(Options: Customized Tours, Day Excursions, Day Cooking Classes)
Provence, France - 6 nights
Available April and September

This program combines wandering about the glorious and varied countryside of Provence, and cooking together with friends (new and old!). You will learn authentic Provençal cuisine, naturally rich in vegetables, olive oil, and with minimal fats, but after a week of feasting, coupled with hiking, you will not worry about facing the scales when you get home.

You will walk over hills and through valleys, collecting a few herbs, or berries, or mushrooms as we find them, you can indulge with no guilt in the evening's delicacies!

We'll walk through olive orchards, along paths with spectacular vistas, hike amidst vineyards, visit our cheese makers (and run into their goats grazing) and olive oil mills, include strolls through local markets to gather picnic supplies (as well as ingredients for the evening classes), through landscapes painted by Vincent Van Gogh, Roman ruins, and into the hidden valley of our favorite bee keeper.

ITINERARY 

Day One - Sunday

Welcome to Provence and to Avignon!

Guests arrive by train, plane, taxi and car, to our delightful bed and breakfast, just 10 minutes outside the medieval city of Avignon, on the calm island, Ile de la Barthelasse. Our hosts of the Domaine de Rhodes will welcome us all with dinner at the inn in their elegantly renovated dining room.

Day Two - Monday

Once breakfast is finished and put away, we will head off to hike to the Dentelles de Montmirail wine country and the perched villages of  Séguret and Gigondas. There, we'll visit the santon maker and enjoy a scrumptious picnic lunch of local specialties before heading back to the inn.

Next onto Arles for an evening cooking class with a food historian and popular chef, Chef Erick.

Day Three - Tuesday

This morning is filled with artisan visits: First to the goat cheese farm, perhaps in time to see the milking, and then to learn how these tasty white rounds are made. Then onto the 7th generation family run bakery of the Fassys in Maillane, the birth place of Provencal poet, Frederic Mistral.

Lunch in the hills with our finds of the day, plus some local salads, pâtés and wine. From here we will head back to the inn for some free time before our late afternoon pastry class and tea at the elegant Mirande hotel in Avignon. A light dinner back at the inn will cap this day off.

Day Four - Wednesday

This day we'll head to the famous market of St. Rémy de Provence, winding through the tiny streets, chatting with the vendors, letting ourselves be tempted by the beautiful wares, and the delicious edibles in sight.

A simple picnic of our market finds before we head off on our hike to the beekeeper's. Our beekeeper, Sophie Berton, is a master of cooking with honey and she'll share and demonstrate her secrets and recipes as she prepares our evening meal. 

Day Five - Thursday  

With an early start we'll head out to the azure blue Mediterannean Sea and its dramatic limestone cliffs.

After a spectacular hike out and back along the coastline, we'll lunch at a local bistrot on fresh grilled or baked fish, amazing fried calamari, and bright and lively local wines. Moving at a leisurely pace, we'll head back to Avignon to enjoy a free afternoon to explore the city, nap, write postcards, or simply lounge by the pool. This night we'll enjoy a special dinner near Les Baux de Provence.

Day Six - Friday

This morning we'll head over to an organic winery to taste wines, picnic with the vintner and revel in the calm and beauty of the vineyard-covered landscape. The potter will receive us this afternoon and show us how she makes her beautiful wares, before we head back to Avignon, a bit of rest and a massage for each.

Our celebratory goodbye dinner will be the occasion to share tales and experiences before heading off to bed.

Day Seven - Saturday

GROUP SIZE

A minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 8 participants.

(The number of participants refers to how many persons are required to run the tour, not to how many persons you must have in your party. Please inquire.)

HOW TO ARRIVE

Nearest Airports/Train Stations:

Marseille - a full hour's taxi ride to Avignon or you can take the Marseille shuttle service (for clients from America you still must take another plane and switch in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid..., there is not yet an American airline that flies direct to Marseille)
Nimes Domestic Airport - one hour (which would mean switching planes in Paris to the domestic line, Air Litoral, or coming in from London or Ireland on Ryan Air)
Montpelier - 92km - 1 1/2 hours
TGV (high speed train from Charles de Gaulle)  - within 10 minutes taxi ride to the bed and breakfast.

*Be sure that the reservations are combined with the airline reservations so as not to be lost if a plane is delayed. Allow sufficient time (at least an hour and a half) to get from plane, pick up luggage and find said train station.

*These details are provided as additional information. Please check below to see if transfers are included in this tour.

 BOOKING INFORMATION

For further inquiries or to register, click here.

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CANCELLATION POLICY

Please contact us for cancellation policy information. Travel insurance is highly recommended.

CLIENT REMARKS

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MAP*

This exciting region is depicted below. You can also access Google MapsTM by clicking HERE. 

*In some cases mapping may give clients a general sense of location due to changes in venue. Please inquire about specific location.

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