Immersion Journeys in Italy, France and Spain

The Best of Provence - Tour Overview

Welcome to the Best of Provence, where the cicadas sing, the lavender blooms in fields overshadowed by the majestic Mont Ventoux and people drink Rosé wine with ice and call it a “swimming pool”. We’ll see some of the most beautiful and loved (and painted) landscapes in all of Europe and we’ll eat food prepared with the freshest vegetables and “home grown” meats.

We’ll pick you up at the Marseilles airport or the Aix-en-Provence Gare TGV and take you to our hotel in Aix-en-Provence. It’s a four minute walk from the famous street: Cour Mirabeau.

La Rotonde fountain - The central roundabout in Aix-en-Provence,

If you’ve travelled to France to taste delicious food and wine, Aix-en-Provence will be a dream come true. The town is alive, not only with restaurants and cafés, but with historic food specialty shops and farmers markets that have maintained their first-class reputations and traditions for hundreds of years. We’ll take a food tour with our friend and local resident of Aix-en-Provence and sample the bounty the markets have to offer while learning about the history of Aix through food.

Provencal Mix of Olives ("Melange Provencal" in French) ) in wooden bowl at the food market in Paris

We’ll stay three nights in Avignon where we’ll attend a cooking school with a master chef in the “farm” kitchen of a five star hotel, including a visit to the local food market.

ready for the market Best of Provence overview page

We’ll visit the ruins of the Pope’s summer residence called Châteauneuf-du-Pape and taste the deep red wines from the region.

At this time of year, the lavender fields will be in full bloom, and the landscapes are truly spectacular! We’ll visit a local lavender festival where the participants and attendees will be mostly locals out for Sunday fun.

Then we’ll transfer to one of the oldest and most picturesque villages in Provence, the lovely hamlet of Saint-Rémy! From our base in Saint-Rémy we'll explore the richness of the Luberon. the historic towns of Arles and Les Baux and the amazing Roman aqueduct bridge, Le Pont du Gard.

Come join us this season in Provence for the time of your life!

"Dear Pam and Sam (and all the other wonderful people behind the scenes!),
As a returning traveler with Tuscany Tours, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience than The Best of Provence! All of the tours and excursions we did were truly a once in a lifetime experience. From seeing the lavender fields in full bloom to visiting the ancient Roman aqueduct at Ponte du Gard, picnicking outside a lavender festival, shopping in St. Remy and Aix-en-Provence, visiting the places that inspired van Gogh and Cézanne, wine tasting at Chateauneuf-du-Pape with a backdrop of Provence to enjoying a rustic French dinner in the middle of a vineyard – the trip was one “oh this is my favorite day” to “no, THIS is my favorite day!”.

- Betty Dankas