Hello dear visitor, my name is Arnaud and I will be your native guide of this magnificent Provence. Among the 5 tours I offer, I take you today to Arles and Les Baux de Provence.
After pickup in front of Hôtel Bristol, in Avignon, we will first stroll through the Old Town of Arles, where you will discover its rich Roman, medieval and contemporary history. You will see a lot of buildings, monuments and places from different periods of history (cathedral, Town Hall, Van Gogh's café, Constantin's baths, the port with its dyke, amphitheatre, Ancient Theatre, Espace Van Gogh at the old hospital…).
Then we will stop at the Moulin Castelas. You will do a guided visit of the mill and taste several olive oils from their own production that started about 30 years ago. You will also have enough time in the shop if you want to carry some very nice products back home. After this, we will have a picnic in front of the oil mill, under the fig trees, with only fresh produce from local farms, such as eggs, black olives tapenade, sweet pepper tapenade, fresh goat cheese, seasonal fruits, fruits juice…
NB: this part of the tour will occur only from April to October. From November to March, it will be replaced by a longer stop in Arles for lunch (not included in the price between November and March).
You will then see the very beautiful image and light show of the Quarries of Lights (Carrières des Lumières), former place of limestone extraction. In this indoor place with air conditioning, light shows have been presented there since the 1970s and they change the topic each year (French painters, Wildlife in the ocean, Van Gogh or Egyptian civilisation for the most recent ones). It is like a film projected on the quarry's walls and even on the floor, for a magnificent show. You will probably be starry-eyed at the end!
You will then have free time in the village of Les Baux de Provence, a medieval town built with limestone on a rocky promontory. It was a very strong place in the Middle Ages because it was owned by a wealthy and strong local family governing about 80 other communities around, and this family also built a fortress in Les Baux de Provence to keep an eye all around (now in ruins). Nowadays, Les Baux de Provence is listed in the most beautiful villages of France.
To finish, you will be dropped off at the same place where the tour started, in Avignon.
