Home Tours & Packages Music, Art and Culinary Tour to Southern France

featuring The French Riviera, the Provence, Lyon & Monte Carlo   12 Days/11 Nights Air-Inclusive Fully-Escorted Motorcoach Tour Featuring Performances at: Symphony Concert with the Mozart Philharmonic Orchestra of Marseille Don Pasquale at the Opera in Marseille Concert in Avignon Ballet Evening in Lyon Ballet Performance in St. Etienne Concert in Nice Also Including: Round trip air from JFK (Supplement may be applicable, depending on U.S. departure city) Deluxe, air-conditioned motorcoach Multi-lingual tour escort and guides 10 nights accommodation in superior first class hotels, all rooms with A/C    3 nights in Marseille    2 nights in Aix-en-Provence    2 nights in Lyon    3 nights in French Riviera Buffet-breakfast daily 8 full-course dinners 2 lunches Wine Tasting and gourmet dinner in Lyon Sightseeing including the most prestigious museums and historic sights on the traces of Van Gogh and Cezanne Entrance fees, porterage, tax & service charge, local city guides Tips at the restaurant when meals are included Detailed Itinerary   Day 1 Depart from JFK to Marseille.   Day 2 Arrive in Marseille and meet your tour director, driver, and local guide. On the way to the hotel take an overview tour of the oldest and second largest town in France. Time to relax and recover from the trip before we take you to nearby Cassis, a fishing village at the Mediterranean Sea. A Welcome Dinner will be served in a spectacular setting.   Day 3 After breakfast, tour of the historic Old Town of Marseille including the "Vieux Port", the old harbor, a natural inlet reaching far into the town. This is followed by a trip to Arles, attracting many visitors because of its medieval and Roman monuments. The associations with Vincent van Gogh, who lived here, are numerous. A typical Provencal lunch will be served. Free time in Arles before returning to Marseille. Dinner is on your own. Tonight enjoy a concert by the Mozart Philharmonic Orchestra of Marseille.   Day 4 In the morning join us for an excursion to nearby Aix-en-Porvence, the intellectual heart of the Provence and the native town of the painter Paul Cezanne. Strolling though Aix, you will encounter many old palaces dating from the 17th and 18th century. The origins of Aix go back to 122 B.C. Return to Marseille in the late afternoon. Dinner at the hotel is followed by a performance of "Don Pasquale" at the Opera of Marseille.   Day 5 After breakfast departure for Avignon in the heart of Provence. Stops will be made in the attractive little Provencal town of Salon, the medieval village of Les Baux, situated on a crag of rock and offering a wonderful panoramic view of the Provence, and in St. Remy de Provence, residence of Frederic Mistral and Vincent van Gogh. You will see Pont du Gard, one of the most remarkable sights in Provence, before arriving in Avignon. Dinner at the hotel.   Day 6 After a leisurely breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Avignon, which includes the Papal Palace, the Papal Gardens, the Cathedral and the famous "Pont d'Avignon". The rest of the day is at your leisure. Dinner will be served at the restaurant of the hotel before tonight's concert at the Musee Calvet.   Day 7 Departure from Avignon after breakfast and head north to France's culinary center - Lyon. Stops will be made en route - such as in Orange and Valence. Arrive in Lyon in the afternoon and enjoy some free time to relax. Tonight a fabulous gourmet dinner with selected wines to each course awaits you.   Day 8 In the morning a guided city tour will show you the most important sights of the capital of the French textile industry. You will take the funicular to Notre Dame de Fourviere from where you have a great view of the city which is situated at the junction of the Rhone and the Saone rivers. In the late afternoon departure fro St. Etienne. Dinner is followed by a ballet performance.   Day 9 After breakfast depart Lyon and take a breathtaking drive past Grenoble, through the French Alps, south to the French Riviera. Many scenic stops will be made en route. Arrive in Nice in the late afternoon. Dinner will be served in a local restaurant serving the specialties of this region.   Day 10 Enjoy the morning in Nice on your own - visit the spices and flower market, stroll along the Promenade des Anglais. In the late morning we take you to St. Paul de Vence, the home of the painter Marc Chagall. Lunch in Vence, stop at the Maeght Foundation, where works by Chagall, Miro, Kandinsky and others can be admiried. Continue on to Grasse, the principal center of the European perfume industry. Return to Nice, dinner on own and concert or opera performance in the evening.   Day 11 Today you will explore the glamour of the French Riviera by visiting Cannes, Antibes and last but not least Monte Carlo. A farewell dinner will be served in Monte Carlo before returning to Nice.   Day 12 In the morning transfer to the airport in Nice for your flight back home. Arrive in the U.S. the same day.