A Week in Southern France
A Week in Southern France custom tour — 8 day French Riviera and Provence itinerary by Juniper Tours. Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco, Èze, Marseille Calanques, Cassis, Avignon Palais des Papes, Pont du Gard, Luberon lavender fields, Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. Private transfers, 4-star or higher accommodations, daily breakfast. Designed by Taryn Harrison and Lexi Blade. IATAN accredited (22-787413). 4.9★ · hundreds of verified Google reviews. Custom southern France itineraries from $2,500 per person. Sample itinerary — all trips custom designed by our top travel specialists.
Sample Itinerary · France
A Week in Southern France
Nice · Marseille · Avignon · Provence
Duration
8 Days · 7 Nights
Accommodations
4-Star or Higher
Transport
Private Transfers
Best For
Mediterranean · Riviera · Provence
Plan a Similar Trip
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8 Days · 7 Nights
4-Star+ Accommodations
Private Transfers Throughout
Daily Breakfast Included
Sample — Fully Customisable
This is a sample itinerary — for inspiration only. Every Juniper trip is designed from scratch around you. Many clients travel a very similar route — if this resonates, book a free consultation and a specialist will build something just like it (or better) specifically for your travel style, dates, and group.
1
Day One
Arrive in Nice
Nice
Welcome to the Côte d’Azur. Your driver meets you at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) and transfers you to your hotel. Check in and stroll the Promenade des Anglais — the palm-lined waterfront boulevard that defines Nice.
Afternoon: the Vieille Ville (Nice’s old town) — the Cours Saleya flower and food market, the baroque churches, the narrow Italian-influenced lanes. The Colline du Château viewpoint for the first panoramic view of the Baie des Anges. Welcome dinner — socca, salade niçoise, and a glass of Bellet rosé.
Arrive Nice
Promenade des Anglais
Vieille Ville + Cours Saleya
Overnight: Nice
2
Day Two
Villefranche + Monaco + Èze
French Riviera
Morning: Villefranche-sur-Mer (10 minutes from Nice) — a pastel-colored fishing village on a sheltered bay, often called the most beautiful small harbor on the Riviera. The Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Cap Ferrat peninsula (9 themed gardens overlooking the sea).
Afternoon: Monaco — the Monte Carlo Casino district, the Prince’s Palace (changing of the guard at 11:55am), and the Oceanographic Museum. Then Èze — the medieval perched village between Nice and Monaco with the Jardin Exotique at the summit and the perfume factory at the base. Return to Nice by evening.
Villefranche + Villa Ephrussi
Monaco + Monte Carlo
Èze perched village
Overnight: Nice
3
Day Three
Nice → Marseille
Marseille
Morning: private transfer from Nice to Marseille (approximately 2.5 hours along the A8 or the scenic coastal road through Cannes, Saint-Raphaël, and the Esterel mountains — red volcanic cliffs against the blue Mediterranean).
Arrive Marseille early afternoon. France’s oldest city (founded 600 BC by Greek sailors) and its most multicultural. The Vieux-Port (old harbor) is the heart — fishing boats, cafés, and the Fort Saint-Jean. Le Panier quarter (the oldest neighborhood, now galleries and street art). The MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations, a contemporary building connected to the fort by a latticed concrete walkway). Evening: bouillabaisse at the Vieux-Port — the genuine article, not the tourist version.
Scenic coast drive to Marseille
Vieux-Port + Le Panier
MuCEM + bouillabaisse
Overnight: Marseille
4
Day Four
Calanques + Cassis
Marseille · Cassis
Morning: Calanques National Park — a boat tour along the turquoise-water limestone inlets east of Marseille. The Calanques are narrow fjord-like coves with white cliffs, pine forests, and water so clear the boats appear to float above their shadows. Pre-booked small-group boat (your specialist avoids the large tourist boats).
Afternoon: Cassis — a cliff-side fishing village at the eastern edge of the Calanques with pastel-colored waterfront restaurants and the dramatic Cap Canaille (the highest sea cliff in France at 1,293 feet). Cassis white wine from the steep hillside vineyards. Return to Marseille or overnight in Cassis. Final coastal evening.
Calanques boat tour
Cassis village + Cap Canaille
Cassis wine tasting
Overnight: Marseille
5
Day Five
Marseille → Avignon
Avignon
Morning: transfer from Marseille to Avignon (approximately 1 hour). The landscape shifts from the Mediterranean coast to the Rhône valley — stone villages, vineyards, and the mistral wind.
Afternoon: Avignon — the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes, the largest medieval Gothic palace in Europe, seat of the papacy during the 14th-century schism). The Pont d’Avignon (Pont Saint-Bénézet). Walk the ramparts. Check in to your hotel within the walled city. Evening: dinner in Avignon’s Place de l’Horloge.
Marseille → Avignon · 1hr
Palais des Papes
Pont d’Avignon
Overnight: Avignon
6
Day Six
Pont du Gard + Luberon Villages
Provence
Morning: Pont du Gard — the Roman aqueduct bridge (UNESCO, 1st century AD, 161 feet high). Then into the Luberon — the hill villages that define the Provence postcard: Gordes (perched on a white limestone cliff above the valley), Roussillon (the ochre-red village built on pigment quarries), and Lacoste (the Marquis de Sade’s castle).
If visiting mid-June through early August: the lavender fields of the Luberon plateau (Sénanque Abbey with the lavender rows in front of the 12th-century Cistercian monastery is the most photographed site in Provence). Afternoon at leisure in a village café. Return to Avignon by evening.
Pont du Gard Roman aqueduct
Gordes + Roussillon + Lacoste
Lavender fields seasonal
Overnight: Avignon
7
Day Seven
Châteauneuf-du-Pape + Provence Market
Provence · Avignon
Morning: Châteauneuf-du-Pape — the most famous wine appellation in the southern Rhône, named for the popes’ summer residence (the ruined papal castle overlooks the vineyards). Private tasting at a family domaine — Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre blends that are rich, sun-drenched, and impossible to replicate anywhere else.
Afternoon: a Provence market visit (L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue if it’s Sunday — the antiques capital of Provence with 300+ dealers along the river — or the daily market in Apt or Carpentras depending on the day of the week). Your specialist times the market to your travel dates. Farewell dinner in Avignon.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasting
Provence market day
Farewell dinner
Overnight: Avignon
8
Day Eight
Depart
Avignon · Marseille
Morning transfer to Marseille Provence Airport (MRS, approximately 45 minutes) or Avignon high-speed rail station (for a fast connection to Paris CDG). A week in the south of France — the Riviera’s glamour, the Calanques’ raw coast, and Provence’s lavender-and-stone interior.
Your Juniper specialist remains reachable throughout departure day. Safe travels home.
Transfer to MRS or high-speed rail
App support
Love this itinerary? Make it yours.
This is a sample luxury custom route — a starting point, not a fixed package. Many clients travel something very close to this, customized for their travel style, group, and dates. Book a free consultation and a specialist will build from here.
Accommodations
Boutique hotels, charming B&Bs, or historic castle stays — chosen based on your preferences and travel style.
Transportation
Private driver-guide, self-drive rental, or a mix of both — all transfers confirmed before you travel.
Experiences
Pre-arranged tours and activities built around your interests — entrance tickets sorted, no queuing.
Book a Free Consultation
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Activities on this itinerary
Your specialist pre-arranges the right luxury experiences based on your interests and travel style. These are the custom experience types available on this route — specific choices are made with you, not for you.
Promenade des AnglaisNice · Baie des Anges waterfront
Villefranche + Villa EphrussiPastel harbor · Rothschild gardens
Monaco + Monte CarloPrince’s Palace · Oceanographic Museum
Èze Perched VillageMedieval hilltop · Jardin Exotique
Calanques Boat TourTurquoise inlets · Marseille
Cassis + Cap CanailleFishing village · France’s highest sea cliff
MuCEM MarseilleMediterranean civilisations museum
Palais des PapesAvignon · largest medieval Gothic palace
Pont du GardRoman aqueduct · UNESCO · 1st century
Luberon Hill VillagesGordes · Roussillon · lavender fields
Châteauneuf-du-PapeRhône wine · private domaine tasting
Provence Market DayL’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue antiques · local produce
Activities are selected and pre-booked with your specialist based on your interests — not all activities are included in every trip version. Availability varies by season.
The people who will design your France trip
You work directly with a specialist who knows France deeply — not a call center or booking agent. Every consultation is with someone who has been there, knows which Riviera hotel has the sea-view terrace worth the supplement, which Calanques boat tour runs the early-morning route before the midday crowds, and which Luberon village has the rosé tasting under the plane trees that isn’t in any guidebook.
Ireland · Scotland · Iceland · Portugal · France
Taryn Harrison
Juniper Tours’ most tenured specialist with 25 years of experience. CMSC certified and a former Peace Corps volunteer. Taryn brings the same detail-orientation to Portugal that she’s known for across Ireland and Iceland — she knows which Lisbon neighborhood hotel has the best terrace view, which Sintra entry time avoids the coach-tour peaks, and which Douro Valley quinta pours the reserve that doesn’t appear on the standard tasting menu.
25 Yrs
CMSC
France & Europe
Book a Consultation
Italy · Portugal · Spain · Switzerland
Lexi Blade
Florence and Salzburg-based with 8 years of experience across Southern Europe. Lexi covers Portugal, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland with the same firsthand knowledge she brings to every destination — sourced from living there rather than visiting. Her France itineraries are built around the restaurants that require a local’s recommendation, the Burgundy and Bordeaux producers who don’t appear in guidebooks, and the Provence villages that haven’t been found by the travel influencers yet.
8 Yrs
Florence Based
Southern Europe
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About this itinerary
April through June and September through October are ideal — warm, clear, and manageable crowds at the major sites. July and August are peak season with extreme heat in Madrid and interior Spain (regularly above 38 degrees C) and peak crowds in Barcelona. Winter is mild along the Mediterranean coast (Barcelona and Valencia rarely drop below 10 degrees C) but can be cold in Madrid. The shoulder seasons give you outdoor dining weather, shorter museum queues, and the best light for photography. Your specialist adjusts the pacing around your travel dates.
The Riviera (Cote d’Azur) is the coastal strip from Nice to Monaco — glamorous, Mediterranean, urban. Provence is the interior — hilltop villages, lavender fields, vineyards, Roman ruins. This itinerary covers both. Days 1 through 4 are the coast (Nice, Villefranche, Monaco, Eze, Marseille, Cassis). Days 5 through 8 are inland Provence (Avignon, Pont du Gard, Luberon, Chateauneuf-du-Pape). The contrast between the two halves is part of the design.
Yes — add 3 to 5 days in Paris before or after the southern half. A high-speed rail from Paris to Nice takes approximately 5 hours 30 minutes. Our Best of France itinerary covers Paris, Normandy, Loire, Provence, and the Riviera in 11 days. Or our Paris City Stay gives you 6 focused days in the capital. Your specialist can build a Paris plus Southern France combination at any length.
Southern France is one of the most popular honeymoon destinations in Europe. The Riviera coast, the Provence countryside, and the quality of the food and wine create a natural romantic itinerary. Your specialist can upgrade accommodations to honeymoon-specific properties (clifftop boutique hotels with sea views, converted Provencal farmhouses with private pools) and add couple-focused experiences like private cooking classes, sunset boat charters, and wine tastings at estates that feel like private gardens.
Other trips worth considering
Best of France
Paris · Normandy · Loire · Provence
The full France experience — Paris through the Riviera including Normandy and the Loire.
View Itinerary
6 Days
Paris City Stay
Paris
Add the capital before or after the south — Louvre, Versailles, Montmartre.
View Itinerary
9 Days
Wine Tour of Central France
Lyon · Burgundy · Bordeaux · Loire
France’s wine regions in depth — the central counterpart to this southern route.
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“Juniper Tours was a delight to work with while planning my European travel. I would highly recommend this company. They consider your interests and stay in touch leading up to your vacation day.”
Emilie P. · Southern France Tour · Verified Google Review
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