Provence in the footsteps of Cézanne & Van Gogh

Day 1 – Avignon

Scheduled flight from your preferred airport to France – transfer with our tour manager in our private executive coach to the 4* Mercure Avignon Centre Palais Des Papes in Avignon – dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 2 – Avignon, Le Palais des Papes & Pont d’Avignon

Guided walking tour of the UNESCO listed town of Avignon takes in the ramparts, the Petit Palais and the Cathedral – guided tour of Le Palais des Papes, the Pope’s Palace, the largest and most important Gothic palace in Europe testifying to the leading role played by Avignon in 14th century Christian Europe – Pont St Bénezet, or Pont d’Avignon, was built in the 12th century and put out of use by a flood in 1668 and today only four of the original 22 arches remain.

Day 3 – Aix-en-Provence, ‘In Cézanne’s footsteps’ & Musée Granet

Guided walking tour of Aix-en- Provence, Cézanne’s birthplace, introduces us to its beautiful buildings and magnificent squares and follows ‘In Cézanne’s footsteps’, discovering his life and the landscapes that inspired the great painter including a visit to his studio which has been preserved as he left it – an audio guided tour of Musée Granet introduces us to one of France’s richest provincial art galleries with works by French painters from the 16th to 20th centuries (including works by Cézanne).

Day 4 – Arles, Espace Van Gogh & Clinique Van Gogh

Guided walking tour of Arles takes in the magnificent Romanesque cathedral of Sainte-Trophîme, the two-tiered Roman Amphitheatre, one of the best preserved monuments of Roman Provence, and the remains of the Roman Theatre – it was in Arles that Vincent van Gogh experienced his first bout of insanity and we visit the Espace Van Gogh, the hospital where he painted some of his most famous works – in 1888 in St Rémy de Provence Vincent van Gogh institutionalised himself at the asylum at St Paul de Mausole, now known as the Clinique Van Gogh, and during his year there produced 146 oil paintings and 150 drawings!

Day 5 – Nîmes, La Maison Carrée & Pont du Gard

Morning at leisure in Nîmes, a town with 2,000 years of history, architecture and art – explore the stunning Roman temple known as La Maison Carrée, one of the finest remaining examples of a Roman temple in the world – reaching a height of 49 metres, the Pont du Gard is the major structure along the Nîmes Aqueduct and is the highest aqueduct bridge ever built by the Romans.

Day 6 – Marseilles & Musée Cantini

After a short walking tour of Marseilles this morning, visit Musée Cantini, housing the 20th century art collection of sculptor Jules Cantini, and Surrealist, Cubist and Fauve paintings – transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight home.