Tailormade tour Provence fly-drive touring holiday France

Your fly-drive touring holiday of Provence starts when you arrive in Marseille, collect your hire-car and drive for about an hour and a half to your overnight stop, situated in a village surrounded by gently undulating countryside of fields and orchards, with Mont Ventoux in the near distance. The village is very attractive with houses of golden stone, small squares and narrow streets. It is in the Cotes du Ventoux wine region. You stay here for three nights at the Chateau de Mazan (4-star) or at Hotel de Crillon-le-Brave (5-star).

You have two full days to explore this part of the Vaucluse. If wine-tasting appeals then venture out to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Beaumes-de-Venise or Vacqueyras, to taste the best wines of the region. The base of Mont Ventoux is clustered with small market towns such as Caromb or Carpentras. Drive the short distance to Avignon to witness its wealth of impressive ancient and mediaeval architecture. From the Palais des Papes, the largest gothic palace in the world, to the multiple hidden gardens that are scattered along the old city streets, Avignon is a place of veritable beauty. In the summer months your visit may coincide with the Avignon Theatre Festival, founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar and recognised to be one of the greatest in the world. Watch performances of theatre and dance; listen to readings; and indulge in the vibrancy and colour of the event. Less than 45 minutes away lie the tranquil turquoise waters of beautiful Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Follow the trail of water exquisite in its clarity and colour through the pools and channels created by this subterranean spring, and water that has inspired poets for hundreds of years. Petrarch lived here in the 14th century and his now is now a museum. There is also a museum of the Resistance, a museum of Provencal ‘santons’, workshops of hand-blown crystal and a mill making paper by hand using 15th century techniques.

Today is a glorious, gentle drive into some of the most beautiful countryside of Provence as you enter the Luberon, a gentle landscape of vineyards, orchards, rolling hills and home to the famous lavender and sunflowers, associated greatly with Provence. Your destination in this region is the village of Joucas where you spend two nights.

Today should be spend exploring the landscape and the neighbouring villages of the Luberon. Just 20 minutes from Joucas is one of the finest examples of the famous Provencal lavender fields at the Abbaye de Sénanque, just outside the village of Gordes. The former Cistercian monastery dates from 1148 and now guests can take tours of the church and cloisters and feast their eyes on beautiful fields of lavender beyond (the lavender is usually harvested by the beginning of August and is in bloom from the end of June). For a more in- depth view of the history of lavender in Provence why not visit the Musée de la Lavande in Coustellet. Gordes itself is one of the most beautiful villages in Provence and nearby is the curious Village des Bories, an open-air museum of stone dwellings possibly dating as far back as the Bronze Age. Explore along the Sorgue River and the surrounding countryside by bike or on foot. Local markets take place in the villages every day: Lourmarin and Bonnieux on a Friday, Gordes on a Tuesday and Menerbes on a Thursday, for example.

Continue your tour through the villages of the Luberon before you reach the delightful city of Aix-en-Provence, overlooked by the Montagne Saint-Victoire, recognisable from the works of Cezanne. Recognised as a cosmopolitan hub of the south of France, the streets of Aix-en-Provence are lined with boutique shops specialising in art, jewellery, and fashion. Fine dining is also an attractive in Aix with exclusive cafés and Michelin-starred restaurants, many on the Cours Mirabeau. Yet, it is the historical heritage of the town that really makes its chic cosmopolitan side come to life. A haven for Paul Cézanne, his ‘atelier’ is available for viewing, recreating the artistic and productive space in which he used to work. A short walk from the ‘atelier’ is Les Lauves, the spot from which Cézanne developed his love affair with Montagne Sainte-Victoire. On Saturday mornings there are busy farmers’ markets and the Musee du Calisson, where you can learn about the famous sweets. The main art gallery is the Musee Granet in the Mazarin district, full of elegant 17th and 18th century townhouses. You spend one night in Aix-en-Provence.

Today you travel from Aix-en-Provence to Arles but we suggest you take a slight detour north of the obvious route, to head into the Parc Regional des Alpilles and witness yet another landscape of Provence. Les Alpilles are a chain on limestone mountains, full of lots of natural scenery and displaying an authentic Provence. This is the land of the authors Alphonse Daudet (you can see his mill at Fontvieille) and Frederic Mistral and of Van Gogh who lived in St Remy de Provence. The landscape has the limestone peaks, but pine and oak forests, fields of olive trees and avenues of cypress. Dotted around are farmhouse of ancient drystone. St Remy de Provence is the place to head for first, where three civilisations are represented in a single site at Glanum, then to Les Baux de Provence, a mountain-top village with 22 historic monuments and with outstanding views over the countryside below. From Les Baux you are just 8 km from Fontvielle, a pretty village with ancient houses and where Alphonse Daudet wrote his famous ‘Lettres de Mon Moulin’. Arles, your destination for today, is just 7km from here. You stay at Arles for two nights.

Arles is an ancient city on the river Rhone and gateway to the Camargue. Important in Roman times, the amphitheatre is a major landmark of the city today, where plays, concerts and bull flights are held. There is also a Gallo-Roman theatre, an aqueduct and Roman baths. The city and its surrounds inspired Van Gogh when he lived here for 18 months in 1888-1889. From Arles explore the nearby marshlands of the Camargue, at the delta of the river Rhone. The Camargue is approximately a third lakes or marshland and home to more than 400 species of birds. Horses and cattle roam the area. It is worth heading for the fortified, walled town of Aigues-Mortes which seemingly rises from the marshes and saltpans of the Camargue, although not officially in Provence as it is in the department of the Gard in Languedoc.

Today, continue to explore the town of Arles, depending on the time of your return flight from Marseille to London.