• Marvel at some of Ancient Rome’s greatest edifices in Nimes, Pont du Gard, Arles & Orange

• Enjoy fine medieval architecture

• Experience the landscapes & light that inspired Cezanne & Van Gogh

• Visits to two private gardens

• Vineyard visits & tastings to Châteauneuf du Pape & the Luberon 

• Excellent Provençal food & wine

• Very comfortable 5* hotel in historic Avignon

Roman Provincia came into being in 120 BC around the site of the Via Domitia connecting the Alps to Spain. Pliny the Elder noted its admirable peoples and ample resources “that is more Italy than a province”. Julius Caesar made it his base camp fighting the Gauls to the north filling Provence with Roman veterans. The Emperor Augustus later divided Gaul into three parts, administering the region directly by imperial decree. It is during this time that some of ancient Rome’s greatest feats of engineering and architecture were erected which remarkably can still be admired in Arles, Orange and Nîmes, the latter of which proved so captivating to Thomas Jefferson, then US ambassador to France, who gazed at the Maison Carrée for hours “like a lover at his mistress”.  

After Rome, Provence was subject to Germanic invasions with order returning under Frankish and Carolingian rule thereafter a succession of competing dynasties from the Crown of Aragon, the Angevin kings of France, the kings of Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire all vied for control. In the early fourteenth century, the hand of Rome once again played a pivotal role in the history of Provence when the former Bishop of Bordeaux, Bertrand du Got, was elected Pope Clement V in 1305, moving with no fixed abode between Bordeaux, Poitiers and Lyon. With pressure from King Phillip IV to keep him in France, the peripatetic Clement settled on the eastern banks of the Rhône at Avignon in 1309. This was no ‘Babylonian Captivity’, but under six successive pontiffs Avignon flourished as a wealthy and glittering papal court and a metropolis of Christendom until 1377. Later in 1486, Provence was legally incorporated into the Kingdom of France; the region playing its part in the nation’s major historic episodes.

Provence is not only a land of emperors and popes, but one of the howls of the Mistral, the chirping of the cicada, its sun-baked town houses and the light and landscapes that so captivated and inspired Cezanne and Van Gogh. Vineyards unfurl around Châteauneuf du Pape, the warmth of Provençal cuisine embraces all who sit at its table, and men of power, poets, painters along with the curious traveller have all embraced Provence with a spirit of place.   

We shall stay comfortably at the 5* Hôtel d’ Europe in Avignon. A hotel since 1799, it is simply the town’s finest address. A very good restaurant and bar complement its charming atmosphere whilst its location is ideal between the Papal Palace and the Rhône. The town’s amenities are all within walking distance. Complimentary Wi-Fi is included. 

Day 1: Saturday 8 May – We depart Heathrow in the early afternoon to fly to Marseilles Airport. We then travel by coach crossing the Alpilles National Park to Avignon, arriving late afternoon to check in at the 5* Hôtel d’ Europe. Our first group dinner is in an excellent local restaurant – wine, water and coffee are included with all group meals.

Day 2: Sunday 9 May – On our first day we drive just into the Occitanie region to stand in awe at one of the great feats of ancient roman architecture and engineering, the Pont du Gard. The highest bridge aqueduct in the world was built in the first century AD bringing water to the nearby Roman colony of Nemausus (modern Nîmes) which, after a coffee break, we drive to. Nîmes is a most handsome place and adorned with some of Ancient Rome’s greatest edifices. The recently restored temple known as the Maison Carrée dates from the Augustan era. After lunch (not included), we visit the Roman Arena, dating to around 100AD. Remarkably, the well-preserved amphitheatre still occasionally hosts bullfighting! We end our day at the nearby Musée Romanité, a new and engaging display of choice finds principally from the Roman period to the Middle Ages. We return to Avignon where the evening will be free.           

Day 3: Monday 10 May – This morning we travel to the seductive town of Arles. Its place on the Rhône attracted both Greeks and Romans, the latter developing the town into the most important port in the province. Van Gogh also arrived in Arles in 1888. After a coffee break, we visit the Romanesque Church and Cloister of St Trophime. We continue to Arles’ Arena which predates that of Nîmes by over one hundred years. We have a group lunch after which the afternoon will be free to explore Arles independently. We return to Avignon where the evening will be free.   

Day 4: Tuesday 11 May – We spend the day in Avignon. The Palais des Papes, the Christian West’s largest gothic structure, is a mass of towers, crenelations and high walls and the keep of seven popes from 1309 – 1377. We take in its vast halls, refectories and courtyards dotted occasionally with fresco fragments and a replanted medieval garden. After a coffee break, we visit the town’s cathedral, rebuilt in the seventeenth century. After lunch (not included), we visit the charming Musée Calvert, the eighteenth-century town house which acts as the town’s fine arts museum. Old Masters are complemented by the work of Avignonnais landscape painter Joseph Vernet. The remainder of the afternoon will be free to explore independently. Later in the evening, we shall have a group dinner is a local restaurant.     

Day 5: Wednesday 12 May – Today, we drive northwards to spend the morning engaging in the wine-making traditions of Châteauneuf du Pape. In a dominant location - as vineyards unfurl in all directions - is the eighteenth-century Château de la Gardine. Owned by the Brunel family, winemakers and wine merchants since 1670, our vineyard visit and wine-tasting conclude with a festive group lunch at the charming nearby village of Chateauneuf. In the afternoon, we continue the short distance to Orange, a small town dominated by perhaps the finest Roman Theatre of the entire ancient world, principally owing to its intact high stage wall. The adjoining small museum is as interesting with surprising finds and displays. We return to Avignon after which the evening will be free.

Day 6: Thursday 13 May – Our half day of activities takes place just outside of Avignon. We begin at nearby Sorgues to visit privately the eighteenth-century Château de Brantes. Guided by the owners, the formal garden was redesigned in the sixties honouring the garden’s classical symmetry and French ornamentation. After a coffee break, we drive the short distance to the village of Villeneuve Lez Avignon where we visit the gardens at Abbaye Saint Andre, enclosed within the walls of the Fort Saint Andre erected by Phillip the Fair. The tenth century abbey was restored into a palatial home in the seventeenth century. The gardens emerge from the medieval abbey and today, the descendants of artist Gustave Fayet own and run the property. We return to Avignon where lunch (not included) and the afternoon will be free for private explorations. In the evening we shall dine in one of Avignon’s best restaurants.  

Day 7: Friday 14 May – We make a leisurely departure and drive eastwards towards the Luberon close to the village of Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade to visit Château La Coste. This dynamic modern estate is part vineyard part art gallery, and all designed to embrace and enhance this beautiful part of Provence. We begin with a vineyard visit and wine-tasting followed by our final festive group lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the estate’s sculpture gallery. Following a memorable final day, we continue the short distance to Marseilles Airport to check in for the evening flight to Heathrow.   

Price £3690 (per person/2 sharing) Without Flights £3520 (per person/2 sharing) Deposit £495pp Single Supplement £750 (Classic Double for Sole Use)

Hotel   6 nights Bed & Breakfast 5* Hôtel Europe Avignon (Classic Rooms - bath with shower over for 2 sharing)

Flights British Airways:

Outward: BA350 Depart London Heathrow (Terminal 3) 1315 arrive Marseilles T1 1615

Return:  BA351 Depart MarseillesT1 1905 arrive Heathrow (Terminal 3) 2000 

Price includes 3 Dinners & 3 Lunches with wine, water & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees & gratuities, services of James Mckenzie-Hall and James Hill

Not included Travel to/from Heathrow, 3 Dinners & 3 Lunches

Please note our tours generally involve a significant amount of standing and walking, sometimes across uneven ground, or over cobbled streets, or up and down steps and inclines. We do not have an upper age limit for participants, but we require you to have a level of fitness which does not affect other participants' enjoyment of the tour. Please also note that many palaces, gardens, villas, museums and galleries have limited seating and perhaps do not have lifts. You should be able to walk at a reasonable pace and/or stand for at least twenty minutes without aid or requiring a rest. If you are in any doubt, please do contact us for advice on the tour’s suitability for you.