Provence Day Trip: Les Baux, Avignon & Châteauneuf Wine Tasting

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What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the wind to smell like wild thyme as we climbed up to Les Baux de Provence. It’s perched so high you can almost see the whole countryside stretching out—patches of green and that soft golden light you only get here. Our guide, Luc, pointed at an old olive mill and told us how his grandmother used to sneak him bread dipped in new oil. I just stood there for a minute, trying to picture it all. The stones under my shoes were warm already, even though it was barely ten.

We rolled north after that—windows down, sun on my arm—towards Avignon. I’d seen photos of the Pont du Gard before but seeing it curve over the river is different; it’s bigger and stranger than I thought. Luc told us Romans built it without mortar (which sounds impossible), and then he let us wander along the path by ourselves. There was this quiet moment where all I could hear was water moving below and some kids laughing somewhere out of sight.

Avignon felt busier—students on bikes weaving past us, café tables spilling into the street. The Popes’ Palace is huge up close; honestly, I got lost inside for a bit (literally). Luc laughed when I tried to say “Pont St-Bénezet” properly—probably butchered it. We ended up in Châteauneuf-du-Pape for wine tasting, which was less formal than I expected. The winemaker poured us reds that smelled like pepper and cherries, and there was this old dog sleeping by the barrels who didn’t even wake up when we clinked glasses. I still think about that view from Les Baux sometimes—you know?