2
introductory to moderate
Activities
  • self guided walk
Accommodation
  • 6 nights in 2 star hotels
Meals
  • 6 Breakfasts

7 Days£1030GBP

Overview

Trip Code: JPV

Trip highlights


  • Walk Through Painted Provencal Landscapes
  • Interesting Hiking in the Alpilles
  • Stay in Beautiful Avignon and Arles
  • The vineyards and olive groves
  • Retracing the life and brush strokes of Van Gogh
  • The cafes and restaurants of Saint Remy de Provence
  • The perched medieval village of Les Baux de Provence

In 1888 Van Gogh left Paris for Arles in Provence where, after a 16-hour train journey, he started the most ambitious and productive period of his life. He worked under luminescent skies and the bleaching Provencal Sun painting the fields, drawbridges, cypress trees, cafes, local folk and ancient Abbey Ruins. Here he exclaimed ‘My God! If only I had known of this country when I was 25, instead of coming here at 35!’ Living at Arles, his technique modified as he began to use the swirling brush strokes and intense colours that you see in works like ‘Bedroom at Arles’ (1888), and ‘Starry Night’ (1889). He seemed to imbue visible phenomena with vitality. In his enthusiasm he encouraged the painter Paul Gauguin to join him, but within weeks they began to have violent disagreements, culminating in a quarrel in which van Gogh threatened Gauguin with a razor. It was that night, in deep remorse, Van Gogh famously cut off part of his own ear. This walk traces his footsteps through some of the places that he painted and would have known well. More specifically you will be strolling in Les Alpilles, a small massif standing out as its white peaks rise apparently sheer from the plain of the Rhône valley, its slopes covered in vineyards along with olive and almond trees. Along paths dotted with cypress trees and lone chapels. Here you will discover the many images of the Alpilles' landscapes he painted from St-Rémy to the Baux-de-Provence and onto Arles. We are confident that you will have a better time of it than Van Gogh did; for a time he was in a hospital at Arles, he then spent a year in the nearby asylum of Saint-Rémy, working between repeated spells of madness. Just after completing his ominous Crows in the Wheat fields (1890), he shot himself on July 27, 1890, and died two days later.

Countries:

France

Starting Point:

Avignon

Finishing Point:

Arles


Make your own way to Avignon. If you are taking the train from Paris, it's very likely that you're already following in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh (he made his way from Paris to the south of France by train). At the time, Avignon was a key railway hub. Van Gogh's journey from Paris to Arles in February 1888 marked a turning point in his career, as his time in Provence was one of the most productive periods of his life. Hopefully you will have time to explore the medieval bastion of religion and power politics that Avignon is. Try to visit the Palais des Papes, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe, with the interactive 'histopad tour'. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century. There is also the famous 'pont' in Avignon, sung about by generations of French children. Its narrow design was in order so that no more than one or two riders abreast could cross the River Rhone at a time and could be controlled. The city is also filled with interesting cobbled streets, churches, gardens and of course plenty of restaurants to choose from. Accommodation: Our normal hotel is an attractive 2* residence very close to the train and bus stations and in a quiet street close to the town's ramparts. It offers rooms designed with different cultural universes in mind: Provencal, Moroccan, African, Indian.

Meals:  Nil

Avignon: covered market very morning, except Mondays ---- Transfer with your luggage from Avignon towards the Alpilles to Saint Remy de Provence. On your warm-up walk, discover Saint Rémy de Provence, the adopted home of the Marquis de Sade and Van Gogh. You can visit the Greco-Roman site of Glanum (closed Mondays). Accommodation: Set only a stone’s throw from the old city gates of Saint Rémy de Provence our 3 star hotel where we stay for two nights is hidden in a quiet courtyard, and whose old buildings surround a swimming pool. A simple and very comfortable hotel within a short walk of Saint Rémy’s monuments and quiet landscapes immortalized by Van Gogh.

Meals:  B

St Remy de Provence: market on Wednesdays & Saturdays ---- Walk from St. Remy into the Alpilles Mountains, with great views of the Rhone Valley all the way to the Luberon. This is the hardest walk of the tour with some steep, stoney sections but the views are terrific! Walk up to a mountain cliff wall with weathered holes for a different view of Provence. The day can be made easier and a couple of hours saved, by missing out the circular ridge section of the walk. Take the time to visit the Saint-Paul de Mausole Monastery. It’s the psychiatric asylum where Vincent van Gogh admitted himself in May 1889, following a mental health crisis in Arles (including the infamous ear incident). He stayed there voluntarily for just over a year, until May 1890 and he famously created there nearly 150 paintings & 100 drawings within that year. Ascent 550m/Descent 550m

Meals:  B

St Remy de Provence: market on Wednesdays & Saturdays ---- Back to the ridge of the mountain, you follow a track through the brush among thyme and citrus flowers with open views of the mountains to the north and the flat lands to the south. You then descend a winding track through a forestry path and reach the village of Maussane through the olive groves. Ascent 270m/Descent 290m Accommodation: For two nights we use a family run hotel with great character in the heart of Maussane (with swimming pool).

Meals:  B

Maussane: market on Thursdays ---- From Maussane, you stroll through the golf course and then via a hidden path, you climb up to the Medieval village of Les Baux-de-Provence. Les Baux is home to the famous Carrières de Lumières, a vast former stone quarry turned immersive art venue. Van Gogh’s works have been the subject of spectacular digital exhibitions here, where his paintings are projected on the towering stone walls to music—a powerful and emotional way to experience his art in the region that inspired it. Exiting the village from its medieval gate, you descend back into the plains and via canals and olive groves you return to Maussane. Ascent 250m/Descent 250m

Meals:  B

This morning, you'll be transferred to the charming village of Les Baux-de-Provence, where your walk begins. After a gentle climb to the rounded summit above the village, enjoy a scenic and undulating stroll along the ridge. You'll follow the entire western edge of the Alpilles mountains, taking in sweeping views as the path gradually descends into the plains below. Your walk concludes at the beautiful Romanesque chapel of Saint Gabriel, a serene and historic landmark nestled in the Provençal landscape. From here, you’ll be transferred to Arles—a town forever linked to Vincent van Gogh. It was in Arles that Van Gogh produced some of his most celebrated works, including The Yellow House and Starry Night Over the Rhône. The vivid colours and dramatic light of the region deeply inspired his art, and you’ll soon see why as you explore the area. Ascent 100m/Descent 350m. Accommodation: In Arles stay at a comfortable 3* hotel in the heart of the historic city, close the roman arena and roman theatre.

Meals:  B

Arles: market on Wednesdays & Saturdays Depart Arles after breakfast. Please ask your consultant about the option to add an extra night in Arles. It will give you the opportunity to discover more of its Roman sights, make a day visit to the Camargue, or of course follow in Van Gogh's footsteps and have a drink at the yellow cafe made famous by the artist. There is a Van Gogh Foundation to visit and you may ask from the tourist office for the Vincent van Gogh trail map (€uro 1). Up until today, the town is still filled with art and art galleries.

Meals:  B


Map

Elevation

The map and elevation chart are for illustrative purposes only and meant to provide general guidelines.
On self guided trips, actual route information provided before departure will be more detailed.


Inclusions

  • 6 breakfasts
  • 6 nights accommodation in 2 & 3 star hotels with ensuite facilities. Rates are on twin share basis.
  • Taxi transfers on day 2 from Avignon to St Remy and on day 6, Maussane to Les Baux & St Gabriel's Chapel to Arles
  • Luggage transfer
  • Information pack including route notes and maps
  • Emergency hotline
  • GPX files

  • All lunches & dinners & beverages
  • Entrance fees
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
  • Unscheduled transfers required during the trip
  • Upgrades to charming hotels
  • Guide - this is a self guided holiday
  • A supplement will apply if you are travelling solo or book a single room
  • Excess Luggage

Suitability

introductory to moderate

2

Fitness is a very subjective matter, Sherpa walking grades presume a certain standard common to similar tours and an individual’s perception of their own fitness in relation to a grading will vary. The walking on this tour is mainly: Easy - some of the days are short, and most are on gravel forest and mountain roads. Note however that some trails are quite rough and stony. The third day we would class as ‘moderate’ as you follow the GR6 for a while along the roller coaster Alpilles ridge, although you can avoid the hardest part of this section if you really want to! You don’t have to be super fit to do this tour, but you should be able to walk for a few hours each day, with some steep ascents and descents. Carry plenty of drinking water and adequate protection against the sun, including a sun hat. Day stages: 3.5 – 6 hours of easy- moderate walking.


Departure dates

Daily from 1 Mar to 25 Jun & 28 Aug to 15 Nov

Notes

H
High Season
Note:
High season is from 24 Apr to 25 Jun and 28 Aug to 30 Sept. A supplement applies for high season departures.
NB:
Upgrade to comfort hotels possible. See below for pp prices based on twin sharing. Ask our team for single room upgrade prices.

Priceper person from

£1030GBP

Options & Supplements*
  • Upgraded Hotels Supplement (1 Mar - 5 Apr)GBP£90
  • Upgraded Hotels Supplement (24 Apr - 25 Jun & 28 Aug - 30 Sep)GBP£150
  • Upgraded Hotels Supplement (6-23 Apr & 1-31 Oct)GBP£190
  • Single Room SupplementGBP£340
  • Solo Traveller SupplementGBP£530
  • High Season Solo Traveller SupplementGBP£550
*Prices listed are per person

Frequently Asked Questions

Avignon at the beginning and Arles at the end are both large towns with a lot of interest and beauty

Although a lot of his paintings are slightly abstract, you can pick out some places on the trail out of St. Remy where he did some paintings and there is a panel trail with pictures of the paintings where he did them

We try to run this tour when scrub and woodland fires are unlikely but after a long period of dry weather, some of the trails can be closed at short notice because of fire risk


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