Provence: Villages & Vineyards

If famous vineyards, wine-tasting, stunning mountain views and a treasure trove of fascinating off-the-beaten-trail hilltop villages appeal to you, then you need to book this tour! An optional half-day guided tour with a wine expert is also available, plus plenty of amazing walks and lots to see in Chateauneuf du Pape and Haut Vaucluse region.

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.

Solo Travellers

The minimum age for this tour is: 18 Years

This walking tour is graded Easy to Moderate. The first few days are gentle, with little elevation gain or loss as you walk through peaceful vineyards. As the tour progresses, the terrain becomes more varied and the walking slightly more challenging. While still accessible, these walks sit closer to moderate than easy on the difficulty scale. In true Provençal style, some paths can be rocky or uneven, requiring sure-footedness, and there are occasional prolonged climbs and steep hills.

Note: Although this is a slower-paced adventure, two days feature slightly more challenging routes. Day 4 is slightly longer at 18km (11miles) . The reason for this is to avoid additional transfers which ruin the flow of the tour. Day 6, while still very manageable in distance, includes a bit more elevation gain and loss. Both days can easily be shortened or skipped if preferred.

This tour is ideal for individuals who enjoy regular exercise and are in reasonably good physical condition. Being accustomed to sustained activity and all-day walks, including uphill sections, is beneficial. Most days involve walking on varied terrain, with a couple of days featuring elevation changes of up to 600 m (2,000 ft) of ascent. While the routes are not technically challenging, they are still physically engaging.

We specifically select your accommodation in comfortable guesthouses, B&B's and small hotels to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay in France. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

Single Room and Solo Walkers

If you require single rooms, we would be happy to accommodate you (supplement payable). We are also happy to provide this trip as a solo experience. 

Meals

Daily continental breakfasts are included. Dinners are not included, so that you have the freedom to either eat dinner at your accommodation or in local restaurants. For lunches, you can arrange a picnic lunch with your accommodation the night before (payable locally). Alternatively, we suggest a taking a trip to the boulangerie or the market (if you are in the right place at the right time) to purchase breads, cheeses and meats, wine, etc.

Here is a list of the towns and their markets:

Chateauneuf du Pape: Friday morning

Vacqueyras: Thursday morning

Malaucene: Wednesday morning

Vaison-la-Romaine: Tuesday (the largest one), Thursday and Friday

You will have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone's GPS so you will have no problems finding the way. You can simply download the GPX tracks to your phone for offline use and off you go!

As the trails are off the beaten track they will not be way marked, but GPS Tracks will be more than sufficient to help you find your way. 

This tour is available from March to November. While it can also be enjoyed in July and August, please note that these months can be quite hot so it’s best to start the walks early in the morning to avoid the midday heat. We recommend traveling in April, May, September, or October for milder weather and beautiful springtime flowers.

Due to Provence’s popularity and limited accommodation in the smaller villages, this tour can sell out months in advance, so we suggest booking as soon as possible. We will always try our best to book your preferred dates, and having some flexibility in your travel dates improves our chances of confirming your booking.

If you want to visit the excellent local markets you can look at the Meals information or your trip document to see when they are open and book your start date accordingly. Also finishing your tour on a Tuesday is recommended as this is when the great market in Vaison La Romaine is open.

Fly: There are several airports you can fly into with easy access to Avignon. Most options will arrive at the Marseille Provence Airport or Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport.

Train/Bus: From the Marseille Airport, you can take a bus (10min) to the Aix En Provence TGV train station. From there, it's a 20min train ride to Avignon. From the Paris Charles De Gaulle TGV Airport train station you can take a train (approx. 3H15min) to Avignon. For train info visit the SNCF website.

Your tour finished in Vaison La Romaine.

For onward journeys north, including Paris, you can take a bus from Vaison La Romaine to Avignon (approx. 2hrs). Alternatively, you can hop off the bus in Orange and jump on a train for the remainder of the journey to Avignon, saving a little bit of time making the trip approx. 1H20. For info on the bus schedules please check here.

If you are heading south to Marseilles and beyond, take the bus to Orange and then go by train. The journey takes approximately 2H30.

Please check any train schedules here.

If you’d prefer, Macs Adventure can provide a private taxi transfer to Avignon or Orange for an additional fee. Please contact your Destination & Adventure Specialist for details.

Your luggage will be transferred between accommodations. We ask that you keep your baggage to one bag per person (maximum weight 20kg/44lbs).