Exclusive Garden Treasures of the French Riviera & Provence
April 26 - May 6, 2025
A journey from the sparkling Côte d’Azur into Italy and through Provence, ending in Paris.
On the grounds of Jardin botanique Val Rahmeh-Menton
The allure of the French Riviera and the promise of Provence has been calling Huron Tours for years. When we traveled to this region in between garden tours in 2022 we knew we had to make the dream a reality!
This luxury, tailor-made journey represents the most intimate and exclusive in Huron’s history. In travel, the phrase “bucket list” is wildly overused but we believe this tour will truly be the trip of a lifetime. Limited to just 18 travelers, this intimacy affords us the privilege of visiting several of the smaller, private gardens featured on this itinerary.
From private gardens only open by special invitation to restored historic gems, this unique tour features remarkable Mediterranean gardens, dramatic coastlines, ancient cities, traditional villages, and exclusive experiences just for Huron Tours. Along the way we’ll be fortunate to meet several enthusiastic and knowledgeable garden owners, designers, and head gardeners.
We are delighted to have teamed up with garden specialist Susan Worner, who used her considerable knowledge and history to help design this itinerary. Susan is originally from Yorkshire, England, but now calls Switzerland home. She has over 25 years of experience organizing floral journeys to some of the world’s most fascinating gardens, both public and private. A linguist and experienced gardener, she has a deep interest and excellent contacts in each area we’ll visit on this glorious itinerary. Susan designs and leads tours for garden designers, writers, nurserymen, and of course, those of us who just love gardens and long to visit them! Katie Kosta and Susan have been working for months to perfect this tour, and we are both thrilled by the resulting itinerary!
France garden tour specialist Susan Worner (above) has been working with Huron's Katie Kosta for months to create the ideal Huron itinerary
If you’ve traveled with Huron Tours in the past, you know we’ve had spectacular moments in the most privileged and magical of settings. Our tour to France advances and enriches this tradition with private garden tours of Marie Antoinette’s domain at Château de Versailles, an afternoon in the private garden of famed landscape gardener Dominique Lafourcade, and a tour with the head gardener of Le Petit Fontanille - an extraordinary private garden created by the former American ambassador to Belgium (with help from Rosemary Verey).
Our garden travels begin in Nice, France, on the ravishing French Riviera, where the mild, sunny climate has attracted visitors since the 19th century. Garden enthusiasts throughout the world treasure the Côte d’Azur. We’ll be touring several beautiful gardens along the coast and around Grasse, an important center for perfume based on locally grown flowers.
Our Nice hotel, La Perouse, is ideally located in the historic Old Town just steps from the colorful market and with glorious views of the Mediterranean Sea.
In Italy, we’ll visit a classic Gardenesque-style estate on a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean. The site is dramatic, and the plant collection exotic. Sometimes, it seems that heaven on earth really exists, and Hanbury Botanical Gardens in Ventimiglia is such a place.
Hanbury Botanical Gardens
Our journey continues to Provence to discover the light, the landscapes, the scents, and the magic. Our home here will be the majestic walled city of Avignon; its rich attractions include the Romanesque Avignon Cathedral and the ornate Palace of the Popes, the seat of Western Christianity in the 14th century and situated just steps from our most gracious and beautifully restored hotel, La Mirande. Still family-owned and operated, the property was originally the palace of a 14th-century cardinal. Thanks to its beautiful 17th-century façade and the collection of treasures within, the property feels like a grand and gracious private house.
A secret garden in Provence
The gardens chosen for our time in Provence were created by leading garden designers around Avignon and St Remy de Provence. Many of these “invitation only” private gems are opening just for Huron because their owners know you’ll be interested, engaged, enthusiastic, and appreciative.
Please read on for more information on this incredible tour. We hope you'll decide to join us!
Happy Travels, - Katie and John Kosta
Friday, April 25
Flights to Nice, France
Though not an official tour date we include this day here to help your planning efforts.
Travel to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) on your favorite air carrier. Most flights from the US will depart Friday, April 25 and arrive the morning of Saturday, April 26 (the first day of the tour).
Please give us a call for airfare prices and schedules. (800) 734-1192 or (504) 267-2057.
Your air carrier provides dinner and breakfast.
Saturday, April 26
Nice arrival, private transfer to our perfectly located hotel, meet your guides, walking tour of Old Town, private welcome dinner
Hotel La Perouse in Nice - a stunning location
You’ll arrive at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) and privately transfer to the Hotel La Pérouse at the end of the Promenade des Anglais. Tucked away in an idyllic spot in Old Nice, just steps from the endless blue of the Mediterranean, La Pérouse offers an uncommonly beautiful setting for our home base in the French Riviera. How wonderful that your room overlooks the Bay of Angels, one of the most beautiful coasts in the world!
We’ll enjoy a lovely late afternoon guided stroll around the old town before enjoying a welcome aperitif and dinner together in the hotel’s enchanting restaurant where the cuisine is as divine as the setting. The perfect start to what promises to be an incredible garden journey.
(Meals on flight, welcome dinner included.)
Sunday, April 27
Guided tour and lunch at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
After breakfast on the hotel’s beautiful terrace, we follow the coastal road to Villefranche-sur-Mer towards the peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to visit the remarkable Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. The estate is as famous for its art collection as for its gardens, which harmoniously combine formal and contemporary styles. The villa, where we will enjoy a guided tour, was built between 1905 and 1912 for Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild in the most beautiful spot on the Cap Ferrat peninsula, surrounded by marvelous sea views.
We’ll also extensively tour the gorgeous gardens surrounding the villa, each with its own distinctive and contrasting theme. This is a whimsical, fairytale-style garden designed in the image of a ship’s deck. Enjoy walking alongside hundred-year-old olive trees, cypress hedges, and Aleppo pines, leading you toward the Temple of Love. We’ll stop to admire the musical fountains that spring from the large pond. There are 8 beautifully designed gardens to appreciate. You will see it all on our private tour, followed by lunch together on the delightful terrace.
This evening you are free to explore the wonderful town of Nice. Be sure to consult our restaurant guide which includes a wide range of options from Michelin Starred fine-dining to small bistros we love.
Villa Rothschild spectacular interior
(Breakfast and lunch are included today.)
Monday, April 28
Grasse, France to visit Jardin de la Villa Fort France and La Mouissone gardens
What would a tour of southern France be without a visit to Grasse, the world’s perfume capital?
Today will certainly be a feast for the senses! We begin at the Jardin de la Villa Fort France, developed in the 1930s by English writer Lady Fortescue, and her husband, the librarian for King George VI. The garden is now a source of inspiration to current owners, artist Valerie de Courcel and her husband Pierre. This is a true artist’s garden where we’ll find an intriguing harmony of shape, color, and texture during our private tour. Dotted with olive trees, aromatic plants, perennials, and a myriad of other gorgeous flora, we’ll experience each terrace full of unique fragrant flowers surrounding the charming villa.
If you wish to see what can be achieved in a relatively short space of time (in gardening terms), given seven acres of land, a good knowledge of plants, plenty of resources and, above all, determination and enthusiasm, you will cherish our visit to La Mouissone.
This property of Lady Lockett features Mediterranean-sea-facing garden terraces that are constantly evolving. Rooted in the scents of Grasse’s history but planted with contemporary verve, the garden walks unfold harmoniously, from wide flowerbeds punctuated with collections overflowing with exotic plants, to more intimate spaces. A meadow garden inspired by the Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf was recently created. An Italian terrace with a waterfall fountain offers freshness and serenity. The views of the hinterland and the Cannes coastline are spectacular. We’ll enjoy lunch in the garden to make the most of this special visit.
A pleasant spot to contemplate life (or check your email) at La Mouissone
Shortly after the First World War, Eugène Fuchs and his family left Saint-Chamond and his notary’s practice to settle in the sun-drenched hillsides around Grasse. This entrepreneur at heart was soon won over by the magic of perfume and decided to create his own company. Thus, the Parfumerie Fragonard opened its doors to business in 1926. Eugène Fuchs chose to pay tribute to the most famous native of Grasse by naming his business after the painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806). We’ll have a tour of the factories with a private guide trained by a professional perfume maker who knows all about the history of the trade.
The evening is at your leisure to further explore Nice.
(Breakfast and lunch are included today.)
Tuesday, April 29
Menton, France to visit the Botanical Garden of Val Rahmeh for a private tour, then into Italy to visit Hanbury Gardens at La Mortola and to have lunch with Carolyn Hanbury
After breakfast, our morning departure will take us to Menton on the Franco-Italian border. Blessed by the mildest climate on the Riviera, it is sheltered by a semicircle of mountains, the eastern end of which forms the border with Italy.
Our first visit today is to the Botanical Garden of Val Rahmeh. A stunning garden full of exotic plants that hail from countries worldwide, the dense foliage makes for a charming haven of tranquility where you can take a gentle stroll to admire everything it on offer. You’ll get to identify and enjoy all kinds of flora, from agave plants and cactus to bamboo shoots and tree ferns, enhanced by a private, guided tour.
Next, we’ll head across the border into Italy and the famous Hanbury Gardens at La Mortola which has seen two world wars, visits from queens and several generations of Hanbury caretakers. The gardens were created in 1867 by Sir Thomas Hanbury who was captivated by the rocky outcrop while holidaying in the French Riviera. When subsequent members of the Hanbury family were unable to properly maintain the gardens, the heads of Kew and Wisley arranged for the gardens to be bought by the Italian state. The garden has an impressive collection of plants and banks of cascading scented flowers. An unparalleled collection of specimens festoon the steep site. Curtains of plumbago and bougainvillea, perfumed parterres, pergolas, exotic pavilions and citrus orchards adorn this garden paradise on a private headland. We’ll have lunch today with Carolyn Hanbury who still has a family home at the top of the garden.
(Breakfast and lunch are included today.)
Wednesday, April 30
depart Nice, visit to Château La Coste, lunch at Brasserie de Tadao Ando, sculpture walk, arrival in Avignon, welcome drinks in the garden
After breakfast this morning we depart Nice heading west towards Provence.
Provence, a picturesque region in southern France, is renowned for its landscapes, vibrant colors, and aromatic scents that vary beautifully with the seasons. The region's exquisite flowers inspired Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet, and you will soon experience this charming atmosphere yourself.
Our first visit is to Château La Coste, a vineyard and art and architecture paradise north of Aix-en-Provence.
The vineyards at Chateau La Coste span some 200 hectares and boast a wealth of history, including a wine-making tradition that dates back to Roman times. The remarkable setting features cypresses, stone pines, olive trees and oaks.
We’ll have lunch together in the vineyard’s Brasserie de Tadao Ando, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The menu follows the seasons, using fresh produce from the kitchen garden.
After lunch we’ll be guided to see several sculptures by the biggest names in art and architecture. Every invited artist designs and chooses their pieces’ location when adding something new to the existing installations. We’ll then discover the potager garden designed by Louis Benech, regarded as one of the most remarkable landscape architects of his generation. This privately guided walk is an invitation to reflect and an opportunity to revel in our glorious surroundings.
You’ll have time to relax and discover the domaine while browsing the specialist bookshop and wine shop or simply enjoying a coffee or another glass of wine.
On arrival in the majestic walled city Avignon set on the banks of the River Rhône, we check-in to the luxury 5-star hotel La Mirande, our home for the next four nights. Here, we’ll step into the Age of Enlightenment. Built in the 14th century at the same time as the Palais des Papes (Papal Palace), La Mirande was once a hotel for cardinals; the property retains its history through medieval tapestries and 16th-century ceilings. Today, it's privately owned and family-run. Located right in the heart of Avignon, it offers easy access this town of superb restaurants, charming shops and the storied Provençal market lining its medieval streets.
This evening we’ll enjoy welcome drinks together in La Mirande’s beautiful garden.
Dinner this evening is on your own so we’ve included a nice list of restaurants to try just steps from the front doors of our hotel.
(Breakfast and lunch are included today.)
Thursday, May 1
Visits to gardens by Landscape Gardener Dominique Lafourcade
Dominique Lafourcade's garden in Provence
Today we visit the gardens of an ancient monastery in the Alpilles hills, designed by famed Landscape Gardener Dominique Lafourcade, who imagines, designs and creates gardens in keeping with the topography and buildings: classical, formal and informal, from secret garden rooms asking to be explored to long, open perspectives inviting an afternoon walk.
Each one of Dominique Lafourcade's garden designs is unique. They share just one thing in common: they express their creator's desire to tell a story with plants, flowers and trees with the wind, earth, sun and rain providing the canvas on which she paints her colors.
This afternoon we’ve planned a very special private visit and lunch in Dominique Lafourcade’s own personal garden in St Rémy-de-Provence.
You are free this evening to wander the charming streets of Avignon. Be sure to consult our restaurant recommendations list which includes a wide range of options from haute French dining to quaint neighborhood bistros.
(Breakfast and lunch are included today.)
Friday, May 2
Le Petit Fontanille garden visit, free time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, private tour of private garden, farm-to-table dinner
The private garden of Mas Benoît designed by legendary professor, sculptor and garden designer Alain-David Idoux. Renowned tree sculptor Marc Nucera, will be our guide here.
By special appointment, Susan has arranged a tour with the head gardener of Le Petit Fontanille, an exceptional private garden created by a former American ambassador to Belgium with the help of notable designers Rosemary Verey, Peter Coates, and Tim Rees. This beautiful garden, which surrounds a 12th-century farmhouse, features traditions from France, England, and America that have long inspired the owner. Contrasting rooms characterized by a playful use of water lie at the heart of the garden.
After our visit, we'll have free time in the picture-perfect village of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which is the ideal marriage of an understated French aesthetic with gorgeous boutiques, shops, bistros, and cafes.
Later, we’ll tour one of France's most famous private gardens featuring superb land art in an idyllic Provençal landscape. With the magnificent backdrop of the Alpilles in the distance and a sea of olive trees, the garden was laid out by the late Alain David Idoux who introduced a lavender wedge, an almond spiral, and sculpted holm oaks with tree sculpture specialist Marc Nucera.
This evening, back at La Mirande, we’ll enjoy an exclusive dining experience, beginning with a visit to the wine cellar for tastings. Then, in the medieval part of the hotel, a treasure is hidden - but not to Huron tour members. In the heart of the property, we find the old kitchen dating from the middle of the 19th century. On a venerable wood-fired cast iron range, surrounded by the instruments of great traditional cooking, a stunning farm-to-table meal will be prepared just for us!
(Breakfast and dinner are included today.)
Saturday, May 3
Saint-André Abey, free time, dinner together
Water Lilies at Saint-André Abbey
The Saint-André Abbey, located within the walls of the Saint-André Fortress was built at the beginning of the 11th century, not far from the Sainte-Casarie gravestones. The abbey was partly destroyed during the French Revolution, and the early buildings disappeared. Here we’ll tour the magnificent terraced gardens that overlook the Rhône Valley featuring Tuscan flowerbeds, century-old olive trees and other Mediterranean plants, ponds and vestiges of Romanesque churches. The cypress-lined botanical trail offers splendid views of Avignon and the Popes' Palace. During our visit we’ll be treated to light refreshments. The Abbey boutique offers a selection of books, a fine grocery, wine and decorative items.
Later this afternoon you’ll enjoy free time to explore Avignon. We’ll dine together this evening in the gorgeous dining room at La Mirande. Another first-class culinary experience.
(Breakfast and dinner included)
Sunday, May 4
High speed TGV train to Paris, lunch cruise on the Sienne, welcome reception
TGV high speed train in Paris
This morning, we’ll travel in First Class aboard the high-speed Avignon TGV train to Paris, the city of Light!
One of our tour highlights, in a journey full of them, will be our welcome to Paris! We’ll experience a unique voyage on the Seine through contemporary French cuisine. Lunch will be elevated by the lively atmosphere of the capital while admiring the most beautiful monuments that line the route and offer you a new view of the city. The perfect opportunity to visit Paris differently!
After our lunch cruise we’ll check in to our home for the next two nights, The 5-Star Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, a Parisian icon!
The covered entrance to this Haussmannian-era Dame is as grand as the many city blocks that the property occupies, directly facing the Palais Garnier in the opulent 9th arrondissement. It is clear from the moment you are greeted and pass the threshold you’ll be staying in one of the original homes of Parisian luxury lodging. The extravagant accommodations offer elegant guest rooms, excellent French gastronomy, a superb spa, all just steps from the grand cafes, theaters, shopping, and landmarks of magical Paris.
This evening John and Katie will host a welcome to Paris reception in the hotel’s legendary bar. Le Bar is inspired by the divine French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt, a loyal customer and emblematic figure from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Her meetings with luminaries such as Guerlain, Escoffier and Victor Hugo all took place here. Today, an enchanting portrait of the actress by Georges Clarin hangs in the entrance hall, and the presidential suite is dedicated to her. This is the perfect beginning to our stay in Paris!
We've created a memorable stay in Paris!
(Breakfast, lunch and reception are included today.)
Monday, May 5
Full day in Versailles with exclusive private tours
Extravagant Versailles is a timeless showcase of opulence and grandeur!
You are waking up in Paris! - and even better, you’ll have a day to remember at Château de Versailles.
When you travel with Huron Tours you won’t have to settle for long lines and audio guides. We’ll have the privilege of private “prestige tours” of the gardens of the Grand Trianon and Le Jardin du Parfumeur (The Perfumer’s Garden), and the atmospheric Queen’s Hamlet. An exclusive garden-centric visit to Versailles, what could be better?
Marie-Antoinette’s reconfiguration of the Trianon gardens can be divided into two distinct phases. The first, starting in 1777, corresponds to the creation of the English Gardens. Subsequently, in 1783, she tasked Richard Mique with extending the gardens to the north and building a model village around a beautiful lake. The Queen’s Hamlet does not belong to any particular style, combining as it does various influences from rural architecture. But it does create a sense of aesthetic coherency. Today, we will privately tour both! The flowerbeds still put flowers in the spotlight, as in the time of Louis XIV, when Trianon was nicknamed the "Palace of Flora."
The Perfumer’s Garden represents a return to the atmosphere of 17th-century gardens. Located in the Châteauneuf Orangery, at the center of the Estate of Trianon, this garden features hundreds of flower essences, telling the story of the history of perfume and its uses at the Court of Versailles.
After our tour of the gardens we’ll enjoy lovely lunch of refined Italian cuisine in a bucolic atmosphere. Set in the heart of the grounds of the Château de Versailles, between the Bassin d'Apollon and the Grand Canal, you will find the restaurant La Petite Venise, where we will privately dine. A building with French Historic Monument classification, the restaurant's dining room used to house a gondola workshop in the 17th century.
Following lunch, we'll tour The Queen’s Hamlet, an idyllic place in Versailles for strolling designed in the spirit of the age, reflecting the “return to nature” extolled by philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The Queen would regularly come here to enjoy the charms of country life, and nobody was allowed to visit her without her permission!
After our enjoyable day exploring the gardens of Versailles we return to central Paris. Consider extending your stay in this marvelous city to take in the sites, museums, sidewalk cafes and more. We can extend your reservation at the Intercontinental, just ask!
(Breakfast and lunch included today.)
Tuesday, May 6
Departures for home
This morning you’ll bid ‘au revoir’ to France as you head home with incredible memories and stories to share of your remarkable journey through the most exclusive gardens in France! Your driver will transfer you to your flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) at your leisureParis Charles de Gaulle Airport.
(Breakfast included today, airlines provide other meals.)
A $2,000 per person deposit will hold your space. Please use the link above or below to access our online shopping cart. If you'd like to reserve over the phone, we'd be happy to talk to you and can be reached at either (504) 267-2057 or (800) 734-1192.
