Highlights
- Spend the afternoon at the Louvre
- Explore Paris on a vintage car tour
- Prepare a three-course meal at a scenic Provence château
- Tour romantic Avignon and the old-world Luberon Valley
- Soak in history and culture in Aix-en-Provence
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Paris, Explore | Paris |
| Day 2 | Chauffeured Tour of Paris in a Vintage Car | Paris |
| Day 3 | Pastry Tour of Le Marais & Afternoon at the Louvre | Paris |
| Day 4 | Free Day in Paris | Paris |
| Day 5 | Transfer to Aix-en-Provence | Aix-en-Provence |
| Day 6 | Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence | Aix-en-Provence |
| Day 7 | Avignon & Hilltop Villages of the Luberon | Aix-en-Provence |
| Day 8 | Depart Aix-en-Provence |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Paris, Explore
Welcome to Paris, the City of Lights! This elegant capital boasts centuries of history, art, fashion, and, of course, romance. Upon arrival, you'll be picked up from the airport and transferred to your hotel by private car. Take some time to settle in and relax before heading out to explore the streets near your accommodation before dinner.
Paris is alive and thriving with activity day and night. It's the perfect city to indulge in a little shopping, with department stores like Lafayette and Printemps housing some of the best local designers around and small boutique shops filled with unique, high-quality wares.
Colorful streets and historic monuments invite visitors to stroll downtown, while narrow streets and cozy coffee shops create a romantic atmosphere. For art lovers, spending time at Paris' smaller museums is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the city has one of the most impressive art collections in the world. Alternatively, lazing around in the parks or at a sidewalk café on a sunny day is simply blissful.
After settling into your hotel, head out for your first look at the city. At the end of the day, head to a bar along the Rives de Seine for a predinner aperitif on the terrace while you enjoy the sunset and a glass of wine. Take in the city views of the Pont Neuf, the tip of Île de la Cité, and the Pont des Arts as you watch the people and boats going by. After drinks, make your way to a local French restaurant for a three-course dinner next to your hotel.
Day 2: Chauffeured Tour of Paris in a Vintage Car
Enjoy a luxurious Parisian breakfast, then head out for a tour of the capital in a classic vintage car. Spend three hours exploring the city's most remarkable monuments, wide-open boulevards, and riverside esplanades. See the famous sights like Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower but also less-known locations like the Arènes de Lutèce, an ancient Roman amphitheater. Get to know the capital's secrets while enjoying the comfort and class of your vintage ride.
After lunch at a cozy neighborhood eatery, stretch your legs on a private walking tour. Visit historical highlights of the Île de la Cité, like the medieval Palais de la Cité and Sainte Chapelle, renowned for its floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows. Unfortunately, due to the April 2019 fire in Notre Dame, the cathedral is closed for several years for restoration, but a walk around the exterior still gives a sense of the building's magnificence.
From here, wander through the streets of the trendy Le Marais district to see historic sights like the Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris. Wrap up the day with a visit to the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the views from this iconic monument before ending the tour with a romantic boat cruise along the Seine.
Day 3: Pastry Tour of Le Marais & Afternoon at the Louvre
Eating pastries and enjoying art are synonymous with French culture, and you'll get to do plenty of both today. Start your day with a tour of the Le Marais neighborhood with a hyper-local guide (a neighborhood resident, in fact!) to explore the secret cafés and taste the best-baked goods in the city. Spend two hours sampling crépes, crème brûlée, pain au chocolat, espresso, chocolates, macarons, and more.
Visit the city's oldest food market, the Marché des Enfants Rouges, and try your hand at haggling for your favorite treat. As you walk, learn about world-famous pastry chefs: Poîlane, Jean-Paul Hévin, Jacques Genin, Pierre Hermé, and others.
In the afternoon, it's time to explore the Louvre, the world's largest art museum. Skip the lines and head right to the classics, as well as your personal favorites. Get up close to Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, then get some fresh air at the Tuileries Garden. In the evening, explore the Champs Elysees and the majestic Arc de Triomphe.
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Free Day in Paris
Paris is an inexhaustible source of culture and leisure, from incredible monuments to gastronomy. Beyond traditional tours, new ways to visit the capital have emerged in recent years.
Pick from the following unique options to make the most of your time in the French capital:
- Walk along the Seine riverbanks between the Musée d'Orsay and the Pont d'Alma
- Visit the Grande Mosque de Paris, then rejuvenate on the patio among the wisteria and rosettes of mosaics with a mint green tea
- Sample village life at the Butte aux Cailles, a 10 minutes walk south of busy Place d'Italie, where you'll find a slightly counter-cultural enclave with cobbled streets and laid-back bars
- See street art in Belleville, from the Rue Sainte-Marthe and its candy-colored shop fronts to the Rue Denoyez with an ever-changing array of tags and artwork
- Engage in a sensory experience at the Atelier des Lumières, a former foundry reinvented in the space of digital art that offers a striking, immersive exhibition
- Walk along the Canal Saint-Martin past art galleries and peaceful shaded banks
- Escape the crowds in Buttes-Chaumont, one of the city's loveliest green spaces
- Take a stroll along Petite Ceinture, a disused railway line that runs for miles around the inner city. Several of its stretches are now urban bio-diversity trails
- For lunch, there's nothing better than the warm atmosphere of the Belleville neighborhood
- On a rainy day, visit the Catacombs and explore the seedy underbelly of Paris
- For a tropical getaway in the city, visit the greenhouses of the Jardin des Plantes
Day 5: Transfer to Aix-en-Provence
In the morning, transfer from Paris to Aix-en-Provence. Spend the day morning exploring the famous city on a two-hour guided walking tour and uncover the rich heritage, art, and culture that defines the city. Stroll a labyrinth of narrow streets, passing historic churches and squares as your guide points out famous and hidden gems.
Visit the Saint-Sauveur Cathedral, a Romanesque/Gothic church built on the site of an ancient Greek temple to Apollo. Stop and see the Town Hall (known locally as the Hotel de Ville), which dates to the 14th century and sits on an equally old plaza. The tour includes a walk along the Cours Mirabeau, a busy thoroughfare lined with leafy trees and full of markets and cafés—perfect for people-watching. Search around to find ruins dating back to the days of the Roman Empire.
Spend the afternoon exploring the city on your own. Visit the flower market and the Provençal food market to find plenty of local specialties such as macarons, calissons, goat's cheeses, olive oil, honey, and fantastic local wines. Wander the narrow streets go shopping in the fashion boutiques of this "mini-Paris," or relax with a luxurious spa or hammam. Enjoy dinner on your own at one of the city's incredible farm-to-table restaurants.
Day 6: Provençal Cooking Class in Aix-en-Provence
The southeastern French region of Provence is like a postcard. This is the land of the Riveria, medieval hillside villages, lavender fields, and endless olive groves and vineyards. But Provence is as much a way of life as it is a point on a map. Today you'll experience Provence's culture and rich way of life on a foodie tour of one of the most beautiful towns in all of France, Aix-en-Provence.
On this day-long cooking adventure, you'll browse the myriad food markets of Aix's Old Town, meet local purveyors, and pick up some of the fresh regional produce that the area is famous for, like herbes de Provence, olive oil, truffles, figs, honey, and more. You'll bring these ingredients to the home of your host and then work on recipes and prepare the feast. On the way back to the country house, which follows a route that passes through the scenic Montaiguet Forest, you'll stop at a local château to select some local wine to pair with your meal.
Upon arriving at the country home, you can take a stroll around the property and search for wild aromatic herbs. Then it will be time to start the cooking class, and you and a group of culinary enthusiasts will actively participate in the preparation of various recipes. After approximately two hours of cooking, it will be time for everyone to sit down at the long convivial table and share their gastronomic creations. Later in the afternoon, you'll return to Aix-en-Provence, where you'll get overnight.
Day 7: Avignon & Hilltop Villages of the Luberon
After breakfast, travel about an hour northwest of Aix-en-Provence to the medieval city of Avignon. There are centuries of history here, as this is where Pope Clemente V moved his court in the 14th century. For several decades thereafter, it was the seat of the Catholic popes.
Spend the day exploring the city on a guided walking tour. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Le Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) and the Pont Saint-Bénézet medieval bridge, the subject of the famous 15th-century song Sur le Pont d'Avignon. You'll also visit Avignon Cathedral, Doms Garden, Saint Pierre Basilica, and the Place de l'Horloge, Avignon's main square.
From here, embark on the surrounding Luberon region, an area known for its countryside vineyards, orchards, and postcard-worthy hilltop villages. Travel at a leisurely pace as your guide takes you to the village of l'Isle Sur la Sorgue, famous for its outdoor weekend markets, antique stores, and old wooden waterwheels churning over the Sorgue River, which bisects the town. There are few better spots to enjoy a relaxing lunch than here in town, which is exactly what you'll do.
After eating, head to Gordes. This is arguably the most beautiful of all the hilltop villages in the Luberon. The skyline of Gordes is dominated by its fortified castle, and from its winding cobbled streets, you can look out to wide views over the valley and surrounding hills. From Gordes, it's just a few kilometers to the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Sénanque, a Cistercian abbey founded in the 12th century. This caps the day's eight-hour tour—from here, head back to Aix for the night.
Day 8: Depart Aix-en-Provence
After breakfast, take a private car or train transfer to the airport to catch your flight home. A bientôt!
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