The Best of Southern France: Provence and the Cote d'Azur

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

United States citizens don’t need a visa for any of the countries you’ll be visiting. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on October 16, 2026

Meet the group at Novotel Avignon Centre in Avignon

Start of Trip:  2:00 p.m. hotel check-in. Orientation in the early evening, followed by Welcome Dinner.

Getting to the site: Participants booking flights through Road Scholar will receive an arrival transfer if arriving on the designated group arrival date. Those arriving on different dates or who are Program Only Participants (POP) must arrange their own transportation to the first location. Taxis are available outside Terminal 2 on the ground floor of Marseille Provence Airport. A taxi ride to Avignon costs approximately €180 during the day (7 AM to 7 PM) and €200 at night (7 PM to 7 AM) or on Sundays. Trains are also an option from Marseille Provence Airport to Avignon. A free shuttle ('Navette') connects the airport to the Vitrolles-Aéroport Marseille Provence train station, where trains depart for both Avignon Centre and Avignon TGV stations. The train ride duration ranges from approximately 59 minutes for faster trains to about 1 hour and 24 minutes on average. It’s recommended to research train schedules and make reservations in advance to ensure availability. Once in Avignon, taxis from the TGV station to the city center cost approximately €25. From Avignon Centre station, it’s about a 5-minute walk to the hotel. For ease of travel, booking a private transfer in advance ensures fixed fares and availability, though taxis are generally reliable. Transportation costs and schedules may change, so confirm details closer to your departure date.

Getting to the site by train or bus: TGV is a great option to travel in France. Nice and Avignon are connected to Paris by TGV.

Your trip ends on: Friday, October 23, 2026 in Nice at Splendid Hotel

End of Trip: After breakfast; 12:00 noon hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: Participants who booked their air through Road Scholar will be provided with a departure transfer if departing on the group departure date. The group leader will let you know the exact time of your transfer during the program. Participants who do not depart on the group departure date or who are POP (Program Only Participant) status, are responsible for their own transportation from the last location.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.