Arrival in Paris CDG airport – Flight from CDG to Marseille Provence airport – Welcome by english tour guide – VIP bus transfer to Hotel – Check in – Presentation of package tour by the English tour guide – Free time to relax ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Transfer | Dinner | Accommodation

In the morning, visit of the Old Town of Marseille « Le Panier », You will discover on foot (2 hours) this 2600 years old area and its craftsmen. On the north side of the Old Port, a walking tour in the Old Marseille from the Townhall to the Hôtel Dieu, climbing up La Montée des Accoules to the Vieille Charité Museums. La “Canebiere”referred to as the southern Champs Elysees, is the iconic street of Marseille. visit the Old Port, the heart of Marseille and enjoy its stunning views, bustling markets and its cafes and restaurants. In the afternoon, visit of the Borély castle, a fully restored historical monument and masterpiece of 18th-century architecture, house the Museum of Decorative Arts, Fashion and Ceramics, with over 1400 m2 of exhibition space. It contains the collections of the Ceramics Museum and the Fashion Museum, the decorative arts collections of the Cantini Museum and Museum of Old Marseille, and furniture from Borély. Things to see: an exceptional collection of ceramics, furniture, contemporary glassware, art objects, rare exotic objects, design, fashion and accessories, presented in a fully renovated museum. The Museum of Fine Arts, the oldest museum in Marseille, is one of the fifteen museums that the Consulate created in 1801 in the major cities of France. Under the Second Empire, to offer him and the museum, spaces worthy of its collections, the City of Marseille built on the plans of the architect Henry Esperandieu, the Palais Longchamp to be inaugurated in 1869. This monument dedicated to the glory of the Arts and Science, commemorates with its majestic central fountain, the arrival in the city of the waters of the Durance canal.Thus the Museum of Fine Arts in Marseille can present a beautiful set of the greatest Italian and French masters of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with works by Lavinia Fontana, Guerchin, Lanfranco, Pannini for Italy or Champaigne, Vouet, Lesueur, Greuze, Vernet, Hubert Robert or David for France. Northern schools are represented by paintings by Jordaens, Stomer, and one of Rubens’s great masterpieces, Boar Hunt. The presentation of the rich and dynamic Provencal home of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries is one of the peculiarities of the Museum of Fine Arts in Marseille. The French School of the nineteenth century is one of the highlights of the collection ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Transfer | Accommodation | Catering Read more

In the morning, discover the secrets of the chef to cook La Bouillabaisse. Cook and taste the Bouillabaisse in a famous restaurant of Marseille or in a private house. The famous bouillabaisse, pasta al pesto, seafood, rice with crab, alouettes “sans tête” (meat rolls), Provençal daube (stew), pieds et paquets (tripe), aïoli, tapenade (olive spread), anchoïade (anchovy spread), stuffed vegetables, stuffed squid, panisse (garbanzo bean rolls), chichi freggi (sweet fritters), rock fish soup and of course grilled bass, red or white sea bream served with “rouille” sauce. Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. Bouillabaisse was originally a stew made by Marseille fishermen using the bony rockfish which they were unable to sell to restaurants or markets. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse: typically red rascasse, sea robin and European conger. It can also include gilt-head bream: turbot, monkfish, mullet or European hake. It usually also includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins, mussels, velvet crabs, spider crab or octopus. More expensive versions may add langoustine (European lobster), though this was not part of the traditional dish made by Marseille fishermen. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes, celery, and potatoes are simmered together with the broth and served with the fish. The broth is traditionally served with a rouille, a mayonnaise made of olive oil, garlic, saffron, and cayenne pepper on grilled slices of bread. What makes a bouillabaisse different from other fish soups is the selection of Provençal herbs and spices in the broth; the use of bony local Mediterranean fish; the way the fish are added one at a time, and brought to a boil; and the method of serving. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a soup plate with slices of bread and rouille, then the fish is served separately on a large platter; or, more simply, the fish and broth are brought to the table separately and served together in large soup plates. In the afternoon: Visit Cassis & the Calanques and a famous & traditional Marseille soap factory. Cassis is a very ancient fishing port, walk on the harbour and stroll through the village. Appreciate the exceptional view on the bay from Cape Canaille. You will board on a 45-minute boat trip to discover 3 Calanques, steep-walled coves with tiny harbours or beaches at the end. A calanque is a narrow, steep-walled inlet that is developed in limestone, dolomite, and found along the Mediterranean coast. The Savonnerie “Le Serail” is the latest artisanal and traditional Marseille soap factory based in the Phocaean city. In the 1900s, Marseille’s big city of Provence saw its soap factories – a hundred at the time – close one after the other because of the massive arrival of detergents. A man, back from deportation in Germany, Vincent BOETTO, made the bet to create in 1949 the Savonnerie le Sérail, in order to perpetuate the know-how and the tradition of the real soap of Marseilles. He then takes over a farm located inside the city, and installs the equipment necessary for the manufacture of the cube of traditional soap of Marseille, and in particular the cauldrons in which is made the soap paste. Today, it is his son, Daniel, proud of this heritage, who took over the reins of the soap factory in 2009 and who perpetuates the know-how left by his father. Thus, all the equipment is vintage, and has been preserved as well as all the steps necessary for the manufacture of the traditional Marseille soap, which has also allowed him to obtain the label “Entreprise du Patrimoine vivant” awarded by the CCI of Marseille. The authentic Marseille soap is made in cauldron, according to a specific saponification process called “Marseillais process”, comprising five steps: 1st step : pasting, or chemical reaction of saponification : The vegetable oils are heated in a large cauldron. Under the action of soda and heat, they gradually turn into soap. 2nd step: the release : The soap is insoluble in salt water, this operation is to add sea salt to cause the excess sodium hydroxide to the bottom of the kettle, the soap remaining above. 3rd step: cooking : This operation characterizes the saponification and allows the complete transformation of vegetable oils into soap. 4th step: washing : The soap paste is refined by washes, resulting in glycerol, impurities and unsaponified fatty acids. 5th step: the liquidation : A last wash with clear water brings the soap to the final state: a smooth and pure soap that makes the reputation of the Marseillais process. These different operations take about a week. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Transfer | Accommodation | Catering Read more

Visit a Château, have a wine tasting master class; then take the scenic route of the Luberon National Park. Gourmet lunch in Menerbes, a medieval village. Set off for Roussillon, the French Colorado and visit a farm, learn the process of cheese making and have a goat cheese tasting. Drive back to your luxury 4* hotel château. Our philosophy at the château: An ethical environment first requires to respect the workability of soils. It favours an organic growing method, which excludes any type of synthetic chemical : weedkiller, nitrates and phosphates. By protecting nature we provide our vines with the precious nutritive elements which are crucial to their livelihood. Over time, this organic growing method enables the vines to be better equipped to naturally fight numerous assaults, diseases or water stress. Indeed, vines have a more consistent and balanced physiological behaviour and are less subject to climatic variations. Discover our vines and our soil by walking in the vineyards. At the start of your walk: We will provide you with a map of the estate showing the two tours, along with a guide explaining our ORGANIC culture and vinification This guide will reveal the meaning of soil, the secrets of vine pruning, the characteristics of the different grape varieties… Along the way, you will come across approximately twenty signposts spread over the two tours. They will lead you through your walk and will refer to specific passages in the guide. Upon finishing the tours, vine cultivation and vinification methods will bear no secrets for you… without mentioning the pleasure of wine-tasting on your palate!! Anybody between 5 and 105 can access these walks! Luberon sightseeing : The massif mountain of Luberon offers typical Provence landscapes : garrigue, olive trees, lavender fileds, vineyards and perched villages. This area is dominated by the Mourre Nègre, 1125 meters high. You will be seduced by the sinuous roads linking the perched villages to each others. A nice occasion to have a view at famous lovely places, attracting visitors from all over the world : Cucuron, Lourmarin, Bonnieux and above all Lacoste where the Marquis de sade was living. Luberon is an endless source of inspiration for painters or writers. Lunch in Ménerbes : Ménerbes belongs to these amazing medieval villages so typical of the Luberon mountains. Laid in a XVIIth and XVIIIth century house, this restaurant offers the best of Provence terroir. You will know more truffles and wine production in the heart of a beautiful jardin à la française. From the terrace, you will enjoy a magnificient view of the surroundings. It’s now time to go and see one of the most spectacular naturel site in France : the French Colorado! Roussillon : ochre trail – Ochre has become the cornerstone of Roussillon’s popularity. The village is today a highlight of Luberon, beguiling visitors thanks to its vivid colors. Sculpted by storms, this former ochre deposit today present enchanting scenery, which combines men and nature work. Cliffs, earth pillars, ochre-colored sand hillocks, after being dug out by shovels and picks, are henceforth shaped by the winds and rain. Guided tour and cheese tasting in a farm : France is known worldwide for the cheese production. Visiting the Farm, goat cheese making will not have anymore secrets for you. The estate offers hectars of grazings where the herd of hundreds goats can eat and frolic. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Transfer | Accommodation | Catering Read more

At night, in the heart of lavender fields, you can discover the starry nights at the astronomical observatory. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Accommodation | Catering

Start the day or end it up with a balloon flight and discover the landscape of hilltop villages. Visit Les Baux de Provence and enjoy a wine & olive oil & black tapenade tasting in a beautiful château. Drive back to your luxury 4* hotel between Arles & Avignon. Les Baux-de-Provence sightseeing Les Baux-de-Provence belongs to the labelised group of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”. This impregnable village is located in the heart of the Alpilles. The fortifications give an interesting exemple of defensive architecture from the XIth to the XIIIth century. The main relic of this mighty stronghold is the castle crowned by a massive keep. Les Baux-de-Provence is a must-see of your Provencal experience. At the Château, have a full gourmet experience Half way between Arles and avignon, the Château is a magnificent estate laid in the heart of the Alpilles. Surrounded by a huge vineyard, totally attached to the house, the typical XVIIIth century Provencal mansion will welcome you for a wine and olive oil and black olive tapenade tasting both produced here. The chef offers purely tradional cuisine in a delicate atmosphere, under the trees or in the vaulted dinning room. The experience in the Château is unforgettable. Black olive tapenade is a Provençal dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, and olive oil. It is a popular food in the south of France, where it is generally eaten as an hors d’œuvre spread on bread. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Transfer | Accommodation | Catering Read more

Arles, a small sunny city in South of France, combines marvels of the ancient Roman empire with glorious traces of the mythic Vincent Van Gogh. Your day tour in Arles starts with your licensed guide who will escort you at the Arenas of Arles, the splendid Colosseum dated back to Roman period. Immerse yourself in the amazing and well-preserved treasures of Roman culture such as the amazing St-Trophime church that will seduce you during the visit. The afternoon will begin with a delicious coffee at Café Van Gogh, whose creation has been inspired by the famous impressionist through the painting “Cafe Terrace at Night”. Don’t miss the well known Van Gogh Bridge. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Transfer | Accommodation | Catering Read more

Wake up very early and go to the market with the chef. Go back to the Hotel, cook the food with the chef and enjoy the lunch you cooked inside the chef’s kitchen. After lunch, set off for Avignon: Guided visit of Avignon, labeled City of Art and History : The famous Bridge of Avignon. Go on a black truffle hunt on the gorgeous property of a Provençal truffle plantation in the Luberon and enjoy a truffle tasting. Go back to your luxury 4* hotel around Avignon. The white & black truffle: Tuber melanosporum, called the black truffle, Périgord truffle or French black truffle, is a species of truffle native to Southern Europe. It is one of the most expensive edible mushrooms in the world. Known as the white Alba truffle, Tuber magnatum pico is famous for its distinct aroma and intense, earthy flavor. Its price can reach up to 5000 euros/pound. It is the world’s rarest truffle. The Pont Saint-Bénézet, also known as the Pont d’Avignon, is a famous medieval bridge in the town of Avignon, in southern France. A bridge spanning the Rhône between Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Avignon was built between 1177 and 1185. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Tour | Transfer | Accommodation | Catering Read more

Set off to Marseille. Free time to rest & do shopping. At night, enjoy a magnificent dinner at the most famous fish & bouillabaisse restaurant in Marseille. Drive back to your hotel. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Transfer | Accommodation | Catering

Departure for CDG airport and return flight. ♦ WHAT IS INCLUDED ♦ Transfer