- Boutique villages
- Van Gogh's home
- St. Remy de Provence
- Moustiers St. Marie
- Côte d'Azur
- Gorges du Verdon
Dates
October 10 – 19, 2025
Highlights
- Small places of timeless beauty, matched with a relaxed-pace exploration style; visits to several of France’s “most beautiful villages”
- Small group intimacy—limited to 12 participants
- Meandering exploration through stunning Provençal landscapes: rolling lavender fields, limestone mountains, and jaw-dropping drives above the French Riviera
- Multi-night stays in charming boutique hotels (in St. Remy de Provence; Moustiers Ste. Marie; Côte d'Azur); local wines and gastronomy of the terroir
- The Gorges du Verdon – Europe's Grand Canyon – with its turquoise-hued water and spectacular views; Van Gogh’s landscapes; Monaco’s Prince’s Palace
- Roman and medieval architecture: from ancient abbeys and villages to the Pont du Gard
Trip Description
Small group adventure in Provence. That should sound just about as good as it gets to most readers. We’ll spend multiple nights in each of three boutique villages (and boutique inns), as we make a circuit from St. Remy to Moustiers to Cap Ferrat / Èze. St. Remy was Van Gogh’s home for the last 18 months of his life; the surrounding fields and landscapes were the inspiration of some of his most loved paintings. Nearby is the timeless Pont du Gard – the Roman aqueduct over the River Gardon, carrying mountain water almost 70 miles to the city of Nimes. Even closer are Les Alpilles – a confined mountain range of rocky peaks, holding views over the Rhone Valley and toward the Mediterranean; and concealing the “most beautiful village” of Les Baux de Provence. Moustiers Sainte Marie is not only another “most beautiful village” of France (there are, in fact, no fewer than four such villages featured in our itinerary), but nestled into the base of a massive rock mountain, in the build-up to the Alps. Nearby is Europe’s Grand Canyon – the gorge carved by the River Verdon (the Gorges du Verdon). As our route is taking us west to east, we’ll wind up in the magnificent Côte d’Azur area around Cap Ferrat, between Marseilles and Monaco. Gardens, boutiques and restaurants tucked into cliffside niches, paths to wander . . . and estates set on the seaside – all with spectacular views straight out into the Mediterranean Sea. This is what we find where the mighty Alps meet the ocean in one of the world’s most epic geographic displays. In nearby Monte Carlo, we’ll visit the Prince’s Palace, and enjoy the mystique of one of the world’s most dreamy addresses.
What's Included
Comfortable ground transportation 
Accommodation for 8 nights
Breakfast, 4 lunches and 4 dinners
All touring per the itinerary
Guide and concierge service throughout the trip
Trip Price
$6,333 / person (double occupancy; single supplement, $1,415)
What's Not Included
Price does not include airfare, alcohol, other meals, or optional trip insurance.
. . . well-planned, from interesting and fun excursions planned each day to comfortable lodging and transportation. Our trip leaders, Chumley and Khal, were impressive with their knowledge of each area we explored and gracious in their planning of every aspect of our respective trips.
I highly recommend Explore Up Close. Not only did we enjoy some beautiful cities and landscapes, we learned so much history. They are memory makers!
If you want first-class service within a small group of traveling companions that you can really get to know, then definitely consider Explore Up Close.
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Please note, all trip participants should wait for confirmation from Explore Up Close that the trip has the minimum sign-up required to be a “go” before purchasing airline tickets.
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