Provence: The Alpilles ​

Depart from the U.S. for France. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Upon arrival at Marseilles (MRS) Airport, claim your luggage and clear customs. If your luggage is lost, fill in a PIR form before leaving the customs area – VBT representatives are not allowed into the customs area. Make sure that your VBT luggage tags are attached to your bags. This helps the representative identify you.

After exiting customs, enter the arrival hall and look for your VBT representative or driver, who will be holding a VBT sign. Your representative will welcome you to France and arrange for your transfer via taxi or van to your Aix-en-Provence hotel (approximately 45 minutes, depending upon traffic). Please verify with your VBT Trip Leader the time of your transfers at the end of your trip from your Paris hotel to the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Important: If you are delayed in meeting your VBT representative at the Marseille Airport, please call 04 42 93 01 44 from within France. Outside of France, call +33 442 93 01 44

VBT provides you with City Information in your Final Travel Booklet that includes information and recommendations on what to see and do in Aix-en-Provence. Use the rest of the day to relax or begin exploring the city. Dinner is on your own.

VBT No-Air Package guests: Meet at the first hotel in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence by 2:30 pm. If you arrive by train into Avignon, take a taxi at your own expense (approximately €45/$60 USD, approximately 25 minutes’ traveling time). Please contact the hotel to advise the staff of any travel delays or changes, and they will pass your message to your VBT Trip Leaders.

VBT Air Package and Pre-Trip Extension guests: Meet your VBT representative in the hotel lobby at 11:00 am. and transfer by bus to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (approximately 1 hour).

Our inviting hotel here has magnificent views over the Alpilles Mountains. You have free time to stroll into town for lunch on your own and relax on the hotel grounds as you settle in. Please note that rooms may not be ready until 3:00 pm. At 2:30 pm., we meet our VBT Trip Leaders for a short introduction, followed by a safety and bike-fitting session and warm-up ride. Tonight, attend a welcome wine reception and dinner.

After breakfast, shuttle by private motorcoach to the Pont du Gard, where you walk across this stunning architectural achievement. Built by the Romans in the first century BC (and declared a UNSECO World Heritage Site in 1985), the Pont du Gard is just one segment of a 31-mile-long aqueduct created to provide needed water to the city of Nîmes. Much of the aqueduct has deteriorated over time, but this most impressive part still stands. Consisting of three levels, this bridge appears surprisingly delicate despite the massive stones used in its construction and credited for its enduring strength. As you cross the lower level, you can see these stones, some of which weigh up to six tons, held by iron clamps. Interestingly, the structure was built entirely without mortar. After exploring the Pont du Gard, spend the afternoon cycling through wine country and a beautiful forested area on the way to your hotel. Once settled in, you have time to relax, before gathering with the group for dinner.

Sleep in this morning, then linger over breakfast before cycling southeast toward Avignon, fabled “City of the Popes.” Leave your bike outside the ancient city walls and stroll the timeless cobblestone streets. We'll meet a local guide for a walking tour of this ancient city. Later, you may decide to explore some of the city's highlights, such as the former papal residence, the immense Palais de Papes (Papal Palace). Now a museum, this Gothic building has walls up to 18 feet thick! Or perhaps you'll walk the surviving section of the Pont d'Avignon. Built in the 12th century, this bridge originally spanned the Rhône, but has suffered frequent collapses from floods. Only 4 of the original 22 arches remain.

The remainder of the day is yours to do with as you please. During your free time, you may wish to buy some local pottery or a handmade tablecloth. Try lunch at one of the local bistros, or enjoy a picnic by the river. In the afternoon, you can cycle or shuttle back to the hotel. Tonight, celebrate with your fellow travelers during a special farewell dinner.

After breakfast*, transfer to the Paris Charles De Gaulle airport for your return flight. Please ensure you are ready in the hotel reception area at the designated time.

*Please note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.

Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.