Mix & Match: Provence & the French Riviera

Welcome to France. On arrival at Paris airport make your own way to your hotel, leaving the rest of the day free to begin discovering the city at your own pace. Depending on your arrival time, you may wish to make your way to the Champs-Élysées for its shops and pavement cafes, or head north to Montmartre, where the streets climb to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and its views across the rooftops of Paris. A walk along the Seine is a fine introduction to the city, taking in the bridges, the bookstalls along the quays and the towers of Notre-Dame. This evening is at leisure. There are plenty of bistros and brasseries within easy reach of the hotel for a first taste of French cooking, before an early night ahead of the journey south tomorrow. Special Information Airport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal may offer the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed.

This morning, after breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the high-speed TGV for the journey south to Avignon. The train runs down through the Rhône valley, with the landscape opening out into the vineyards and stone villages of Provence as you approach. Avignon served as the seat of the papacy through the fourteenth century, and the Palais des Papes still rises above the old town as the largest Gothic palace in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend the afternoon at leisure exploring the walled town on foot, admiring the cathedral beside the palace and the frescoes and vaulted halls within. Wander through to Place de l'Horloge, the square at the heart of the old town, lined with cafes and overlooked by the opera house and the town hall. Don't miss the Pont Saint-Bénézet, the medieval bridge across the Rhône, and the terraced gardens of the Rocher des Doms above it, which look out over the river to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours. Your train tickets and step by step directions to the station will be included in your final documentation.

Spend the day at leisure discovering Avignon at your own pace. Begin at Les Halles, the covered market just inside the city walls, where stallholders sell Provençal cheeses, olives, charcuterie and pastries through the morning. It is a good place to gather a picnic before setting out. From there, the lanes of the old town lead past antique shops and shaded courtyards to the ramparts, which still encircle the centre and can be followed for much of their length. The streets are largely flat and the town can be covered slowly across a morning, with plenty of squares to stop in along the way. For those wishing to explore further, two optional half day excursions are available today, taking in the villages and Roman heritage of the surrounding countryside, or the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Otherwise, the remainder of the day and the evening are yours to enjoy at leisure.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the train for the short journey east to Aix en Provence. Aix was the historic capital of Provence and grew wealthy on the parliament and the nobility who built here through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Fountains appear in almost every square, which is how the city came by its name as the City of a Thousand Fountains, and the pale stone facades and wrought iron balconies of the old town have changed little since. Spend the afternoon at leisure exploring at your own pace. Cours Mirabeau runs along the southern edge of the old town beneath a double row of plane trees, lined with cafes and bookshops. From here, narrow streets lead north to Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, where a flower market is held several mornings a week beneath the clock tower. Perhaps continue on to the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur, which brings together Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque work in a single building, and to the Romanesque cloister alongside it. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.

Continue your independent exploration of Aix en Provence. Place Richelme holds a produce market every morning of the year, and the neighbouring Place des Cardeurs is given over to cafe tables and restaurants. South of Cours Mirabeau, the Quartier Mazarin is a quiet grid of streets laid out in the seventeenth century for the local parliament, with the Place des Quatre Dauphins and its fountain at the centre. Paul Cézanne was born in Aix and painted here for much of his life, and a marked route of bronze pavement studs links the places he knew across the city. The gardens at the Pavillon de Vendôme, a short walk beyond the old town, make a quiet place to rest. For those wishing to head further afield, two optional excursions are available today, one to the vineyards below Montagne Sainte-Victoire and the other to the port of Cassis and the limestone inlets of the Calanques. Otherwise, the rest of the day and the evening are at leisure.

This morning, after breakfast, check out of your hotel and board the train for Nice, following the Mediterranean coast for the final stretch of the journey into the city. Nice sits at the eastern end of the French Riviera, and has drawn visitors since the Belle Époque, when the seafront promenade was laid out along the curve of the Baie des Anges. Spend the afternoon at leisure with a walk along the Promenade des Anglais, taking in the water, the pebble beaches and the ochre and terracotta facades behind. Behind the promenade, Vieux Nice is a warren of narrow streets where the Cours Saleya market runs each morning, flowers along one side and produce along the other. Above it, the Colline du Château can be reached by lift or by steps, and gives a view back over the tiled rooftops of the old town, the port and the length of the bay. Special Information Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

After breakfast, join a full day small group tour along the most celebrated stretch of the French Riviera. The route opens with views over Nice and the deep natural harbour at Villefranche-sur-Mer, then follows the corniche roads that climb along the coast. The first stop is Eze, a medieval village built into the rock high above the sea, where there is free time to explore the lanes and the cliffside views, and to visit the Fragonard perfumery. The tour continues into Monaco, taking in the old town, the cathedral and the area around the Prince's Palace, before driving part of the Formula 1 circuit to reach Monte Carlo and its casino. The afternoon brings Antibes, with its ramparts, Provençal market and the yachts along the quay, and finishes in Cannes with a walk along La Croisette and past the steps of the Film Festival Palace. You will return to Nice this evening, with the remainder of the night at leisure. Inspiring Highlights Villefranche-sur-Mer Eze Fragonard perfumery Monaco Monte Carlo Antibes Cannes Special Information Your tour time today will be approximately 8 hours. Today involves walking on steep, cobbled streets and steps at Eze and in the old town of Monaco. Passengers should be confident on their feet and able to manage uneven ground and inclines without assistance. The meeting point and start time for today's tour will be confirmed in your final documentation.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and make your way to Nice airport, where your tour comes to an end. Take with you the memory of a journey by rail from Paris through Provence to the Mediterranean, and of the towns, markets and coastline along the way. Thank you for travelling with Inspiring Vacations. We hope you had a memorable experience. Special Information Airport transfers are not included. Our transfer portal may offer the option to book your airport transfers for an easier arrival experience (additional charges apply). Access to this portal will be available through your Traveller Hub once your booking is confirmed.