Your 8.5-hour tour of picturesque Provence begins with morning pickup by minivan at Marseille Vieux Port. Enjoy scenic views of the Plain of La Crau as you travel to your first stop, the ancient city of Arles. Soak up the idyllic atmosphere of this stunning seaside town, known to many as the landscape for Van Gogh’s famous paintings La maison jaune and Le jardin de l'hotel Dieu. Admire the sites that inspired the artist such as Les Arènes d’Arles (the Arles amphitheater), the church of Saint Trophime and Forum Place – the setting for the Van Gogh’s famous Cafe Terrace at Night (Le café de nuit).
Next, head north to Les Baux de Provence, stopping at the medieval Montmajour Abbey and the Mill of Daudet, where French novelist Alphonse Daudet set his famous work Letters from My Windmill. In Baux, take some free time to explore the historic center and get some lunch (own expense). Admire the town's many original 16th-century houses and main attractions such as the Museum of Santons, the Hôtel des Porcelets and St Vincent Church before departing.
Then travel to your final stop, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, to see ‘Les Antiques,’ a funeral monument and triumphal arch that formed part of the ancient Graeco-Roman city of Glanum. Perched within view of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum where Van Gogh was institutionalized, this site became a natural subject of his.
Your full-day tour ends with return to Marseille Vieux Port in the evening.
