Private Provence Tour: In the Footsteps of Van Gogh

Avignon, France

Walk in the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy-de-Provence on this private day trip from Avignon. See where the famous artist once lived and worked, and visit several real-life locations that he painted, including 'Le Café La Nuit', 'Le Jardin de l’Hotel Dieu' and 'La Maison Jaune'. Your expert art historian guide will reveal the tortured genius' successes and failures, culminating in a visit to the asylum at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole where Van Gogh was hospitalized. As an extra bonus, you'll visit some of the region’s most fascinating Roman sites, including the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Arles Amphitheatre.

You’ll be picked up from your Avignon hotel in the morning or afternoon by your private guide. Traveling by air-conditioned minivan, head 45 minutes north to the city of Arles, where you’ll spend a few hours discovering the landscapes that inspired the works of famous post-Impressionist Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.

Van Gogh lived in Arles from 1888 to 1889, and produced more than 300 paintings and drawings during his time there. Your expert art historian guide will take you to the sites that appear in some of Van Gogh’s most treasured paintings including Le Café La Nuit and Le Jardin de l’Hotel Dieu. You'll see the location of La Maison Jaune but as the building was bombed during World War II, there are no visible remains.

But there’s more to Arles than Van Gogh; the city is home to many impressive Roman monuments, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Travel back in time with a visit to the famous Arles Amphitheatre, one of Arles' most prominent attractions.

Back aboard the minivan, continue your drive to nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and visit Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. This monastery includes the adjoining Maison de Santé Saint-Paul psychiatric institution, where Van Gogh was treated for a year during his psychological downturn.

Your guide will explain Van Gogh's struggle with mental illness, including the famous story about how he cut off his own ear. View the wheat field that he contemplated and painted during his time here, and see a reproduction of the room where he was confined (entrance fee at own expense).
On the way back, make a photo stop at another Roman ruin, Les Antiques of Glanum. Admire the Triumphal Arch and Mausoleum situated among a field of olive trees — a landscape painted several times by Van Gogh. Your tour concludes in Avignon with drop-off at your hotel.

USD $43.00

Traveler Reviews

Review by:   Deirdre C,    July 2018
Loved our tour guide, loved the tour. Visited some towns that we wouldn’t have otherwise. Loved St. Remy, so glad we got to see that. Really got an understanding of Avignon. So glad we did this!

Review by:   Kathleen G M,    June 2016
Our tour of St Remy and Arles was amazing! Violetta, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable and had a lovely personality. She was quite happy to answer all of our many questions, and when we asked her at the last minute if we could change the order of our tour start in St Remy and end in Arles so that we could meet up with fellow travelers she was more than happy to accommodate our request. We are so happy that we signed up for this tour, instead of wasting precious time trying to find our way around. Definitely money well spent!

Review by:   Richard L,    September 2015
The tour was enjoyable for the four of us. The tour guide was knowledgeable, however, she was not as engaging as other tour guides that we have had. She seemed to be doing the tour exactly as was expected but did not have the passion or incidental stories that make the day memorable. She met us on time and delivered us back on time.

Review by:   Mary Anne S,    October 2014
Our trip was too rushed...this particular trip should be a five, not four, hour trip. Need more time for the 'senior citizen factor' i.e.walking speed..... and picture taking; also should include a brief visit inside the arena in Arles. Many aspects of the trip were indeed spectacular and our guide was most pleasant, if not rushed.

Review by:   Donna H,    September 2014
A beautiful tour. Very informative and poignant.

Review by:   Sonia J,    October 2013
This tour was amazing enjoyed by our whole group went out of their way to make sure we got the most out of our time

Review by:   Joe A,    July 2010
The tour was wonderful, in part due to the wonderful tour guide we had assigned to us.

Review by:   Joe A,    August 2008
The tour was wonderful, in part due to the wonderful tour guide we had assigned to us.

All Traveler Reviews...