A trip between Provence, the Camargue, the Thau basin and the Canal du Midi

Arrival at the hotel, welcome and check-in to rooms.

Complimentary welcome drink. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast. Departure for a half-day at a manade (bull ranch), welcome by the manadier, presentation of the manade by the riders on horseback, explanation of customs and traditions. Visit of the bull farm by horse-drawn cart, gardian games, aperitif in the courtyard of the mas with local products.

Typical Camargue regional lunch in an old stone cellar, then on to Aigues-Mortes.

Discovery of the 13th-century ramparts and the Tour de Constance, visit of the Gothic church of Notre-Dame-des-Sablons, which once served as a salt warehouse, then a little-train ride to discover the Salins du Midi, a unique, wild and unspoilt site, one of the largest in Europe.

Return to the hotel via La Grande-Motte and its futuristic architecture.

Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, then departure for Béziers.

The listing of the Canal du Midi as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 7 December 1996 breathed new life into one of the oldest canals still in operation, now entirely dedicated to tourism.

Built during the reign of Louis XIV, from 1667 to 1681, and known as the Canal Royal until the French Revolution, it stretches for 240 km.

It is extended to the Atlantic by the Canal latéral à la Garonne.

You board a boat to pass through the 9 locks of Fonserannes during a leisurely trip along the water.

Lunch.

Departure for Narbonne, which boasts a rich and diverse heritage, allowing you to grasp the major periods of its two-thousand-year history. You can travel through the heart of Narbonne’s history by little train. We invite you to complete your visit by discovering the former Palais des Archevêques, the second largest archiepiscopal complex after the Palais des Papes in Avignon; it is made up of the Romanesque Old Palace and the Gothic New Palace. Visit of Saint-Paul cathedral.

Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, free morning.

Lunch, then departure by tram to discover Montpellier.

Explore its historic centre by little train, winding through the maze of medieval lanes. Let yourself be guided and discover the city through the ages up to the present day, between ancient and modern monuments, a city for all generations “where the sun never sets”: cathedral, church, Arc de Triomphe, Promenade Royale du Peyrou and its aqueduct, the oldest faculty of medicine in Europe… Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast. Departure for Sète, panoramic view from Mont Saint-Clair, discovery of the fishermen’s cemetery where Georges Brassens rests, and visit of the nearby Espace Georges Brassens.

Lunch by the water.

Boat trip on the Étang de Thau, the largest lagoon on the Languedoc coast, with a guided tour of the oyster beds.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, departure for Nîmes, discovery of the city at the gateway to the Camargue and visit of its Roman remains, the Arènes and the Maison Carrée.

Lunch on site.

Then discovery of the Pont du Gard, a masterpiece of ancient architecture; its aqueduct is one of the finest Roman constructions in the region. This aqueduct bridge was built by the Romans in the 1st century AD and is the tallest in the world (49 m high).

It is remarkable for its excellent state of preservation, which today allows it to be admired as a masterpiece of human creative genius. Nearly a thousand men worked on this colossal project, completed in just 5 years.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, then departure for Arles, the Roman city, a veritable open-air museum.

During the tour through the streets of the old town centre, you will discover the beautiful private mansions built from the 16th to the 18th century in the golden stone of the Alpilles, the amphitheatre (visit of the arena), the ancient theatre, the town hall, etc. A stroll through a typical Provençal market every Saturday morning.

Discover over 2.5 km of stalls: fruit and vegetables, flowers and spices, honey, regional products such as olive oil, Arles sausage, Camargue rice… As well as a farmers’ market with its organic producers on the esplanade.

Lunch.

On to Les Baux-de-Provence, a village in the heart of the Alpilles, on a rocky plateau at 245 m.

This village is listed as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France” and has been meticulously restored. Today, its historical heritage is exceptional, with a treasure trove of 22 architectural features listed as Monuments Historiques.

Return to the hotel, aperitif around a brasucade, dinner dance and overnight stay.

Breakfast and departure.