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Find below the selection of the best tours in Provence starting from Marseille. Book your tours in Provence with professionals !

Tour in Cassis and the Calanques National Park

Only 30 minutes from Marseille is the most amazing panorama over the coast of Provence.

Cassis is a small fishermen village nested in the rocky coast of Provence. Dominating Cassis is the highest cliff in France: the Cape Canaille. Its climax is 400 meters above the sea. A photo stop or even a picnic upon the Cape Canaille is a must !

Then you will explore Cassis with your guide. Cassis has two main attractions. First is the Calanques National Park. Second is its delicious white wine.

There are three different ways to enjoy the Calanques.

If you are in good physical condition and if you want to swim into the crystal clear water of the fjords follow your guide for a hike into the National Park. You can consider a 2 hour hike to see two of the calanques and 3 to 4 hours to reach the third and most impressive one called En-Vau.

If you are not ready for such a hike your guide will invite you for a boat trip into the fjords. The only difference is that you cannot access the beaches with the boat tours.

If you are ready to spend a little bit more money the must is to board a private yacht in the old port of Marseille and to sail along the coast to the Calanques. You will go ashore whenever you want and enjoy an unforgettable day.

Tour to the villages of Provence

This tour invites you to explore the authentic countryside of Provence within the Luberon Nature Park. This tour allows you to see lavender fields from June 15 to July 21.

The Luberon is located one hour from Marseille. The best villages to discover are : Lourmarin, Roussillon, Gordes, Fontaine de Vaucluse, L’Isle sur Sorgue, Sault and Lacoste.

A private tour inside the Luberon Natural Park is a pure delight. The villages of the Luberon kept their authenticity from the middle ages. They are nested in small valleys or built at the top hills. Each of them is unique.

Van Gogh Tour

Follow the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh in Provence from his arrival in Arles in February 1888 to his leaving of the asylum in Saint Rémy in May 1890.

Arles is located one hour from Marseille. We recommend to spend three hours exploring with your guide. Van Gogh settled in Arles dreaming about creating a painting school. He painted non stop during his stay in Arles but his project broke down after he cut his ear. During your tour you will see the famous Van Gogh café, the hospital where he was admitted after cutting his ear, the place where he had his bedroom in the yellow house and many other corners of the town where reproductions of his paintings are to be seen exactly where he made them.

Follow your guide to visit the asylum of Saint Paul de Mausole. The asylum is locates in Saint Rémy de Provence where Van Gogh arrived in 1889. The psychiatric asylum of Van Gogh is called the Monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole. There you can feel the soul of Van Gogh and discover many landscapes that he painted.
We recommend one hour in and around the Asylum.

Mary Magdalene Tour

The off the beaten track treasure of Provence : the grotto of Mary Magdalene is only accessible if there is no risk of forest fire. We recommend not to do this tour in the summer.

Totally off the beaten track is one of the most important place in the history and culture of Provence. The grotto of Mary Magdalene is hidden in the mountain of Sainte Baume and Mary Magdalene tomb is in the cathedral of Saint Maximin.

You will start the tour with a panoramic drive in Marseille to go the Saint Victor Monastery. The monastery is built upon vestiges of ancient caves where Mary Magdalene settled when she arrived in Marseille.

From Marseille you will need one hour to reach the beginning of the path to the grotto. You will then follow your guide on a large but steep path through the forest. Consider 45 minutes to 1 hour walk up and 20 to 30 minute walk down the mountain.

After spending 2 years in Marseille Mary Magdalene decided to follow the river to go away from everybody and found her asylum in the grotto. She spent the last 33 years of her life in the Grotto.

After the visit of the grotto your guide will take you to Saint-Maximin. This small town is far from the crowd and authentic. The third most important tomb of the Christian history is here. Follow your guide in the Basilica of Mary Magdalene and inside the convent to discover the secrets that archaeologists and historians discovered about Mary Magdalene.

Tour in Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Cassis

A perfect tour for first timers in Provence.

This tour offers a complete overview of Provence. The three cities are very different and very complementary.

Aix-en-Provence is considered by many as the beautiful and elegant city in Provence. It offers a pedestrian historical center where visitors often fall in love with the atmosphere and the many local shops. The historical center is full of palaces from the 17th century. The cathedral holds a sarcophagus from the 3rd century and a baptistery from the 4th century. Aix-en-Provence is a very dynamic town where art exhibitions are always to be seen. You can also follow the footsteps of Cézanne. Your private guide will help you visit his studio and the places where he painted.

Marseille is the capital city of Provence. A panoramic tour will show you all its highlights. The most important monument is the Basilica Notre Dame de la Garde. Built at the top of the highest hill in the center of Marseille it offers an amazing panorama all over the city and its bay. The panoramic tour of Marseille will also lead you to Longchamp palace and along the coast.

Cassis is a lovely fishermen port. You will enjoy the view from the cliff of the Cape Canaille. The highest cliff in France dominates the port 400 meters above the sea level. Follow your guide in Cassis for a tour of the village.

Tour in Avignon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape

A tour combining UNESCO Heritage and wine tasting

1 hour from Marseille is the UNESCO city of Avignon. Avignon benefits from an impressive middle age heritage which master piece is the Popes Palace. The city stands next to the Rhône river and was before an important market and cross road since the only bridge to cross the river was there.

Then you will follow your guide for a complete exploration in the historical center starting with a private visit of the Popes Palace. You will learn all the details of the complicated history explaining why the Popes left Rome to settled in Avignon.

Located 15 kilometers from Avignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a village fully dedicated to wine. A stop by the ruins of the former castle of the Pope is perfect to overview the vineyards entirely surrounding the village settled on a small hill next to the Rhône river.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is famous for its strong red wines but do not miss its delicious dry whites. White wine production in Châteauneuf-du-Pape is only 5 percents next to 95 percents for red. You can taste wines in the many wineries of the village or in one of the 80 wine estates.

Tour in Le Castellet, Sanary and Bandol

1 hour from Marseille Le Castellet is a charming hilltop village from the Middle Ages. Located in the middle of the Bandol appellation vineyards it offers beautiful views over the vineyards to the sea.

After a tour in Le Castellet your guide will invite you for a wine tasting in one of the many wine estates offering Bandol AOC wines around the village. You will explore the estate and visit their cellar to learn all the details of their wine making process.

After the wine tasting you will visit Bandol. It is a lovely fishermen port and seaside resort. In Bandol you can also give a visit to the Bandol Wine House.

20 minutes from Bandol following the coast is Sanary-sur-Mer. This authentic village is also a fishermen port. Here fisherman are selling fresh swordfish and tuna every day on the market. Enjoy a walking tour in Sanary exploring its narrow streets full of little local shops and delicious pastries.

Tour in the Camargue Nature Park

The Camargue is the name given to the delta of the Rhône river. The biggest river in france divides itself into two branches by the city of Arles.

It is located 1 hour west from Marseille. Once you enter the delta the landscapes totally change. You are inside a wildlife park known for its bull raising tradition and its bird colonies.

Your guide will invite you to visit a ranch. You will learn about the life of those unique french cowboys. Here they raise their bulls in the wildness of the park in order to participate in the local bull runs.

After your tour in the ranch your guide will invite you to have a tour in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. This little town built by the sea is famous for its history about Mary Magdalene. Indeed the history says that she landing ashore in Les Saintes-Maries after sailing across the Mediterranean from Judee. A fascinating history that your guide will explain to you inside the church.

Your next destination is the Bird Sanctuary of Pont de Gau. Thanks to its many lakes within the delta Camargue is hosting a large variety of superb birds. Many colonies of birds are living here year round such as flamingos.