Day 1 - Arrive Paris

Upon arrival at Paris airport you are met by your driver and privately transferred to your hotel, where you are welcomed to France by a local representative and assisted with check-in procedures.

Overnight: Hotel Lutetia

Day 2 - Paris Sightseeing Tour

Known as the ‘City of Light’, Paris boasts some of the most iconic landmarks and museums in the world. Get your bearings today with a half-day orientation tour, and drive past the city’s most striking sights such as the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées. Your tour includes a visit to what is considered the historic and spiritual heart of Paris, the romantic Ile de la Cité. Here you have the opportunity to explore the stunning Sainte Chapelle, a royal chapel built in Gothic-style, which houses an extensive 13th-century stained glass collection.

You then have a choice of afternoon activities:

Option 1: A behind-the-scenes tour can be organised at the Eiffel Tower. View the internal machinery room located under the structure. You are also able to enter the old secret military bunkers sited under the Champs des Mars, previously dedicated to radio and telegraph equipment. The tour then finishes on the 2nd floor, on the roof of the Michelin-star restaurant, Le Jules Verne.

Option 2: (supplement payable)
Enjoy the gourmet world of Paris, visiting a small private chocolate boutique and tastings with a master chocolatier and a visit to his atelier. You also visit a wonderful patisserie and boulangerie, going into the kitchens and watching the teams make their exquisite cakes, pastries and breads. The tour continues from gourmet shop to gourmet shop, and finishes downstairs at a wonderful bakery, which uses 17th-century ovens, to watch how their unique bread is made.

Option 3: (supplement payable)
Explore the best of Paris’s vintage boutiques with your personal shopping guide who shows you true hidden gems in one of the fashion capitals of the world. Meet specialist sellers and receive private access to boutiques to find a truly unique memento of your trip to Paris.

Overnight: Hotel Lutetia

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Musée du Louvre & Musée d’Orsay

Today you enjoy a half day sightseeing tour of Paris, which includes the world-famous Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.

Originally the royal residence of the Kings of France, the sprawling Louvre palace is arguably the world’s greatest museum, housing a mesmerising collection spanning from remotest antiquity to the mid-19th century. The contemporary main entrance to the museum, a glass pyramid designed by architect I M Pei, caused much controversy when first built, but now is emblematic of the museum and much-admired.

Housed in a stunning 19th-century converted railway station, the Musée d’Orsay is one of Paris’ most famed museums and represents all expressive forms of artistry from painting to architecture, and sculpture to photography. Boasting an extraordinary collection of impressionist works, permanent exhibitions include works by world-renowned artists such as Renoir, Sisley, Pissarro and Monet. Combined with a stunning post-Impressionist collection, which comprises works by Van Gogh and Cézanne amongst others, the museum serves as a fascinating insight into the history of art culture of the western world since 1848.

Overnight: Hotel Lutetia

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - Loire Valley

This morning you are met at your hotel and transferred to Paris Montparnasse railway station where you board a TGV train (1st-class seat reservations have already been made for you). Upon arrival at St Pierre des Corps you meet your driver-guide for a sightseeing tour of the Loire Valley by private vehicle.

You visit the Chateau de Chenonceau that straddles the river and is one of the best-known chateaux of the Loire region. Continuing on to Amboise you visit the Clos Lucé, a handsome Renaissance manor where Leonardo da Vinci spent the last four years of his life. The museum contains working models of some of da Vinci's inventions. Return to Paris by TGV where youare met by your driver and privately transferred back to your hotel.

Overnight: Hotel Lutetia

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Versailles & Giverny

Today you enjoy a full day sightseeing with your private vehicle to Versailles and Giverny. Drive out to Versailles to admire the huge palace of the great Sun King, Louis XIV, visiting the state apartments and decorative gardens.

After lunch at leisure continue on to Normandy to see the house and gardens that inspired Monet in Giverny. The house is decorated in the original colour schemes admired by Monet and in the gardens you see the famous Japanese bridge and water lily pond.

Overnight: Hotel Lutetia

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Paris - Avignon

Today you are met at your hotel and privately transferred to the railway station. Here you are shown to your reserved 1st-class seating and your luggage is handled onboard for you. Upon arrival at Avignon railway station you are met from the door of the train and your luggage is handled for you. You are then privately transferred to your hotel where you are assisted with check-in.   

This afternoon meet your local guide for a half-day walking tour in the magnificent papal stronghold of Avignon. Visit the Clock Square before entering the huge Palais des Papes, where seven exiled popes lived between 1309 and 1377 and where the main rooms are decorated with excellent 14th-century frescoes.

Overnight: La Mirande

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - St Remy & Les Baux

This morning is at leisure.

This afternoon you may wish to drive out to the countryside to have a rustic lunch of fresh local specialities with a true Provencal peasant and visit the medieval chapel and cloisters of the asylum into which Van Gogh voluntarily admitted himself.

See the ruined medieval citadel of Les Baux de Provence, perched atop a rock dominating the surrounding countryside, and the truly astonishing “Carrières de Lumière” , where overblown coloured photographs depicting the life masterpieces of various artists are projected onto the walls of a huge cave.

Overnight: La Mirande

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Avignon - Luberon - Aix en Provence

The Luberon, inspiration for the book A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle, is a region of rolling hills and verdant nature dotted with churches and rural communities. Drive to the great 12th-century Cistercian Abbey of Sénanque, isolated in a ravine deep in the heart of the countryside, and to Gordes whose cobbled lanes and sweeping views over the surrounding countryside are truly enchanting.

Stop en route in Cavaillon for a Melon Discovery Tour (available June to September only – this is a public tour). The tour includes a visit to a melon farm where full explanations behind the famous melon de Cavaillon are given. Tasting of the local delicacies is a must, before heading towards Aix en Provence, where you check in to your hotel.

Overnight: Villa Gallici

Meal Plan: B

Day 9 - Aix en Provence

This morning your local guide meets you for a half-day walking tour of Aix, once the capital of Provence. Enjoy the bustling Cours Mirabeau, the heart of the town, and a visit to Cézanne's studio. It was here that Cézanne painted some of his best-known works. There is also a striking collection of simple objects which once featured in his still life paintings.

Afternoon at leisure.

Overnight: Villa Gallici

Meal Plan: B

Day 10 - Aix - Mougins

Today you travel to the Côte D’Azur. En route, see the Mont Sainte Victoire, a local landmark and a favourite motif of Cézanne. 
Make your way to the glamorous resort of St Tropez where you can have lunch at leisure. It is really a small fishing village, but its popularity with writers and artists from Colette to Picasso has made it the fashionable place to be seen by European celebrities, who throng to its sun-kissed streets and beaches. St Tropez combines rustic Provence and chic Cote d’Azur, with its winding medieval streets, pastel-painted fishermen’s cottages and port with fishing boats, alongside the mega-yachts of the rich and famous and the cool boutiques and cafés around the harbour.

Also enjoy some time at leisure to explore the town before continuing your scenic journey to the medieval hilltop village of Mougins. See the breathtaking Esterel Massif, between St-Raphaël and Cannes.  Whether you follow the mountain road to the north or the coastal road, one of the most scenic coast roads in France, the views are exhilarating.

Overnight: Le Mas Candille

Meal Plan: B

Day 11 - Grasse

Visit the International Perfume Museum of Grasse where you are given the unique opportunity to step into the shoes of a professional perfumer and create your own signature blend. You even decide on the bottle you wish to use and the packaging so that you can take your bespoke fragrance home with you. Afterwards your driver meets you for your return journey back to Mougins.

Overnight: Le Mas Candille

Meal Plan: B

Day 12 - Cannes

Your day starts with a trip to the famous local market in Cannes, Marché De Forville, where you select the ingredients for your chosen recipe.

Le Mas Candille is renowned for its cuisine and cookery classes and it is here that you spend the rest of the morning in the company of their Michelin-starred chef, David Chauvac, learning the art of Provençal cuisine.

This afternoon is free to explore Mougins at leisure.

Overnight: Le Mas Candille

Meal Plan: B

Day 13 - Nice, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat & Eze

Today meet your local guide and private vehicle for a full-day sightseeing tour to Nice, St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Eze. This morning you have the opportunity to explore the historic atmosphere of Nice's Old Town and colourful market. You also visit the Matisse Museum, which houses a large collection of the artist's work.

Continue on to the port of St Jean Cap Ferrat and the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, follow by Eze and its jaw-dropping views over the Mediterranean sea.

Overnight: Le Mas Candille

Meal Plan: B

Day 14 - Depart Mougins

Transfer to Nice airport for your return flight home. 

Meal Plan: B