Local Living Tours & Trips in Southern France

Try farm-to-table cuisine in Occitanie with a traditional lunch near Pont du Gard, then check out Nîmes' Roman amphitheater and UNESCO-listed Maison Carrée. In Lyon, wander the cobblestone Traboules passages and visit Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière for great views.

Stay at the 18th-century Hôtel Charembeau farmhouse for four nights and check out Forcalquier's 200-stall market with your tour leader. Sample local Banon cheese with a producer and try olive oil tastings at the Jaubert family's Les Grandes Marges farm in Valensole. Walk through medieval Lourmarin's narrow streets and see the fountains of Bonnieux's High Church.

Get a taste of authentic Provençal life with visits to medieval Viviers and the hilltop village of Gordes, one of France's most beautiful. Shop with a Scenic chef at Avignon's local market and learn traditional recipes at Scenic Culinaire cooking school. Visit organic lavender farms where you'll create your own perfume and stop by a local olive mill to see production techniques passed down through generations.

Walk medieval Viviers' streets and see the 11th-century Cathedral of St. Vincent, then head to Les Andelys beneath Château Gaillard's limestone cliffs. At a local organic farm in Provence, you'll learn how lavender oil is made and create your own cream to take home.

The trip takes you along the Douro River aboard Scenic Azure, which has 48 spacious cabins with butler service for all guests. You'll walk through Porto's UNESCO-listed historic center and see the traditional tile-covered streets that make this city famous. The itinerary includes a stop at Entre-os-Rios where you can try wines at Quinta da Aveleda estate. In Pinhão, you'll walk through the terraced vineyards at Quinta da Roêda and see how the landscape shapes the region's wine production. Then head to Provesende village to watch local artisans creating traditional handicrafts using methods passed down through generations.

Chef Fabien Morreale prepares a special Provençal dinner in Arles, then you'll see spots where van Gogh painted 'Starry Night Over the Rhône'. Walk Viviers' medieval streets with sun-faded pastel buildings and taste local wines in Tournon below its 16th-century castle.