Each walk fills your day with views from the Alps to the Mediterranean through blue, yellow and green painted villages, through vineyards and lavender fields. You will picnic on fresh produce. Each night your luggage and a hot shower await you in country inns or guest houses, often with swimming pools. Accommodations are carefully selected for the conviviality of their hosts, comfort of their rooms, quality of their settings and wonderful food.
Provence is the spring from which all that makes the "art of living well" flows. The people are devoted to living well, and you will come to understand what this means by week's end. The region is filled with the fragrances of lavender, rosemary, and thyme. The colors of cadmium yellow, azure blue and crimson red that inspired Van Gogh and Cezanne are seen not only in the fields of flowers, but in the colorful houses and dazzling sky. Don't be surprised if you are inspired to pull out a paint brush as the incredible light of Provence reveals the exceptional cohabitation of nature and man.
As you will witness walking along 2,000 year old Roman roads, civilized man has lived in Provence for centuries. Here you can literally see the wheel marks of an empire being built. The Romans built aqueducts, arches, bridges and fortress with strength and power that was then theirs. The people who stayed, formed the roots of a culture known the world over for its sophisticated tastes and comfortable lifestyle.
Your Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in St. Remy de Provence at the hotel to meet your guide and other walkers.
Day 2: Today you will walk to the 12th Century Monastery St. Paul Mausole where Van Gogh was a patient and where he painted some of his most famous works. Then on to the Roman Ruins of Glanum. Lunch in a Buvette. From there you will walk about 7 miles to Les Baux, a medieval village built high on a rocky cliff. Then you will be transferred back to your hotel in St. Remy. Dinner on your own this evening, so you have the opportunity to try one of the many restaurants in town.
Day 3: After breakfast there is a short transfer up into the Luberon hills (locally called The Blue Mountains, which will be evident when you see them). You will walk to the village of Roussillon, famous for its Ochre Quarries. You will walk through vineyards and farmland, and picnic in the fresh Provencal air. After lunch you will walk up to the perched village of Bonnieux to your hotel, where you will enjoy wonderful views of Lacoste (the previous home of the Marquis de Sade and now home of Pierre Cardin, the French fashion designer) and the Mont Ventoux. Dinner at the hotel this evening.
Day 4: You will stay in the same hotel this night, so today’s walk takes you on a loop up into the Luberon hills, with views of the Alps and the beautiful Provencal landscape. Lunch at the top to really absorb the scenery and fresh air, with a pleasant stroll back to the hotel in the afternoon. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 5: Today’s walk takes you from Bonnieux to Buoux via the Plateau des Clapparedes with its fields of lavender, olive trees and bories, typical stone-made huts built in the Bronze Age. You’ll also see oak trees that produce the famous truffles. Another sumptuous picnic before your afternoon walk takes you to your Auberge in Buoux. Dinner at the Auberge this evening.
Day 6: You’ll return to the Auberge this evening, so your walk will be a loop along the beautiful valley of the L’Aiguebrun stream (which is the only permanent water supply in the Luberon Hills). Along the way you will see limestone cliffs within this micro climate, as well as orchids and the famous Climbing Area of Buoux. You will pass through the small stone built hamlet of Sivergues where about 20 people reside. You’ll also see the ruined fort of Buoux, the last stronghold of the Vaudois, a breakaway religious group from Avignon, who were exterminated by the government troops in the 14th Century. Your last dinner together is at the Auberge.
Day 7: An easy day today. A short transfer to the village of Lourmarin where the writers Albert Camus – the Nobel Prize winner – and Henri Bosco live, and the home of Peter Mayle who wrote “A Year in Provence”. You will see Camus’ house and the cemetery where he is buried. Friday is the market day in Lourmarin so you can do any last minute shopping here or visit the chateau. You will be transferred to the Avignon train station where you will say goodbye.
2008 Dates: April 19-25, May 3-9, May 24-30, June 7-13, September 13-19, September 27-October 3, October 4-10, October 18-24.
Meeting Point: St. Remy de Provence. Transfer is not included.
Difficulty of Walk: 6-10 miles of walking a day over hilly and sometimes rocky terrain that is varied from small single track footpaths to large forest roads, rising from 900 feet to 2,600 feet.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
$2,200 per person, shared.
$540 single supplement.
Price Includes:
- 6 nights hotel and guesthouse accommodation
- 5 guided walking days
- All meals
- Wine during the evening meals
- Guide
- Luggage transfer
- Transfer to Avignon train station at end of week
- Tax.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
France
Walking Tours
Cultural Journey
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