Discover the Timeless Beauty of Southern France
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Discover the wonders of Provence, a captivating destination that offers unique experiences, rich culture, and memorable adventures. Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or cultural immersion, Provence promises to exceed your expectations with its warm hospitality and stunning scenery.
8 nights in Provence — day by day, fact-checked
Private transfer from MRS to your base, then a gentle first evening once you've settled in — timed around when your flight actually lands.
Your included private transfer meets you at Marseille Provence and takes you door-to-door. Aix sits about 25 minutes from the airport; a base near Avignon or the Luberon is farther on winding roads. Check your arrival time and let your host know roughly when to expect you, since rural check-in desks keep limited hours.
Your private airport transfer is included and runs door-to-door from MRS, replacing the public route. For reference, the airport shuttle to Aix-en-Provence coach station takes about 30 minutes and runs every 30 minutes from Platform 3.
Aix is the closest base at about 25 minutes from MRS. A Luberon village base sits roughly 1 to 1.5 hours inland on winding rural roads, so a late landing means a later arrival — plan your first evening loosely.
After passport control, allow extra time for EES biometric registration on your first Schengen entry — fingerprints and a photo may be taken. There is no cost and nothing to arrange beforehand.
Carry your passport or photocard driving licence with you throughout the trip: French police can ask you to prove your identity on the spot or within 4 hours at a station.
Do not count on Uber or Bolt to move you around once you leave the airport zone. Ride-hailing works around Marseille and Aix but not up in the Luberon villages — arrange transport in advance for rural evenings.
Keep the first night close to where you sleep. In summer the light holds late, so even an early-evening arrival leaves time for a slow dinner. Book a table rather than walking in, as village kitchens keep short hours and many close Sunday or Monday.
Provencal village shops and many restaurants observe a long midday and afternoon lull, and Sundays and Mondays see many closures — plan your first dinner around this.
Summer daylight runs late in Provence. Sunset falls in the evening, so an early landing still leaves hours of light for settling in and a relaxed meal.
Draw some euro cash from a bank-branded ATM before heading to the villages. Card and contactless are near-universal, but small artisan stalls and rural cafes often prefer cash.
Do not treat a late arrival as a lost evening or a chance to over-plan. Count back from your check-in and keep night one within walking distance of your bed.
Homemade Provencal cooking in a walkable central-Aix quarter, open for dinner Monday to Saturday — a dependable first-night table if Aix is your base.
French kitchens keep short service windows and many rural spots shut Sunday or Monday, so a reserved table beats hunting for a walk-in on night one.
A city day built around a timed Palais des Papes slot, the Pont d'Avignon, and a square-side lunch.
Book a timed morning slot online for the Palais des Papes and take the free Histopad tablet at the entrance — no guide is compulsory. Arriving mid-morning gets you in ahead of the midday coach-tour peak. A multi-year transformation runs to spring 2027, so expect some rooms phased in and out.
Open 1 March to 1 November, 09:00-19:00. Last admission to the ticket desks is 1 hour before the monument closes.
A guide is not compulsory; the self-guided route uses the free Histopad tablet handed out at the entrance in 7 languages. Online booking with a timed slot is recommended.
Because last admission is 1 hour before closing and online timed reservation is recommended, arriving mid-morning or booking a slot sidesteps the coach-tour midday peak.
The reduced-mobility comfort tour runs only Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays 14:30-16:30 and must be reserved up to 24 hours ahead — book it in advance if you need it.
Do not expect the full palace during the 2026 works. Rooms open progressively under the transformation to spring 2027, so treat any single closed gallery as normal, not a fault.
Avignon's landmark papal palace, open year-round with a free multilingual Histopad tablet and no compulsory guide — the anchor of any Avignon day.
The square in front of the palace has convenient tables, ideal after a morning inside. The setting is the draw and footfall is high, so book in season rather than queueing. A short walk toward Place des Chataignes trades the view for a quieter bistro.
O' Papilles opens daily in July and August, 12:00-13:30 and 19:00-21:30 (in other months it is closed Sunday and Monday). In low season lunch is limited, so check the day before you go.
Reserve by phone or through the restaurant's own website. Booking ahead is wise in season, as it is a busy square-front spot.
Time lunch before the long afternoon lull. Many Provencal kitchens close their midday service by early afternoon and do not reopen until the evening.
Do not walk the square hoping for a free square-front table in season. Le Moutardier du Pape is a high-footfall tourist spot — reserve, or step one street back for a quieter bistro.
Traditional French and Provencal cooking right on the palace square — the easiest sit-down lunch after the Palais, with the setting as the point.
Inventive traditional cooking from local, largely organic produce on a small square just off the palace — quieter than the square-front tables.
The Pont Saint-Benezet, the famous half-bridge over the Rhone, sits a short walk from the palace and takes an audioguide but no compulsory guide. A combined Palace-plus-Bridge ticket saves against buying separately. Ticket desks close 30 minutes before the site does.
Pont d'Avignon 2026 hours: 3 April-1 November daily 09:00-19:00. Ticket desks close 30 minutes before closing.
A combined Palace+Bridge ticket is EUR 17 full / EUR 13 reduced / EUR 9.50 child (8-17), cheaper than buying both separately. Audioguide included.
Buy the combined Palace+Bridge ticket if you plan to do both on the same day rather than paying two full single fares.
Do not turn up at the bridge in the last half hour expecting entry. Ticket desks shut 30 minutes before the site closes.
The famous half-bridge over the Rhone, included audioguide and no compulsory guide — a natural pairing with the Palais on the same combined ticket.
Your included chauffeured Luberon day — the hilltop villages of Gordes and Roussillon linked without a hire car.
This is the day the package is built around: a chauffeured full-day Luberon excursion that links the hilltop villages you cannot easily reach yourself. Confirm your pickup point and time with the operator the night before. The Village des Bories dry-stone hamlet outside Gordes is a common self-guided stop.
Village des Bories (Gordes): July-August 09:00-20:00, down to 10:00-17:00 in deep winter. Last entry 30 minutes before closing.
Gordes, Roussillon and the wider Luberon sit roughly 1 to 1.5 hours inland on winding rural roads — exactly why this package bundles a chauffeured full-day excursion instead of expecting you to self-navigate.
Confirm the pickup point and time with your excursion operator the day before, and carry some euro cash for village stalls and cafes along the route.
Do not assume a bus or train could get you between these villages on your own. No usable public network links them, which is the whole reason the excursion is chauffeured.
A restored hamlet of dry-stone huts on the edge of Gordes, self-guided and open daily — a concrete thing to see if your Luberon day pauses here.
Most Luberon day-tours do not include lunch, so plan a stop. A sit-down option near Gordes or a no-booking cafe by the Roussillon ochre cliffs both work. Provencal kitchens run tight lunch windows, so eat before the early-afternoon lull rather than after.
L'Estellan serves lunch Tuesday to Saturday 12:15-13:45; check current dinner and holiday openings before you go.
L'Estellan fixed lunch: EUR 21 one dish, EUR 29 two dishes, EUR 32 three courses, EUR 15 children's menu under 10.
Most Luberon day-tours do not cover lunch. A Provencal market picnic of cheese, olives, tapenade and charcuterie is a flexible alternative when village kitchens are full or shut.
Do not assume lunch is included on the excursion — it usually is not. Confirm the day's food arrangements and, for L'Estellan, check holiday and weekend openings before travelling out.
A dependable sit-down Provencal lunch with terrace just outside Gordes, with clear fixed lunch pricing — useful when a tour leaves you to sort your own meal.
Roussillon's ochre trail, the Sentier des Ocres, sells tickets on-site with no advance booking. In summer it can close at short notice under prefectural fire-risk orders, heavy rain or storms, announced the evening before at 18:00, so keep a fallback in mind if it shuts.
Sentier des Ocres, 1 July-31 August: opens 09:00, last admission 19:30, closes 20:00. Hours shrink through autumn to 11:00-16:00 in deep winter.
Tickets are sold on-site with no advance booking. Individual EUR 3.50, group EUR 2.50.
The ochre dust stains — wear shoes and clothes you don't mind marking on the trail.
Do not build the whole Roussillon stop rigidly around the trail in high summer. It can close for fire risk or storms at short notice, announced only the evening before at 18:00 — have a fallback.
The short marked walk through Roussillon's red-and-ochre cliffs, cheap and ticketed on-site with no advance booking — the village's signature stop.
Your included, pre-arranged and chauffeured wine tasting — a slower day around Provence and Rhone-valley wine.
Your wine tasting is pre-arranged and chauffeured, so the driving-after-drinking problem is solved for you. Confirm the pickup and timing with the operator. The French drink-drive limit is a third lower than England and Wales and roadside checks are frequent, which is precisely why this leg is driven for you.
Wine cellars stay cool year-round, so bring a light layer even in summer.
The included tasting is pre-arranged and chauffeured — no need to self-organise transport or a designated driver. Confirm the pickup point and time with the operator the day before.
Carry a little cash if you plan to buy bottles at the cellar; small producers can be cash-friendly even where cards are accepted.
Do not add a self-driven wine stop after a tasting. France's drink-drive limit is a third lower than England and Wales, roadside checks are frequent, and penalties include fines, licence loss and prison.
The package's included tasting is pre-arranged and chauffeured, so you taste without worrying about the wheel — the whole point of bundling it.
If you want wine beyond the included tasting, Chateauneuf-du-Pape estates are the classic add-on. At Chateau la Nerthe every tasting requires advance online booking. Walk-ins are sometimes possible elsewhere but reservation is strongly advised in high summer — and only self-drive if someone stays sober.
At Chateau la Nerthe, the guided Experience tastings (Discovery, Terroir, Passion) require advance online booking, though the estate shop also offers free tastings without booking. In high summer, reserving any guided tasting is strongly advised.
Chateau la Nerthe tasting tiers: Discovery EUR 25pp (1h, 4 wines), Experience Terroir EUR 50pp (1.5h, 7 wines), Passion EUR 100pp (2h).
If you self-organise an extra Chateauneuf tasting, book a driver or day-tour rather than driving. The chauffeured combined-day tours pair a tasting with the Luberon villages in one trip.
Do not assume you can walk into a guided cellar tour in high summer. At Chateau la Nerthe the guided Experience tastings need advance booking, and reserving is strongly advised across estates in peak season.
A Chateauneuf-du-Pape estate with structured, advance-booked tastings across clear tiers — the sensible self-organised extra if the included tasting leaves you wanting more.
A chauffeured day that pairs a Chateauneuf-du-Pape tasting with the Roussillon and Gordes villages — one driven trip that avoids any wine-and-wheel problem.
The Alpilles town of Saint-Remy paired with the Roman ruins of Glanum on its edge.
Glanum, the Roman and Gallo-Greek ruins on the edge of Saint-Remy, opens early in summer and takes an optional audioguide, no compulsory guide. In summer it opens at 08:30, so an early start beats the heat. Note it closes Mondays in the winter months, October to March.
Glanum, 1 July-31 August: 08:30-18:00. It closes on Mondays during the winter months (October-March). Last admission 45 minutes before closing.
Individual EUR 9; free for under-18s, EU/EEA nationals aged 18-25, disabled visitors plus a companion and jobseekers. Audioguide supplement EUR 4.
In summer Glanum opens at 08:30. Arrive early to walk the open ruins before the midday heat, since much of the site is unshaded.
Take the EUR 4 audioguide — there's no compulsory guide, and the ruins make far more sense with the commentary.
Do not plan a winter Monday visit. From October to March Glanum is closed on Mondays, along with several public holidays.
Well-preserved Roman and Gallo-Greek ruins a short walk from Saint-Remy, self-guided with an optional audioguide — the town's substantial half-day sight.
Back in town, Saint-Remy has a full range of tables. For a special-occasion meal, the two-Michelin-star Auberge de Saint-Remy sits on the main boulevard, but it is a destination restaurant with limited days — reserve well ahead, not on the day.
L'Auberge de Saint-Remy opens Tuesday-Saturday for dinner and Thursday-Saturday for lunch — check the day matches before you build a meal around it.
For a Michelin-level meal here, reserve well ahead. This is a special-occasion destination, not a casual walk-in.
Buy at market stalls with cash for small artisan producers. Confirm the town's specific market day locally, as days and hours shift seasonally.
Do not turn up at L'Auberge de Saint-Remy hoping for a table on the day. It runs limited days and is booked well ahead — plan it or pick another lunch.
A two-Michelin-star kitchen from chef-owners Fanny Rey and Jonathan Wahid — the town's special-occasion table, not a casual walk-in.
Assembling local cheese, olives, tapenade and charcuterie from the town market is the classic, flexible Provence lunch when you'd rather picnic than book.
Saint-Remy sits between Avignon and the Alpilles, with no usable bus or train link from the villages. A la Francaise runs a locatable Saint-Remy day-trip from Avignon that also takes in Les Baux and Pont du Gard — a real chauffeured way to reach the town if you have no hire car.
Saint-Remy sits between Avignon and the Alpilles, roughly 45-60 minutes from Avignon or Aix. There is no usable public-transport link between the villages, so a driver or day-tour is the independent way in.
If you add the A la Francaise Saint-Remy day-trip, confirm the price and duration on the operator's booking page before committing — those figures were not published on the listing.
Do not rely on ride-hailing to reach Saint-Remy from the villages. Uber and Bolt only work reliably around Marseille and Aix, not in the rural Alpilles.
A real, locatable chauffeured day-trip that reaches Saint-Remy and the Alpilles without a hire car — the practical answer when no bus or train links the town.
A day in Aix-en-Provence — the closest base to the airport and the region's easiest walking city.
Aix is Cezanne's city. Note the timing carefully: the Atelier de Cezanne studio and the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan are closed for major renovation and reopen only for the 2026 season, 4 July to 31 October. Outside that window, do not plan on them. The Bibemus quarries site stays bookable.
The Atelier de Cezanne and the Bastide du Jas de Bouffan are closed for renovation and reopen only for the 2026 season, 4 July to 31 October. Do not plan on them outside that window.
The Bibemus quarries Cezanne site remains bookable through the Aix tourism office even while the studios were closed.
If Cezanne is the reason you're in Aix, check current opening before you set out — the studio and Jas de Bouffan only open 4 July to 31 October in 2026.
Do not head to the Atelier or Jas de Bouffan off the back of an old guide. Both were closed for renovation and reopen only for the 2026 season, 4 July to 31 October.
Cezanne's preserved studio, reopening for the 2026 season after renovation — the closest you get to the painter's own working space in his home city.
The ochre quarry site Cezanne painted repeatedly, bookable through the Aix tourism office and open while the studios were shut — a Cezanne fix that stays available.
Central Aix is dense with tables in the walkable Mazarin quarter and around the old town. One name to check first: Les Deux Garcons, the historic Cours Mirabeau brasserie, was badly damaged by fire in 2019 and its status has been uncertain since, so verify it is open before relying on it.
Jardin Mazarin serves lunch Monday-Saturday 12:00-14:30 and dinner 18:00-22:30, closed Sundays.
Les Galinas takes reservations by phone only (+33 9 87 19 15 77) and trades Monday-Friday. Phone ahead rather than expecting to walk in.
Base a lunch in the Mazarin quarter — it keeps you central and walkable between morning and afternoon plans in Aix.
Do not build a plan around Les Deux Garcons on Cours Mirabeau. The historic brasserie was badly damaged by fire in 2019 and its status has been uncertain since, so check whether it has reopened before relying on it.
Homemade Provencal cooking in the walkable Mazarin quarter, open for lunch Monday to Saturday — a reliable central-Aix midday table.
A small local-cuisine spot serving 'cuisine locale et vins du monde' on weekdays, reservations by phone only — a low-key central Aix option to phone ahead.
Aix is compact and made for walking, and it is the closest base to the airport, about 25 minutes away. If you want to add a self-organised half-day, the airport shuttle and taxis give Aix the easiest independent connections of any base in the region.
Aix is the closest base to MRS, about 25 minutes away, with the airport shuttle running every 30 minutes to the Aix coach station — the easiest independent connections in the region.
Aix is compact and walkable, so skip a car for a day here — the old town and Mazarin quarter link on foot.
Do not verify market days from an old guide. Town market days and hours shift seasonally, so confirm each locally before planning a picnic around one.
Aix's regular open-air markets are the classic place to buy local cheese, olives and pastries for a picnic — buy from stalls with cash for small producers.
The Alpilles hilltop of Les Baux paired with the immersive art quarry of Carrieres des Lumieres.
The Carrieres des Lumieres, an immersive projection show inside a former quarry near Les Baux, runs daily including holidays. The 2026 programme features Picasso and Frida Kahlo. It opens early in summer; last admission is one hour before closing, so don't leave it to the end of the day.
Carrieres des Lumieres, July-August: 09:00-19:30. Open daily including public holidays in 2026. Last admission 1 hour before closing.
Adult EUR 16.50, senior 65+ EUR 15.50, reduced (students, 7-25, unemployed) EUR 14, family (2 adults + 2 children 7-17) EUR 46; a combined Baux pass with the chateau is EUR 21.
The show is inside a former quarry that stays cool — bring a light layer even on a hot day.
If you also want the chateau at Les Baux, the combined EUR 21 pass covers both and saves against separate tickets.
Do not leave the Carrieres to the end of the day. Last admission is one hour before closing, so a late arrival can miss entry entirely.
A large-scale immersive art projection inside a cool former quarry, open daily including holidays — a strong bad-weather-proof pairing with hilltop Les Baux.
The hilltop village of Les Baux sits right by the quarry. There is no bus or train that usefully links it from the villages, so pair it with a driver or a day-tour. The same chauffeured Saint-Remy day-trip from Avignon can take in Les Baux, folding two Alpilles stops into one driven day.
Les Baux sits in the Alpilles with no usable public-transport link from the villages. A chauffeured day-trip from Avignon that pairs it with Saint-Remy and Pont du Gard is the independent route in.
Pair Les Baux and the Carrieres in a single trip — the village and the quarry sit side by side, so one driven day covers both comfortably.
Do not expect to app-hail a ride out of Les Baux. Uber and Bolt do not run reliably in the Alpilles — arrange your return transport in advance.
A driven day that combines Les Baux with Saint-Remy and Pont du Gard — the practical way to reach the Alpilles hilltops without a hire car.
A flexible final full day — a market, an optional Camargue add-on, or a return to a village you liked.
With the included days behind you, use this one loosely. A Provencal produce market is the classic morning: local cheeses, olives, tapenade, charcuterie and pastries, best assembled at cash-friendly stalls. Market days and hours shift seasonally, so confirm your town's day locally the evening before.
Market days and hours vary by town and shift seasonally. Confirm the specific day locally the evening before rather than assuming.
Buy at market stalls with cash for small artisan producers. Cards and contactless work almost everywhere else, but a bank ATM is the way to top up notes.
Assemble a market picnic to carry into a village or the Alpilles — it beats hunting for a table during the long midday lull.
Do not build the morning around a market without checking its day. Days and hours shift seasonally and vary town to town.
The open-air markets are the classic place to build a picnic of local cheese, olives, tapenade and charcuterie — buy from stalls with cash for small producers.
A common add-on is a Camargue day marketed around white horses and pink flamingos. If you go, choose carefully: equestrian tourism there has a real welfare spread. Ask operators about herd management before booking any horse-contact trip, and prefer certified ethical ranches. Flamingo viewing at the bird park is observation-based and lower-risk.
If you add a Camargue horse experience, welfare standards vary between operators. Ask about herd management and how the horses are kept, and prefer ranches that follow a recognised animal-welfare code before booking.
If wildlife is the draw, flamingo viewing at the ornithological park is observation-based and lower-risk than a horse-riding trip.
Do not book a 'white horses' Camargue trip on the marketing alone. Treat any horse-contact product as a welfare-check item and ask the operator about herd management first.
Flamingo viewing at the ornithological park is observation-based and low-risk; any horse-contact trip needs a welfare check first, so we flag it rather than blanket-recommend.
For a last dinner, book rather than walk in. Near Gordes there are proper sit-down evening tables; in Avignon and Aix the choice is wide. Reserve by calling direct or through the restaurant's own site. Confirm the day, as some kitchens close Sunday or Monday.
La Ferme de la Huppe serves dinner only, every evening 19:00-21:00 from April to October.
Reserve by calling direct or through the venue's own site; village tables are limited, so book ahead.
La Ferme de la Huppe is dinner-only and set-menu — a fitting last-night meal near Gordes, but book ahead as it seats one evening service.
Do not assume a Monday-night village dinner. Many Provencal kitchens close Sunday or Monday, so confirm the day before you set out.
A hotel-restaurant near Gordes serving seasonal Vaucluse produce as set menus, dinner-only in season — a considered last-night table if you're based near the Luberon.
Your private transfer back to MRS — timed by counting back from your departure, whatever the hour.
Your included private transfer takes you door-to-door back to Marseille Provence. Count back from your departure: from an Aix base allow about 25 minutes plus check-in and border time, and much more from a Luberon village on winding roads. Add extra for EES processing on the way out.
Your included private transfer runs door-to-door back to MRS. From an Aix base the airport is about 25 minutes; a Luberon village base is roughly 1 to 1.5 hours on winding roads.
Count back from your departure and add time for check-in, security and EES border processing. Your transfer time should be set against your flight, not a fixed clock.
Keep your passport accessible for the EES exit record and confirm your transfer pickup time with the operator the evening before, especially from a rural base.
Do not squeeze in a final Luberon village stop before a same-morning departure. The villages are 1 to 1.5 hours out on winding roads with no reliable ride-hailing to recover a delay.
Practical details verified 26 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
Real-time hotel prices for Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. Upgrades are shown over each location's included hotel.
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