Explore the cuisine of Provence as you spend a number of days in Avignon. Spend your days with various chefs as you learn the secrets of Provencal cooking, visit vineyards in Chateau neuf du Pape and area and discover the history of the various houses as you are brought on guided visits of the wineries with explanations about the harvest, and the AOC Cotes du Rhones. Explore some of the area on guided tours to hilltop villages in the Luberon such as Gordes, Venasque, the red ochre cliffs and village of Rousillon. Other villages that you will see on guided tours include the picturesque pedestranised village of Les Baux with its little boutiques and fabulous views over the surrounding valley and the market town of Saint Remy de Provence. Visit the UNESCO heritage sites in Avignon, and enjoy an evening cruise and dinner in a great little spot in town.

With private airport transfers, guided tours and tutored cooking classes as well as some time at leisure, you are sure to enjoy your Provencal sojourn!

Avignon city is well known for its Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), where several popes and antipopes lived from the early 14th to early 15th centuries. The palace is an impressive monument and sits within a square of the same name. Nearby, Notre Dame des Doms cathedral is a Romanesque building, mainly built during the 12th century.

Enjoy a train station transfer in Avignon with a private vehicle with French speaking Driver.

Explore the highlights of Avignon at leisure on an unescorted tour of the UNESCO world heritage sites of the 12th century Pont d'Avignon (with audio guide), and the 14th century Pope's Palace (with audio guide) before an hour long cruise and dinner. The Pont d'Avignon was the first construction over the Rhone river, between Lyon and the Mediterranean Sea in the 12th century. The bridge collapsed in the 17th century and the king never wanted to pay for restoring it. To this day, it stands as an unfinished structure. The Popes' Palace stands as the mighty symbol of the church's influence throughout the western Christian world in the 14th century and is the biggest Gothic palace in all of Europe. Then take a boat trip on the Rhone river, sailing upstream along the Rocher des Doms and the Pont St Benezet and back downstream to Villeneuve. Finally, enjoy a 3 course dinner in a gastronomic restaurant (drinks not included).

Hotel de L'Horloge Hotel (3*) is set in a 19th century building which oozes charm and character and overlooks the picturesque Place de L'Horloge (Horologe square) in the very centre of Avignon. Here, nestled between the Alpilles hills and the Luberon countryside, you will find yourself in the heart of a city which was once the capital of Christianity. All the rooms are typically quite small and are traditionally furnished with a soft colour scheme, many boasting excellent views into the city. Having recently been refurbished, the rooms and bathrooms are in very good condition.

Overnight at Hotel De L`Horloge (3*).

Enjoy a full day (9hrs) shared tour taking in a cooking lesson, lunch and a visit to the picturesque village of Les Baux. After being picked up at 9am at your hotel by a private vehicle and a friendly English speaking driver/licensed guide,the morning will be spent enjoying a cooking lesson followed by lunch (drinks included) in a 4* hotel in St Remy de Provence located in a 6 hectares park, between laurels, hundred year old trees, rosebushes, olive trees and lavender, a place bathed by serenity. After lunch, you will enjoy a visit to the nearby village of Les Baux de Provence, a village set upon a rock at 245 meters high. From here, the tour continues to St Remy de Provence with a stop at the Antiques (Triumphal Arch and Funeral Monument) among olive trees, the landscape painted several times by Van Gogh when he lived here. At the end of the day you will be returned to your hotel by approx. 6pm. (Includes Transportation by air-conditioned vehicle, Cooking course + lunch (drinks included), Services of an English speaking driver/licensed guide).

Overnight at Hotel De L`Horloge (3*).

Enjoy a full day (9hrs) shared tour discovering the gastronomy and beauty of Provence with an intimate cooking class and visit of a number of the picuresque vilages in the Luberon. After being picked up at 9am in your hotel by a private vehicle and a friendly English speaking driver/licensed Guide, you will get to enjoy a cooking class in the tiny kitchen of an Auberge in Venasque, to explore the fundamentals of Mediterranean cooking, marrying flavors, utilizing the best foods from the markets, and respecting the great French traditions. Then enjoy a wonderful lunch (drinks are included). After lunch, you'll have the chance to visit Rousillon, famous for its red and yellow ochre cliffs, an unusual natural landscape and Gordes, a perched village in Luberon, one of the most beautiful villages in France made completely with dry stones. At the end of the day you will be returned to your hotel at approximately 6pm. (Includes Transportation by air-conditioned vehicle, Cooking course + lunch (drinks included), Services of an English speaking driver/licensed guide).

Overnight at Hotel De L`Horloge (3*).

Enjoy a full day exploring the gastronomy and oenology of Provence. The morning event starts at a charming restaurant located in the centre of Avignon (transport to restaurant not included). The Chef will meet and greet you and the registration of trainees will begin. At this point, creation of the recipe cards will be performed (theoretical demonstration with practice). During the aperitif, various ideas and comments will be exchanged about the course. You will learn how you can accommodate the meal with wine. After the labours of the morning, enjoy a well deserved lunch (drinks included) and socialize with the chef. At 3pm, you will be picked up by a minibus. Your English speaking driver/guide will take you to the wine road. There, you will have wine-tasting in a wine cellar in Tavel or Beaumes de Venise,where quality rosé wines are produced partly in thanks to the exceptional soil located at the foot of the majestic Dentelles de Montmirail and Mont Ventoux. The tour then continues to Chateauneuf du Pape for a wine tasting in the "13 Vine Plant's Country" cellar. In each cellar, you will discover the history of the house and the guide or the wine owner will offer you a visit of the winery with explanations about the harvest, and the AOC Cotes du Rhones. At approximately 7pm, you will be dropped off at your hotel. (Transportation by air-conditioned vehicle, Cooking course + lunch (drinks included), Services of an English speaking driver/licensed guide, 2 wine tastings).

Overnight at Hotel De L`Horloge (3*).

Overnight at Hotel De L`Horloge (3*).

Enjoy a train station transfer in Avignon with a private vehicle with French speaking Driver.

Kensington Tours donates a portion of proceeds to our charitable initiative www.kensingtoncares.com which supports education-based initiatives in disadvantaged communities.

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport) (standard).