Legendary Art and Provence – The Tour

From Van Gogh to Cezanne six-day/five-night trip from Paris to Provence

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From Our Customers…

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Five Days in Provence Tour Itinerary

This is a six-day itinerary that includes visits to the studios of Cezanne and Van Gogh, a day tour of Martigues, a visit to the Hotel de Caumont and Fondation Vincent van Gogh, and tours of Arles and the Alpilles Region. The trip ends with a private transfer from Aries to Avignon Marseille Airport.

Day 1 — Arrive in Aix-en-Provence

Private transfer from Marseille airport to your hotel in the center of Aix-en-Provence. Aix is the old capital of Provence and the city where Cézanne was born, lived, and painted for most of his life. The rest of the day is yours — the Cours Mirabeau, the city’s grand tree-lined boulevard, is the natural place to start. Lined with 17th and 18th-century mansions, fountains, and café terraces, it’s been the heart of the city for 400 years. Dinner on your own.

Day 2 — Martigues

Breakfast at the hotel. Meet your driver-guide for a private full-day tour to Martigues, about 45 minutes south of Aix on the shore of the Étang de Berre. Known as “La Venise Provençale,” Martigues is built across three islands connected by canals and bridges. The Quartier des Pêcheurs along the Canal Saint-Sébastien is one of the most painted scenes in Provence — Félix Ziem moved here in 1860, and after him came Renoir, Dufy, and Picabia, all drawn to the light reflecting off the water and the colorful fishermen’s houses.

Visit the Ziem Museum, which holds works by Ziem and the artists he attracted to the town. After lunch on your own, a one-hour boat trip takes you through the canals for a perspective of Martigues you can’t get on foot. Return to Aix.

Day 3 — Aix-en-Provence & the Hôtel de Caumont

Breakfast, then meet your guide at 9:00 a.m. for a full day in Aix. Start with Cézanne’s Studio on the hill above the old town. The studio has been preserved almost exactly as he left it — his easel, his coat, the objects he arranged for his still lifes are all still there. He painted here every morning for the last four years of his life, walking up the hill from his apartment in town. From the garden you can see Mont Sainte-Victoire, the mountain he painted obsessively — over 80 times in oil and watercolor.

Walk down through the old town, past the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur and through the narrow streets and squares with their moss-covered fountains. Lunch on your own — Aix has no shortage of options.

In the afternoon, the Hôtel de Caumont — an 18th-century mansion near the Cours Mirabeau that’s been converted into an art center. It hosts two major exhibitions a year dedicated to prominent artists past and present. The building itself is worth the visit, with period rooms restored to their original grandeur and formal gardens in the courtyard.

Day 4 — Aix to Arles

Breakfast and check out. Your driver-guide picks you up at 10:00 a.m. for the drive to Arles, where Van Gogh arrived in February 1888 seeking the light of the south. He spent 15 months here — the most productive period of his life — completing over 300 paintings and drawings. The yellow house he rented on Place Lamartine is gone, bombed in WWII, but many of the scenes he painted are still recognizable throughout the city.

Check in to your hotel in central Arles. Morning tour of Van Gogh’s Arles — the café terrace on Place du Forum that he painted at night, the banks of the Rhône where he painted Starry Night Over the Rhône, the hospital garden where he was treated after cutting off his ear. Included admission to the Musée Réattu, housed in a former Knights of Malta priory on the Rhône, with collections spanning old masters to contemporary photography.

Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, the Fondation Vincent van Gogh — not a collection of Van Gogh’s own work (those are scattered across the world’s major museums) but a museum dedicated to his creative peak in Arles and his influence on contemporary artists. Changing exhibitions put Van Gogh in conversation with modern and contemporary art. Then a private half-day tour through Arles and on to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, following Van Gogh’s path from the city to the countryside.

Day 5 — The Alpilles

Breakfast, then a full day in the Alpilles with your guide. First to Les Baux de Provence, a fortress village perched 245 meters above the valley on a rocky limestone spur. The views from the top stretch across the Alpilles to the Camargue. The village itself is a maze of medieval stone — the Museum of Santons, the 16th-century Hôtel des Porcelets, the Romanesque Church of Saint-Vincent.

Near Les Baux, the Carrières de Lumières — an immersive sound and light show projected onto the walls of a former limestone quarry. The quarry’s massive interior surfaces become the canvas for floor-to-ceiling projections of great artworks. The show changes yearly, so check with us for the current exhibition.

After lunch, drive to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and the Monastery of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. Van Gogh voluntarily committed himself here in May 1889 after the ear incident in Arles. He stayed for a year. During that time, working from his small room and the garden, he painted over 150 works — including The Starry Night, Almond Blossoms, and Irises. His bedroom has been reconstructed, and the wheat field he painted from his window is still there. Walk the “Footsteps of Van Gogh” trail through Saint-Rémy, where 19 reproduction panels are placed at the exact spots where he set up his easel. Finish at the Estrine Museum, a modern and contemporary art center with a Van Gogh visitor center. All admissions included.

Day 6 — Departure

Breakfast and check out. Private transfer from Arles to Marseille airport or rail station.

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Your Hotels

Three nights in Aix-en-Provence and two nights in Arles, both centrally located. 3-star or 4-star options available. Breakfast and city taxes included each night.

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Getting There

The tour begins with a private transfer from Marseille airport. If arriving by train, Avignon TGV or Marseille are both options — contact us and we’ll coordinate. Rail to and from Paris is not included. We can book your tickets once tour dates are confirmed.

Nice airport pickup or drop-off also available on request.

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Cancellation Policy

More than 90 days — 10% of total. 90 to 45 days — 30%. 44 to 31 days — 50%. 30 to 8 days — 75%. Less than 8 days — 100%. Please contact us as soon as possible to ensure proper processing.

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