4 Day Provence Itinerary

What sounds more dreamy than 4 days in Provence visiting little medieval villages along the way? I’ll tell you from experience, there isn’t anything much more dreamy than this! Check out my 4 day Provence Itinerary below!

Day 1: Aix-En-Provence

To start your Provence Itinerary, you can take the train from Paris, or take the train or drive from Nice or Lyon to get to Aix-en-Provence.

• Walk around the beautiful city center, visit street markets, and go shopping at many lovely boutiques. Have a glass of the Provence Rosé that the region is famous for!
• It’s a lively town at night since it’s near many universities and has great restaurants and bars.
• There are wineries all over the area so you can also start your day at a winery before heading to town!
• We went to Coude à Coude Aix-en-Provence and sat in the wine cave in the basement with a wonderful steak meal! We stayed at Hotel Cardinale which was a charming hotel in the city center.

Day 2: Châteauneuf-du-Pape

• Drive an hour from Aix-en-Provence to Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This region is famous for it’s Grenache based blends, with 13 different varietals blended in.
• Make a reservation at a winery for a tour and tasting. I went to Chateau de Beaucastel, an iconic winery in the area. 

• For lunch visit the Chateauneuf-du-Pape town and go to lunch at Le Verger des Papes with a view of the Rhone river and vineyards. 
• Take time to explore the town, see the ruins of Pope Jean XXII’s summer castle which is where the name of the region came from. It means “New Castle of the Pope” and it refers to the time that Avignon was the seat of the Pope in the 1300’s. The town is filled with wine tasting rooms where you can pop in for a tasting or you can make a second reservation at another winery for the afternoon.

Drive 30 minutes to Gigondas and stay overnight in the charming little town. We stayed at L’Oustalet that has a very highly rated restaurant attached as well. Restaurant Les Florets is a fabulous restaurant for dinner as well. Drink a bottle of the region’s wine, Gigondas at dinner!

Day 3: Gigondas, Vacqueryras, and Avignon

• Enjoy a lovely breakfast at your hotel or in town before a morning hike at Rocher du Midi. 
• Stop into wine tasting rooms in Gigondas and if you’d like, drive 8 minutes to Vacqueyras to taste the wines of that appellation and explore the differences.  We were able to get a last minute reservation at Domaine de Chantegut as well which was a beautiful Chateau surrounded by vineyards. Wine tastings here are usually free or $10 or so.

Drive 30 minutes to Avignon and settle into your hotel. We stayed at Face au Palais which was absolutely wonderful! It’s in the square of the Palais des Papes, and we had a great host, Alain, who brought wine to greet us and prepared breakfast in the morning. Highly recommend!

That night explore the exciting city of Avignon, filled with gothic architecture. We loved grabbing a craft beer at L’Explo Bar à bières artisanales sitting outside next to a little stream and a gothic church. For dinner that night we went to Le Carré du Palais and got a tour of their wine cellar that used to be a bank vault!

Day 4: Avignon & Marseilles

Plan to spend the full day in Avignon. Go inside the Palais des Papes, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a Pope’s palace from the 1300’s. Buy the tickets that include the Pont d’Avignon as well which is a famous medieval bridge and a great spot to get views of the Rhone river and to look back on the city. The whole experience took about 3 hours and we snacked with a soda and some fries in the square after to rest our feet. 

• Drive an hour to Marseilles to stay the night before a flight out of Marseilles in the morning. We stayed near the Marseilles Vieux Port area and it was absolutely bustling and so much fun!  It was teeming with young people and packed with interesting and fun wine bars, speakeasy’s, dance clubs and restaurants. A few of my favorite spots were Propaganda Bar, Les Berthom, Pipette, Dionysos, and Vertigo Bar. Definitely a great way to spend the last night of our trip! 
• We stayed at the Maisons du Monde Hotel & Suites at the Marseille Vieux Port area and we got an apartment style room that helped us have fun picturing what it would be like living in Marseille above this bustling street.

The next morning we dropped off our rental car at Marseille to fly back and said goodbye to a wonderful trip and memories to last a lifetime!

There’s an incredible array of little towns to choose from in Provence, but I felt very pleased about our Provence itinerary choices. Can’t wait to go back and check out the rest!

FAQS

How long should I plan to spend in the Provence region? 

We were able to have an incredible 4 days visiting the Provence region, but there is an absolute endless amount to do and see so I would say if you have a week or even two weeks that would be better to really be able to explore all the little towns and the coastal areas as well. 

When is the best time to visit?

• May to June – Lavender fields start blooming and the weather is warm, but not too hot. The crowds haven’t peaked yet. 
• September to October – This is harvest season for grapes so it’s a really fun time to be in wine country. Crowds aren’t too heavy. 
• August and Winter are not the best times to visit since August is so hot and many locals take vacation so businesses can be closed. Winter is also quieter with many places closed or with limited hours, but you’ll get the benefit of less crowds!

How to get around: 

• Renting a car is the easiest and most fun way to get around. It allows you ultimate flexibility with stopping in little towns and exploring the scenic countryside. 
• If you just plan on staying in the larger towns (Marseille, Avignon, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Nimes, etc) you can take a train easily in between
• You can use buses to get between towns that don’t have train service 
• You can also book day tours that take you around to towns and drop you back in your main city at night!

Planning to visit Burgundy, Chablis and Champagne as well? Check out my travel guide below!

3 Days in Burgundy, Chablis and Champagne