Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Provence: Avignon, the Luberon, Arles and the Côte d'Azur
8 days from Avignon to Nice: the Palais des Papes and the Pont du Gard, three nights in a Luberon village, Arles and the Camargue, Aix-en-Provence and two nights on the Riviera with Èze and Villefranche.
8 days · Avignon to Nice · up to 12 guests
Lavender at sunrise in the Luberon, in flower from about late June to mid-July Photo: madras91, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luberon_sunrise_(15953015582).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Avignon to Nice
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3.5 h on day 6No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Easy
Easy to moderate: 2 to 4 hours on foot most days, on cobbles, steep village lanes and some stairs (the Palais des Papes, Gordes, Les Baux and Èze all climb). The Roussillon ochre trail is a 30 to 50 minute loop on sandy paths with steps. The active option on day 7 is about an hour steeply downhill on a rocky path. Any walk can be sat out in a café.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 1,075 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October; lavender in bloom only from about late June to mid-July
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Palais des Papes at opening, before the tour groups, with a licensed local guide
- The Pont du Gard in the late-afternoon light, with time to swim in the Gardon below it in summer
- Arles from the top of its Roman arena, then the streets Van Gogh painted in 1888 and 1889
- Flamingos feeding in the lagoons of the Camargue at the Pont de Gau bird park
- Three nights in a Luberon village: Gordes before the coaches, Sénanque Abbey and the ochre cliffs of Roussillon
- A morning at a Provençal village market and the Carrières des Lumières at Les Baux
- The produce market in Aix-en-Provence and a walk down the Cours Mirabeau
- Èze in the late afternoon, after the day crowds, and a morning in old Nice
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 1,075 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3.5 h, on day 6.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Avignon
Avignon TGV station or Marseille Provence Airport to your hotel inside the ramparts of Avignon
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Avignon
- Drive about 1 h
Make your way to Avignon: the TGV from Paris takes about two hours forty minutes, and Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) is about an hour's drive south.
Afternoon
We meet set afternoon arrivals at Avignon TGV station and at the airport (times confirmed with your final itinerary), so plan to arrive by about 4 pm. Your hotel is inside the ramparts, the 14th-century walls that still ring the old town, so everything on the first two days is on foot. At 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: what the days look like, where the hills are, and what to pack for the Luberon. Then we walk up to the Rocher des Doms, the garden on the rock beside the Palais des Papes, for the view over the Rhône and the four surviving arches of the Pont Saint-Bénézet.
Evening
Dinner together follows at a restaurant in the old town.
Included
- Pick-up at Avignon TGV station or Marseille Provence Airport (MRS) at set group times
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk to the Rocher des Doms
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 6 pm briefing
Activity: The drive figure is from Marseille airport; from Avignon TGV station it is about 15 minutes.
The Palais des Papes and the Pont du Gard
Avignon on foot, then out to the Pont du Gard and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Avignon
- Drive about 1 h
We are at the door of the Palais des Papes when it opens, ahead of the tour groups. Seven popes lived in Avignon in the 14th century, and the palace they built in under twenty years is one of the largest Gothic buildings in Europe; a licensed local guide takes us through the great halls, the papal chapels and the frescoed rooms, then up to the roof terraces. From there it is a short walk to the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the bridge of the song, where four arches of the original span still reach into the Rhône.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in the old town, followed by a free early afternoon out of the heat. Around 4 pm we drive half an hour west to the Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct bridge of the 1st century AD that carried water to Nîmes, three tiers of stone nearly 50 m above the Gardon. The light is warm on it late in the day. From November to February, when the site closes earlier, we go straight after lunch.
Included
- The Palais des Papes at opening with a licensed local guide
- The Pont Saint-Bénézet (Pont d'Avignon)
- Sit-down lunch in Avignon
- The Pont du Gard and its museum
Easier option: Sit out the Pont du Gard walk in the visitor centre café, or stay in Avignon for the afternoon.
More active option: At the Pont du Gard, walk the waymarked trail over the hill to the upper channel of the aqueduct, or swim in the Gardon below the bridge in summer.
Free time: Early afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in the palace, with many stairs, and up to an hour on gravel paths at the Pont du Gard.
Arles and the Camargue
Avignon to Arles, then the Camargue, then north-east to the Luberon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Luberon
- Drive about 3 h
Luggage goes in the van and we drive forty minutes south to Arles. Rome built its arena here around AD 90, and it still holds bullfights and summer events; we go in at opening and climb its medieval tower for the view over the roofs to the Rhône.
Evening
A licensed local guide then walks us through the Roman theatre, the carved Romanesque portal of Saint-Trophime and the streets Van Gogh painted in 1888 and 1889: the café on the Place du Forum, the garden of the old hospital where he was treated, and the river bank of his Starry Night over the Rhône. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Arles. In the afternoon we head into the Camargue, the delta between the two arms of the Rhône, past rice fields and salt lagoons, white horses and black bulls. At the Pont de Gau bird park, raised paths run between lagoons where flamingos feed. Then about an hour and forty minutes north-east to the Luberon, arriving early evening. It is about three hours of driving in all, broken by the stops.
Included
- The Arles amphitheatre at opening
- Walking tour of Arles with a licensed local guide: the Roman theatre, Saint-Trophime and the Van Gogh sites
- Sit-down lunch in Arles
- The Pont de Gau bird park in the Camargue
Easier option: Stay on the benches at the bird park's first lagoons, where flamingos are usually close, instead of walking the full loop.
More active option: Walk the full network of the bird park's paths, several kilometres around the lagoons, while the group takes the shorter circuit.
Free time: Evening free in the Luberon
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in Arles on cobbles and steps, and 1 to 2 hours on flat paths in the Camargue.
Gordes, Sénanque and Roussillon
The Luberon villages: Gordes, Sénanque Abbey and Roussillon
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Luberon
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
An early start, because Gordes fills up from mid-morning. We stop first at the viewpoint below the village, where its houses climb the rock to the castle, then walk up through the lanes while the cafés are still putting out their chairs. A few minutes north, Sénanque Abbey sits alone in a narrow valley: Cistercian monks founded it in 1148 and still live there, so we see it from outside and in its grounds, and inside visits depend on the community's schedule. From about late June to mid-July the lavender in front of it is in flower; the rest of the year it is green or cut.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in a village. In the afternoon we go to Roussillon, built on hills of ochre, where the Sentier des Ocres winds through cliffs of red, orange and yellow earth that were quarried for pigment.
Evening
The evening is free in your base village.
Included
- Gordes in the early morning with your guide
- Sénanque Abbey from its grounds
- Sit-down lunch in a Luberon village
- The Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon
Easier option: Walk the short ochre loop, about 30 minutes, or wait in a café on the village square.
More active option: Walk the long ochre loop, about 50 minutes, with more steps and the best views of the cliffs.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: Steep lanes in Gordes and sandy paths with steps on the ochre trail. The ochre stains: wear shoes you do not mind turning orange. The trail can close in heavy rain.
A market morning and Les Baux
A Luberon village market, then Les Baux-de-Provence and back
- Breakfast
- Stay in Luberon
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
Provençal markets run in the morning and on set days, so your guide takes you to whichever is on today: Apt on Saturdays, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Thursdays and Sundays, Lourmarin on Fridays, or Gordes on Tuesdays. Expect olives, goat's cheese, honey, melons and peaches in season, lavender soap and woven baskets, and time to buy a picnic or just watch the village shop. Late morning we drive about an hour west to Les Baux-de-Provence, a village on a limestone spur of the Alpilles with the ruins of its castle at the top.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice in the village. Below it, the Carrières des Lumières fills a former limestone quarry with projected art on the walls and floor, set to music, a show that changes each year.
Evening
Back in the Luberon by late afternoon, with the evening free.
Included
- A weekly village market with your guide
- Les Baux-de-Provence village
- The Carrières des Lumières
Optional experiences
- The Château des Baux, the castle ruins above the village (entry not included)
- An e-bike ride along the Véloroute du Calavon in the Luberon on the free afternoon
Easier option: Stay in your base village after the market and spend the afternoon there.
More active option: Climb to the Château des Baux for the view over the Alpilles and the plain towards Arles.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: The Carrières des Lumières is cool inside all year; bring a layer. It closes for a few weeks in January to change its show.
Aix-en-Provence, then the Riviera
Luberon to Aix-en-Provence, then east on the A8 to Nice
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Nice
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
We leave the Luberon after breakfast and cross the hills south to Aix-en-Provence, about an hour and ten minutes. The produce market fills the Place Richelme every morning, so we start there, then a licensed local guide walks us down the Cours Mirabeau under its plane trees, past the moss-covered Fontaine Moussue, into the Mazarin quarter of 17th-century town houses, and to the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur. Cézanne was born in Aix in 1839; your guide points out the places he knew, and his studio is a short walk north if you want it in your own time. Try a calisson, the almond and candied melon sweet of Aix.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal together. In the early afternoon we drive about two hours east on the A8, past Mont Sainte-Victoire and through the Var, and come down to the sea at Nice in the late afternoon. Your hotel is close to the old town and the Promenade des Anglais.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- The Place Richelme produce market
- Walking tour of Aix-en-Provence with a licensed local guide: the Cours Mirabeau, the Mazarin quarter and the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur
- Sit-down lunch in Aix-en-Provence
- Drive to Nice
Optional experiences
- The Atelier de Cézanne or the Musée Granet in Aix (entry not included; the studio has been closed for renovation, so we confirm it is open)
Free time: Evening free in Nice
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in Aix on flat pavements.
Old Nice, Villefranche and Èze
Nice on foot, then east along the coast to Villefranche-sur-Mer and Èze, and back
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Nice
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The morning starts on the Cours Saleya, where the flower and produce market runs from Tuesday to Sunday (on Mondays it is antiques). Your guide leads you through the tall ochre lanes of old Nice, past the baroque churches and the Place Rossetti, with a stop for socca, the chickpea pancake of Nice, then up Castle Hill, by steps or the lift, for the view over the Baie des Anges. Late morning we drive fifteen minutes east to Villefranche-sur-Mer, a fishing harbour on one of the deepest natural harbours of the coast.
Afternoon
Walk the Rue Obscure, the vaulted 13th-century street under the houses, have lunch where you like, or swim. In the late afternoon, when the cruise and coach groups have left, we go up to Èze, a village on a rock about 430 m above the sea, and climb its lanes to the Jardin Exotique, whose cactus terraces look down the coast.
Evening
We end with a farewell dinner back in Nice.
Included
- Walking tour of old Nice with your guide: the Cours Saleya market and Castle Hill
- Socca tasting in old Nice
- Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Rue Obscure
- Èze village and the Jardin Exotique
- Farewell dinner in Nice
Easier option: Stay in Villefranche for the afternoon and meet the group at the farewell dinner, or skip the climb to the garden at Èze.
More active option: Walk down the Chemin de Nietzsche from Èze village to Èze-sur-Mer, about an hour on a steep, rocky path, then take the train back to Nice (ticket included).
Free time: Midday free in Villefranche
Activity: Steep stepped lanes at Èze and Castle Hill. In winter, when the Jardin Exotique closes earlier, we go to Èze after lunch.
Departure from Nice
Nice to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport or Nice-Ville station
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The last morning is yours. Walk the Promenade des Anglais before it gets busy, swim from the pebble beach in summer, or take a last coffee on the Cours Saleya. Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) is about 20 minutes from the hotel along the seafront, with direct flights across Europe and some long-haul routes, and Nice-Ville station has trains along the coast and TGVs to Paris.
Afternoon
We run drop-offs to the airport and the station at set times through the morning and early afternoon, and your guide checks everyone's flight or train before saying goodbye. Any flight time works. If you want the full morning in Nice, book a flight leaving after about 1 pm. If you want to stay longer, we can book extra nights at the Nice hotel, or send you on by train to Monaco, Menton or Cannes, each well under an hour along the coast.
Included
- Drop-off at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) or Nice-Ville station at set times
Free time: Morning free
Activity: Book a flight after about 1 pm for a full last morning; earlier flights are met with an early drop-off.
- Avignon2 nights
- Luberon3 nights
- Nice2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: July and August are hot, often above 30°C, so we start early and rest at midday. Spring and autumn are milder but the mistral can blow cold for days. Flamingos live in the Camargue all year.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Provence villages slowly, with three nights in one place
- Food and market lovers: four sit-down lunches, a village market and the Aix market
- Roman history and Van Gogh, with licensed local guides
- A first look at the Riviera without a long drive at the end
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: the perched villages, the palace and Èze are all stairs and steep cobbles
- A guaranteed lavender trip outside late June to mid-July
- A beach holiday: Nice gets two nights, not a week
- Travellers who want a city base every night
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Avignon2 nights
- Luberon3 nights
- Nice2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 2 in Avignon, 3 in a Luberon village and 2 in Nice
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms and air conditioning; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Hotel city taxes
Transport
- Pick-up at Avignon TGV station or Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), and drop-off at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport (NCE) or Nice-Ville station, at set group times
- Our own minibus and driver for the whole trip, small enough for the village roads
- The train from Èze-sur-Mer to Nice for the day 7 active option
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 8
- Licensed local guides at the Palais des Papes, in Arles and in Aix-en-Provence
Activities
- Avignon: the Palais des Papes, the Pont Saint-Bénézet and the Rocher des Doms
- The Pont du Gard and its museum
- Arles: the amphitheatre and a walking tour of the Roman theatre, Saint-Trophime and the Van Gogh sites
- The Camargue and the Pont de Gau bird park
- The Luberon: Gordes, Sénanque Abbey from its grounds and the Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon
- A weekly village market
- Les Baux-de-Provence and the Carrières des Lumières
- Aix-en-Provence: the Place Richelme market and a walking tour
- Nice: old Nice, the Cours Saleya and Castle Hill, with socca
- Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Èze village with the Jardin Exotique
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 4 lunches: in Avignon, Arles, a Luberon village and Aix-en-Provence
- 2 dinners: a welcome dinner in Avignon and a farewell dinner in Nice
Not included
- International flights, and trains to Avignon or from Nice
- Visa or ETIAS travel authorisation fees, if any
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as the Château des Baux, the Atelier de Cézanne and the Musée Granet
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 1,075 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels with city taxes, 7 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 2 dinners, transfers at both ends, our own minibus and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, licensed local guides in Avignon, Arles and Aix, and every entry in the day plan: the Palais des Papes, the Pont du Gard, the Arles arena, the Camargue bird park, the ochre trail, the Carrières des Lumières and the garden at Èze.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That fits one minibus on the narrow roads to the perched villages, one table at lunch, and a pace where everyone hears the guide and nobody waits long at a street crossing.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the welcome briefing in Avignon to the last drop-off in Nice. At the Palais des Papes, in Arles and in Aix, a licensed local guide joins us, as French monuments require for guided groups.
Will we see the lavender in bloom?
Only on departures from about late June to mid-July. Lavender flowers for a few weeks and is harvested from mid-July, with the timing shifting by year and altitude. Outside those weeks you will see green rows or cut fields, and we do not pretend otherwise. The rest of the trip works in every season.
How fit do I need to be?
Easy to moderate. Expect 2 to 4 hours on foot most days on cobbles, stairs and steep village lanes, especially at the Palais des Papes, Gordes, Les Baux and Èze. Every demanding day has an easier option, and any walk can be swapped for a café table.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 1,075 more, about 17 percent of the price, shown before you book with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers join the same group, the same table and the same day plan as everyone else; nobody is seated or roomed as an afterthought.
When is the best time to go?
May, June and September are the sweet spot: warm days, open markets and fewer crowds. Late June to mid-July adds the lavender but brings heat and the Avignon theatre festival. August is hot and busy, and from November to March some sites keep shorter hours and the mistral can blow cold.
How long are the drives?
Short. The longest day is the move from the Luberon to Nice, about three and a quarter hours of driving broken by a morning and lunch in Aix-en-Provence. Avignon to the Luberon via Arles and the Camargue is about three hours with stops; every other day is two hours or less.
Do I need a visa for France?
Not for Canadian or US passport holders staying up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area. The EU's Entry/Exit System now registers fingerprints and a photo at the border, and an ETIAS travel authorisation is expected to be required; we confirm what applies to your passport when you book.
How does booking work?
Pick your start date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until then. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes: the small group starts from CAD 6,295 and the private trip from CAD 11,330.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private trip is the same route for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, transfers and local guides.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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