Stories of Provence: A Self-Launched 8-Day Journey from Avignon to Aix-en-Provence
8 days · Provence, France
G Adventures charges £2,340
No-markup version: ~£955 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
This is the self-launched version of G Adventures' National Geographic Journeys "Stories of Provence" trip. You'll cover the same route — Avignon, Arles, Saint-Rémy and Les Baux, the Camargue salt flats, and Aix-en-Provence — but by local TER trains and buses, staying in hostels and budget guesthouses, and booking the walking tours, salt-flat train and calissons visit yourself. Expect Roman arenas, pink salt basins, weekly markets, Van Gogh's café and a game of pétanque with a glass of pastis, at roughly a third of the group tour price. Costs are approximate and based on shoulder-season (April–June, September–October) budget traveller rates.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Avignon — settle into the old town
Avignon
Arrive at Avignon TGV (direct from Paris in ~2h40, ~£35–60 if booked ahead on SNCF Connect; Ouigo trains can be as cheap as £15–20) and take the short shuttle bus or a 15-minute walk-plus-bus into the walled old town. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse inside or just outside the ramparts. Spend the late afternoon orienting yourself: walk the length of Rue de la République to Place de l'Horloge, see the Palais des Papes floodlit at dusk, and pick up breakfast supplies. Grab a simple dinner — a pizza or a plat du jour — in a side street rather than on the main square to keep costs down.
🚌TGV from Paris ~2h40 (~£35–60 booked ahead on SNCF Connect); local bus/walk into the old town
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse near the old town (e.g. Avignon hostel dorms from ~£25–30/night)
- →Self-guided orientation walk of Avignon old town
- →Place de l'Horloge and Palais des Papes exterior at dusk
Avignon: popes, the broken bridge and a local walking tour
Avignon
Book a morning walking tour of Avignon via GetYourGuide or the tourist office (~£15–20) — local guides cover the cathedral, the Rocher des Doms gardens and the Pont d'Avignon legend. Alternatively do it yourself with a city audio guide. Have lunch on Place de l'Horloge (sit-down lunch ~£14–18, or a sandwich from a boulangerie for £6). In the afternoon, buy a combined ticket for the Palais des Papes and Pont Saint-Bénézet (~£15–17 direct from the Palais des Papes website) and explore the Gothic halls and courtyards at your own pace. Evening free for a relaxed wander and a cheap dinner.
🚌Walking; Avignon is compact and flat
🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Avignon
- →Guided or self-guided Avignon old town walking tour (GetYourGuide, ~£18)
- →Palais des Papes + Pont d'Avignon combined ticket (~£16)
Arles: Roman arena, LUMA and pétanque
Arles
Take the morning TER train from Avignon to Arles (~30–40 min, ~£8–10, book on SNCF Connect or at the station machine). Drop bags at your Arles hostel or guesthouse (or use station lockers if moving on later). Walk to Frank Gehry's LUMA tower and the Parc des Ateliers — the tower itself needs a timed ticket (~£10–12 online) but the surrounding creative campus is free to wander. Continue to the Roman Amphitheatre (entry ~£10 with the combined Roman monuments ticket). In the afternoon, join a small-group Arles old-town walking tour (GetYourGuide, ~£15–20) or follow a Van Gogh audio trail yourself, finishing with a coffee at the yellow-fronted Café Van Gogh on Place du Forum. In the evening, head to a local boulodrome or the public pétanque courts (free to play — just ask to join a game; hire or borrow boules if you don't have any) and buy a small pastis (~£4–5) at a nearby bar. It's a friendly, easy way to meet locals.
🚌TER train Avignon–Arles, 30–40 min, ~£8–10
🛏Arles hostel or budget guesthouse (e.g. dorms/private rooms from ~£30–40/night)
- →LUMA Tower and Parc des Ateliers (~£11)
- →Arles Amphitheatre and Roman monuments (~£10)
- →Arles old-town walking tour or Van Gogh self-guided trail (~£18)
- →Evening pétanque with a pastis (~£5)
Saint-Rémy market and the hilltop village of Les Baux
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence & Les Baux-de-Provence
If your visit lands on a Wednesday, don't miss Saint-Rémy-de-Provence's famous weekly market — otherwise enjoy the town's shops and cafés and check the market day in advance (Wednesdays year-round). Get there by bus from Arles (LER line 22/23, ~£3–5, roughly 45–60 min) or by TER to Tarascon/Avignon plus a connecting bus. Browse stalls of soap, olives, cured meats and textiles, then take a local bus or taxi (~£10–15 shared) up to Les Baux-de-Provence. Wander the medieval alleyways and artisan boutiques on the clifftop for free, and optionally visit the Carrières de Lumières light show (~£13–15, book online in peak season) in the old bauxite quarry. Return to Arles by bus in the late afternoon.
🚌LER regional bus Arles–Saint-Rémy (~£4, 45–60 min); short shared taxi or bus to Les Baux (~£10–15)
🛏Arles hostel or budget guesthouse
- →Saint-Rémy-de-Provence weekly market (Wednesdays)
- →Les Baux-de-Provence village walk (free)
- →Optional Carrières de Lumières immersive art show (~£14)
The Camargue: pink salt flats, flamingos and Saintes-Maries
Camargue & Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Head south into the wetlands. Reach Salin d'Aigues-Mortes independently (bus from Arles or Nîmes, or a TER train to Aigues-Mortes plus a 20-minute walk) and take the open-air petit train through the pink salt basins (~£14–16 — book the English-language slot on the Salin website or via GetYourGuide in advance). You'll see the rose-coloured salins and learn how sea salt is harvested. Continue to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer by bus (from Arles, ~£3–5, 45 min) for a self-guided wander along the promenade and the church of the Black Madonna. Keep an eye out for flamingos and Camargue horses on the marsh roads. Return to Arles for a free evening.
🚌Regional bus Arles–Aigues-Mortes/Saintes-Maries (~£4–6 each way); walking
🛏Arles hostel or budget guesthouse
- →Salin d'Aigues-Mortes open-air train through the pink salt flats (~£15)
- →Orientation wander of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (free)
- →Wildlife spotting in the Camargue wetlands
Aix-en-Provence: market, fountains and Cézanne
Aix-en-Provence
Take the TER train from Arles to Marseille and change for Aix-en-Provence (~1h–1h30, ~£15–20 total), or do a direct bus connection. Check into your Aix hostel or guesthouse and head straight to the daily Provençal market — the big antiques/clothing/food markets run on Place des Prêcheurs, Place de la Madeleine and Cours Mirabeau depending on the day. Buy lunch from the stalls (~£8). Join an afternoon small-group walking tour of the historic old town (GetYourGuide, ~£15–20) or download an Aix self-guided audio walk. The rest of the day is yours: hunt down the moss-covered fountains, relax on Cours Mirabeau, or pre-book Atelier de Cézanne (~£10–12 direct, timed slots — book early in high season).
🚌TER Arles–Marseille–Aix (~£15–20) or regional bus; walking in town
🛏Aix-en-Provence hostel or budget guesthouse (from ~£30–40/night)
- →Aix-en-Provence Provençal market (free to browse)
- →Old town walking tour via GetYourGuide (~£18)
- →Optional Atelier de Cézanne visit (~£11)
Calissons workshop, art and an evening farewell
Aix-en-Provence
Book a morning visit to a traditional calissonnerie (a Fabrique de Calissons) to see how Aix's almond-and-melon sweet is made — several workshops (e.g. Confiserie du Roy René) run short guided visits or tastings for around £5–10, bookable direct or via GetYourGuide. Break for lunch on your own (~£10–14), then enjoy a free afternoon: browse the art galleries, shop for regional ceramics in the old town, or take the 20-minute bus up to Cézanne's studio and the Bibémus quarry viewpoint. In the evening, treat yourself to a final dinner on a terrace square (~£25–30) — the group-tour version of this trip includes an optional farewell meal, but this is your own version.
🚌Walking; local bus to Atelier de Cézanne (~£2)
🛏Aix-en-Provence hostel or budget guesthouse
- →Calissons workshop/tasting (~£8)
- →Free afternoon: galleries, ceramics and Cézanne sites
- →Optional final dinner out (~£28)
Depart Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Check out at your own pace. Aix has direct TGV connections to Paris (~3h15, ~£40–70 booked ahead) via the Aix TGV station, plus regional trains to Marseille (45 min, ~£8) for onward flights or connections. Grab a last coffee and a calisson for the road.
🚌TGV Aix–Paris (~3h15, ~£40–70 booked ahead) or TER to Marseille (~£8)
🛏None — departure day
- →Self-transfer to Aix TGV station or Marseille
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£955 | £2,340 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,385 per person (59%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£955
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Stories of Provence: A Self-Launched 8-Day Journey from Avignon to Aix-en-Provence cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £955 per person for 8 days in Provence, France. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,340 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £955 — a saving of roughly £1,385 (59%) per person.
How long is the Provence, France trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Provence, France.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, slow-travel trip through Provence, France, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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