Full day tour Medieval Villages Grasse Gourdon Tourettes St Paul
This is not a tour where you spend most of your time driving in traffic jams! It's not a chase like many other tours. I built the tour to avoid this problem, you will have enough time to enjoy each spot with the help and instructions of a professional guide.
Treat yourself to a trip to the Middle Ages! Discover the most beautiful Provencal medieval villages, a cultural and architectural wealth!
Grasse, Gourdon, Tourettes-sur-Loup and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Visit the historic FRAGONARD museum factory of fragrance in Grasse. Discover Grasse : It's saracens tower and it's unbelievable cathedral. Admire panoramic views of gourdon and valey of loup. Enjoy an ice cream made from the "violet" flower in Tourettes sur Loup. Discover dozens of art galleries in Saint Paul de Vence.
Options
Guided tour: the most beautiful medieval villages, full day.
Pickup included
What's included in Full day tour Medieval Villages Grasse Gourdon Tourettes St Paul
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Grasse
Driving to our first experience: Grace Village. Start your tour by visiting Grasse, listed in November 2018 on the list of "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" adopted by "UNESCO", for its know-how linked to the perfume industry. Stroll through the old streets of Grasse known for the workshops of the tannery industry in the Middle Ages. Then treat yourself to a visit to the historic "FRAGONARD" factory, one of the 60 companies that manufacture fragrances and essences, to understand the process of changing flowers into perfume. The rare flowers of the Pays de Grasse (lavender, myrtle, jasmine, rose, wild orange blossom, mimosa) make Grasse the world capital of perfume.
Gourdon
After this fragrant break, head for this small village "GOURDON" perched at 758 meters, between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, discover this medieval fortress and its beautiful castle built in the 8th century by the SARAZINS. Discern the strategic advantages, (the control of all "the valley of the wolf", the Mediterranean coast and the access to the Alps), to understand the fight for the control of this fortress, between the medieval powers until the German armies during the World War II.
Tourrettes-sur-Loup
After this dizzying session in the heart of the "Gourdon" eagle's nest, let's head to Tourrettes sur Loup; Provencal and medieval village. Explore the: (lanes, vaults, stairs, porches, lintels, etc.) of this medieval village and discover how the houses are built up to the edge of the ravines used as ramparts to protect the village from enemy invasions, (Germanic tributes , Huns, Sarazins, Savoy, the Grimaldi, Count of Provence…). Visit the Saint-Grégoire churches built in the 12th century. Admire and photograph "the violet", the emblematic flower and symbol of this village.
Inclusions
- knowledgeable guide with university degree
- TIP
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Pick-up and drop-off included at the locations indicated in Nice for shared tours. For addresses outside Nice, pick-ups and drop-offs are only possible with private tours.
- The tour time is 8 hours, including driving time.
- If you are a group of more than 8 people, contact us for a 30-seat bus.
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You can choose to be picked up from a list of locations, or alternatively, have the choice to make your own way to the meeting points
Please arrive at the pick up point 15 minutes before departure time.
Additional Information
For pick-up appointments, Hire & Tours will send you the exact pick-up time and location one day before the tour. Pick-up and drop-off included at the locations indicated in Nice for shared tours. For addresses outside Nice, pick-up and drop-off is only possible for private tours.
Meeting / End Points
- stand in front of the office de tourisme (located next to Nice Ville train station), the guide will ask you for the reservation name.