➊ In the Footsteps of Cézanne: Art, Impressionism, and Modernity in Aix-en-Provence
Tucked away in the foothills of Mont Sainte-Victoire, Aix-en-Provence is a charming, sleepy town that has produced some of the most extraordinary artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries. This tour follows in the footsteps of Paul Cézanne and his childhood friend, the writer Émile Zola, time-traveling through Aix’s rich history while exploring its vibrant contemporary art scene today. Throughout the tour, we’ll wander through Aix’s Roman and medieval past, stop by the museum where Cézanne first studied painting, visit contemporary galleries, and conclude with a visit to his studio and its panoramic views of the mountain he painted obsessively throughout his life. Our visit will crystallize lifetimes of art and history in the space of a morning or afternoon stroll.
➋ Wonder and Wandering in the Luberon
Our tours start in the charming hilltop town of Gordes, which was saved from neglect by the painter, art critic, and teacher André Lhote. It went on to welcome waves of artists and was briefly home to Chagall before his exile in New York during the Second World War. Throughout the day, we’ll visit galleries, art foundations, and a Louise Bourgeois chapel during a drive through the idyllic countryside, with stops in Roussillon (including a short walk along the Ochre Trail), Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Ménerbes, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Rognes. Each trip varies seasonally based on current exhibitions and is adapted to clients’ preferences.
➊ Hilltop towns and hidden gems at the crossroads of art and history (Day tours with departures from Aix-en-Provence or Marseille)
➋ Visit the spiritual birthplace of modern art with a local artist, poet, and guide (Half-day tours)
Discover Marseille’s vibrant art scene in the city’s birthplace
✺ Le Panier
✺ Noailles
✺ Vieux Port
Le Panier is the oldest neighborhood in Marseille and was the site of the Greek agora when the Phoenicians founded the city 600 years before Christ. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, le Panier was home to successive waves of immigration, forming a rich multiethnic fabric. During World War II, half the neighborhood was decimated under the Vichy regime to smoke out a hotbed of working-class resistance. Since the 1980s, the neighborhood has become home to a tapestry of colorful street art, and more recently galleries and artisans, from ceramics to fashion.
The tour will explore this rich, multilayered history of the Panier and the adjacent neighborhood of Noailles. The tour will end at the Mucem (the Museum of Mediterranean Civilizations) on the edge of the Euromediterranean development project, beginning in the heart of the old Marseille and ending in the new, stopping along the way to explore the galleries and local arts and crafts, in a tour that links Marseille’s past and future.
Itinerary
➀ Marché des Capucins
➁ Vieux-Port
➂ Port Antique
➃ Hôtel Dieu, Intercontinental
➄ Mairie de Marseille (2ᵉ arr.)
➅ Église des Accoules
➆ Centre de la Vieille Charité
➇ Cathédrale la Major de Marseille
3-4 Hours, 50 euros per person for group tours (up to 10 participants), or 500 euros for private groups and a half-day tour.
Discover Marseille’s vibrant art scene in the city’s birthplace
This tour combines sea, sand, and sun with a hot splash of art
✺ St. Victor
✺ Malmousque
✺ La Corniche
Marseille is one of the rare cities where the city and shore are so tightly intertwined that you can observe the rock face plunge, and the land disappear and flatten out in a long turquoise horizon. Nowhere is this contrast more dramatic than on the coastline from St. Victor to La Corniche, where Marseille the city hugs a cliff on the edge of the water. These dramatic seascapes have begun to attract more and more artists and galleries that have set up shop right on the coast.
We’ll start our tour at St. Victor, a fortress of early Christianity and a reminder of the city’s Roman past. From St. Victor, we’ll walk along Marseille’s picturesque coast and travel through time from the 5th century to the Second Empire all the way to the fine art galleries that have popped up along the water’s edge. In between, we’ll wade our way through former fishing villages, swimming spots, and even an abandoned castle. Travelers who like to take a dip after the tour are invited to bring their swimsuits!
The tour will end with panoramic views of the city from La Bonne Mère (the good mother), also known as Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the hilltop basilica that watches over the city’s residents, fisherpeople as they venture out into the water, and visitors.
Itinerary
➀ Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde
➁ Parc Valmer
➂ Port de Malmousque
➃ Vallon des Auffes
➄ Plage des Catalans
➅ Le Pharo
➆ La Citadelle de Marseille (Fort Saint-Nicolas)
➇ Abbaye Saint-Victor
3-4 Hours, 50 euros per person for group tours (up to 10 participants), or 500 euros for private groups and a half-day tour.
This tour combines sea, sand, and sun with a fresh wave of contemporary art
See where art lives in the heart of Marseille’s downtown.
✺ Les Réformés
✺ Palais Longchamp
✺ Friche Belle de Mai
On this tour, we’ll make our way through some of Marseille’s trendiest galleries, and one of Marseille’s oldest parks. Marseille’s seaport is nestled by the mountains and irrigated by fresh mountain springs and we’ll begin our tour at the fountain of the Danaïdes, and walk our way up towards the Palais Longchamp, a monumental Romanesque cascade of water and marble inaugurated to celebrate the arrival of water from the Alps in Marseille’s taps. Our tour will end at La Friche, Belle-de-Mai, a former tobacco and cigarette factory, which has been transformed into one of Marseille’s most vibrant cultural sites.
Itinerary
➀ Porte d’Aix
➁ Esplanade Saint-Charles
➂ Réformés Canebières
➃ Palais Longchamp
➄ Parc Longchamp
➅ Friche Belle de Mai
3-4 Hours, 50 euros per person for group tours (up to 10 participants), or 500 euros for private groups and a half-day tour.
See where art lives in the heart of Marseille’s city center
Contact me!
Tours designed to match visitors’ interest in specific historic neighborhoods and trends in contemporary art are available all year round.
One of the highlights of Marseille’s arts seasons is the blitz of gallery openings, performances, and events as part of Marseille’s Springtime of Contemporary Art (PAC). During the months of May and June, custom tours can be booked to take advantage of the plethora of events and exhibitions.
3-4 Hours, 50 euros per person for group tours (up to 10 participants), or 500 euros for private groups and a half-day tour.