★★★★★
A lot of ground covered in an engaging, comfortable way. There is a trade-off between seeing many places and having time in each, and it was a fair one.
Irene M. · Solo · July 2026
Provence Highlights Full-Day Tour from Avignon
Minivan from the tourist officeSeven stops by minivanDriver-guideMax 8 people
The whole postcard of Provence in a single day, for a first visit with no car. A minivan of eight leaves the tourist office at nine and stops at a spring below a cliff, two hilltop villages, a town of ochre, Saint-Rémy, Les Baux and the Roman aqueduct before it brings you back. Nine and a half hours, seven stops, one driver who guides.
Seven stops in nine and a half hours
Ninety minutes in Roussillon
The longest stop of the day, long enough for the ochre trail and a meal.
An hour at Les Baux
A village on a bare rock above the olive groves, walked at your own pace.
The Roman aqueduct at the end
Forty-five minutes at the three-tiered bridge over the Gardon.
A driver who guides
The commentary comes on the road, and the stops are yours to explore.
From the tourist office
A 9 am start at the office on cours Jean Jaurès, and back to the same door.
4.8 from 553 reviews
Among the most-reviewed days we list, and most scores are five stars.
Breadth, and what it costs you
This day is built for one thing: seeing as much of Provence as nine and a half hours allow, without a car. Seven stops add up to about five and a half hours on foot, and the rest is road. Be clear about the trade before you book. One traveller summed it up fairly: many places, less time in each. Another felt rushed at a busy market stop. If you would rather have two hours in each village, a day with four villages suits you better; the day tours from Avignon page sets the two side by side.
Your driver is your guide. The listing calls the morning village stops mostly free time, so the commentary comes on the road between them, and in each village you walk on your own. Ask questions in the minivan: with eight seats, there is room for them.
The Luberon morning
The first stop is Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, for 45 minutes. The river Sorgue rises here at the foot of a cliff more than 200 metres high, and the local tourist office calls it the first spring in France by volume. The walk from the village to the spring takes 15 to 20 minutes each way on a sloping, stony path, and the last stretch to the chasm is closed after rockfalls, so the 45 minutes are mostly that walk. Wear shoes with grip.
Next is Gordes, for half an hour, a village stacked up its hillside. In the lavender weeks, from the last week of June to mid-July, the day adds a ten-minute photo stop at Sénanque Abbey, still a working monastery; entry is not in the fare, and the stop is for the view of the fields from the road. Then comes the longest stop, 90 minutes in Roussillon, among some of the largest ochre deposits in the world. The ochre trail takes 30 or 50 minutes; the village association's warning about white clothes is worth heeding.
Useful tip. Lunch is not in the fare and the itinerary
sets no separate lunch stop. The 90 minutes in Roussillon are the natural place to eat, so plan the
ochre trail or a meal there, not both at a run.
Saint-Rémy, Les Baux and the aqueduct
The afternoon runs south. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence gets 45 minutes, a short walk through its old streets. Les Baux-de-Provence gets an hour: a village on a bare limestone spur above the olive trees, one of the association's most beautiful villages of France. The day ends with 45 minutes at the Pont du Gard, the three-storey Roman aqueduct bridge over the Gardon, rising to nearly 48.77 metres.
The itinerary marks that stop with admission included. Walking onto the site costs nothing in any case: what it charges for is parking, the museum and guided visits. The museum is not on this day's list of inclusions, and 45 minutes leaves time for the bridge itself rather than a museum visit. If the aqueduct matters most to you, the half day tours from Avignon page also lists days that give it a full hour.
The day, from the tourist office and back
- 9 am, Avignon. Meet in front of the tourist office, 41 cours Jean Jaurès.
- The spring. About 45 minutes at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.
- Gordes. About 30 minutes in the hilltop village.
- The abbey fields. In the lavender weeks only, a ten-minute photo stop; entry not included.
- Roussillon. About 90 minutes, the longest stop: the ochre trail or lunch.
- Saint-Rémy. About 45 minutes on foot in the old town.
- Les Baux. About an hour in the village on the rock.
- The aqueduct. About 45 minutes at the Roman bridge over the Gardon.
- Back to Avignon. The tourist office, about nine and a half hours after the start.
Who this suits, and who should book something else
Book it if
- It is your first visit and you have one day for Provence outside the walls.
- You have no car and do not want to drive the hill roads.
- You would rather see seven places briefly than three at length.
- You are travelling with young children: child fares start at 5 and infant seats are available.
Book something else if
- You have half a day. The Luberon half day makes the morning's four stops in five hours, from $92 a person.
- You want longer in each village. The hilltop villages day spends about five hours at four villages, two of them in Roussillon.
- You want the aqueduct entry on the list of inclusions. The ten-hour Provence day names the aqueduct ticket in its fare.
- You came for wine. The full wine day spends seven hours in one appellation.
What $150 covers
In the fare
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Driver-guide
- Air-conditioned minivan
- Bottled water
Not in the fare
- Lunch: eat during the Roussillon stop
- Entry at the abbey on the photo stop
- The aqueduct site's museum
In front of the tourist office, cours Jean Jaurès
You meet at 9 am in front of the Avignon tourist office, 41 cours Jean Jaurès, on the main street between the station and the old town. Avignon Centre station is a 2-minute walk from the walls, so it is the easiest start of all if you arrive by train. The day ends at the same door.
There is no hotel pickup. The office opens at 9 am from Monday to Saturday, so on those days you can ask its advisers a question before the minivan leaves. The map of the start points shows it against the other kerbs, and how to get to Avignon covers the two stations.
Know before you go
- Lunch is not in the fare. Eat during the 90 minutes in Roussillon, or bring something for the road.
- The abbey stop is seasonal. A ten-minute photo stop in the lavender weeks only, without entry.
- Wear walking shoes. The path to the spring is sloping and stony, and Les Baux is steep.
- Confirmation takes up to 48 hours. On average the day is booked 53 days ahead, so book early in summer.
- Children are welcome. Child fares from 5; infants ride on a lap, and infant seats are available.
- It is not wheelchair accessible. Strollers are fine, and service animals are allowed.
What travellers said on the road home
★★★★☆
A lot seen, but rushed: the first 90 minutes went on a packed market, time they would rather have spent at the aqueduct or in the villages. Still a worthwhile overview of the highlights.
Kristina F. · May 2026
★★★★★
Parts of Provence they would never have reached on their own.
Mark F. · Couples · July 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do we go inside the abbey on the lavender stop?
No. In the lavender weeks the day makes a ten-minute photo stop at Sénanque Abbey, and entry is not included. Outside those weeks there is no stop there.
Is the aqueduct entry covered?
The itinerary marks the 45-minute stop at the Pont du Gard with admission included. Walking onto the site is free anyway; the museum is not on the list of inclusions.
Is there a lavender stop?
Only in season, from the last week of June to mid-July, and only as a photo stop. The lavender guide covers the days built around the fields.
Is lunch included?
No. The itinerary has no separate lunch stop, so most people eat during the 90 minutes in Roussillon.
What if wine matters more to us than sightseeing?
The full wine day spends seven hours in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with a vineyard stop, three wineries and a village cellar. It takes adults only.
Can I cancel?
Yes. You get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. If too few people book, you are offered another date or a refund.
Other ways to spend a day from Avignon
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