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.......Then Join
TERC's Taste of Paris and Provence tour.
Exceptional cuisine,
magnificent art, opulent architecture and gardens, simple vineyards and
outstanding wine, hill towns of the Impressionists, Roman ruins, and fascinating
cultures are just a sample of what you will experience on this tour.
You'll start your experience of France in Paris--the City of Light and Contrast.
You'll wander her tiny lanes and alleyways as well as her grand boulevards;
explore her elegant old museums, palaces, and cathedrals along side
her modern counter parts; and savor her cuisine on the street in addition
to her romantic cafes. Next you will take a TGV to our first Provicial
homebase in Arles to catch the flavor of this most interesting area of France.
Walk in the foot steps of Romans, Crusaders, Popes, and Impressionists,
stroll her markets and villages and taste her multicultural cuisine.
You will spend a week in the Luberon, a region of perched villages
amidst vineyards and lavender and sunflower fields--an area celebrated
by author Peter Mayle in his "A Year in Provence" and "Hotel Patis".
For all the exciting places you will visit, see detailed Itinerary
below. (limit 8 persons)
A Taste of Paris and Provence:
Here is a daily schedule to help you plan for each day. It lists your
daily sightseeing plan, where you'll sleep each night, the amount of
free time you'll likely have, and an estimation of time needed to accomplish
the basic sightseeing plan.
See Photo Description of Tour
Day
1: Arrive in Paris —
Look for a note posted in the hotel lobby that will tell you where to
meet this afternoon. We'll get together for introductions at 3:00 p.m. and
leave about 4:00 p.m. for a neighborhood stroll. We'll then have an orientation
dinner together where you will get your 3 day Musee Pass that will give you
the "run of Paris" (stick with the following Paris itinerary or
take off on your own for the next few days--Your Choice). (4
nights)
Day
2: Historic Paris — Let's begin where Paris did,
the Ile de la Cité, and visit Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle. After
lunch together, we'll take a walking tour of the Latin Quarter and then the
medieval Marais neighborhood. We will end at Samaritine Department
Store for tea and a breathtaking roof top view of Paris. Rest of day and
dinner tonight is on your own.
Day
3: Louvre Museum; Free Time — Our day begins with
a walk from Place de la Concorde through the Tuileries Garden to the Louvre,
where a local guide will show us the highlights of this magnificent museum.
Your afternoon is free to spend in the Louvre or wherever you choose —
perhaps at the that "mecca for moderns," the Pompidou Center or
with sensuous sculpture at the Rodin? Tonight we'll enjoy dinner together.
Day
4: Château de Versailles — Today
is devoted to exploring the elaborate palace that Louis XIV, XV, and XVI
called home. We'll pack a royal picnic which we'll savor in Marie Antoinette's
favorite residence garden--the Petit Trianon. We'll then tour key rooms
of the palace together after which you'll have free time to wander on your
own or return to Paris via the frequent 30 minute trains. Dinner on your
own and pack tonight for tomorrow's departure.
Day
5: Au revoir Paris! Bon
Jour Arles!— Today we board France's renowned TGV and speed
to our first Provençal home base, Arles. Once settled into our
accommodations we will tour this fantastically preserved town with its Roman
monuments and reminders of Vincent van Gogh. Tonight we'll enjoy our
first Provençal meal together. (2 nights)
Day
6: Roman Ruins Galore: Pont du Gard aqueduct, Glanum ancient
settlement and Arles Theater + St-Remy — We'll head west
stopping to admire one of Europe's most remarkable Roman ruins—the
2,000-year-old aqueduct, Pont du Gard. We will then swing over to St-Remy
for lunch and a visit on our way to Glanum, an ancient archeological
sight. Here we will see layers of history from early Neolithic homesteads
to Greek and Roman buildings. Our day ends in our quintessentially
Provençal town of Arles where we'll see her Roman theater by sunset.
Day
7: Free morning in Arles, afternoon in Les Baux —
It's market day in Arles—you're free to do the market or
visit more of this city's many sights with your museum pass. After lunch,
we'll start our drive to our Lubéron homebase near Apt. A
short drive from Arles, we'll stop at the soaring hill town of Les Baux and
explore its wind-blown ruins. Late afternoon we'll arrive at our homebase
for the next week. (7 nights in Luberon Gite)
Day
8: L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue & Antiques Market —
Today we'll leisurely drive through plane tree lined roads to
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue with her internationally known Sunday Antiques Market.
Situated within a split in the Sorgue River, this babbling village still
has it's rotating mossy waterwheels that once powered a thriving wool and
silk industry. After the market, we'll check out her 12th century festive
Baroque Cathedral before moving on to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse's spectacular
waterfall at the source of the Sorgue River.
Day
9: Lubéron Villages — We'll spend our day
among the villages and mountains of rural Provence--getting acquainted with
Peter Mayle's Lubéron. Some of our favorite include Catholic
Bonnieux and Menerbes and Protestant Lacoste (also one time home of notorious
Count de Sade). Those who are up to it can hike into the ancient mystical
Cedar forest near Bonnieux. your choice.
Day
10: Gordes and around — This picturesque hill
top town, so popular with Parisian media personalities, will make you want
to paint and sketch! Before we enter Gordes, we will take a small detour
to the Abby de Senaque, situated in a valley of lavender. You then
will have a few hours of free time in Gordes for lunch and just wondering
through her windy streets, church, and shops. Mid afternoon we'll slip
out of Gordes to visit the Village des Borises and find out what all those
huge stone "beehive shaped" structures are all about!
Day
11: Ochre & Lavender — In the morning we'll
slide into a "painter's pallet" as we arrive in the colorful village of
Roussillon! The village houses radiate all the shades of the different
ochre tints, once quarried here. After browsing the village and her wonderful
pottery, we will take a footpath into a flaming ampatheatre of curving walls
and pinnacles--once a quarry. After you buy more film and lunch, we
will continue on to the Lavender Musee and learn about it's manufacture and
magic qualities!
Day
12: Vaison la Romaine and the Côtes
du Rhône — Today begins with a visit of Vaison's Roman city.
We'll then set out for an afternoon romp along the majestic Côtes du
Rhône wine and truffle road, stopping to sample the local products
and wine soaked villages.
Day
13: Free Day in the Lubéron & Provence—
Spend your day snoozing or catching up on laundry and letters. Or
talk your guide into one of your "must see" sights. Your choice.
Day
14: Popes & Palaces — We check out of our
Lubéron homebase and head to Avignon for our last tour night. After
lunch we'll tour the town and visit the Palace of the Popes. (Did you know
the papacy was split between Rome and France for 108 years (1309-1417) and
the other half was in Avignon?). We will have our Au revoir dinner
together tonight.
Day
15: Tour over — Your tour is over after breakfast.
Weather you are staying longer or headed home, your guide will be happy
to send you off in the right direction and help with any trip planning needs.
Itinerary specifics are subject to change.
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Add On Special:
Start your vacation
with this Tour or add another TERC Tour and
make them your special holiday. If you sign up for another TERC Tour just
before or after this one--TERC WILL THROW IN TRAIN TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN
the two destinations--(a $215-264 value).
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See what's included in this tour--
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