4 Days South of France & Provence Tour Package
Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights
Priced From: $3302 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: May - Dec
This price includes:
**Private guide services (4 full days)
**Private transportation (4 full days, while with guide – includes petrol, parking, etc)
**All taxes and fees
**...And a great time!
*Please note that entrance fees to the museums are not included in the above quote.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Aix en Provence + Arles
This morning your private guide will meet you and you will visit Aix en Provence:
Aix is a vibrant, lively town and has all you would expect in a sunny Provencal town - sunny squares filled with cafes, broad avenues lined with plane trees, and a substantial historical centre lined with boutiques and attractive houses... There are various sights to enjoy, but it is the overall setting that is most interesting. There is a number of attractive streets and shady open squares, filled with cafes. Some of the particular sights and museums: The Saint Sauveur cathedral; The town hall, an ornate 17th century building; The very lovely Pavillon de Vendome (a grand house), with a beautiful garden; Cezanne's studio where he and his wife lived in the town, preserved as it was a century ago at the time of his death. Perhaps you would enjoy a rare & special visit - the Cezanne/Picasso Exhibit (running until September of 2009): This exhibition highlights Cézanne’s role as the father of modern art and his artistic relationships with the great masters of the 20th century in its temporary exhibitionss, and he relationship between Picasso and Cézanne. This is an opportunity to delve deeper into the exceptional relationship that reveals one of the most secret parts of Picasso’s work. You will also visit Arles: Arles is most famous for two things - it's Roman ruins and its association with Van Gogh. Both play a large role in the attraction of the town, but even without either of these 'highlights' it would still be very worth visiting. Open squares with bustling cafes, linked by narrow streets lined with attractive houses and shops,…The amphitheatre is a large and substantially intact round structure once used for gladiatorial competitions. Oher Roman ruins: Roman theatre, the necropolis and the Constantine baths. Further Roman sarcophagi can be found at the excellent Museum of Arles and Provence. The roman ruins at Arles are also a listed UNESCO world heritage site. Try not to miss the Espace Van Gogh - Van Gogh spent 2 years in Arles, being his most productive period. The Foundation Vincent Van Gogh at the Palais de Luppé has a good collection of 'tribute to Van Gogh' works by other modern painters and artists including Francis Bacon, Lichtenstein and Rauschenburg.
Day 2: Full Day Tour of Nice + Matisse Museum
Your private guide will take you for a day of uncovering this beautiful city.
The city of Nice has never look better than at the present time. Nice itself is an attraction: the rich blue-green sea, diverse shopping, splendid dining and lovely art-deco façades. But there are several spots that a tourist simply must see, such as the Cours Saleya Flower Market, a leisurely tour of the “old town”, ancient Roman ruins, the Russian Cathedral and more.
Nice is second only to Paris in the number of museums and galleries, one of which you will visit – the Matisse Museum: The Museum houses a collection of works spanning his career from colorful nudes such as the famous Portrait of Madame Matisse to photographs, sculptures and gouaches. This burgundy-red mansion in leafy Cimiez used to be the artist's home from 1918-1954, attracted him no doubt by the ebullience of Mediterranean colors, light and lifestyle. Villa Regina, where he lived from 1938, is only a few steps away. The weighty permanent collection is comprised of approximately 70 paintings and gouaches, over 200 drawings, nearly 60 sculptures and 100 photographs, as well as 187 of the artist's personal belongings. The photographs include those Matisse took in Tahiti and many (taken by contemporaries such as Henri Cartier-Bresson) of the artist and his studio. With all the mediums that Matisse worked in so well represented, plus so many of the objects he used as models, a real understanding of the artist's vision emerges.
Day 3: Full Day Tour of Monaco + Villa Ephrussi + Villefranche sur Mer
Today your guide will meet you and you will explore two breathtaking elements of this region of France, both attributes to the beauty and wealth from which the south gets it’s reputation:
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild: Discover the most beautiful French Riviera Palazzo and its nine wonderful gardens. Baroness Ephrussi de Rothschild sought out artworks all over the world, transforming the Villa at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat into a collector’s paradise. Between sea and sky, overlooking the bay of Villefranche, the nine heavenly gardens are adorned with patios, fountains, ponds, flowered and shaded paths Monaco: Nestled on the Riviera coast lies this tiny jewel of a country, known for its elegant casino, luxury lifestyle, and colorful royal family. Monaco is the world’s second smallest country (after Vatican City) and with over 32,000 residents in just under third-quarters of one square mile, it is also the world’s most densely populated. There is much to see and do here: The Casino at Monte Carlo, Oceanographic Museum, The Palace at Monaco, shops, markets... You will also visit Villefranche sur Mer, a quaint little town with sandy beaches, terrace cafés & estaurants, and the very nice old town. Like the medieval villages of the "back country", the narrow cobblestone and bricked streets slope steeply down with vaulted passages beneath the houses. There's quite a medieval feeling here. There are also quiet little squares, like the Place Félix Poullan beside the church, and the Place de l'Eglise and the Rue Obscura, a street about a block in from the seafront that's completely covered for about half its length. Lighted only by white, wire-gridded lamps in the roof, the "obscure" street reminds you of the days when the town's population sheltered here from bombardments.
Day 4: Full Day Tour of St. Paul de Vence + Antibes
Your guide will again meet you for another day of beauty, discovery, and history of Provence is yours. Today, you will visit Saint-Paul:
Saint-Paul-de-Vence is found on the French Riviera and 'correct' name for the town is simply 'Saint Paul' although 'Saint-Paul-de-Vence' has now been widely adopted. A beautiful perched village of Provence, it has attracted many artists during the last century - starting with Modigliani on the 1920's - and now has a very high reputation as an artistic village, and as a place of great natural beauty. Picasso, Braque and Miro are among the other well known artists who stayed at St-Paul-de-Vence. Many of the artistic community, when less well known, stayed and eat at the Colombe d'Or hotel - which frequently accepted works of art as payment in kind, and has one of the finest private art collections hanging on its walls! This artistic legacy has given rise to an especially fine art museum on the edge of the town, the Fondation Maeght. The modern art museum features an exceptional collection of painting, sculptures and artworks of the 20th century. Even non-art-lovers will find much to enjoy in the old lanes of the village surrounded by the 16th century town walls, and the views over the surrounding countryside. There are many attractive medieval houses and attractive facades among the narrow streets and you will feel a bond with the artists who have come before. Be sure to pay close attention to the houses and try and spot some of the statues niched within the walls! You will also visit Antibes: Antibes is found between Cannes and Nice, adjacent to Juan-les-Pins and the two places are often considered together as Antibes-Juan-les-Pins, with Antibes being the city part, and Juan-les-Pins the beaches. First a Greek town, then occupied by the Romans, Antibes has a long history behind it. The old town is very pleasant to explore, with a mass of narrow winding streets lined with pretty houses, designer shops and boutiques, and cafes and bars, and surrounded by Vauban's ramparts. There is also a very good market at Antibes where you can buy all manner of fresh produce as well as lots of hand crafted artisan items. There are a few sites of historical interest – such as the cathedral, the medieval church towers, and the 16th century fortress - fort carré - in particular. It is the Grimaldi castle that holds one of Antibes most renowned attraction - the Picasso museum. In addition to some 50 (mostly 'minor' by comparison with his more famous works, but fascinating nonetheless) works by Picasso, the museum also has an good collection of other modern artists popular around the middle of the 20th century such as Joan Miro and Max Ernst. Picasso lived in the Antibes-region for a large part of his life, and had a studio in the Grimaldi castle for a few months after the second world war.
"Please note: These are sample itineraries! All of our tours are tailor-made to the clients - we can organize tours for any amount of days, with any interest in mind, at any pace, anywhere in France."
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12/09
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