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Your Custom Tour

An Example Itinerary
7 nights (excluding July & August)

Limited to 7 guests
Price based on your custom itinerary

Here you can sample A Week In Provence by viewing one of my itineraries. Discover all the opportunities you will have by touring with Your Private Provence. No itinerary is the same.  Every tour is customized and designed according to your preferences. 

Calanques region of France seaside hiking tour to beach with turquoise water

Tour Notes

Your week will be customized to your preferences. While this itinerary entails bike rides and trail walking, it can easily be adapted for those whose physical capacity doesn’t permit such activities or whose interests lie elsewhere.

Itinerary

NOTE: This is an example itinerary.

Day 1 – A Week in Provence Begins
  • Pick-up at either Marseille Provence Airport or Avignon TGV Train Station.
  • Transfer to your choice accommodation
  • Half-day tour possible before transfer to your lodging depending on arrival time
Day 2 – Tranquility

A Week In Provence means you’ll wake up every day to French pastries, local fresh fruit and French coffee.

Experience today:

  • The market in Isle sur la Sorgue (a market that combines local produce, artisan crafts, Provencal linens and also a very famous antique flea market – all in one)
  • Fontaine de Vaucluse – scenic walk through the village to the mysterious water source.    Local history museum (option), ancient paper mill and a mysterious legend of a “she-snake monster” will enchant you in this unique place. Lunch by the river.
  • Gordes will be our stop in the afternoon.  Enjoy a guided tour by Emily through the cobblestone lanes and the historical anecdotes that fashioned the village.
  • Dinner on your own.
Day 3 – See, Smell, Taste

A Week In Provence means you’ll enjoy sights, smells and tastes through multiple regions.

  • Scenic drive through the ochre lands (known as the Provencal Colorado) to the heart of Provence’s lavender growing region.
  • Historic walk through the village Sault with lunch at bistro looking over the valley.
  • Guided visit of aroma plant distillery (each season offers a different aroma)
  • A 30-minute drive to a winery producing Côtes du Ventoux wines.  Tour includes a 45-minute visit of the winery and a 45 minutes wine and olive oil tasting experience.
  • On our way back (this day tour makes a loop) we will stop to stroll through Venasque, rated as “One of the Most Beautiful Villages”.
  • Dinner in Roussillon
Day 4 – Luberon Hilltop Villages

Luberon perched villages of Lacoste, Menerbes, Oppede-le-Vieux – by e-bike! Join me for an e-bike adventure that you’ll dream of for years to come.  Even if you are physically fit you will probably enjoy these electric bikes as the villages are separated by valleys. While on our bike tour, we will visit a winery, castle ruins and have lunch at one of my favorite lunch stops. If you don’t want to venture on the e-bikes, the tour can be done by car.

Catered dinner at your villa if you have opted for a villa rental or dinner outing at a local village restaurant.

Day 5 – Artistic Note

We will venture a little farther from the villa and the Luberon area to discover an area that became famous with the works of Vincent Van Gogh.

  • St Remy de Provence will charm you with its pedestrian streets encircled by the remnants of its 14th-century wall.  Today is also market day so you will have the morning to do any shopping you wish.  Lunch on your own with my guided advice on restaurants.
  • Les Baux de Provence is just over the Alpilles (mountain range) from St. Remy de Provence.  This is another one of France’s most beautiful villages noted for its cobblestone streets and medieval chateau-fortress. We will also visit Carrières de Lumières (ancient quarry used to build the Chateau of Les Baux that is now used to host an extraordinary multimedia show.  Images of famous artist (changes each year) are projected on the floors, walls, and ceilings)
    • Option of adding a great hike through the Alpilles
    • Option of visiting the asylum where Van Gogh stayed for a year
    • Option of olive oil mill tour and tasting
  • Dinner on your own
Day 6 – Gourmet Apprenticeship
  • A short scenic drive over the Luberon Mountain Chain to visit the charming village, Lourmarin, rated as “One of the Most Beautiful” villages in France.  Historical walking tour and visit of Chateau.  Lunch on your own in the village.
  • We will continue on to my hometown where we will visit a Provencal Jewish Synagogue (unique in the world) and the beautiful cathedral where I got married.
  • A gourmet experience awaits you in my hometown with a visit at the local farmer’s market and then on to Michelin rated restaurant with our produce to prep our evening meal with the chef.
Day 7 – Architectural Wonders

A Week In Provence wouldn’t be complete without visiting a few of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Orange’s Roman Antique Theater and Avignon’s Palace of the Popes.  We will also venture into the renowned wine region, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

  • An hour’s drive North will take us to a large theatre of Imperial Rome listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • From here we will venture down into the renowned wine region, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  For those who wish, the vineyards can be discovered by bike (VTC or electric)– a moderate 1,5-hour loop to discover the different terroirs producing this fine wine.  Lunch in the village Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
  • Last, but not least – Avignon!  Here you will stand in awe in front of the biggest Gothic palace in the world and the legendary Pont d’Avignon.  After a historical walk through the city, we will celebrate our week together at a lovely restaurant next to the magnificent Popes Palace.
Day 8 – Transfer to Your Next Adventure

Leisurely breakfast and transfer back to Marseille airport, Avignon train station, or place of your choice within a 45-minute drive. 

You may also decide to add on to your week in Provence with a seaside excursion to see the beautiful Calanque region shown at top, the Camargue, Cassis, etc. Let’s plan your trip!

Activities & Sites Included

  • Villages rated as “Most Beautiful Villages of France”
  • Two markets (Isle sur la Sorgue and Saint Rémy de Provence)
  • Scenic, off the beaten path, routes between villages
  • Wineries, bike rides, olive oil mills, light hikes,
  • Cooking lesson with Michelin rated chef (or local chef at a Provencal home)
  • 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Roman Antique Theatre and the Triumphal Arch in Orange and the historical center of Avignon along with Palace of the Popes)
  • Aroma Plant distillery tour
  • Provencal Jewish Synagogue
  • Chateau-fortress of Les Baux de Provence and sound and light show at Carrières de Lumières

Places Visited

  • Avignon
  • Luberon hilltop villages Gordes & Roussillon
  • Isle sur la Sorgue
  • Les Baux de Provence
  • Saint Remy
  • Arles
  • Aix
  • Cassis
  • Carpentras
  • Cotes-du-Rhone wine region
  • Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

Vincent Van Gogh

(Photo: Avignon sunrise by Emily Durand.)

Includes

  • Chauffeur, guide, interpreter (me as your private guide)
  • All transportation from pick-up to drop-off
  • 7 nights accommodation
  • All breakfasts
  • Most lunches
  • Most dinners
  • Cooking class with Michelin rated chef
  • Entrance Fees to monuments and museums listed on the itinerary (except for options)
  • Tolls and parking fees

Does Not Include

  • Airfare and/or train tickets
  • Lunches and dinners mentioned “on your own”
  • Travel insurance (necessary for your protection)
  • Extra drinks at restaurants (one glass of wine is included)
  • Cost of sightseeing and/or events not mentioned in the itinerary (decisions made spur of the moment at your request)
five star review
""I’m so thrilled that I found Emily as she added so much value to our 8 night trip to Provence. We hired Emily to assist with our transfers and added touring to our transfer days… Brilliant Plan! In the end we hired Emily for 3 of our 8 days.She is extremely honest, reliable and her prices are very fair. She accepts credit cards and does everything possible to ensure your comfort. Emily picked us up at Marseille Airport and transferred us to our AirBNB in St. Remy. She organized a unique an…"
""For my first time in Provence I decided to hire a guide. It’s not something I normally do but I didn’t want to be bothered with driving and trying to find my way on my own. I didn’t want to waste precious time because I had so little there.We had several conversations via email in advance of my visit about what my interests are and what I wanted to get out of my time with her. Emily showed me some wonderful places for photos and a little off the beaten path Abbey that was a lovely way to e…"
"Emily’s tour is the perfect introduction to the beautiful region of Provence! My daughter and I joined her small group in June and had the most delightful time. The 2 inns where we stayed were gorgeous dream properties — plus both locations allowed easy exploration by foot during leisure time for anyone who wanted to spend more time in the quaint villages Unique to her tour is the opportunity to visit the nature preserve region of Camargue and spend time at a manade learning about Gardian cultu…"
""If you want the best tour of Provence, choose Emily as your guide.  My husband and I enjoyed this years Lavender and Cultural Tour so much that the day before it ended I signed up to bring my 2 daughters next year!  As a local Emily knows the history of the towns we visited as well as the best places to explore, eat and shop. She has a nice group of friends – chef Giuseppina cooked a delicious lunch and Raina took beautiful photos of my husband and I in the lavender fields. There were so many…"
""Thank you so much, Emily, for two wonderful days exploring the Luberon region and Cassis.  You were a wealth of information, and we learned so much from you. Our picnic outside of Gordes was delightful!  We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect guide.  We highly recommend you to anyone seeking an authentic cultural experience when in Provence."Jayne & Steve Pettler, Prince George, Virginia"
""It was such a very special holiday for me. I just adored every moment and Emily made it so very special.Emily, thank you for being so accommodating with my challenging itinerary. Thank for being so knowledgeable and adding a layer of history and local insight that no guidebook could deliver. And finally, thank you for being so warm and engaging. It really felt like I was traveling with a dear friend. I could never have imagined it could be so good."Jane from Australia "
""A traveler is always faced with this secret dilemma…..once you have experienced the perfect tour, in the perfect place, arranged  by the perfect host, do you tell the world or do you try and keep it a secret just a while longer?Such is my dilemma having just returned from that 'perfect' week in Provence. I have decided to be magnanimous and share.  After all, the world needs as much 'perfect' as it can find right now.Emily’s Private Provence could just as easily be named Emily’s Perfec…"
""It was our pleasure having you as our tour guide to discover part of Provence we haven’t been before. I definitely will recommend you to my friends who are interested in traveling to Provence.We wish you have a successful business and happy wonderful life in Provence."Wanvimon, Thailand"
""From the moment we met, Emily made us feel at home in Provence! Her careful selection of wine tastings and restaurants were exactly what we were looking for.  Thank you, Emily, for making our 10-year anniversary trip exactly what we wanted it to be."Michael & Lauren, San Diego, CA"
""Thank you so much for all you did to make our trip to Provence EXTRA special!  Rosamond, the Babbs, the Murfees, and the Youngs all had a grand time and loved our whirlwind tour of the Provence area.  It was a special treat to have a guide who knew the area so well, as well as someone we could understand!  We felt like we were with an old friend!""Emily, Thank you for driving and guiding my friends and me around Provence.  You are charming, knowledgeable and punctual and we all enjoyed our…"