Itinerary
Passport to Provence.
Price $2,575 CAD*

8 days in the Luberon - a food lover’s paradise. Unpack and relax, you stay here for a week. And we have a wide range of cultural explorations; your experience will be a journey of tastes. We feature a ‘Sample Itinerary’ which offers a suggested culinary program. Modifications to the program are easy enough as we’re flexible. Each outing is of course subject to weather, availability and whether or not it compliments your interests. Rest assured that an exceptional week is planned to highlight the very best of the region. You will enjoy fabulous wine tastings, informative guided tours, markets and delicious gourmet food.

Day 1 (overnight)
Saturday

Arrive at your leisure around mid-day; the best point of arrival is via TGV high-speed train from Charles de Gaulle Paris Airport to Avignon. Upon arrival at your beautiful farmhouse B&B, you will be warmly welcomed by your hosts and then shown your comfortable rooms to unpack and relax.                       

Share a tasty light lunch and discuss the week’s itinerary. 

You will have the afternoon free to ‘do your own thing’ relax & explore the surroundings – the countryside, take a walk or discover the nearby village. 

Tonight you’ll be served a welcome meal with your hosts Patrick & Babeth at about 8.00pm - your culinary experience starts here!

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Please note that car rental is highly recommended for this program, you will be staying in the countryside and taxis are not always readily available to give you the flexibility that you want to explore freely. Please inquire if you would like to arrange car rental.  Local transportation can also be arranged.

Day 2 (overnight)
Sunday
Breakfast served at 8.30am.

Wake up to your continental-style breakfast consisting of coffee, teas, hot chocolate, homemade jams, fruit juices and fresh seasonal fruits.  Patrick, your host will also bring you fresh croissants and baguettes every morning – a great way to start your day.

10 am: Today, Sunday is market day!  Depart for the country market of Coustellet, where local produce will be touched, squeezed and purchased for your culinary forays. Your senses will be tingling as you see, smell, touch & taste French cheeses, sausages, fruit & vegetables – a whole array of France’s best produce. 

Antique dealers are also to be found here, revealing some hidden secrets of yesteryear. Visit the nearby Lavender Museum, this area is the centre of the universe for lavender, it’s everywhere in season.  Afterwards there will be drinks in a local café, followed by free time during the afternoon; you might want to visit the Antique Market of L'Isle sur la sorgue.  Antique lovers and art collectors flock to this small city in Provence, which hosts one of the largest markets outside of Paris.

4.00pm: Cook to your heart’s content…

This afternoon start your hands-on cooking lesson using fresh local ingredients – nothing but the best.  The cooking classes held by Chef Patrick Payet and are hands-on, lively, friendly and fun.  You create a wonderful meal, which you enjoy together, accompanied by a local wine from area producers.

8pm: Aperitif and dinner

(B/D)

Day 3 (overnight)
Monday
Breakfast @ 8.30am

This morning’s excursion starts at 10.00am and takes you to the village of Menerbes, an ancient fortified town, which was once a Protestant centre in the Vaucluse area.  It was this village where the author, Peter Mayle chose to settle and write his best selling book “A Year in Provence”. Here too is the corkscrew museum, which displays history, sociology, technology and the arts from the 17th century to today. If there is enough time, you will also visit the ancient village of Oppède le Vieux and the local olive mill.

You will also visit the winerie Domaine la Citadelle and of course partake in some wine testing.
12.30 pm: Cheese tasting for lunch around the beautiful swimming pool at your host Babeth's home.  Free time in the afternoon - some suggestions include a visit to the nearby town of Cavaillon to see the beautiful synagogue or the Roman cathedral, or there is always shopping to be done.

4pm: Hands-on cooking class.

8pm: Aperitif and dinner.

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Day 4 (overnight)
Tuesday
Breakfast @ 8.30am

10am: You will visit the picturesque village of the Bories.  These dry stone shelters, built by the local peasants and shepherds, constitute a real 'open air' museum on the plateau of Gordes.

10.30am: Visit the village of Gordes, the local village market and its castle, which was rebuilt in the mid 16th century. Dominating the valley of the Coulon, this village was built on the side of a mountain with a stunning view of the valley.

12-30 pm: Free time for lunch, and the afternoon is also yours to explore the beautiful Luberon area and check out the best spot for lunch.  Consult your handy Safari Kit for local restaurant recommendations…it’s an excellent resource to ensure that your gastronomic experience is top notch.

Some suggestions for your free time:  discover the beautiful village of Bonnieux and the cedar forest - the Atlas cedar was imported from Morocco in 1862 and is a lovely place to walk.  You might want to savour a small lunch in the cedar forest at a typical restaurant.  One of the oldest working Roman structures - Le Pont Julien (year III BC) is also located nearby.

4pm: Hands-on cooking class.

8pm: Aperitif and dinner.

(B/D)

Day 5 (overnight)
Wednesday
Breakfast @ 8.30am

10 am: Visit the Abbey of Senanque, a superb roman building, located in the heart of the small valley of the Senancole, a perfect place for meditation thanks to the silence and the surrounding beauty.

Visit Roussillon: the nearby picturesque hilltop village perched on a bed of red and yellow ochre, which has been used to color the facades of its local buildings for many hundreds of years. Also worth a visit is the Provençal Colorado on the southern side of the Doua Valley, where there are some spectacular walks through some old ochre quarries.

12.30 pm: Free time for lunch, Patrick recommends l'Ocrier and le Provençal in Rousssillon.  The afternoon is yours to continue your exploration. A suggestion for your free time: a trip to visit the beautiful waterfall - Fontaine de Vaucluse…a very famous fountain, the first discovered in the world with an unknown source deep into the core of the earth.

4pm Create your own masterpiece in the kitchen…

In this afternoon’s hands-on cooking lesson roll up your sleeves as you’ll prepare another incredible dinner menu, starting with an aperitif & of course enjoy your creation paired with local wines from area producers - finishing around 9.00ish.

(B/D)

Day 6 (overnight)
Thursday
Breakfast @ 8.30am

10am Visit Avignon, the Pope’s city.   Explore this endlessly-charming southern city, the former seat of the papacy in. Visit the spectacular Pope’s Palace, one of the world's most unique and beautiful papal attractions. Few people realize that the pope's seat was relocated to Avignon during the Middle Ages. In 1309 the city was chosen by Pope Clement V as his residence and a total of seven popes have resided in Avignon.  The Pope's Palace, first built in the 1300s, is the size of four normal French cathedrals and is the largest gothic palace in Europe.   And take a stroll across the famous Bridge Saint Benezet – ‘sur le pont d’Avignon’.

12.30am Free time for lunch and shopping in Avignon.

4pm: Hands-on cooking class.

8pm: Aperitif and dinner.

(B/D)

Day 7 (overnight)
Fridayriday
Breakfast @ 8.30am

9.30am Visit the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, a classified beautiful spot and historical monument. There is much to discover - its castle, dungeons and towers, as well as the Cathedral of Images located in the antique quarry.  The village area is a stone and cobblestone medieval village time-warped to the 20th century. The real glory of Les Baux is the site, viewed from the exterior, and the chateau-fortress area beyond the village.

12.30pm: Free time for lunch and during the afternoon.

Some suggestions for your free time: take a dip in your farmhouse swimming pool, visit the Roman archaeological site of Glanum, where extensive excavations reveal a district of Roman houses, all constructed with inner courtyards and lined with columns. Or spend some time shopping in Saint Remy.

4pm: Back to the kitchen…in this afternoon’s hands-on cooking lesson you’ll prepare your last supper. 

8pm: Aperitif and dinner.

Indulge in your dinner creation with your hosts Patrick & Babeth, as well as a with a diploma ceremony. 

(B/D)

Day 8
Saturday
Breakfast with Patrick & preparation for your departure.

Au Revoir + Check Out + Return flight.

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