Day trip to Provence

A trip  to  discover  Provence

The appointment of the tour is given by Rémy our  guide, a few days before our departure.  In order to fully enjoy Provence from Marseille, we need to leave early. The meeting point has been set at 8.30am in front of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Quai de Rive Neuve in Marseille.

So it is in the cooler time that our small group of 5 persons meet our guide! A guide who  seemed to be passionate and who seems to know everything about Provence.

Once onboard, (very comfortable by the way), Rémy gives us a quick run of the day and we’re off! Head to the village of “les Baux de Provence”, our first stop. First time for me. On the way, Rémy doesn’t stop telling us anecdotes and historical facts about the different places that we pass through, the vegetation, the relief, the specialties, he knows everything about Provence !

Discovering the villages and landcapes of Provence

Les Baux-de-Provence

After more than an hour and a half of driving, we arrive at the foot of the village Les Baux- de- Provence in the heart of “the  Alpilles”. A typical and surprising village, perched on a rocky plateau from 245 meters high. We have 45 minutes free time break. We then set off to explore this magnificent medieval village.

We enter the heart of the  village, if there is a must-see village in Provence, it is definitely this one! It is considered as one of the most beautiful in France. We walk around the small paved streets among the restaurants and small shops. Let’s discover the historical ruins and the castel of les Baux and ending our  walk on the height of the village. We can see in front of us a breathtaking landscape, impossible to close our eyes in front of such an amazing view! It is time to leave, Rémy is waiting for us to continue our tour, it was a very nice discovery for me!

Le Pont du Gard

After passing through different landscapes straight out of a Cezanne’s painting, we finally arrive at “le Pont du Gard” an aqueduct from the Roman era, impressive for its size and conservation. A must- see when visiting Luberon. After giving us some historical explanations, Rémy gave us a 30 minutes free time in order to fully enjoy this place steeped in history which is a real architectural feat. We take all the photos possible to keep a souvenir of this place which has crossed the ages.

Avignon, the City of Popes

We’re heading to Avignon which is only 30 minutes away. Rémi parks the minivan close to the famous Saint-Bénezet bridge. After a few pictures, we enter the City of Popes. We have free time. The guide invites us to discover the city on our own in order to do  what we want to do. So we decide to stop for lunch and then visit the City of Popes, a must-see when coming here. This monumental building of almost 15000m², as its name suggests, the seat of western Christianity during the 14 th century. It has seen no less than 6 conclaves. Listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site (like its neighbour the Pont Saint- Bénezet), it is one of the  biggest gothic construction of the Middle Ages. An amazing and unforgettable visit. Time goes by and we are now about to meet Rémi again to go to another last place before returning to Marseille.