Paris, Provence and the Riviera
Programme Overview
Duration: 14 days
A bespoke FIT tour of Paris, Provence and the French Riviera.
Highlights: Paris, Loire Valley, Versailles, Giverny, Avignon, St Remy, Les Baux, Luberon, Aix en Provence, Mougins, Grasse, Cannes, St Jean Cap Ferrat
Arrive Paris
Upon arrival at Paris airport you will be met by your driver and privately transferred to your hotel, where you will be welcomed to France by a local representative and assisted with check-in procedures.
Overnight: Hotel Meurice
Paris
After enjoying breakfast at your hotel, your English-speaking guide will meet you for a morning walking tour of Paris. This overview tour will include famous Parisian sights such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysées and the Ile de la Cité, where you will visit the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral and the Sainte Chapelle, a pearl of Gothic architecture.
You will then have a choice of afternoon activity:
A behind the scenes tour can be organised at the Eiffel Tower. View the internal machinery room located under the structure and from which the elevators are controlled and see the fascinating hydraulics and intricate mechanics on the first floor of this historic monument. You will also be able to enter the old secret military bunkers sited under the Champs des Mars, previously dedicated to radio and telegraph equipment.
Enjoy the gourmet world of Paris, visiting a small private chocolate boutique and tastings with a master chocolatier and a visit to his atelier. You will also visit a wonderful patisserie and boulangerie, going into the kitchens and watching the teams make their exquisite cakes, pastries and breads. The tour continues from gourmet shop to gourmet shop, and finishes downstairs at a wonderful bakery which uses 17th century ovens to watch how their unique bread is made.
Explore the best of Paris’s vintage boutiques with your personal shopping guide who will show you true hidden gems in one of the fashion capitals of the world. Meet specialist sellers and receive private access to boutiques to find something truly unique to remind you of your trip to Paris.
Overnight: Hotel Meurice
Paris
Today you will enjoy a half day sightseeing tour of Paris which includes the world-famous Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.
The Louvre is housed in a magnificent building, originally built for use as a royal palace for King Francis I. The main entrance is now covered by a large glass, steel rod and cable pyramid designed by the American architect I. M. Pei. It is home to one of the most important art collections in the Western world, spanning the period from remotest antiquity, through to about 1850.
The Musée d’Orsay is housed in a converted railway station. The collection's main attraction is its Impressionist works: Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro and Monet are all well-represented. The Post Impressionist collection includes works by Van Gogh and Cézanne.
Overnight: Hotel Meurice
Paris - Loire Valley - Paris
This morning you will be met at your hotel and transferred to Paris Montparnasse railway station where you will board a TGV train - you will be confirmed in first class seats. Upon arrival at St Pierre des Corps you will meet your English-speaking driver-guide for a sightseeing tour of the Loire Valley by private vehicle.
You will visit the Chateau de Chenonceau that straddles the river and is one of the best-known chateaux of the Loire region. Continuing on to Amboise you will visit the Clos Lucé, a handsome Renaissance manor where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last four years of his life. The museum contains working models of some of da Vinci's inventions. Return to Paris by TGV where you will be met by your driver and privately transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight: Hotel Meurice
Paris - Versailles - Giverny - Paris
Today you will enjoy a full day sightseeing with your private vehicle to Versailles and Giverny. You will drive out to Versailles to admire the huge palace of the great Sun King, Louis XIV, visiting the state apartments and decorative gardens.
After lunch at leisure continue on to Normandy to see the house and gardens that inspired Monet in Giverny. The house is decorated in the original colour schemes admired by Monet and in the gardens you will see the famous Japanese bridge and water lily pond.
Overnight: Hotel Meurice
Paris - Avignon
Today you will be met at your hotel and privately transferred to the railway station. Here you will be shown to your reserved first class seating and your luggage will be handled onboard for you. Upon arrival at Avignon railway station you will be met from the door of the train and your luggage will be handled for you. You will then be privately transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in.
This afternoon meet your English-speaking local guide for a half day walking tour in the magnificent papal stronghold of Avignon. Visit the Clock Square before entering the huge Palais des Papes, where seven exiled popes lived between 1309 and 1377 and where the main rooms are decorated with excellent 14th century frescoes.
This afternoon, discover Provence in a Citroen 2CV with your own private English-speaking driver guide. Experience the small winding streets of Avignon in a traditional French car and receive a unique view of Provencal daily life.
Overnight: Hotel de la Mirande
Avignon - St Remy - Les Baux - Avignon
This morning is at leisure. This afternoon you may wish to drive out to the countryside to have a rustic lunch of fresh local specialities with a true Provencal peasant and visit the medieval chapel and cloisters of the asylum into which Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself.
See the ruined medieval citadel of Les Baux de Provence, perched atop a rock dominating the surrounding countryside, and the truly astonishing “Cathedral of Images” where overblown coloured photographs depicting the life and masterpieces of Picasso are projected onto the walls of a huge cave, to the accompaniment of atmospheric music.
Overnight: Hotel de la Mirande
Avignon - Luberon - Aix en Provence
The Lubéron, inspiration for the book A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle, is a region of rolling hills and verdant nature dotted with churches and rural communities. Drive to the great 12th century Cistercian Abbey of Sénanque, isolated in a ravine deep in the heart of the countryside, and to Gordes whose cobbled lanes and sweeping views over the surrounding countryside are truly enchanting.
Stop en route in Cavaillon for a Melon Discovery Tour (available June to September only – this is a public tour). The tour includes a visit to a melon farm where full explanations behind the famous melon de Cavaillon will be given. Tasting of the local delicacies is a must before heading towards Aix en Provence where you will check in to your hotel.
Overnight: Villa Gallici
Aix en Provence
This morning your local English-speaking guide will meet you for a half day walking tour of Aix, once the capital of Provence. Enjoy the bustling Cours Mirabeau, the heart of the town, and a visit to Cézanne's studio. It was here that Cézanne painted some of his most well-known works. There is also a striking collection of simple objects which once featured in his still life paintings.
This afternoon, enjoy a private painting lesson where you will create your own masterpiece which your local representative will mail home to await your return.
Overnight: Villa Gallici
Aix - Mougins
Today you will travel to the Côte D’Azur.
En route, visit Mont Sainte Victoire, a local landmark made famous by Cézanne, and the renowned Chateau de Vauvenargues, Picasso’s final home and resting place. Public visits to Picasso’s burial site will only be possible for four months during summer 2009, the first time since his death.
You may also like to visit the “village in the sky” of Tourtour, officially one of the most beautiful villages in France. Along the way you will enjoy lunch with a local basket weaver and his wife who crafts pottery. All of the food for the meal is produced on their farm.
Driving through the Var region, with a stop at the simple medieval abbey of Thoronet, before making your way on to the medieval hilltop village of Mougins.
Overnight: Le Mas Candille
Mougins - Grasse - Mougins
Visit the International Perfume Museum of Grasse where you will be given the unique opportunity to step into the shoes of a professional Perfumer and create your own signature blend. You will even decide on the bottle you wish to use and the packaging so that you can take your bespoke fragrance home with you. Afterwards your driver will meet you for your return journey back to Mougins.
Overnight: Le Mas Candille
Mougins - Cannes - Mougins
Your day starts with a trip to the famous local market in Cannes, Marché De Forville, where you will select the ingredients for your chosen recipe.
Le Mas Candille is renowned for its cuisine and cookery classes and it is here that you will spend the rest of the morning in the company of their Michelin-starred chef, Serge Gouloumès learning the art of Provençal cuisine.
This afternoon is free to explore Mougins at leisure.
Overnight: Le Mas Candille
Mougins - Nice - St Jean Cap Ferrat - Mougins
Today meet your local English-speaking guide and private vehicle for a full day sightseeing tour to Nice, St Jean-Cap Ferrat and Eze. This morning you will have the opportunity to explore the historic atmosphere of Nice's Old Town and colourful market. You will also visit the Matisse Museum which houses a large collection of the artist's work.
Continue on to the port of St Jean Cap Ferrat and the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, follow by Eze and its jaw-dropping views over the Mediterranean sea.
Overnight: Le Mas Candille