Provencal Escape: 6 Days Saint-Remy, Hilltop Villages & Cooking

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Saint-Remy-de-Provence

Transfer from Avignon or Marseille to Saint-Remy-de-Provence, one of the most enchanting towns in the Alpilles region. This is where Van Gogh found refuge and inspiration — and where Nostradamus was born in 1503. Your base is a converted 18th-century mas (farmhouse) with a pool, surrounded by olive groves and lavender fields. Welcome dinner: rosé on the terrace as the sun sets over the Alpilles mountains.

Day 2: Van Gogh’s Provence — Saint-Paul de Mausole & Olive Mill

Morning visit to Saint-Paul de Mausole, the monastery where Van Gogh spent the last year of his life (1889-90). The Romanesque cloister hasn’t changed — the same lavender, irises, and wheat fields that appear in his paintings are cultivated here. Walk the Van Gogh trail through town, with reproductions of his paintings placed at the spots where he set up his easel. Afternoon: visit a family-run olive oil mill — the Alpilles are home to AOP olives (Aglandau, Grossane, Salonenque varieties). Learn the cold-press process and taste award-winning oils. Evening: dinner at a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant in town.

Day 3: Hilltop Villages — Les Baux, Eygalieres & Menerbes

A day exploring the “villages perches” (perched villages) of the Alpilles and Luberon. Les Baux-de-Provence, a medieval fortress-village with 4,000 years of history, 245m above the plains. Eygalieres, a sleepy village of stone houses beneath the ruins of a 12th-century keep — the favorite hidden gem of many Provencal insiders. Menerbes, the village that Peter Mayle made famous in “A Year in Provence,” a long ribbon of honey-stone houses on a narrow ridge with 360-degree views over the Luberon. Lunch at a village auberge. Afternoon wine tasting at a small-production Domaine in the Cotes du Luberon AOC.

Day 4: Market Day & Provencal Cooking Immersion

Morning at the Saint-Remy Wednesday market — one of the finest in Provence, filling the entire old town. With your chef-guide, select ingredients for today’s class: seasonal vegetables, fresh goat cheeses, olives, herbs, and fish from the Mediterranean. Afternoon: immersive cooking class (4 hours) in a private kitchen. Learn the foundations of Provencal cuisine: how to make a proper aioli, the secret to bouillabaisse (it’s the rouille), and why ratatouille is cooked in separate stages. The class ends with a long, leisurely meal on the terrace — each course paired with local wines. Overnight in Saint-Remy.

Day 5: Alpilles Hiking & Glanum Roman Ruins

Morning hike in the Alpilles Regional Nature Park, a compact limestone range with dramatic jagged peaks, wild rosemary and thyme perfuming the air, and olive groves stretching to the horizon. A gentle 2-3 hour walk to the Saint-Sixte chapel (12th century), with panoramic views of the Ventoux and Luberon mountains. Afternoon: explore Glanum, one of the most important archaeological sites in southern France — a complete Greco-Roman city with a triumphal arch, mausoleum (the “Mausoleum of the Julii,” 30 BC), forum, baths, and residential quarter, all superbly preserved. It was here the Romans built their first town in Gaul, atop an earlier Greek settlement. Farewell dinner in Saint-Remy.

Day 6: Depart Provence

Final morning in Saint-Remy — browse the boutiques for lavender products, Provencal textiles, and santons (hand-painted clay figurines). Transfer to Avignon TGV or Marseille Airport.

Inclusions

• 5 nights charming mas/guesthouse Saint-Remy with breakfast
• Saint-Paul de Mausole + Van Gogh trail + Glanum ruins
• Olive oil mill tour & tasting
• Hilltop villages full-day excursion
• Saint-Remy market visit + 4-hour cooking class + meal
• Alpilles guided hike
• 4 dinners incl. welcome & farewell + Michelin Bib Gourmand
• Private vehicle + English-speaking guide throughout