Provence & French Riviera: Self-Launched (Nice to Nice)
8 days · Provence & French Riviera
Back-Roads Touring charges £2,660
No-markup version: ~£742 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 8-day self-launched version of Back-Roads Touring's "Provence & French Riviera" loop, starting and ending in Nice. You follow the same arc — Riviera coast, Aix and the rosé vineyards, Avignon and Roman Provence, the Alpilles, the Luberon and the Gorges du Verdon — using regional TER trains, local buses and a couple of pre-booked day tours instead of a private minibus and tour leader. Expect swimming, market towns, wine tasting, Roman ruins and cliff-top drives for roughly a third of the escorted price. All costs are approximate per person and assume a late-spring/early-autumn shoulder season when the Riviera is bearable and prices drop.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Nice — seafront evening
Nice
Fly or train into Nice Côte d'Azur, take the tram or bus 12/23 into the centre (~£2) and check into a hostel or budget hotel near the old town or Libération. Walk the Promenade des Anglais at sunset to get your bearings, then eat a cheap socca at a Vieux Nice stand or pick up picnic bits at the Marché de la Libération. Instead of the operator's welcome dinner, join a free walking tour (tip £5-8) or a small-group Vieux Nice food walk if you want the restaurant experience.
🚌Tram/bus from airport ~£2
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Nice (~£30)
- →Promenade des Anglais sunset walk
- →Free walking tour of Vieux Nice (tip-based)
- →Castle Hill viewpoint
Antibes by local train — old port and market
Antibes
Take the TER commuter train along the coast from Nice to Antibes (~£4, 25 min) — the same stretch the tour drives, for pocket change. Wander the old port walls, visit the Provençal market (Cours Masséna, mornings), and walk the narrow lanes around the Picasso Museum (exterior free, museum ~£11 if you fancy it). Swim at Plage de la Gravette, then ride back to Nice or overnight in Antibes if you'd rather split the journey. Suggest staying in Antibes tonight to shorten tomorrow's ride west.
🚌TER train Nice–Antibes ~£4
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Antibes (~£32)
- →Antibes old town and port walls walk
- →Cours Masséna Provençal market
- →Picasso Museum (optional, ~£11)
- →Gravette beach swim
West to Aix-en-Provence — wine tasting at a Provence estate
Aix-en-Provence
Train from Antibes/Cannes to Marseille and change for Aix (~£20-25 total, 2.5-3 hrs), or take a direct regional coach. Dump your bag and explore Cours Mirabeau, the old town fountains and the daily market. In the afternoon book a half-day Côtes de Provence rosé tasting tour from Aix via GetYourGuide or Viator (~£45-60 including transport and 2-3 tastings) — this is the self-bookable equivalent of the tour's winery lunch. Alternatively, reachable-by-bus estates like Château de Fonscolombe or the Sainte-Victoire wine road make a DIY version possible, but a small tour is easier without a car.
🚌TER train Antibes–Marseille–Aix ~£22
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Aix (~£30)
- →Cours Mirabeau and old town stroll
- →Daily Provençal market
- →Half-day rosé wine tasting tour (~£50)
- →Sainte-Victoire countryside views
Aix to Avignon — Pont du Gard and Arles
Avignon / Arles
Train from Aix to Avignon (~£15, 1.5 hrs) and leave bags at your Avignon hostel. In the afternoon take the local bus or TER to the Pont du Gard (entrance ~£8, riverside bus from Avignon ~£2 each way in season, or ~£12 by taxi-share). Then continue to Arles by train (~£6, 20 min) to walk the Roman amphitheatre (exterior free, entry ~£10) and the Church of St Trophime, with an ice cream stop at the Van Gogh Foundation cafe. Back to Avignon for a cheap bistro dinner — no group dinner required.
🚌TER train Aix–Avignon ~£15; bus to Pont du Gard ~£4 return; train to Arles ~£6
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Avignon intra-muros (~£30)
- →Pont du Gard aqueduct visit (~£8)
- →Arles Roman amphitheatre (optional ~£10)
- →Church of St Trophime
- →Van Gogh Foundation (optional)
Avignon — Palace of the Popes and Rhône walls
Avignon
A full day on foot. Book the Palace of the Popes online in advance (~£13, or ~£17 combined with the Pont d'Avignon bridge) — you get an audio guide instead of a tour leader. Walk the city walls for Rhône views, browse Rue des Teinturiers' antique shops and brocantes, and finish with a glass of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in a wine bar (~£7-9) or a bus trip to Châteauneuf-du-Pape village itself if you have energy (~£4 return). Evening: Les Halles food market for cheese, olives and a cheap dinner.
🚌On foot; optional local bus ~£4
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Avignon (~£30)
- →Palace of the Popes (~£13)
- →Pont d'Avignon bridge
- →City walls Rhône walk
- →Rue des Teinturiers antiques
- →Wine bar stop (~£8)
Les Baux-de-Provence, Carrières des Lumières and Saint-Rémy
Les Baux-de-Provence / Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
No train reaches Les Baux, so take the half-hourly Avignon bus to Les Baux village (~£4, seasonal) or join a small-group Alpilles day tour from Avignon (~£55-70 on GetYourGuide, covering Les Baux, Carrières des Lumières and Saint-Rémy — the cheapest realistic way to hit all three without a car). Book Carrières des Lumières online in advance (~£14) for a timed slot; it sells out. Wander the cliff-top village, then bus or join the tour to Saint-Rémy for the Saint-Paul de Mausole monastery (~£8) and the Van Gogh trail. An olive-oil farm visit near Les Baux (~£5 tasting) stands in for the tour's olive grove picnic — pack your own lunch from Avignon market.
🚌Avignon–Les Baux bus ~£4 each way, or small-group day tour ~£60
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Avignon (~£30)
- →Les Baux village and Alpilles views
- →Carrières des Lumières light show (~£14)
- →Saint-Paul de Mausole monastery (~£8)
- →Olive oil tasting (~£5)
- →Saint-Rémy-de-Provence market squares
Luberon villages, Sénanque Abbey and on to the Verdon
Gordes / Luberon / Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
Take the early bus from Avignon to Cavaillon or Gordes (~£4-6) and use the Luberon's seasonal village buses (or a shared taxi ~£15) to hop between Gordes, Roussillon ochre cliffs and the Sénanque Abbey (~£4, lavender fields peak late June–July). This is the fiddliest day logistically — a small-group Luberon day tour from Avignon (~£60-75) is the low-stress alternative. In the afternoon train from Avignon to Manosque or take the bus onward to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie at the edge of the Verdon (~£15 total, 2.5 hrs) and check into a village guesthouse.
🚌Local buses ~£10 + regional train/bus to Manosque ~£15, or a Luberon day tour ~£65
🛏Village guesthouse, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (~£32)
- →Gordes village viewpoint
- →Sénanque Abbey (~£4)
- →Roussillon ochre trail (~£4)
- →Moustiers-Sainte-Marie village
Gorges du Verdon viewpoints and return to Nice
Gorges du Verdon / Nice
The Verdon rim road has no public bus, so: rent a bike in Moustiers (~£18/day) for the Route des Crêtes viewpoints, or book a half-day Verdon kayak/boat trip at Lac de Sainte-Croix (~£35-45, book direct with local operators like Verdon Kayak). If you want the classic rim drive, a shared taxi or a small guided tour from Moustiers (~£50) covers it. In the late afternoon take the bus to Manosque or Digne and the TER train back to Nice via Marseille (~£28-35, 4-5 hrs), or overnight and fly out the next morning. Costs above assume you eat cheap supermarket picnics given the transport-heavy day.
🚌Bike ~£18 or shared taxi ~£50; bus + TER to Nice ~£32
🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Nice (~£30)
- →Route des Crêtes Verdon viewpoints
- →Lac de Sainte-Croix swim
- →Kayak or boat trip (~£40)
- →Scenic train back to Nice
Self-launched vs. Back-Roads Touring
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Back-Roads Touring | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£742 | £2,660 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,918 per person (72%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Back-Roads Touring-style trips? Check them out here.~£742
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Provence & French Riviera: Self-Launched (Nice to Nice) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £742 per person for 8 days in Provence & French Riviera. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Back-Roads Touring?+
Yes — Back-Roads Touring charges around £2,660 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £742 — a saving of roughly £1,918 (72%) per person.
How long is the Provence & French Riviera trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Provence & French Riviera.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, budget trip through Provence & French Riviera, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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