Nice to Grasse, Gourdon & Wine Tasting Day Trip with Pickup

4.62

(122 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You smell that?” That’s how our guide started as we rolled into Grasse from Nice—windows down, this weird mix of orange blossom and something I couldn’t place. Maybe it was jasmine? I kept thinking about my grandmother’s old soap. We wandered cobbled streets, ducking into the Fragonard Perfumery (I tried to pronounce it right; failed). Inside, the air was so thick with scents I almost sneezed. The tour was quick but somehow personal—the woman showing us around said her mother worked there too. She handed me a tiny sample and winked when I looked confused by the notes. Perfume is complicated.

The drive up to Gourdon twisted through hills dotted with wildflowers and these stone houses that looked like they’d been there forever. Our driver pointed out a bakery he swears makes the best fougasse in the region—I made a mental note for next time. In Gourdon, you stand on this rocky perch and suddenly the whole Côte d’Azur just opens up below you. It’s windy and bright, and I remember someone’s scarf nearly flying off the edge. We didn’t rush; nobody seemed in a hurry here.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup was quieter than I expected—violets everywhere, even in syrup bottles at a little shop where the owner let us taste some (it’s sweet but kind of earthy?). By then I’d lost track of time. The last stop was Domaine des Hautes Collines for wine tasting—white wine first, dry and cold against my tongue while cicadas buzzed somewhere in the grass. Our host poured with both hands, telling stories about his grandfather planting vines on these slopes before anyone thought it would work. I still think about that view from the terrace—sunlight bouncing off silver olive leaves, everyone just sitting quietly for a second before heading back to Nice.