Travel to Provence

Popes, Roman ruins, Van Gogh, lavender and wine in the south of France, with the prices, the hours and the trains from Paris.

Gordes stacked on its hillside in the Luberon

Our tourBest of Provence in Three Days from Avignon

From ParisTGV 2h40 to Avignon

Best baseAvignon

LavenderMid-June to mid-July

Best monthsApril to June, September to October

Time neededThree days at least

The short version

The fastest TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon reaches Avignon in about 2 hours 40, Aix-en-Provence in 2 hours 54 and Marseille in 3 hours 3. The Luberon villages, the Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Saint-Rémy and Châteauneuf-du-Pape are all within an hour of Avignon.
Our Best of Provence in Three Days meets your train at Avignon TGV: two nights inside the walls, the Palais des Papes and the bridge, a day through Roussillon, Gordes, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Saint-Rémy, the Pont du Gard and Les Baux, and two Châteauneuf-du-Pape cellars, for $1,925 per person.
The hill villages have no trains, and the buses that reach them run two to four times a day. Plan on a car, a driver or a guided day.
Lavender blooms for about four weeks from mid-June, on the Valensole plateau, around Sénanque and at Sault. Our Provence Lavender Tour runs from Avignon July 6 to 25 and sells out.
April to June and September to October are the best months. July and August are hot and full, and in winter some museums close and the bus timetables thin out.

LinkParis saysI started LinkParis in 2002, and Provence has been part of it from the start. Our trips leave Paris on the morning TGV and meet a driver in Avignon. The villages, the Pont du Gard and the wine estates have few buses or none, and our driver covers six stops in a day from Avignon with the tickets and the parking handled.John Romano, founder

About LinkParis

Where our Provence trips go

Avignon. The walled city of the popes, 2 hours 40 from Paris by TGV: the Palais des Papes, the bridge, the July festival, and where all our Provence trips start.
The Luberon villages. Gordes, Roussillon, Sénanque Abbey, Ménerbes and Lourmarin: what to see, the market days and the buses that barely run.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Van Gogh’s asylum at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, the Roman arch and Glanum, and the Wednesday market.
Les Baux-de-Provence. The fortress on its rock, the car-free village and the paintings projected in the quarry, with the château at €10.
Pont du Gard. The tallest Roman aqueduct bridge, free on foot with €9 parking, the guided top tier and the paddle down from Collias.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The popes’ wine village 20 minutes from Avignon: the stones, the 13 grapes, where to taste and how to get there.
Arles and Van Gogh. The Roman arena, the places Van Gogh painted, the Fondation and the Saturday market, 18 minutes from Avignon by train.
Aix-en-Provence. Cézanne’s town: the Cours Mirabeau, the morning markets, the Musée Granet and the studio’s closure for works.
The lavender fields. Sault and Sénanque, where our Lavender Tour goes, and the Valensole plateau: when each blooms, when it is cut, and how to see it without a car.
15 great villages in Provence. From Gordes and Roussillon to Séguret, Venasque and Aiguines, with the market days and the drive times.

More of Provence

Marseille. The Vieux-Port, Le Panier, the MuCEM and Notre-Dame de la Garde, 3 hours from Paris by TGV.
The Calanques of Cassis. The boats, the walks to Port-Pin and En-Vau, and the summer fire-risk rules.
The Verdon Gorge. The rim roads, the lake, the Blanc-Martel trail and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.

The Palais des Papes in Avignon, seen from the square — The Palais des Papes in Avignon, where most of our Provence trips begin.

Getting there and around

TGVs from Paris Gare de Lyon reach Avignon TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV and Marseille Saint-Charles through the day. Avignon TGV and Aix TGV both stand outside their towns, with a shuttle train or bus into the center.

Regional Zou! buses link the towns, and a few lines climb to the hill villages. Line 707 runs from Avignon to Saint-Rémy and Les Baux, and lines 917 and 918 serve Gordes, Roussillon, Ménerbes and Bonnieux from Coustellet, Monday to Saturday.

A rental car reaches everything, with paid parking at the busiest villages: Gordes €8 for up to four hours, Les Baux €5 for the first hour, the Pont du Gard €9 a day.

Most of our trips meet you at Avignon TGV with a driver. One Night in Provence covers Orange, Châteauneuf, Arles, Les Baux and Saint-Rémy, and the Three Days adds the Luberon and the Pont du Gard. The Five Days adds Aix and a cooking class, the Six Days continues to Nice, and the Biking Trip stays in Gordes. Legendary Art and Provence meets you at Marseille airport or Avignon TGV for Cézanne and Van Gogh.

When to go

From April to June the hills are green, the poppies are out and the lavender starts to bloom. September and October are the grape harvest, with warm, clear days.

July and August are hot and dry, with the Festival d’Avignon, the opera festival in Aix, the photography festival in Arles and the lavender cut. Book hotels early for all of them.

In winter the mistral blows cold and clear, the truffle markets open, and several museums and sites close or shorten their hours. The Pont du Gard museum shuts from November to February, and Cézanne’s studio in Aix is closed for works from November 1, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do you need in Provence?
Three at least: one for Avignon, one for the villages, the Pont du Gard and Les Baux, and one for the wine. Five gives you Aix, Arles and a cooking class, and a week adds the coast.

Where should I stay in Provence?
Avignon for a first trip, with the TGV from Paris and most of the sights within an hour. Aix for Cézanne, the markets and the south, and Gordes for a quiet base in the Luberon.

Can you see Provence without a car?
The towns, yes: Avignon, Arles, Aix and Marseille are linked by train and bus. The villages, the Pont du Gard and the vineyards have few buses or none, which is what our day tours from Avignon are for.

When is lavender season in Provence?
From mid-June to mid-July in most years, a little later at Sault, with the cut starting around mid-July. In 2026 it ran about two weeks early.

Is there a Provence tour from Paris?
Yes. Our Best of Provence in Three Days is $1,925, One Night in Provence $775, the Five Days $1,850, the Six Days to Nice $2,350, the Biking Trip $1,185 and the Lavender Tour $160. All meet you in Avignon, and we can book your train once your dates are set.