From the owner: Un bateau, la mer et la rade de Toulon Une visite de la rade de Toulon s'impose lorsque l'on a…read moredécidé de faire un séjour dans cette ville. Car cette rade est une des plus belles de la région, à la fois sauvage par la nature qu'elle propose et maîtrisée par les travaux d'aménagement visible de la mer. C'est sur le port qu'il faut se diriger pour entamer sa visite et choisir alors un des bateliers qui vous guidera dans les différents sites de la rade. Le trajet est de une heure environ.

We had a lovely afternoon tour with Sarah and her friend Jackie (who is in training to lead tours)…read morein May. The drive to Cassis was made extra enjoyable because of the conversations we four shared about life in France and all kinds of other topics. The experience itself in Cassis was perfect - the weather cooperated, we saw beautiful sights and thoroughly enjoyed the boat trip. Sarah patiently took the photos of us that we wanted so that we have beautiful memories of the afternoon. I heard about Sarah in Rick Steve's book on Provence, and I am so grateful for the recommendation, as taking the tour took away our concerns about driving and enabled us to have a relaxing and fun afternoon. Thank you Sarah and Jackie!

My group of 3 did the rose excursion with Brian. I can't think of a more memorable way to celebrate…read moreProvence's bounty of good wine and food than indulge in this one-of-a-kind wine "lesson" (which, for us, was more of a boozy, let's-drink-and-laugh-and-celebrate-life excursion). Brian picked us up from Aix and drove us along a scenic route stretching along Mount Ste. Victoire. We arrived at a local winery where we sampled red, white, and rose wines. We walked amongst the vines, had a great time and eventually made it to a secluded park where we set up a picnic table and drank 2 bottles of rose, ate fresh baguettes from the market and nibbled on fresh strawberries and grapes. All this epicurean goodness while drenched in the golden, Provencale sun and surrounded by the very landscape that inspired Cezanne's paintings. Does it get any better? Only if you have great company to do it with (and I did!). I would relive this afternoon again in a heartbeat. Some quick tips: -This wonderful afternoon excursion was approximately 80 euros a person, which included all the bites, (lots of) wine, and transportation. -I highly recommend it to anyone traveling through Provence who is more comfortable speaking English (although our host was also fluent in French). -Our host was very knowledgeable and personable. If you are serious about tasting wine and learning about it, the Wine in Provence folks have your back. -Wine in Provence offers other great wine tastings, cooking classes and winery tours.

My wife and I are traveling Europe with another couple and stopped in Aix for a few days. We just…read morefinished "The Best of Aix" tour with Hilary and had a great time. She took us shopping in the market, olive oil tasting, to the cheese shop, the wine shop and back for a cooking class to pair a three course lunch we cooked with three wines. We made a quiche, fruit dessert and a little app and it was all delicious! I can't say enough about this tour. Hilary was incredibly bubbly and knowledgable. She was on a cheek kissing basis with everyone, even the cheese guy who scowled at the rest of the locals. I recommend this tour to anyone and everyone traveling in Aix!

We booked this tour as a cruise excursion and we didn't realize we were arriving at Toulon and not…read moreMarseille until that morning. But lucky moment #1, Laurent was flexible and accommodating and came to pick us up at the other port in an hour. He informed us it was a holiday in France and most places were closed. He would try his best to get us into a winery that was open until noon, but it was going to take a little luck to get us there in time. Lucky moment #2: they were open when we arrived. We tasted two old vine Rhône blends and a 92-point rose. All delicious. The kind owner stayed open an extra 25 minutes for us, lucky moment #3. Then because we wouldn't be able to make it to any other wineries, we had to pivot. We bought 3 bottles of wine and a salami that the owner sliced for us and put into a paper bag. Next stop, the bakery was open! Lucky #4! We purchased two baguettes. Then off to the charming town of Le Castellet, with its narrow cobblestone streets and centuries old buildings. Lucky moment #5: we got a great parking spot and set off to explore. What to do on a national holiday when shops and restaurants are closed? Head to the National Park and have a picnic! But not just anywhere, Laurent's secret spot at the top of the mountain. I can't say where it is because we were sworn to secrecy. Just as we arrived, another car pulled in. Would they beat us to a seat at the best view in France? Nope. Lucky moment #6, they went the other way and the secret spot was all ours. A fresh French bread and salami sandwich washed done with a great Mourvèdre while gazing down at that amazing blue of the Mediterranean. This is the essence of travel--connecting with a stranger who takes you through his country as though you are a friend and you become exactly that. You talk about life and politics and food and wine and culture. We wanted to have 7 lucky experiences because after all 7 is the luckiest number, but our #7 became our #1. Because the luckiest thing that happened to us was that we had our friend Laurent sharing his world with us for one unforgettable day.

From the owner: organiser des excursion insolite en Provence à la journéeread more

We booked a city bike tour to begin in the afternoon and while we waited outside the designated…read morespot we began to worry when no one showed up. However after a quick phone call, Emmanuel told us he was on his way and he met about 15 min later. He showed us the details of the bikes, they have a battery pack that gives you a little extra boost of power when going up hills. Very nice feature that makes for an easy, lovely ride. This feature is adjustable so you set the level of assistance required higher or lower. Emmanuel listened to us and once he realized we'd already seen a few of the Marseille sights, he adjusted the itinerary so that we did not have to visit some of the places we'd already seen and instead we saw several famous Marseille sights and had great views of the Old Port along with views of the city and coastal views as well. We were able to stop at a typical Southern French bakery, we visited the African market area with many shops (with goods and spices) with items from Morocco and Algeria. Emmanuel shared very interesting and detailed information all along the way. He even gave us good suggestions for dinner that night and a day trip to Cassis the next day. We absolutely enjoyed our tour and would recommend it for all visitors!

This is a must do fun experience in Marseille. My husband, granddaughter and I met up with our…read moreguide at the predetermined time and place and spent the greater part of the day exploring the city, marina, the coastline and the hills above the city to enjoy gorgeous views. All along the ride our guide would have us stop to explain where we were and explain the history of Marseilles. There was time to relax too. We stopped at a local deli and picked up lunch to enjoy at the beach. We all agree this was one of the highlights of our France vacation and highly recommend this e