Provence with Lyle Railsback

Day 1: Marseilles

Bienvenue à Marseilles! France’s ‘second’ city is one of the busiest seaports in Europe, with a buzzing energy, an infectious charm, and a sprawling patchwork of cultural influences: Provençal and Corsican, North African and Arab. We’ll dive right in at the Vieux Port, in the heart of Marseilles’ old town and continue our walking tour past Le Panier and through the electric streets toward La Catedral de la Major.

After this orientation for the senses, we’ll relax at our hotel or continue exploring Marseilles’ cobblestoned streets and steep twisting alleyways.

We’ll reconvene for some of Lyle’s favorite Champagne before a one-of-a-kind cooking workshop at Michelin-starred restaurant, Alcyone. Here, alongside a local chef, we’ll celebrate the traditionnel and moderne sides of Provençal cuisine, and make our way through a five-course meal, replete with regional wine pairings. This is true immersive indulgence and the only proper way to begin our journey through Provence. 

Day 2: Marseilles & Around

After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll walk to the port and board our private boat for a cruise through stunning Parc National des Calanques. Majestic limestone cliffs tower above narrow fjord-like channels of turquoise waters and golden beaches—the national park’s landscape is unique in the world. We’ll explore by sea, with plenty of time for swimming and soaking up the sun deck-side. Lunch on board is a light and local—Provençal cheese and charcuterie accompanied by a full-bodied white from the fishing village of Cassis, a tiny appellation that produces highly prized whites in a region famous for its rosés.

We’ll have free time late this afternoon back in Marseilles to flaneur our way around and maybe join a game of pétanque at one of the city’s many tree-lined parks.

Another night, another Michelin star. Tonight, we’ll dine at Ludovic Turac’s Une Table au Sud, overlooking the harbor. Chef Turac is one of the youngest chefs ever to earn a Michelin star; tonight we celebrate the catch-of-the-day, and our time together in France!

Day 3: Bandol

Our theme for today is wine in the coastal hills of Bandol, recognized among France’s most renowned wines–Bordeaux, Burgundy, Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf–with a traditional blend of earthy Mourvèdre grapes and Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah. Bandol may be the most famous French terroir you’ve never heard of.

After breakfast in Marseilles, we’ll wind along the Côte d’Azur to le Domaine des Trois Filles, a true family-run winemaking estate and one of the few remaining estates to harvest by hand. We’ll move on for lunch above the vineyards of the heralded, Le Font Des Pères where we’ll sit on the terrace and enjoy bistro-style meal, with curated wine pairings, of course. Our backdrop? Just a stunning view of the vineyard and Mediterranean hills rolling majestically toward the sea.

In the late afternoon, we’ll check into our five-star ecolodge and bask in the bucolic sights and sounds of the Provençal countryside. Dinner is sumptuous and simple at the hotel. Head down a few minutes early to enjoy an apéritif with Lyle before we all sit down to dine.

Day 4: Bormes Les Mimosas

This morning we delve deep into the heart of Provence in Bormes Les Mimosas. We’ll have some time to explore independently—wander the hilly cobbled stone streets where bougainvillea flower over Renaissance-era homes or explore the hidden marina as fishermen deliver their daily haul. Lunch will be at a local vineyard.

Dinner tonight is  one of the more exquisite moments of the trip. Tonight, armed with ingredients from his secret market run, Lyle will give a cooking demonstration at Richard’s Place, a gastronomic institution. Though known more for his work with wine, Lyle is also a talented chef, and his private dinners are the stuff of legend. Here, we’ll toast the week so far and drink to the amazing journey ahead.

Day 5: Aix-en-Provence & Avignon

In the morning, we leave our basecamp behind and point our compass to Aix-en-Provence for a walking tour and a visit to their legendary farmer’s market. After a hearty local lunch in the heart of the market, we head down the road to our new hotel in Avignon.

Before we arrive, we’ll make one special pit stop: the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes). This 14th-century marvel of Gothic architecture is the largest of its kind in the world, and we’ll have a guided tour through it all, including the stunning gardens. After a comprehensive visit, our chariot and chateau awaits. We’ll walk to our medieval five-star lodgings for the next two nights.

Day 6: Les-Baux-de-Provence

Today it’s off to the countryside to take in Provence’s stunning beauty. We’ll climb up gentle hills, through the vineyards past picture-perfect villages and up in to the medieval hilltop town of Les-Baux-de-Provence, perched on a rocky outcrop crowned with a ruined castle. The town, is a storybook of cobbled alleyways, Renaissance facades and several magnificent hôtels particuliers that have been revived as art galleries and museums.

After soaking up the view and the history, we’ll meander down the hill into the heart of the Alpilles mountains to Carrières de Lumières, an immersive art museum unlike any other: from the limestone confines of a former quarry, we’ll take in the larger-than-life multimedia works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Kandinsky and Dalí among others.

We’ll visit Saint-Rémy-de-Provence for a quick lunch and reserve the afternoon to relax and explore Avignon on our own. In the early evening we’ll reconvene for the ultimate pièce de résistance of our trip, a farewell dinner at the hotel, where Lyle will raise a toast, and we’ll all roll up our sleeves and prepare a magical meal together.

Day 7

It’s our last day, and after breakfast we’ll bid adieu to Lyle and to our fellow explorers. Then we’ll head to the airport in Marseilles, renewed and invigorated by the food, drink and memories of Provence. Until we meet again!