This was the fourth of 4 exceptional private tours with Romain from Guide Provence. We had so much fun! We learned so much! This tour was worth every penny. I highly recommend Guide Provence and Romain for all of your private tour needs! Romain met us in front of Aix’s tourist information center, an easy walk from our hotel. He showed us all around the streets and alleyways of Aix, pointing out certain stores, museums, buildings, Cezanne's childhood school and home, university buildings, and churches while regaling us with fun historical details and vignettes about all kind of things -- art, history, culture, and more. Fantastic! We then hopped in his very comfortable, roomy car and he drove us to Cassis, taking the scenic route, stopping at a gorgeous overlook of Cassis and The Calanques National Park on a beautiful windy day that refreshingly threatened rain from time to time. Just as we got back in the car for the rest of the drive to Cassis, the clouds let loose — it was spectacular! Cassis was colorful and charming, unique and refreshing. It was so different from all of the other towns we had visited so far. We stopped at a cute cafe and had a delicious spread of local wine, local cheeses, shrimp, mussels, bread, greens, olives, pickles, and the like. The meal and conversation were memorable and such a treasured part of our visit. (Romain is so fun and easy to be around!) After lunch, we walked around the port and the town as he told us more about the local geography, the Calanques, the local history and culture before taking the drive back to our Aix hotel. (I'm aware that a boat tour of the Calanques is a typical add-on to a tour of Cassis, but the wind, weather, and choppy seas did not lend themselves to boating that day, so I did not bring it up. Neither did Romain. We had an extraordinary time nevertheless!) Throughout our 4 different private tours with Romain, he readily adapted aspects of our tours to the weather, to any logistical problem of the moment, to any stated desires. This is just one of the reasons that I often hire a private tour guide on so many of my vacations. My friends, family, and I all love to learn. With an exceptional private tour guide like Romain, all you have to do is show up — and you will learn. All of the typical tourist concerns of unforeseen obstacles on one’s big sightseeing day will fade away — because a great private tour guide will take care of all that, will adapt to the weather, to the unforeseen circumstances, to your individual preferences, for you. Romain took care of everything for us! He is outstanding! If interested, I also posted a general review of Guide Provence and Romain's outstanding service here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187253-d17733634-Reviews-Guide_Provence-Marseille_Bouches_du_Rhone_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azur.html

This was the third of 4 exceptional private tours we took with tour guide Romain from Guide Provence. We had so much fun! We learned so much! This tour was worth every penny. I highly recommend Guide Provence and Romain for all of your private tour needs! While visiting Provence for 8 days, my adult son and I based ourselves in 2 locations -- first in Avignon for 3 nights, then in Aix-en-Provence for 5 nights. One of the problems I inadvertently created when I reserved just 3 nights in Avignon, followed by 5 nights in Aix, is that if we were to take any day trips out of Avignon on our 4th day, we would have to check out of the hotel very early, leave enough time to depart Avignon that morning, tour the desired location, return to Avignon, then catch a train from one of 2 stations (the inconveniently located but much faster TGV, or the more conveniently located but much slower non-TGV) to our second base of operation (Aix) ... before checking into that second hotel late in the evening. Phew. We didn't want to be that busy all day, nor did we want to check into our second hotel that late! Five to 6 weeks before arriving in France, I had hired Romain for 2 private tours via the Guide Provence website. Our first private tour was to be a city walking tour of Avignon, where our first hotel was located. Our second private tour with Romain was to be a city walking tour of Aix-en-Provence, where our second hotel was located. I wanted to hire Romain for a third tour on our 4th day in Avignon, but that was the day we needed to check out of our Avignon hotel and into our Aix hotel ... which revealed itself to be a logistical problem that I really wanted to avoid. So, a few weeks before I departed for France, I asked Romain if there was any way he could take us and our luggage to Arles after we checked out of our Avignon hotel, give us a great walking tour of Arles, then drive us to our hotel in Aix instead of returning us to Avignon. That would be a wonderful day for us, would solve our logistics problem, and would give my son and I a quiet evening in Aix for a nice dinner and stroll around town. Romain happily accommodated us. He told me how to book this custom tour on his website so that he would earn the commensurate amount for his time, which I very happily did. (Another reason I like to hire a private guide — there’s so much more flexibility that way and one’s vacation time is used so much more efficiently.) But before booking our trip that way, I wanted to ensure that Romain's car's trunk would adequately hold our luggage so that it would be completely out of sight. (I had read several reviews of other tourists' visible luggage being stolen from parked cars while the rightful owners were touring various sights. What a nightmare that would be!) Sure enough, Romain's car was not only extremely comfortable and roomy for me and my 6'6" tall adult son; the trunk of his car was also equally roomy and could easily hold our 2 large suitcases and 2 smaller carry-ons safely out of sight. Problems all solved! Thank you, Romain! Our tour of Arles, which is chock full of Roman ruins, interesting architecture, art, history, and charming streets, cafes, and shops, was as interesting and captivating as our prior 2 tours with Romain (the Avignon highlights and Pont du Gard). Unfortunately, my son was in a bit of a foul mood that day (which Romain and I never discussed), and (at least to me) it showed. His mood admittedly put a bit of a damper on my day in Arles, as well as on my memory of all that I learned there. But I do remember the highlights, and I DID enjoy my time with Romain! And Romain, as usual, DID impart a lot of fascinating information throughout the day. It’s just that my memory of that city tour is not as clear as my memory of the other tours because of the stress I felt that day -- which was completely unrelated to Romain and his exceptional talent as a tour guide. Granted, my son is incredibly well-versed in Roman history, and I am not. So perhaps the prospect of a day of Roman historical sights was not as appealing to him as it was to me. (Though had I already known some extensive Roman history, I think I would be even more excited about seeing the actual Roman ruins that backed up what I had learned!) My son and I were an imbalanced audience for what there was to convey at these ruins, me knowing next to nothing and him knowing so much. But also that day, my son was more interested in the shops and cafes than I was. He envisioned a day of poking around the shops and cafes ... while very briefly observing some key sights along the way, while I envisioned learning all I could from our extraordinarily knowledgable guide. I was not interested in the shops or cafes at all, except for brief sustenance and coffee. In due time, my son did what I had suggested he do at the very start of our day, should he begin to feel inconsolably grumpy -- he politely excused himself from our private tour with Romain and went on his own way throughout the town, doing the things he most wanted to do that day ... while I did what I most wanted to do: tour with Romain. When we first arrived in Arles (we parked at Le Parc du centre, btw), we stopped at a charming sidewalk cafe on a cobble-stoned street to enjoy some coffee and half a sandwich each, plus use the restroom. We began as a group of 3 (Romain, my son, and me) at the Theatre Antique d'Arles, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, this one built around 12 BC, incredibly well-preserved in some places, and still in use today. It was fabulous and impressive! Romain told us all about the place. Who attended the theater (nearly everybody of all social classes). Where the different social classes and the area's VIP's sat. He told us about how the theater was used in Roman times, how it was used in the intervening years (as a stone quarry in the Middle Ages), and how it's used today. It's apparently always been a place for lovers, and for romantic dates in the evenings. He told us of the importance of theater and culture in Roman society, both for the people, and in the governing of the people. We then moved on as a group of 3 to the remarkably well-preserved two-tiered Arles Amphitheater (Arenes d'Arles) which dates back to 90AD and is still in use today for various cultural events, like concerts and bullfighting. We climbed the sometimes narrow, curving steps to the arena's very top observation point where Romain pointed out various geographical features; the north-south and east-west axes of the town; other historical sights; the Rhone, which branches off in two directions to form the Camargue delta; and the 2 lions that once stood at the end of a 19th century railroad bridge which once crossed the Rhone in Arles. (The 2 lions on the one side of the Rhone, along with the bridge's abutments on each side of the Rhone, are all that remain of the bridge today. The bridge itself was destroyed by the Allies during WWII to disrupt German shipping.) My son then politely excused himself and split off on his own to enjoy his day his way, which is fair since it’s his vacation, too. While on my own with Romain, we continued to the lovely Musee Reattu where we viewed a few Picassos as well as the works of many other artists over the centuries (a few of whom I recognized), several wonderful sculptures, and other interesting works of art. The building itself is a work of art in its own right. It was built in the late 15th century as the seat of a medieval commandery (also “commandry”) which housed the knights of the Order of Malta. At the time of the French revolution, a decree from the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France ordered the confiscation and sale of all possessions belonging to the Order of Malta in France, to include this large medieval building then known as the Grand Priory of the Order of Malta. The building was sold in pieces ... and artist Jacques Reattu then purchased it in pieces ... over a period of 30 years beginning in 1796. He lived and worked in this vast building until his death in 1833, whereupon the building and its art collections passed to his daughter, Elisabeth Grange. In 1867, she sold both the building and the art to the Municipality of Arles, in exchange for a pension and the right to continue to live there. The next year, in 1868, it officially became a museum. Though Romain and I were only there briefly, with enough time to whisk through room after room with bursts of explanation from Romain, I thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of this museum, the captivating historic building with it's large windows, some of which beautifully revealed the building's surprising (to me) location directly on the banks of the Rhone, its interesting architectural features, its somewhat mis-matched variety of well-curated art in a multitude of different rooms, the refreshingly cool temperatures inside the building, and all of the twists and turns of this meandering one-time administrative center for an order of medieval knights. Much (or all?) of the Musee Reattu’s art was annotated only in French, and I, sadly, cannot read French, so it was especially helpful to be accompanied by a well-informed French guide. Lucky me! After the Musee Reattu, Romain led me to the Thermes de Constantine (the Roman hot baths), which date to the early 4th century. Emperor Constantine made Arles one of his imperial residences and he directed that these thermal baths be built there. This bath house was just one part of a vast array of significant spaces that existed between the forum and the banks of the Rhone river to the north. Romain showed me how the water was heated, which pool was intentionally kept cool, who attended the baths, their significance in Roman society, and how the various portions of these ruins would have looked back in the day. Next, I saw the Place du Forum, the intimate town square that was the heart of Arles in ancient Rome. He pointed out the Cafe la Nuit that’s still on the square and told me about Van Gogh's choice of color for his painting -- particularly about the bright yellow color he chose to paint it, and why he chose it. He pointed out other artistic and historical details and told me a about life at the forum in ancient times. Next, he showed me the Espace Van Gogh. On the way there, he began the tender story of Theo and Vincent van Gogh, Theo being Vincent’s younger brother. The two were very close and the story is intertwined with elements of career and personal lives, physical and mental health, conflict and close-connectedness, and the eventual death of both brothers. The Espace Van Gogh is the peaceful courtyard of the former hospital of Arles where Van Gogh was hospitalized after cutting off his own ear. The building is painted yellow and white today and colorful garden beds still fill the courtyard. Romain told me of the long and unique relationship between artists Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, which started in Paris and essentially ended in Arles — and of Theo’s place within that relationship. (Gauguin and Van Gogh became roommates when Guaguin moved into Van Gogh's Yellow House in Arles, which Theo encouraged and even financially supported.) About 2 months later, during an altercation between the 2 friends, Van Gogh famously cut off part of his own ear. He was then hospitalized for his mental health in the building known as Hotel-Dieu-Saint-Espirit, which was built around 1600 give or take some years. Meanwhile, Gauguin swiftly returned to Paris. Though they corresponded from time to time after that, the two never saw each other again. Theo was gravely affected by these events and it is said that he felt the weight of some responsibility for his brother’s downfall. Next, Romain took me to the Place de la Republique, the city center of Arles, on which sits a 4th century obelisk with an interesting history. The Eglise Saint-Trophime is also on the plaza. It's an absolutely stunning piece of mostly Romanesque architecture, most particularly the intricately sculpted West Portal, which dates back to the late 11th or early 12th century. Like many old churches, this church was built over a long period of time, mainly between the 12th and 15th centuries. The Obelisk and the Eglise Saint-Trophime, along with many other buildings of Arles, are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the Arles, Roman, and Roman Monuments group. From there, Romain and I took the short walk along the Boulevard des Lices, back to the peaceful and shady 19th century Jardin d'Ete, where we started our tour of Arles hours earlier. My son re-joined us here -- happy as a clam, in a much better mood, and once again greatly appreciating the time spent with Romain and with me. This was a fabulously stunning tour of all kinds of things I had never seen before, learning about all kinds of things I didn't know before, and being exposed to all kinds of things I have long loved -- remarkable architecture, intriguing art, a host of beautiful spaces, lovely gardens, and all sorts of history and stories of how people lived over the years. I highly recommend Guide Provence and tour guide Romain! I definitely got far more than my money's worth on this expert-led tour and, despite my son's initially irritable mood on this one day of our vacation, he and I departed Arles with wonder and contentment. We also both looked forward to the next day's private tour with Romain -- a walking tour of Aix and then onward to the seaside town of Cassis. What fun! If interested, I also posted a general review of Guide Provence and Romain's outstanding service here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187253-d17733634-Reviews-Guide_Provence-Marseille_Bouches_du_Rhone_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azur.html

This was the first of 4 exceptional private tours we took with tour guide Romain from Guide Provence. We had so much fun! We learned so much! This tour was worth every penny. I highly recommend Guide Provence and Romain for all of your private tour needs. On our first full day in France, my adult son and I met Romain in front of Avignon's Palais des Papes on a beautiful rainy Sunday. Our original plan was to tour the entire city with Romain, to include an overview of the Palais de Papes, but because of the rain we chose to mostly stay indoors and take a closer, more in-depth look at this fascinating UNESCO World Heritage Site (the Palais des Papes); followed by a brief walk through the 12th Century Avignon Cathedral; followed by climbing the hill up to the Jardin des Doms, which allowed for a wonderful overlook of the river and landscape below; followed by an informative walk along the Pont Saint-Benezet (Pont d'Avignon). This was our first time meeting Romain, and we were in awe! He knew so much and spoke so articulately and so readily about all that he knew! We learned about French history, papal history, Roman history, French and Roman culture, the French language (in bits and pieces over the 4 days together); architecture, and art. I could not get enough! I had read many reviews of the Palais des Papes while preparing for our trip to Provence. The reviews, on all different websites, were mixed. A lot of them raved about this can't-miss historical site, but lots of others mentioned that there's simply not much to see inside the palace (because it's largely not furnished) ... unless visitors use one of the computer tablets issued by the front desk ... and the tablets themselves also received very mixed reviews, far more negative reviews than positive ... in that they're apparently difficult to operate AND in that visitors must then keep their nose in their tablets rather than looking around them to see the sights. Furthermore, many Palais de Papes reviews said that very little information inside was printed in English -- and I (sadly) don't read French. Another frequently stated negative was that the lines can be long and the crowds can be big. For all of these reasons, many of the Palace of Popes reviews I read suggested that tourists limit their visits to just the outside of this impressive structure. But my son and I were really interested in the inside and we wanted to learn more than the just the outside could provide. We also wanted to avoid long lines and crowds! For those reasons, I chose to hire a private guide to take us around Avignon, the first of a series of private tours I ultimately chose for our 8 days in Provence. Romain impressed the heck out of us! He was personable, polite, well-spoken, far more knowledgable than I ever expected from any tour guide — and knowledgable in so many different areas, too (culture, history, religion, language, art, architecture, etc). For us, there were no lines, thanks to Romain. Also, he strategically avoided all crowds as he showed us around the place. He made it all so fun and interesting! While it was pouring rain outside, Romain took us through every nook and cranny of the Palais de Papes, regaling us with all kinds of interesting facts and vignettes that made the place come alive. (I cannot stress enough just how much he knows about everything there is to see there. What a joy!) After touring the papal residence, we entered the 12th century Avignon Cathedral (Notre Dame des Doms d'Avignon) next door, which is crowned by a gilded statue of Virgin Mary. After the cathedral, we went up the hill to the Jardin des Doms where, from our high vantage point, we looked out over a portion of old Avignon, the Rhone River, the truncated Pont Saint-Benezet, the medieval Philippe-le-Bel Tower which originally marked the terminus of the Pont Saint-Benezet, and the 14th century fortress Fort Saint-Andre. Of course, Romain filled us in on all the fascinating historical details about each site’s history and relevance, the history and significance of the Rhone, the geographical and climatological limitations and features of the Rhone, and more. He then took us back down the hill to the Pont Saint-Benezet (which requires a separate ticket from the Palais de Papes) where we once again encountered no lines. As we walked to the end of the ruins of this famous medieval bridge, Romain told us all about the bridge's history, how it came to eventually end in the middle of the Rhone instead of at the Tour Philippe-le-Bel where it once ended, the history and lore of Saint Benezet, the bridge's 2-story dedicated chapel, and more. After exiting the bridge, we walked around the exterior of the old city wall as we learned even more about the city's very interesting architecture -- like how to guess in which century any given building was built. Finally, as we wrapped up our awe-inspiring tour, Romain made a few suggestions for where we may want to have lunch. He was spot on with his recommendations. We had a wonderful iconically French lunch at a quaint little spot along a narrow cobble-stoned street on a cozy rainy day. Perfection! This was an absolutely fabulous tour of the highlights of Avignon. I couldn't have hoped for a better day. We definitely got far more than our money's worth on this expert-led tour, and we couldn't wait to take the other 3 private tours we booked with this same incredible guide. Thank you for everything, Romain! If interested, I also posted a general review of Guide Provence and Romain's outstanding service here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187253-d17733634-Reviews-Guide_Provence-Marseille_Bouches_du_Rhone_Provence_Alpes_Cote_d_Azur.html

My adult son and I had so much fun on a variety of different private tours with Guide Provence. Romain so warmly and openly showed us all around beautiful Provence. We had an absolutely incredible time on each and every tour, and we learned so much! We could not have asked for a better tour guide. Romain was perfection! Off the top of my head, and in no particular order, here are just 4 of the many reasons we enjoyed his tours so very much: 1. We were totally amazed at how much information Romain could impart about history, art, and culture! The number one reason I booked these private tours was to learn about Provence in a relaxing, fun way without studying ahead and without having my nose in a book while seeing the sights. Seemingly effortlessly, Romain fulfilled that goal for me in spades. Romain knew his stuff! 2. Romain was open, articulate, and transparent. What a great communicator! The opportunity to interact with "a local" and learn about "the local’s" culture is a special benefit of booking a private tour. I LOVED hearing about his country, his country's history, French politics, French ideals and philosophies, the French language, and (so generously on his part) the window into his career progression and his daily life. We felt honored that he shared so much about what it is to be French and about how this one French person lives and works! That specific part of our experience in Provence -- the opportunity to learn so much from such a personal angle -- will likely be the most memorable, warmest part of our journey, which I will treasure for life. 3. Romain made everything so easy! There was no waiting in line. There was no pre-planning required. He did all the talking with ticket agents and restaurant hostesses and made everything pleasant and easy. I was so grateful!! 4. Romain was patient and tolerant and very easy to be around. He is a superb conversationalist and a very interesting human being. He made the days fun and fascinating. All my son had to do was show up. He was the perfect host! All in all, Romain is an exceptionally gifted tour guide. I highly recommend Guide Provence for all of your private tour needs! (I do not speak any French. Romain speaks nearly perfect English. There was no language barrier at all.) Thank you again, Romain, for such an all-encompassing, extraordinarily informative introduction to your beautiful country and its people! You were a delight!

Excellent tour guide in Provence. We recommend Roman. He's English is native and he was born in Provence.

Our guide picked us up at our hotel in the center of Marseille. She was excellent. We learned a lot and have a very nice time.

2nd time with Romain as a private tour guide and yet hungry for more of his incredible knowledge ! If you want to understand the Popes in the 14th century just do it !!

After reading prior reviews I went to the palace with some apprehension. My wife and I did the first tour of the day. Takes a little over an hour. We had been to the Vatican and must say it would be unfair to compare these two sites. They offer totally different experiences. We very much enjoyed this tour. Which is cleverly self guided with your provided tablet. A novalty and also a great tool to give history and insights to how the palace looked and functioned. I would suggest to give it a go!

Our tour was wonderful and our guide Romain was perfect ! Perfect English, amazing knowledge, nice recommendations for lunch and shopping. He accepted to pick us up in Lyon without extra cost and we really appreciated.

We were staying in Provence and had a very nice tour with Amélie. She shew us all the cities and took us inside the church. We could taste some local food on the market and learn a lot. We recommend this company.

I enjoyed so muchMarseille Notre Dame basilic, the view was impressive. The Old port was enjoyable as well and Aix en Provence was a unique city thatyou can feel Cezanne's soul. I appreciate to my guide Benjamin who shared many things about culture art and history.

Thanks to Romain our group had a marvellous time in Aixen Provence exploring the center and tasting food on the market. He speaks perfect English and helped us out of tourist trap.

Excellent tour guide who made us travel.into time to the origin of Marseilles. We explored all the old neighborhood and the old port with outsanding panoramas.