If you prefer to fly into Paris and spend a few days
there at the beginning or end of your trip, the TGV (fast
train) runs between Paris and Marseille in about 3 hours. From the train station it is an easy transfer to Marseille airport, where we will meet you.
The vacation package includes accommodation for 7 nights in a 200-year old farmhouse (plus 3 nights in a hotel for the 10-day tour only),
airport pick-up/drop-off, daily breakfast, daily restaurant lunch, and dinner on the first and last night in the farmhouse (plus dinners for the 10-day tour when we are in the hotel). Our guided day trips (6 or 9 full days) include lunch in a restaurant or café, and activities. You will need additional
spending money for items such as souvenirs, postcards, ice-creams
and snacks, and any other activities you choose to do that are not part of the tour itinerary.
Day trips: Avignon (Pope's Palace, Pont Saint Benezet), the Pont du Gard, St. Remy (Mausole de St. Paul, Glanum, market), the perched villages of Gordes and Roussillon, the Abbey of Senanque, Arles (walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh, Roman amphitheatre), Oppede-le-vieux and the lavender museum at Coustellet, Isle sur la Sorgue (market) and Fontaine de Vaucluse, and Les Baux (chateau, shopping, Sound and Light show). The 10-day tour also includes Cassis and La Ciotat (with a boat ride to Les Calanques), and Aix-en-Provence (Cours Mirabeau, Musee Granet, Mont Sainte-Victoire). You will also have the opportunity to explore the towns where we will be based: Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (10-day tour only), and Eygalieres, a perched village near St. Remy-de-Provence, where our farmhouse is located.
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