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Bucket list trip:

Provence 7-day Itinerary

  • France

Last updated: 04 April, 2024

Where to go and what to see in Provence to get the most from your trip – a 7-day itinerary from destination expert and travel writer Dana Facaros.

Editor note – Dana has not included specific recommendations of where to stay each day unless it’s necessary. Instead, see the ‘Where to stay’ section in our Provence destination guide.

Day 1

3

Start in Avignon, visiting the Palace of the Popes and half a bridge nearby – the famous Pont d’Avignon.

Have a quick lunch at Le Gout du Jour, then take in the Petit Palais Museum with its Botticelli, and the Angladon Museum, with the only Van Gogh left in Provence.

Take an evening stroll through Avignon’s romantic streets, where you’ll find restaurants a-plenty for dinner.

  • Avignon, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

Exterior view of front facade

Experience

The world’s biggest Gothic palace was home to popes during their 14th-century exile from Rome. Seven reigned here until 1377, in a colourful period of greed and depravity.

Adult price: 10

Good for age: 18+

Petit Palais Museum

  • Avignon, Provence, France

Exterior of the Little Palace Museum

Experience

Papal Avignon was the centre of the European art for decades, and over 300 works of (mostly) Italian medieval and renaissance paintings and sculptures commissioned by the wealthy prelates of the church, including a Botticelli Madonna, are displayed in this 14th-century palace.

Good for age: 18+

Website >
  • Avignon, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

Inside the museum, three paintings hang on three different coloured walls.

Experience

A superb private art collection in a townhouse, including the only Van Gogh in Provence. There are also paintings by Chardin, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, Modigliani, Sisley and Picasso.

Adult price: 7

Good for age: 18+

Day 2

1

Pack a picnic lunch and hire a car – or take a small group tour – of the Luberon, to drink in Provence’s most enchanting landscapes.

Highlights include Roussillon, Menerbes, Lacoste and Gordes, or head off the beaten track – it’s all beautiful.

Back in Avignon, dine at Hotel La Mirande’s elegant restaurant.

  • Luberon, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

Lavender fields in front of houses and hills

Experience

The Luberon massif, with its lush landscapes, quaint villages and lavender fields (in season) is like a film set. It’s quintessential Provence at its most picturesque – best appreciated by car or the 236km circular bike route.

Good for age: 18+

Duration: 1+ days

Day 3

2

Spend a day with the Romans: self-drive or take a guided tour from Avignon half an hour north to Orange to see its well-preserved theatre and arch.

Grab lunch at Le Petit Patio, then head southwest to the Pont du Gard, a lovely spot for a swim or kayak.

Back in Avignon, end the day with creative cuisine at the Michelin-starred Restaurant Pollen.

  • Orange, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

View of the amphitheatre from top of the steps looking down to the stage

Experience

Europe’s best-preserved Ancient Roman theatre, dating back to the 1st century AD, is still used for performances today.

Adult price: 9

Good for age: 18+

  • Vers-Pont-du-Gard, Occitaine, France

  • Bucket List Experience

View of the aquaduct over the river

Experience

A UNESCO World Heritage Site of breathtaking beauty, this aqueduct bridge, dating back to the 1st century BC, is testimony to the genius of Roman engineers.

Adult price: 8.50

Good for age: 6+

Duration: -

Day 4

4

Spend a day in Arles: the Museum of Antiquity, the Roman amphitheatre and Les Alyscamps are all must-sees.

Have lunch at the cheerful l’Antonelle le Bistrot, then seek out the locations of Van Gogh’s paintings in a dedicated walk.

For dinner, dine in a 13thcentury garden cloister at the Jardin des Arts.

  • Arles, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

The exterior of the museum, with a path dotted with benches leading to it

Experience

An archaeology museum housing a fascinating collection of sculptures, mosaics and much more from the ancient Arles region – artifacts date from prehistoric times until the 6th century AD.

Adult price: 5

Good for age: 18+

  • Arles, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

Aerial view down on the amphitheater surrounded by houses

Experience

The biggest and one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in France, where 20,000 would come to watch gladiators fight to the death.

Adult price: 8

Good for age: 13+

Les Alyscamps

  • Arles, Provence, France

View into a graveyard with old ruin walls around

Experience

An evocative, romantic Roman burial ground – once the most famous cemetery in medieval Europe. It’s the burial site of the legendary St Trophime and the first bishops of Arles, and remains an important stop on the pilgrimage to Compostela.

Good for age: 18+

Website >
  • Arles, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

The Langlois Bridge beside a replica of a Van Gogh painting

Experience

Follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps around Arles, the town where he painted some of his best-known works.

Good for age: 13+

Duration: 1-2 hours

Day 5

2

Head south to Les Saintes-Maries for a two-hour safari among the black bulls, pink flamingos and white horses in the Camargue.

Enjoy a seafood lunch at La Casita and a beach; stop off to spot birds at the Pont de Gau Park.

Afterwards, drive to Saint-Remy-de-Provence and dine and stay at the elegant Chateau des Alpilles.

  • Arles, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

A man on horseback shepherds black bulls through a cloud of smoke

Experience

A massive, wildlife-filled river delta, where gardians (French cowboys) ride white ponies and herd black Camargue bulls amid vast flocks of pink flamingos. Brilliant for horse-riding, hiking, cycling, and wildlife safaris.

Good for age: 18+

  • Saint-Remy, Provence, France

  • Official star rating:

Chateau des Alpilles

Place to Stay

An elegant, historic 19th-century chateau hotel just outside historic Saint-Remy, set in glorious grounds.

Average £217

Extra beds

Pool

2+ bedrooms

Beach

Kids menu

Fitness center

Kids club

Day 6

4

Spend the morning in Saint-Remy, touring the Roman ruins of Les Antiques and Glanum, the latter near Van Gogh’s asylum, St-Paul-de-Mausole.

Have lunch at the rustic chic L’Aile ou la Cuisse, then head up into the Alpilles to the spectacular medieval Chateau des Baux.

Dine at Les Baux’s famous Le Cabro d’Or, before heading back to Saint-Remy.

St-Paul-de-Mausole

  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence, Provence, France

The exterior facade and entrance of the St Paul de Mausole, a golden stone building

Experience

The asylum where Van Gogh spent 1888-89 is a masterpiece of Provencal Romanesque, and today specializes, appropriately, in art therapy. His room and reproductions of the paintings he made there are on display, along with temporary exhibitions.

Adult price: 4

Good for age: 18+

Website >
  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

Inner corridor at the monastery saint paul de mausole, with sun coming through the stone arches

Experience

Follow in Van Gogh’s footsteps through the landscapes around Saint-Remy-de-Provence, where he painted some of his best-known works.

Good for age: 18+

Duration: 1+ hours

  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

View across the ruins from a small nearby hill

Experience

The best-preserved Roman city in Provence, near Saint-Remy, amid landscapes painted by Van Gogh.

Adult price: 7

Good for age: 18+

  • Les Baux-de-Provence, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

aerial view of the hilltop town amid flat landscape

Experience

An atmospheric, ruined 10th century castle teetering atop the craggy Alpilles mountains, rich in Provence feudal history and panoramic landscape views.

Adult price: 15

Good for age: 12+

Day 7: Aix-en-Provence

4

Drive just over an hour to Aix-en-Provence in time to enjoy the outdoor market in Place Richelme. Take in its stunning cathedral and Granet Museum, housing works by native son, Paul Cezanne.

Have lunch at the Le Poivre d’Ane, then visit the Caumont Centre d’Art, with its film on Cezanne, before visiting his perfectly-preserved studio.

End up for dinner in the 15th-century cellars of Les Caves Henri IV.

Place Richelme Food Market

  • Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France

pretty town square with market stalls selling food

Experience

Each morning, Aix hosts one of Provence’s best markets, overflowing with the freshest fruit, vegetables, herbs, meats, seafood and cheeses from local producers. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, it expands tenfold and includes a massive flower market.

Good for age: 18+

  • Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France

Exterior of the Granet Museum, a low stone building with steps leading up to a red door.

Experience

A must for any art lover, this museum holds one of Provence’s top art collections, including works by Cézanne, Rubens, Rembrandt, and the Collection Planque.

Adult price: 5

Good for age: 18+

Caumont Centre d’Art

  • Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France

External view of the beautiful golden stone building

Experience

This magnificent townhouse (1715), a beautifully restored hôtel particulier, features lavishly furnished period rooms, an exquisite garden, a film on Cezanne and temporary art exhibitions; a good stop for lunch, afternoon tea or dinner too.

Adult price: 12

Good for age: 18+

Website >
  • Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France

  • Bucket List Experience

The interior of Cezanne's studio, with art implements and still life objects.

Experience

The studio where French artist Paul Cezanne painted – evocatively preserved, as if he had just put down his brushes.

Adult price: 6

Good for age: 18+