Without a doubt, this beautiful package is one of our best and most exciting adventures.  To visit Paris, Provence and the French Riviera all in one trip is a kind of traveler's heaven.  

The tour begins with four nights in the City of Lights.  Must sees include the Louvre (perhaps the greatest museum in the world), the newer Musee  D'Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumphe and the Cathedral of Notre Dame.  A walk in the neighborhood of the Ile St.-Louis is also a nice way to spend an afternoon.  Exciting districts to visit include the Latin Quarter and the artistic center, Montmarte. If you enjoy musical and theatrical performances, don't forget to book a show at the world famous Moulin Rouge, an entertaining experience that everyone ought to do at least once while in Paris.  One of my favorite activities is simply to find a café, order an espresso, and just sit for an hour or two watching the fashionable people. Lovers kiss, friends laugh, business people ply their trades, and tourists gaze in awe at the treasures that abound. Paris is a visual dream that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.  

We then travel south by high speed train and stay in the heart of Provence in the magnificent town of Avignon.  A long time ago, Van Gogh's paintings were animated by the colors he experienced in southern France--the poppy  and sunflower fields and magical starry nights enjoyed from places like the Cafe Nuit in Arles.  With a backdrop of Roman and Medieval ruins, the many walled hill towns of Provence evoke a spirit of beauty and serenity that touch the soul with a calming, peaceful air.  The smell of fresh herbs, the taste of local wine with freshly baked bread and homemade cheese and the dramatically picturesque surroundings all combine to provide a sensory blast of the sort that leaves one thinking, "yeah, I could live here."  In Avignon,  one can visit the Palais de Papes, which was the seat of the Papacy during the 14th century, a kind of Vatican of the north.  Day trips can be made to Arles and Les Baux, which was once referred to as the "nesting place for eagles" because of its dramatic location on a windswept plateau overlooking the southern Alpilles. 

The grand finale for this ArawjoTours Classic will be spent raveling further south where the landscape eventually opens wide to the splendid Azur Coast (Cote d' Azur), whose emerald deep blue waters form part of the Mediterranean basin.  The stretch of coastline from Marseille to Nice is one of the richest and most beautiful in the world, with jaw-dropping vistas at every turn. We will spend the last three nights in Nice, where you can see or be seen as you stroll along the famous Promenade des Anglais,  dine in the charming Old Quarter or shop in the outdoor vegetable and fruit market.  And from Nice, you are just a stone's throw away from the Monaco of Grace Kelly and the Casino of Monte Carlo.  Arguably one of the most romantic combinations in global travel, the Paris, Provence and the French Riviera tour is one of the hottest packages in our 2017 schedule.  We hope you will take a close look at the tour features and consider joining us on this paradisaical escape.  

TOUR FEATURES AND INCLUSIONS:  This eleven days program includes round trip air transportation from JFK on Delta Airlines with a return from Nice on KLM;  all private motor coach transportation for transfers between airports and  hotels inside of France; four nights in Paris at the centrally-located four-star Novotel Paris les Halles Hotel with breakfasts daily;  a half day panoramic sightseeing tour of Paris;  a half day guided tour to the Palace of Versailles; first class one way TGV Train tickets from Paris to Avignon;  three nights in Avignon at the historic five-star Hotel D’Europe with breakfast daily; a half day walking tour of Avignon including entrance to the Palais des Papes;  a full day tour to Baux de Provence and Arles, including a visit to the Cloister of St. Paul of Mausole  (famous for housing Van Gogh) in St. Remy; private motor coach transfer between Avignon and Nice;  three nights in the lovely, centrally-located four-star Hotel Beau Rivage with breakfasts daily; a half day panoramic sightseeing tour of Nice;  a full day tour to Eze and St. Paul de Vence, including entrance to the Exotic Gardens in Eze; a half day excursion to Monaco; a full day optional D-Day tour to Normandy; and the services of a full time French tour manage/guide (Christine Aractingi).