Sinfonia 6/26 - Looking to share excursion

[caviargal]

I will be on Sinfonia 6/26 and am booking independent excursion in Marseilles. The tour is a full day and I get a special discount as I am a TA.

 

We have room for 4 more and are happy to share!

 

Please post if interested.

 

CG

[BethM]

I'm also a (TA) w/my son - what exursion are you interested in sharing? I was thinking of training it to Aix for the day...but interested in sharing in any other cities as well...

[caviargal]

Thank you for your request.

It would be a pleasure fo me to help you and your mother to discover the wonderful area of Provence during your stop on July 2, 2005. Nice time to come, just when lavender is in bloom !

 

You can have a look at my website http://www.provence-travel.com where you will see pictures of Provence, informations about the different areas and comments of some of the clients, mainly cruisers, I toured with.

 

I can suggest you several possibilities of nice day trips which will give you a good flavor of Provence and immerse you in the Provençal atmosphere. It could also be interesting to know more about your special interests (history, architecture, food and wine, art of livin...) in order to focus on.

 

1 - We start the day visiting the city of Aix-en-Provence : visit of the city with its sumptuous architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries, its nice terraces, its lovely streets with fountains singing everywhere. You will see the town very lively with the big market taking place in several squares of the historical centre. you will find there all the things that make Provence famous : fabrics, potteries, olive oil, vegetal soap, delicious food like goat cheese... Even if you don't buy anything it's a nice spectacle.

 

The mountain range of the Luberon in the afternoon with its superb countryside with limestone cliffs, lavender fields in bloom and delightful quaint villages like the peaceful Lourmarin, the hilltop Bonnieux, the mysterious Lacoste with the haunting ruins of the Marquis de Sade's castle... A very interesting area from the historical point of view due to the wars between Catholics and Protestants which took place there.

This is a very nice tour, very well balanced which will show you different faces of Provence. Luberon is very representative of Provence.

 

2 - Sightseeing and quaint villages : We can also spend the whole day in the Luberon area seeing Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Lacoste (see number 1) and the hilltop village of Gordes with maybe the visit of the very well preserved Cistercian abbey of Senanque built in the 12th century if you are interested in that kind of monuments.

 

3 - Avignon in the morning : We start the day seeing the historical centre of the city and the awesome Palace of the Popes (it takes about 1h30 to visit it with an audio-guide, of course you can do it shorter). In the afternoon we will see the fabulous area of les Alpilles, its sweet countryside with olive trees (this is the best area for olive oil in Provence, we can have an olive oil tasting in a windmill if you want) and vineyards, the impressive village of les Baux de Provence (a little bit crowded), the quiet little town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence where the painter Van Gogh spent one year (hospital where he stayed, which is a former priory, to visit, 15 minutes).

 

4 - Mediterranean day-trip : Discovery of the picturesque and amazing town of Marseilles in the morning. We spend the afternoon in the little fishing port of Cassis which is famous for its location itself between cliffs, sea and vineyards (delicious white wine) and for its Calanques (kind of little fjords we could see by boat). Afterwards we go on the top of Cap Canaille to have a wonderful view on the port. If you don't want to see Marseilles we can combine Cassis with Aix and the Mount Sainte Victoire which was the favorite subject of the painter Cezanne native of Aix.

 

These are just suggestions and of course we can do changes. Do not hesitate to ask me if you want to see a special place. A wine tasting is possible everywhere.

Just tell me if that could be of interest to you. Also, is walking a problem for you or is it OK. Lots of villages are hilltop villages but I can adapt the tour.

 

Price and service :

I come to pick you up to the boat in the morning, drive and guide you through the different places in a comfortable 8 seater air-conditioned MERCEDES minivan (year 2005), make a reservation in a good casual restaurant for the lunch and drive you back to the boat at the end of the day.

Pricing for 2 persons : 280 Euros, all the car expenses are included (fuel, highway, parking...) but not extra costs such as drinks, lunch (with the guide), entrance fees...

If you want to share the tour with other passengers I also give you the rates :

Pricing for 4 persons : 390 Euros (same conditions), 360 Euros for you as you are a travel agent.

Pricing for 6 persons : 460 Euros (same conditions), 430 Euros for you as you are a travel agent.

Pricing for 8 persons : 550 Euros (same conditions), 520 Euros for you as you are a travel agent.

 

I hope this meets your requirement and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Best regards,

Catherine D'ANTUONO

PROVENCE TOUR DESIGNER

Driver guide company licenced to perform public transport

tour.designer@provence-travel.com

http://www.provence-travel.com

[BethM]

sounds great - but its still $150.00 for my son and I - I've stayed in the Luberon before as well as Cote D'Azur...

would only be interested in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence..

I was able to get 2 - 4 day in one month passes from Rail Europe for my son and I - only 105.00 each - good for 3 countries - so I chose Italy, France and Spain.

I think I'm just going to train it to Aix for the day - never been...

you know you can get these agent passes on-line w/rail europe...

What are doing in the other ports? For me::rolleyes: :cool:

in Naples - I think probably just Pompeii for me..

Palermo - city tour and Monreale by bus

Tunis - cab it to the souk/medina

Barcelona - hop/hop off red bus - sounds fun - I've been before but my son may like..

Palma - we get in so late but was thinking of taking the train to Soller if possible

[caviargal]

Yes, I use these passes also but not on these types of trips where the routes are shorts and the tickets 10 Euro or less. Even the train from Milan to Genoa is only 5.50 Euro each for us.

 

If my mom was not with me, I would be doing this as well but need to consider her age and abilities so I am limited.

 

I am not doing Pompei as I have done that but have a daylong itinerary in Naples put together for Naples and Palermo. Also doing the hop on hop off in Barcelona and a cab in Tunis.

 

I don't care for organized tours myself but do not speak French so wish to have a bit more organization there.

 

I will see you aboard! Do you have a cabin assignment yet?

 

kim

[BethM]

I guess I'll find out on the 26th - we're leaving tomorrow night via Boston to London first..

I think I'm doing a cab in Tunis to - for the Medina...have any info on this?

Will we have to change money for the 5 hour stopover there?

[caviargal]

Beth, we leave on Friday for Milan via Boston.

 

If you stick to credit cards in London you should be able to get away with not changing dollars for pounds. Good thing as the exchange is really horrible!

 

Best bet for Euro as I imagine you know is ATM withdrawals and not Cambios. I plan to take care of this in Milan.

 

Have had a hard time learing about Tunis so will wait til we are aboard and then check my best source: the crew!

 

See you aboard!

 

kim