In53306SOU
Aigues Mortes, Aix en Provence, Arles, Avignon, Les Baux / St Remy, Nimes, Pont du Gard
Routes
All opening days/times, entrance fees, etc. listed on Yellow Pages
Aigues Mortes
Aix en Provence
Arles
Avignon
Les Baux / St Remy
Nimes
Pont du Gard
AIGUES MORTES
Visit of the Constance Tower and ramparts
- You need CASH for entrances. Ticket Office closes 1pm-2pm Sept – Apr.
- Allow 1¼ hours for visit (and another hour if you decide to have lunch in Aigues Mortes, NB restaurants do not open before midday)
Set down in the bus park opposite the entrance to the walled city (see map below). Walk group through the main gate. The toilets just inside the gate are not the best. Clean toilets are located within the tower complex to the left of the ticket desk. Point out the main street (souvenir shops, ice cream) that is ahead of you and leads to Place St Louis (lots of cafes and restaurants – the statue you see is of St Louis on his horse). They will have some free time to explore after the visit. Arrange to meet the group after the visit at the main gate or back at the bus.
Aigues Mortes Bus Drop Off:
Then turn to your right. You will see the entrance to the tower complex (Constance tower and ramparts) straight ahead through an archway and courtyard. The ticket office and good gift shop is inside the entrance hall to the complex.
Once you have tickets, lead group along one-way system (toilets through into the first courtyard and turn left) following signs to the Constance tower. You go upstairs and through a room showing a good 15 min film of history of Aigues Mortes, which your group may wish to watch. Then continue into the tower where an elevator and steps take you to the top. Tell them that once they have visited the tower, they can access the ramparts from the courtyard. They will exit through the gift shop.
Nearby winery
If you have time you may want to arrange a visit to the Listel wine cellars about a 10-minute drive from Aigues Mortes (on exiting the bus park, turn right at the roundabout rather than left and continue straight on following the western side of the ramparts). You translate. Open from April to September, 10am to 6pm. Open from Monday to Friday (October-March), 10am-12pm and 2pm-6pm.
AIX EN PROVENCE
- If a visit to Cézanne’s Atelier is included on the itinerary (check expense forms/itinerary) you might need cash or ACIS card for entrances although this is now often paid by voucher.
- Allow approximately 30 minutes for walking tour and 1-1hr30 for lunch (add 1 hour more to timings if visiting Cézanne’s Atelier)
Aix en Provence – visit (not including Cézanne’s Atelier)
Follow the signs to centre ville and set down on Avenue des Belges (100-200m before Place de la Rotonde). Make a rendezvous for departure with the driver and the group. Tell the group that they will have to find their own way back to the chosen rendezvous point (eg. La Rotonde/ Cours Mirabeau or La Rotonde/ Paul Cezanne) as the coach can now remain there. What used to be the Tourist office is now the Apple Store. Tourist Office is now on Ave des Belges.
Aix Bus Drop Off:
Lead them down the Cours Mirabeau and point out the banks, restaurants and cafés. Continue to the old town by turning left up rue Clémenceau, taking the 2nd street on the left (rue Espariat) then 1st right up rue Aude. At the junction of rue Aude and rue Bédarrides bear to the right on rue Maréchal Foch. There are delightful morning produce markets on the 2 squares on the right. A little further up you have the clock tower (you should accompany the group to this point) and beyond it the Cathedral. People with an unreliable sense of direction should be accompanied back to the Cours Mirabeau. Give free time for lunch (There are cafés and restaurants on the Cours Mirabeau as well as lots of places in the old town).
Toilets
There are toilets in the centre of town, by Pôle Judiciare, which is not exactly on the way of your walking tour. It might be useful to warn your group that they won’t be able to use the toilet immediately on arrival, and generally advise them to use toilets in cafés while they get their lunch.
If a visit to Cézanne’s Atelier is included:
Drive there first. The studio is in the northern section of the town, follow signs to the hospital. Set down here and rendezvous with the driver for departure after lunch at the Tourist Office on the Place Général de Gaulle (known as La Rotonde). Please note this activity may also be run outside and bus will need to drop off and pick-up near the meeting point. Note that you have to be exact with your timings as touring buses are not allowed to wait at the Tourist Office for tardy passengers! During the visit/lunch the driver can park in the Gare Routière by La Rotonde.
Tell the group that after the visit you will continue to the centre of town, where they will have free time for lunch. Pay entrances and take them inside for the visit. The Atelier itself can accommodate twenty people at one time. If your group is too large to enter all together, half of them can admire the garden and use the 1 toilet (!) whilst the others are in the studio. There is a very small but charming gift shop. If painting outside, these facilities are not available.
From the studio, walk out and right downhill (approx 15 minutes), via the Avenue P Cézanne, Avenue Pasteur and continuing straight on across the traffic/pedestrian crossing down to the Cathedral (on the left). Continue downhill past the clock tower. When you can go no further turn right into rue Espariat that leads into the Place Général de Gaulle. Turn to your left and walk to the next avenue and you will be at one end of the Cours Mirabeau. Point out the Cours Mirabeau and Place Général de Gaulle with its’ massive fountain. Arrange to meet again after lunch in front of the Tourist Office. Insist that the group must be on time as the bus cannot wait.
ARLES
- You need cash/ACIS card for entrances to the Roman Theatre and the Arena
- Sightseeing with TM includes: Roman Theatre (inside visit), Arena (inside visit) and St Trophime. Sightseeing lasts approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours (including inside visit)
- Discuss timings with the driver in accordance with the location of your hotel, other places that are included on this day and the route march map.
- Allow at least 1 hour more if you decide to have lunch in Arles. Good options on and around Place du Forum.
- Toilets: better to point them towards the toilets in the Arenes (Turkish!), or in a café. The toilets by the tourist office and the ones opposite St Trophime are less inviting!
Set down by the Tourist Office on the Boulevard des Lices, opposite the Jardin d’ Eté. Arrange for the driver to meet you back at the appropriate time. An alternative but less central drop off/pick up is outside the ramparts on the Place Lamartine (to the North of Arles – see map below).
Arles Bus Drop Off:
There are a couple of different ways of doing the visit:
OPTION 1. Walk through the Jardin d’Eté to the Roman Theatre (entrance street side rather than park side). Pay entrances. This is a good place for commentary.
Continue to the Arena (entrance is on the lower side). Pay entrances and lead group inside. After your commentary, give them about 20 minutes free time to explore. Headsets may be included for the visit (if you don’t have them) – they can climb the medieval tower to the right of the ticket office. Toilets are opposite the ticket office inside the lower tunnel area. Meet group and with the Arena behind you, turn to your left and walk back up the hill (past the souvenir shops on the right). Take the small street on your right (Rue des Arenes) and after a few minutes you will come into the Place du Forum.
You will see a statue of Mistral in the centre, in front of a hotel with the remains of the Roman Forum embedded in its facade. You will also see the yellow “Café de Nuit” (painted by Van Gogh – a plaque with the painting is in front of the cafe). If you are having lunch in Arles, the Place du Forum is great as it has many restaurants/cafés.
Finally lead the group to St Trophime and the main square (Place de la République). Take the street back between Cafe de Nuit and the remains of the Roman Forum and turn left, then first right. You come into Place de la République. You can often walk through the Hotel de Ville – it´s foyer usually has interesting exhibits. On entering Place de la Republique, St Trophime is on your left. Show them the West Portal (a masterpiece of Provençal Romanesque style). If they want they can visit the cloister (ticket office to the right of St Trophime – they pay). Give some free time to explore. Rendezvous by the obelisk (originally part of a Roman circus in Arles) in the square. There is an ATM machine on this square. The main street, rue de la République, runs off the square to the right (the Arletan museum is located down here). To get back to the Boulevard des Lices and the bus, take the rue Jean Jaurès which is straight ahead with St Trophime on your left. You have some shops and cafés on the Boulevard des Lices.
OPTION 2. Instead of crossing the Jardin d’ Eté, you may prefer to lead the group directly to St Trophime on the Place Republique. Continue beyond St Trophime and take the first street on the left then first right which will take you into Place du Forum (see above). From here, go out of the square the way you came in and follow rue de la Calade up the hill to the Roman Theatre (on your right). After your visit turn right on exiting the Theatre and continue to the Arena. The entrance is at the bottom of the hill. After the visit give free time to explore/shop/lunch and arrange to meet the group back at the obelisk.
Ideas for free time
Areletan Museum
Espace Van Gogh – Van Gogh was a patient here in 1889. You can see the pretty internal courtyard for free. Look out for the panel at the side of the garden showing the painting Van Gogh made of the site.
Musée Departmental Arles Antique
Fantastic rich archeological collection of Roman treasures found in and around the Bouche du Rhone. Closed Tuesdays. 9.30 am – 6pm
Evening Activities
Check with hotel and local press for local events. Go to a café in the Place du Forum (probably the liveliest and safest area in Arles at night)
Scavenger Hunt – Arles is compact and picturesque so works v. well for this.
OTHER THINGS TO DO
MARKET CHECK DAYS ON INTERNET. SAT & WEDS 8-12.30pm – 8 Bd des Lices
FONDATION VAN GOGH
BATHS OF CONSTANTINE
WALK ALONG THE RHONE
AVIGNON
- No entrances although Palais des Papes is included on certain itineraries (check itinerary and expense form)
- If your driver knows how to get to the panoramic viewpoint across the Rhone, it is worth a stop for photos
- If your hotel is in Avignon you may prefer to do your city sightseeing on arrival/after supper.
- Sightseeing with TM includes:
- Palais des Papes (outside)
- Gardens on le Rocher des Doms (to the left of the Palais des Papes)
- Place de l’ Horloge
Park bus in St Bénézet parking (you have to drive inside the walls (very sharp turn!) through an archway just after St Bénézet bridge. If this parking is full or you have a tall bus there is parking just outside the arch by the river).
With the arch behind you, walk the group past the entrance to St Bénézet bridge and take the road straight ahead, past the various shops on your left until you see a flight of stairs on your left beyond an archway. These stairs lead you up to the square on which the Palais des Papes is located (explain papal history of Avignon – see ACIS TM notes).
Point out the gardens on le Rocher des Doms (excellent views across the Rhone and a great place for pictures/picnics) and encourage them to explore during free time.
Make a rendezvous in the square for 1 ¼ hours later (allow more/less time depending on day’s visits). Then lead group to Place de l’ Horloge and point out the main street – rue de la République which is straight ahead and the pedestrian area (with the covered food market), which is off to the left at the end of the square. There are plenty of cafés on the Place de l’ Horloge.
Avignon Bus Parking:
FREE TIME IDEAS
Papal Palace: visit takes about 1 ½ hours using headsets
St Bénézet bridge: take group onto bridge and sing “sur le pont d’ Avignon” (they pay), or you can get along riverbank beside it for photos (watch busy road)
Shopping: see map (groups love shopping in Avignon!)
Musée des Beaux Arts
Notre Dame des Doms Cathedral
Les Halles Market
Musée Calvet
Sightseeing train from main square by Palace for older pax!! €10 – 1 hour – March to October
Boat ride on the Rhone.
EVENING ACTIVITIES
Advise group to stay intra muros
Cinemas: check local paper for listings.
Cafes: best atmosphere in the Place de l’ Horloge
Karaoke: in several cafés down rue de la République
Avignon Festival: June/July. Information kiosk in Place de l’Horloge
Sound and Light in the Palais. €12. Amazing. Check with TO. Not on in 2024.
LES BAUX AND ST. REMY
- Sightseeing with TM includes:
– Les Baux Visit of the Ville Morte with headsets
– Glanum point out
– St Rémy photo stop of the Plateau des Antiques and free time to explore village. Wednesdays there is a great morning market for Provencal gifts or food for picnic lunch in Les Baux. Allow 1 hour.
- You need dole for entrances at Les Baux
- Best to call and arrange for headsets to be ready
- Sturdy shoes are recommended for Les Baux – it is very uneven under foot. Tell them to take care when Mistral is blowing.
Les Baux – Ville Morte
Allow 1hr30 – 2 hrs for the visit of the Ville Morte and 1 hour for lunch (adjust timings according to hotel location and other places to visit on this day).
Set down on the side of the road. Make a rendezvous with your driver for departure. Your bus needs to be on the other side of the road pointing down the hill you have just driven up.
Les Baux Bus Drop-Off:
There are 2 paths leading to the Porte Mage (sole entrance/exit to the village). Take the first path you come to on your left (if you start going down the main hill into the valley you have gone too far!). There are toilets by the Porte Mage although you are best to continue to the Ville Morte (toilet in cemetery!) beyond the ticket office, to the right once outside on the plateau). Arrange to meet the group at the Porte Mage after the visit/lunch.
Walk with the group up the main street through the living part of the town (shops and restaurants), bearing left as you walk up the hill, following signs to le Chateau, as far as the entrance to the Ville Morte (on your right).
Buy tickets and let them explore on their own with the headsets. In the grounds there is a permanent exhibition of siege equipment (giant catapult, battering ram etc) and they can roam all over/around the ruins. The Ville Morte is a fascinating place.
Give them free time for lunch. On a sunny day it is an ideal place for a picnic.
Glanum
As you drive down the hill about 1 km before St Rémy, you will see some Roman ruins behind a fence on your right. This is the site of the Roman town of Glanum, which had its most glorious days from the 1st Century BC until 270 AD when it was destroyed by the barbarians. The town was situated on the Via Domitia which linked Spain and Italy. It was only rediscovered at the beginning of the 20thC as it had been completely covered by alluvial deposits.
200m further on there is a lay by on the left in front of the Roman Arch and Mausoleum.
On your right in the distance you can see the monastery of St Paul de Mausolé, where Vincent Van Gogh interned himself during the last year of his life (see ACIS South of France notes). He painted over a hundred works around the asylum, of which the most famous is the Irises. The monastery building is still used as a psychiatric hospital.
Some teachers request to stop here and see the room where Van Gogh stayed. This is possible if the group are ok with paying the entrance of approx. €9 adult/6.50€ students. There would then be no time to stop in St Remy.
St Rémy – Plateau des Antiques – photo stop and free visit of the village
Give them 10 minutes to take pictures of the Triumphal Arch with reliefs illustrating the conquest of Gaul by Caesar, and the Mausoleum of Julius, a funerary monument built by three brothers for their father and grandfather around 30 BC.
Continue with the bus to St Rémy. Just at the entrance of the village (at the start of the one way system) there is a large parking area for cars and buses on the Place Jean Jaurès in front of the Tourist Office. Set down here and give them 45 minutes to explore the small town on their own. There are lots of cafés and several shops specialising in Provençal arts and crafts. There is a great market every Wednesday.
St Remy Bus Drop-off:
NIMES
During summer there are lots of concerts held in the arena. It is essential that you find out in advance if a concert planned during your visit as this means the arena may close early and open late to the public.
- Sightseeing with TM includes:
– Arènes (inside visit)
– Maison Carrée (outside visit)
- Jardins de la Fontaine/Tour Magne (optional)
- You need dole for entrances
Walking Tour of Nîmes
There are several ways of doing this, depending on whether your hotel is in Nîmes or not and the walking ability of your group.
There are free toilets in the Arènes (turn right on entering Arènes).
OPTION 1 Arènes/Maison Carrée/Jardins de la Fontaine/Tour Magne
Drop off at the Arènes. Ask the driver to meet you opposite the Jardins de la Fontaine (Boulevard Jean Jaurès) in about 2 ½ hours.
Nimes Bus Drop-Off by Arena:
Allow 45 minutes to visit the Arènes. The entrance is round the back, near the pedestrian area. Buy tickets (headsets are included in the price). Lead your group inside the arena (past tickets, turn right and take a staircase to the left), give some commentary, suggest they explore/climb to the top and arrange to meet them outside the gift shop. NB. The top of the Arènes is covered from September to April.
Continue your sightseeing with a short walk through the old town (e.g. Rue de l’ Aspic/Rue de l’ Horloge) to the Maison Carrée. Then cross the Carré d’ Art, turn right behind the Modern Art Museum and walk towards the Jardins de la Fontaine. Walk to the ruins of the Temple of Diana. From there you can either climb to the Tour Magne or give free time to explore the gardens before meeting the bus which will be parked on the big avenue opposite the garden entrance.
OPTION 2 Arènes/Maison Carrée
If you have non-walkers or are short on time, omit Jardins de la Fontaine/Tour Magne. Drop off opposite the Maison Carrée on the Boulevard Victor Hugo (group must be very quick at getting off the bus). Ask the driver to meet you by the gardens behind the Arènes in about 1½ hours. After a brief outside visit of the Maison Carrée, turn left on the Boulevard Victor Hugo, or walk via the old town (Rue de l’ Horloge/Rue de l’ Aspic), to the Arènes (allow 45 minutes for the visit, see above). Meet group at exit and walk behind the arena to the bus.
FREE TIME SUGGESTIONS
Cinemas, shops, cafés & banks on main thoroughfares: Boulevard Victor Hugo, Boulevard de la Libération & Boulevard Admiral Courbet.
Evening activities
Illumination walk – the Maison Carre and Arenes are lit up in the evening – in the summer the old town can be quite lively to walk through.
Out of season it is best to stick to cafés around the Maison Carrée.
During Feria bullfights, theatre and rock concerts take place in the Arènes. Check with hotel.
Suggestions for additional visits around Nîmes
Depending on your timings, the weather and what is included on the itinerary you may be able to arrange a visit to Saintes Maries de la Mer or La Grande Motte (seaside villages in the direction of Aigues Mortes).
PONT DU GARD
Set down in the bus park on the left bank and give a meeting time for approximately 1 hour later (allow more time if the group wants to picnic/ swim here). If you have a guided tour booked, more time needed – 1h30-2hrs.
Pont du Gard Bus Parking
You will have a voucher with an AM or PM reservation made by the Paris office. (If PDG is not included but groups do want to go it costs €8 per person, free Under-18s) Give this voucher into the info office on the left after the entrance into the arcade. They should give you a receipt which means your driver no longer needs to pay for parking. Be sure to amend your voucher to reflect the exact numbers in your group. Voucher does include entrance to a short film (multilingual) about the PDG. They may be more interested in the exhibition though. It is possible that you may have a booked guided tour. If so, please be on time as the Pont du Gard are strict about this.
Walk the group (or let them go while you deal with the voucher) through the exhibit center (decent toilets, cafés, gift shops on the left) and continue to the aqueduct for commentary and free time for photos.
They can not climb to the top of the acqueduct, (unless on a guided tour), but there are stairways at both ends of the aqueduct leading to excellent viewpoints. The one on the rive gauche is large and suitable for picnic lunches. There are also paths that lead down to small “beach” areas.
With a very adventurous group it is possible to rent kayaks from Kayak Vert in Collias (8km upstream, 2 person big green plastic kayaks!) and kayak down the Gardon and underneath the Pont du Gard. Allow 3hrs, warn group to take water and sun cream and have change of clothes in day bag for getting back on the bus. Not always possible late summer due to low water level. Bus drops you in Collias and collects you 1km after the Pont du Gard (KV will explain directions) making it difficult for non-kayakers to see the Pont du Gard so this is only possible if the whole group are keen.
