Tour Code: WT-Paris 02    8 Days Tour in France to Arles, Lubéron, Roussillon, Gigondas and Avignon

Departure: Daily

Day 01 - Entry Arles
Your guides will meet you in Avignon and drive to Arles, settle into the hotel to have a rest.

Day 02 - Arles
In the morning, take a guided tour of Arles, one of the oldest towns of Provence, its history dating back to the ancient Greeks. It became a metropolis of Roman Gaul and was a cultural center throughout the Middle Ages. In the afternoon, discover the Camargue, rich delta of the Rhône River, a wildlife sanctuary and home to the celebrated white horses, pink flamingos and black bulls.

Day 03 - Arles/Lubéron
Morning is free in Arles. In the afternoon, Explore the hillside fortress of Les Baux-de-Provence and the ancient Roman settlement of Glanum. Discover Saint-Rémy, birthplace of physician-astrologer Nostradamus and of the Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral. Drive to the Lubéron.

Day 04 - Lubéron
In the morning, take a guided tour of Gordes, classified as one of the "most beautiful villages of France," and the 12th century Cistercian Abbey of Sénanque nestled among its surrounding lavender fields.  Lunch followed by free time at the hotel for a siesta or a swim. in the late afternoon, short driving tour of the area on the way to dinner in the quaint village of Vénasque.

Day 05 - Lubéron/Roussillon
Drive to Roussillon, another of the "most beautiful villages of France," a painter's palette village where all visible nature and every structure of man is colored in shades of ochre. Explore the village and possibly walk along part of the Ochre Trail outside the town.  Explore and walk in other villages of the Lubéron that Peter Mayle describes so vividly: tiny Oppède-le-Vieux; Lacoste, site of the Marquis de Sade's château; Ménerbes and Bonnieux, clinging to craggy hillsides. Dinner in one of the favorite sites described in "A Year in Provence."

Day 06 - Roussillon/Gigondas
Drive to the wine village of Gigondas, walk in the beautiful hills of the Dentelles de Montmirail ("Montmirail Lace"), for panoramic views of the region. Visit the village of Beaumes-de-Venise in the foothills of the Dentelles, and taste the sweet apéritif wine named for the village. Visit Orange and its immense Roman theater, which held 10,000 spectators and is still used today for special performances. Walk through vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the village that produces this famous full-bodied red wine.

Day 07 - Gigondas/Avignon
Visit the spectacular Pont-du-Gard, a Roman aqueduct dating from 19 BC. The well-preserved structure, part of a 31-mile-long water system, bears witness to the engineering genius of the ancient Romans. Leave for Avignon and a tour of the city, followed by a visit to the 14th-century Palace of the Popes, a magnificent setting for the 7 French popes who lived there.

Day 08 - Exit Avignon
Tour ends after breakfast and say "au revoir" to you.