We booked a half day Provence tour with wine tasting and a trip to the Roman aqueduct at point du…read moreguard that also included a stop at the Theater Antique D'Orange which is an old Roman coliseum in Orange. The tour was great! Our guide Anne picked us up at our hotel and she provided us with an awesome afternoon tour! I highly recommend Time 4 Provence for anyone staying in Avignon who wants to see the surrounding sites.

We had a wonderful time seeing the countryside and trying wines with Gordana. She is knowledgeable,…read moreenergetic, and kind. A perfect way to spend a half day in Provence.

Five star review! Our visit to the Luberon Valley with Mike Rijken/Wine Safari truly was a…read morehighlight of our trip to Provence. It was everything we hoped for and more! We truly could not imagine a more expert - yet friendly and approachable - guide than Mike. During our day with him we tasted wonderful wines and learned from his expert guidance about how to fully appreciate the wine's aroma, color, and flavor. In addition to his expertise on tasting and pairing with food, he was incredibly informative about the agricultural and production side of wine making. We learned a great deal about the history and geography of the Luberon and sub-areas within it, and how they influence the wine produced there. Mike is clearly an experienced professional, with a passion for wine and its producers in Provence. Also, we are not the most knowledgeable wine drinkers, so I'm sure a lot of our questions were elementary for him, but if they were, he never let on; his enthusiasm for teaching meant that no question was too basic. We truly could not imagine a better guide than Mike. Mike was a delight to spend the day with. From a logistics POV, my husband and I rode with Mike in his van so we could enjoy the views of the countryside and vineyards. I highly recommend doing this, rather than taking your car. He was very responsive in our communications before we met up and prompt and courteous in all interactions with him. He even greeted us with croissants for breakfast when he picked us up at our hotel! We also learned that Mike isn't just a great guide, he's a thoughtful and generous soul. In a completely unrelated matter, my husband and I had had a mechanical issue with our rental car, causing it to be towed the day before. While we rode with Mike I called the rental car company to see about getting our car back from the mechanic, but I was not having much luck (what little French I speak is poor, and the company reps spoke limited English). Mike heard me struggling, and he very kindly offered to translate, speaking with the representative of the rental car company a few times, as well as to the garage where our rental car had been repaired. Because of him, we got our car back that day! Mike even dropped us off at the garage to pick up the car, going inside with us to make sure all was in order! We are deeply grateful to him for his help, as it allowed us to fully enjoy the next two (final) days of our vacation in a way we couldn't have without a car. What a great guy! Again, we recommend Mike and Wine Safari with all five stars! Thanks again, Mike, for sharing your knowledge and experience (and for helping us out in a jam). We hope to visit Provence again sometime and look forward to spending time with you again!

Mike Rijken, Is an amazingly well informed, incredibly…read morefriendly wine tour guide to the southern Rhone. A journey with him, being a winegeek such as myself, was awesome in that i did learn quite a few new things! It really was a moderate fee to pay for his jolly wit, and his expertise in how to communicate with his clients. Dig it. When ever in the south of France, look him up!

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!

Outstanding experience: excellent restaurants w/ plenty of food and drink!…read more PROS: walking tour of several Barcelona neighborhoods enhances the restaurant visits; plenty of food and drink for all; tour group was only 6 people -- perfect number CONS: we should have done this our first night in Barcelona!!!! Paul is a wonderful host! Superb tour, excellent food! Cheers! RS