Two days in Provence

• Day 1

  Avignon / Orange / Châteauneuf du Pape

  TGV train Paris-Avignon at around 7:30 am Arrival around 10 am

  Meet your local guide, short drive into the town center.

  Walking tour of Avignon, an architectural jewel enclosed in 14th century city walls: see it's picturesque streets, the main monuments, including the exceptional gothic palace of the Popes (visit of the inside optional) and the world famous bridge. (All visits are adapted to clients' interests, walking conditions, weather, etc).

  Lunch at leisure, with suggestions from your guide, or with a reservation in one of the three listed restaurants. Early afternoon free to see more of the town or do a little shopping.
  Around 3:00 pm, leave for Orange: visit the extremely well-preserved Roman theatre, and see the former entrance gate to the city, the Triumphal arch.
  
  Then off to Châteauneuf-du-Pape through the vineyards, to the top of the hill for a beautiful panoramic view of the region.
  Visit a picturesque wine cellar and taste different Châteauneuf wines. Walk through the village.

  On the way back to Avignon, optional stop at a vineyard and visit the wine-cellar.
  Back to the train station for an around 8 pm train arriving in Paris-Gare de Lyon around 10:30 pm

  Possible reservation in one of the following restaurants :

  • La Tartinerie de la Chapelle: excellent simple quiches, salads and today's specials in a charming little square in the pedestrian section (around 10-20 euros per person)
  • La Compagnie des Comptoirs: refined cuisine in a beautiful decor with large patio in a former 18th century Jesuit school.
  • La Mirande: One star on the Michelin guide, in a 17th century mansion. Exceptional place, located just behind the Popes' palace.

  We'll chose another equivalent restaurant if it happens to be closed on the day you come.

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• Day 2

  Two options

  Option A: Saint Rémy, Les Baux, Arles

  Around 8:30, leave for Saint Rémy de Provence, charming little town known for the ruins of the Roman town of Glanum, and for Van Gogh's stay...

  Brief stop; then, through the Alpilles mountains, to Les Baux, spectacular village built on the edge of a cliff. From the fortress, panoramic view of the region (vines, olive trees, cypress), all the way to the Mediterranean. Lunch in Les Baux. Then to Arles, gate of the wild region of Camargue. Walking tour of Arles to see the main monuments: the church of Saint Trophime with it's exceptional Romanesque doorway, the arenas and other Roman monuments, Forum square, on the footsteps of Van Gogh.

  Back to the Avignon TGV station for the 8:01 train (arriving in Paris at 10:41)

  Option B: Roussillon, Gordes, Sénanque, Fontaine de Vaucluse, l'Isle sur la Sorgue

  Around 8:30 am, depart for Roussillon, famous for its ochre hills. From the top of the village, panoramic view of the area.

  Then to Gordes, one of the most famous and well restored perched villages. Small detour to see the photogenic Abbaye of Sénanque and it's lavender fields (blooming in July).

  Then to Fontaine de Vaucluse, spectacular location of a river spring. Lunch by the river. Then to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, charming "little Venice of Provence" with its canals and picturesque streets, also renown for its antique shops.

  Back to Avignon TGV station for an around 8 pm train

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