Burgundy, Provence & Riviera

Paris – Chablis – Beaune. At 07:30 we collect you from your hotel in Paris and set off for Chablis, travelling about 190 kilometres on the motorway in an air‑conditioned Mercedes minivan. The drive takes roughly 2.5 hours with one stop at a rest area.

From 10:15–11:30 you visit Domaine Jean‑Marc Brocard for a cellar tour and a guided tasting of five wines with cheese – Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru – with clear explanations of the winemaking process and the differences between the appellations.

Continue to Chablis village at 11:30–12:30 for a second tasting with a local producer, sampling five wines including Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru and Grand Cru. You have free time in Chablis until 14:00 to explore the village at your own pace, or you can request a reservation for a gastronomic lunch.

From 14:00–15:00 you visit Maison Régnard, founded in 1860, for a tasting of five wines with insights from a local sommelier. At 15:00 you stop at a fourth Chablis house for a further guided tasting of five wines.

Depart for Beaune at 16:00, about 135 kilometres on the motorway, taking around 1.5 hours. From 17:30–18:30 you visit the Hospices de Beaune – Hôtel‑Dieu, a former charitable almshouse founded in 1443. The original hospital building is a celebrated example of 15th‑century Burgundian architecture and is among the best preserved Renaissance buildings in Europe.

At 19:00 you check in to the hotel in Beaune. You have the evening free.

Beaune – Pommard – Lyon – Avignon. Check out of your hotel in Beaune at 09:00, then from 09:30–10:45 you delve into Burgundy’s wines with a professional sommelier at Caves Patriarche in the centre of town. Founded in 1780 in a former convent, this historic house holds one of the region’s largest cellars, with 5 kilometres of tunnels running beneath Beaune.

At 10:45 you drive the short distance to Château de Pommard. From 11:00–12:30 you taste five wines from Château de Pommard and Famille Carabello –Baum as part of the La Route des Grands Crus experience with a sommelier, exploring how Pinot Noir and Chardonnay express themselves across Burgundy’s villages and terroirs, the five subregions and their specialities, how natural factors shape flavour, and Burgundy’s classifications.

From 12:30–14:00 you have free time in Pommard or Beaune for lunch – you can wander the medieval streets, or enjoy a meal at a local restaurant.

At 14:00 you depart for Lyon along the motorway – around 160 kilometres and about two hours, with one stop at a rest area. From 16:00–18:00 youtake a city tour of France’s third largest city at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône, renowned for its cuisine and UNESCO‑listed historic districts including Vieux Lyon, Fourvière, the Presqu’île and the slopes of Croix–Rousse. You will also have time to eat in a local restaurant if you wish.

At 18:00 you continue to Avignon – around 230 kilometres and approximately 2.5 hours. You arrive at about 20:30 and check in to the hotel.

Avignon – Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Les Baux-de-Provence – Avignon. Today you start with a guided walking tour of Avignon at 08:30-0:30, the unofficial capital of Provence on the left bank of the Rhône. Enclosed by remarkably preserved medieval walls, its historic centre – including the Pont d’Avignon – is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the seat of the papacy in the 14th century.

From 09:30–11:00 you visit the Palais des Papes, Europe’s largest Gothic palace, built in under 20 years by combining the Old Palace of Benedict XII and the New Palace of Clement VI, with vast ceremonial halls, frescoed chapels by Matteo Giovanetti and the popes’ private apartments.

Afterwards you continue to nearby Châteauneuf-du-Pape for a village visit and a guided wine tasting, then return to Avignon. You have free time for lunch in the centre from 12:30–13:30.

At 13:30 you drive to Baux-de-Provence – about 40 km, around 45 minutes – and from 14:15–16:45 you explore this medieval village set high on a rocky outcrop, crowned by a ruined castle with panoramic views. You then return to Avignon, arriving around 17:30. You have the rest of the day free.

Avignon – Pont du Gard – Nîmes – Arles – Avignon. At 08:30 you leave Avignon for the Pont du Gard – around 30 km – arriving about 09:00. Explore this first‑century Roman aqueduct, the highest of its kind and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 for its exceptional preservation and engineering.

Continue to Nîmes at 11:00 – about 30 minutes – arriving for a 11:30–12:30 walking tour. With deep Roman roots, the city is known for the Arena of Nîmes and the Maison Carrée. You have free time for lunch in the city centre until 14:00.

From 14:00–15:00 you visit the Roman arena, one of the best preserved anywhere. Built at the end of the first century AD, it measures 133 metres by 101 metres with a 21‑metre‑high façade and seating for more than 23,000 across 34 tiers.

You depart Nîmes at 15:15 for Arles – about 35 km – arriving at 16:00 for a walking tour. Arles’ Roman monuments were listed by UNESCO in 1981, and artists including Picasso, Gauguin and Van Gogh worked here – Van Gogh lived in the city from 1888 to 1889 and created more than 300 works.

Head back to Avignon at 18:00 – about 40 km drive – arriving around 18:45. You have the evening free.

Avignon – Gordes – Roussillon – Moustiers-Sainte-Marie – Nice. Depart Avignon for Gordes at 08:00, about 1 hour on picturesque national roads, with a brief photo stop at Abbaye Notre–Dame de Sénanque for views of the lavender fields and the abbey. From 09:30–10:30 you visit the medieval village of Gordes.

At 10:30 you continue to Roussillon, with another short stop at Abbaye Notre–Dame de Sénanque for photos – around 1 hour on scenic roads. From 11:30–12:30 you take a short walking tour of Roussillon to see its famous ochre landscape within the Luberon Regional Natural Park. One of the former ochre quarries can be visited via the Sentier des Ocres (Ochre Path).

You have free time for lunch in the village centre until 14:00 when you then continue to Moustiers–Sainte–Marie – about 2 hours (100 km). From 15:00–17:00 you explore this mountain village, listed since 1981 among the most beautiful in France, with its church, old walls, chapels, aqueduct and fountains. It is also known for handmade ceramics (faience), which you can browse in local shops.

At 17:00 you travel to Nice – around 2.5 hours (150 km) on scenic national roads. Arrive in Nice at around 19:30 and check‑in at a centrally located hotel – you have the evening free.

Nice – Èze – Monaco – Nice. You begin with a panoramic tour of Nice from 08:30–11:00, often considered the Côte d’Azur’s unofficial capital. At 11:00 you drive to the hilltop village of Eze – about 30 minutes (18 km). From 11:30–14:00 you explore Eze, perched 427 metres above the sea and nicknamed an eagle’s nest, and visit the Fragonard perfume museum. You have time for lunch at your own pace.

Continue to Monaco at 14:00 – around 20 minutes (9 km). In Monaco you take a guided walking tour from 14:30–19:00 and visit the Oceanographic Museum, inaugurated in 1910 by Prince Albert I and later directed by Jacques‑Yves Cousteau from 1957 to 1988. Following renovations, the museum marked its centenary in March 2010 and today displays marine life alongside maritime objects such as model ships, animal skeletons, tools and weapons. You then have free time in Monaco.

At 19:00 you return to Nice – about 30 minutes (20 km) – arriving around 19:30, with the evening free.

Nice – Saint-Paul-de-Vence – Cannes – Nice. Depart Nice for Saint‑Paul‑de‑Vence at 08:30, a medieval hilltop village – about 45 minutes (22 km).

From 09:15–11:00 you explore Saint‑Paul‑de‑Vence, one of the oldest towns on the French Riviera, known for modern and contemporary art at venues such as Fondation Maeght and the 17th century Saint‑Charles–Saint‑Claude chapel. Artists such as Jacques Raverat, Gwen Raverat and Marc Chagall lived here, and former Rolling Stones bassist, Bill Wyman, has a home in the area.

At 11:00 you continue to Cannes – about 1 hour (30 km). From 12:00–13:00 you take a walking tour, from the Promenade de la Croisette with its beaches, restaurants, cafés, boutiques and grand hotels to the old quarter of Le Suquet for views over the city and La Croisette. The fortified tower and the Chapelle Sainte‑Anne house the Musée des Explorations du monde.

You have free time for lunch and to explore Cannes at your own pace until you return to Nice at 16:00 – about 1 hour (33 km). Arrive in Nice at around 17:00 where your journey ends. You can return to Paris by TGV – around 5.5 hours from Nice or Cannes – or continue your stay in Nice or along the Côte d’Azur independently.