Aix-en-Provence

Culture & History

Get the full South of France experience with this half-day, small-group wine tour to two wineries in the Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire wine region.  This half-day tour from Aix-en-Provence to the Sainte-Victoire mountain wine-producing area will begin with a trip through the stunning landscape. A majestic mountain and lush vineyards serve as the perfect backdrop to the experience.  A wine region that extends over more than 47,000 acres, the Côtes de Provence AOC is the majority producer of Provence wines. Once you have reached the Côtes de Provence wine region, visit and taste local wines in two carefully selected, family-owned wineries.  Go on a fascinating journey through the history of each estate, with a focus on the wine-making process. After a visit to the technical installations to better understand how the wines are made, you'll then taste the excellent wines. 

Enjoy a half-day wine tour in the scenic landscape of Sainte-Victoire Mountain, inspiration for the famous post impressionist artist Paul Cézanne, who painted many pictures of the mountain between 1880 and 1883. The Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire vineyards are located east of Aix-en-Provence, and like all vineyards in Provence, are considered some of the most natural in France, due to the drying effects of the Mistral wind. The poor and shallow soils, formed by limestone and argillaceous sandstone, help to produce high-quality vineyards. Learn about the characteristics of the terroir, and explore the wine making process while visiting the cellars of 2 separate wine estates. Meet the winemakers, and taste AOC Côtes de Provence wines in 3 colors - tasty, full-bodied reds of excellent structure, subtle elegant rosés, and whites of distinction.

Visit the most beautiful medieval hilltop villages in the southern Luberon. Discover the charms of Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Roussillon, and Gordes on a 6-hour tour. Stop in Lourmarin for some free time, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful villages in France, and noted for its Renaissance castle.Take a photo in Bonnieux, a picture-perfect Provençal village that features a 12th-century church surrounded by ancient cedars. Continue to Roussillon via the Roman-era Pont Julien. Roussillon, perched atop an ochre-colored cliff, is a favorite of painters, and a magical place where combinations of oxides give the ochre an infinite variety of colors. Gordes offers an extraordinary vision of a stone village erected on a massive rock. Its fortress castle and church dominate the houses of the village, which were built with stones taken from the rock on which they sit.

Explore the charming Cassis and its seaside port on this full-day guided tour. Enjoy a boat ride, awe-inspiring scenery, a visit to a local winery to taste Provence rosé, red, and white wines, and more. Meet your guide in Aix-en-Provence to journey to the seaside port of Cassis. Discover this inviting portside village and the Calanques, listed by UNESCO as a world heritage national park. Follow your guide on a walking tour of the village, stroll through the narrow streets of Cassis, and browse the small shops and stores that sell local Provence goods. The tour continues with a panoramic boat ride to the Calanques, located near Cassis. From the small port, reach the Calanques National Park that stretches from Marseille to Cassis, and admire the beautiful coves of the steep rocky coast. After the boat ride, enjoy some free time for exploring Cassis and have lunch (own expense). No tour to Cassis is complete without a drive along the Route des Crêtes. As you leave Cassis, head up towards the highest sea cliff in Europe, Cap Canaille. Your guide will stop in one of the many areas for taking in the views over the village and the surrounding Mediterranean Sea. After the drive to Cap Canaille, enjoy a wine tasting session in the Côtes de Provence – Sainte Victoire. This terroir is ideal for the production of elegant rosé wines and robust and generous red wines. Take in the gorgeous view with the Montagne Sainte Victoire in the back and limestone plateaus, often planted with olive trees. Learn about the winery and its winemaking process. Depending on the winery visited, continue your tasting with reds or whites. After the wine tasting session, you will be dropped off in the city center of Aix-en-Provence.

Travel from Aix-en-Provence to Luberon valley on a full-day tour of the area's charming and unique villages. First make your way to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, and wander through the open-air provencal market, and along the canals, taking time to stop in the various antique shops. Then enjoy lunch on your own in the exceptional hilltop village of Gordes. Afterward (from mid-June to mid-July only) stop for photos of the blooming lavender fields at Senanque Abbey. Continue to the colorful village of Roussillon and its ochre cliffs. Stop for a photo in Bonnieux and on the way admire the Pont Julien, a Roman bridge. Make your way back through the picturesque and winding Combe of Lourmarin. Stop in Lourmarin, one of the most beautiful villages in France, famous for its Renaissance castle. Here you can enjoy some free time before returning to Aix-en-Provence.

Take your tastebuds on an adventure with a food tour of Aix-en-Provence. Enjoy tasty stops and historical anecdotes about the different streets and places along the way. Start the tour with a tasting of artisanal olive oils as well as three different spreads. Sample a charcuterie and cheese board and discover a delicious Corsican delicatessen. Discover the delicious truffle, which is native to the area, and taste some amazing truffle ham in a charmingly French atmosphere. Visit one of the most famous pastry shops in the region, founded in 1954. Taste one of its specialties, the Tarte Tropézienne, a cake made from sweet brioche filled with cream.

Meet your English speaking guide in front of the Tourist Information Center in Aix en Provence and start your gourmet walking tour in the historical center. Thanks to this guided tour, you will be able to discover this charming Provencal town and also to please yourself with the diversified scents and flavors of the region.  Let your senses be amazed by the colors and the smells of several local products, be tempted by some Calisson, the sweetest candy of all time created in Aix en Provence, appreciate a toast of green or black tapenade, taste a piece of cheese or a glass of wine from one of the local wine appellations. Everything is organized in order to allow you to discover what Provencal gastronomy truly means.

This full-day tour takes you on a discovery of the hilltop villages in the Luberon region as well as the wine-making region of Sainte-Victoire. You will journey from Aix-en-Provence to Mount Sainte-Victoire, which was the source of inspiration for the famous painter Cézanne from 1880 to 1883. You will visit 2 wine properties, where you can sample the locally produced red and rosé wine from the appellation of Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire. You will have some free time for lunch in Aix-en-Provence before you head off to discover the typical hilltop villages in the Luberon region. Along the way you will take a photo stop in Lourmarin, famous for its Renaissance castle. You will visit Bonnieux, where you can stroll through this picture-perfect Provencal village topped by a 12th century church. You will then explore the colorful village of Roussillon, where all the houses are painted ocher. You will also visit Gordes, an amazing hilltop village built entirely with local dry stones called “lauze“.

Depart from Aix-en-Provence and drive along the scenic, countryside roads passing the colorful lavender fields on the Plateau of Valensole. Enjoy plenty of stops to take photos and soak up the breathtaking sights and scents of the 'Blue Gold of Provence'.  Later, stop at a farmer/producer's place and learn everything about the cultivation, distillation, and the properties of pure lavender and lavadin (a hybrid plant). Finally, take the opportunity to purchase the essential oil, olive oil, lavender honey directly from them.

Depart from Aix-en-Provence, drive along the scenic roads winding across the fields of flowers. Arrive on the wide Plateau of Valensole with its 800 square meters plateau, it specializes in the cultivation of lavandin, a hybrid lavender plant as well as cereals. It's nicknamed 'The Granary of the Region.' You will have many photo stops by the lavender fields in bloom and enjoy the breathtaking sights and scents. Stop at a farmer/ producer's place and learn everything about the cultivation, distillation and the properties of pure lavender and lavandin.  Have an opportunity to purchase pure lavender and lavandin essential oils, olive oil and lavender honey directly from them.