marseille & lyon

• Discover Lyon, one of France’s most delightful cities, and its excellent historic collections of antiquities and art

• Understand contemporary France, from Lyon’s outstanding murals to Marseille’s cutting-edge architectural scene

• Delight in quintessential flavours, in Lyon’s famed bouchons and in the seafood restaurants of Marseille’s colourful Vieux Port

• Uncover new cultural collections, including Lyon’s Musée des Confluences and Marseille’s striking Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (MUCEM)

• Understand Le Corbusier’s innovation and influence, on an architect-led tour of Marseille’s Unité d’Habitation

• Enjoy varied scenery, from the Rhône’s vine-covered hills to the distinctive colours of Provence and the Mediterranean

SATURDAY 01 MAY – ARRIVAL (D), PUBLIC HOLIDAY

We meet in the lobby of our hotel in Marseille at 5.00pm to take an orientation stroll. We then have a welcome briefing over a drink together and a talk in the hotel, introducing us to Marseille’s history. Afterwards, we continue to a nearby restaurant to sample the local cuisine. First of four nights in Marseille.

SUNDAY 02 MAY – MARSEILLE & THE MEDITERRANEAN (B)

Marseille, or ancient Massalia, was established in earnest by Greek colonists ca 600BCE, and with its strategic position near the mouth of the Rhône in the Camargue, and the important commodities that came from the surrounding countryside – salt, lumber, minerals – it quickly became one of the Mediterranean’s most important emporia. Over the millennia, it never lost this regional prominence, as we discover on a guided walking tour of the Vieux Port and old town this morning. From the extraordinary monument to mercy represented by La Charité, a reminder of the large population of urban poor that always existed in a port city such as this, to the striking military architecture that characterises the harbour, we understand how life in Marseille has always been oriented to the Mediterranean. After lunch at leisure, we visit MUCEM, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations that now stands proudly on the Vieux Port. The collection here focuses on human movement across the Mediterranean, from ancient times to more recent developments. It is just as well known for Rudy Ricciotti’s extraordinary contemporary architectural designs. Afterwards, there is the option to visit the moving Memorial of the Deportations, a sobering reminder of the impact of the Holocaust and of the Resistance on both cities we visit on tour. Evening at leisure.

MONDAY 03 MAY – A MODERN METROPOLIS (B)

By the late nineteenth century, Marseille’s size – and some of the more nefarious activities of its seafaring residents – had earned the city a reputation as a difficult modern metropolis, one that has been changing in recent years. In the middle of the twentieth century, the celebrated architect Le Corbusier began work here on a so-called Cité Radieuse, the iconic Unité d’Habitation that allows for comfortable modern living and champions the possibility of Brutalist architecture. It would go on to become one of the most influential buildings in the world. This morning, we take a guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed district, before returning to Marseille via the church of Notre Dame de la Garde, which boasts an extraordinary position overlooking the port and allows us to gain an aerial perspective on France’s second largest city. The afternoon and evening are at leisure, to allow you to rest or perhaps undertake a little shopping.

TUESDAY 04 MAY – MARSEILLE FROM THE WATER (B)

Today we enjoy a perspective on Marseille from the water, meeting a boat in the Vieux Port for a guided cruise of the harbour and its nearby monuments. From the colourful boats that still proliferate in Marseille’s port to the iconic red rocks of its surrounding landscape, we take the opportunity to understand the city from the perspective of its millennia of visitors by boat. As our guide explains, one of the most distinctive monuments in the Bay of Marseille is the Château d’If on the smallest island of an archipelago that sits just offshore from the modern city. For 300 years, it was an imposing prison, and an inspiring location for Alexandre Dumas’s Count of Monte Cristo. (Please note that the ability to land at the Château d’If is dependent on prevailing winds.) We return to the harbour in time for lunch at leisure, the perfect opportunity to try the renowned bouillabaisse while admiring the colourful view. After lunch, Kathleen takes us on a visit of one of Marseille’s art museums, pending the temporary exhibitions that will show during our stay. There is also the option to visit the Marseille History Museum, an excellent and comprehensive museum located not far from our hotel. Final night in Marseille.

WEDNESDAY 05 MAY – CÉZANNE, THE FATHER OF US ALL (B, D)

We check out this morning and travel by private coach to Lyon, calling in first at Aix-en-Provence in order to understand how the light and landscape of southern France exercised such a pull on one of the most important Western artists. Picasso referred to Paul Cézanne as “the father of us all”, highlighting his modern impact, and no town is more closely associated with him than Aix-en-Provence. We have a guided tour of the sites associated with him in this pleasant town, before lunch at leisure. Afterwards, we continue to Lyon and check into our hotel. There is a dinner tonight in a local restaurant. First of four nights in Lyon.

THURSDAY 06 MAY – GALLO-ROMAN LYON (B)

Lyon has a reputation as the gastronomic capital of France, no mean feat in a country that counts a fine meal and an excellent glass of wine as chief among life’s pleasures! This morning, we take a guided walking tour of one of Lyon’s culinary districts, the neighbourhood market of Saint Antoine Célestins. Afterwards, we continue across the river with our guide, ascending Fourvière Hill for a panoramic and historical perspective on the city: it’s here that we find some of Lyon’s most important archaeological sites, including the Roman Theatre, much of which dates to the first century BCE, and the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lugdunum. Lugdunum, the Roman name for Lyon, was the capital of Roman Gaul, and the birthplace of emperors Claudius and Caracalla. It remained a prominent city in Late Antiquity, and the museum has one of the finest collections of antiquities from this era. These include the Circus Games Mosaic, the Coligny calendar, and a hoard of dishes, jewellery and silver statues buried during a third-century invasion. After lunch at leisure, we continue to the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a fine Romanesque building completed centuries later in 1476. There is a talk tonight in our hotel, before the rest of the evening at leisure.

FRIDAY 07 MAY – ARTS & CRAFTS (B)

By the sixteenth century, Lyon had a strong reputation throughout Europe for the quality of its silks, and the industry would become an economic lynchpin for the city. We begin today in Les Canuts, one of the districts associated with silk workers, first stopping to admire the extraordinary life-sized contemporary murals that now cover many of the buildings in the neighbourhood. We then continue to the Maison des Canuts, for a guided introduction to the process of silk-weaving and the life of the men and women engaged in it. Travelling back into central Lyon, lunch is at leisure before Kathleen introduces the highlights of the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Considered to have one of France’s finest collections of Old Masters, including works by Perugino, Veronese, Poussin and Claude, it also boasts a modern collection that stretches from Degas, Renoir and Cézanne to Matisse, Picasso, De Chirico and others. There is time to explore this magnificent collection at leisure, after Kathleen’s highlights. Overnight Lyon.

SATURDAY 08 MAY – MODERN & CONTEMPORARY LYON (B, D)

As an important population centre, Lyon didn’t fail to innovate with the advent of industrialisation. It was the centre of the modern motion picture industry, for example, and recent museums have celebrated how the changing face of its population has brought diversity and renewed energy to the city. Pending temporary exhibitions, we start our day with a visit to one of Lyon’s modern museums, such as the Musée des Confluences, which celebrates the cultural symbolism of a city that stands at the meeting point of the Saône and Rhône. After time for lunch at leisure, we continue to the Musée Urbain Tony Garnier in the so-called Quartier des États-Unis. This “United States Quarter” was designed by architect Tony Garnier as a social housing district in the 1920s, and from the late 1980s it received new life as a canvas for modern mural paintings. Nineteen of these dot the Cité de Tony Garnier, and with our guide, we discover their references not only to Garnier’s modern project but also to key Lyonnais figures of more recent times. There is time at leisure in the late afternoon, to pack or for essential shopping, before we meet for a farewell meal in one of Lyon’s fine restaurants. Overnight Lyon.

SUNDAY 09 MAY – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in our hotel this morning. There are frequent connections by train to Paris and to Nice, from Lyon’s Part-Dieu railway station. A short tram ride from the station also brings you to Lyon’s Saint-Exupéry airport, for European and international connections. If you would like assistance on any aspect of your travel arrangements, including the comprehensive international travel insurance that is a condition of travel, contact us for further information.

NH Collection 4* Marseille, 4 nights

https://www.nh-collection.com/en/hotel/nh-collection-marseille

Our rooms at this well-located, modern hotel are in the Premium category, and at 27sqm are very well-sized for an urban hotel in France.

Mercure Lyon Centre Beaux-Arts 4* Lyon, 4 nights

https://all.accor.com/hotel/2949/index.en.shtml

Another well-located hotel, with our Privilege category rooms an average 29sqm. This is very generous for central Lyon.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 8 nights’ accommodation at centrally-located 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 3 lunches or dinners, including drinks

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Please note that no arrival or departure transfers are included in the price of the tour

• Talks by and expertise of an Australian tour leader throughout

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,000pp is due on 04 January 2027.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 15 February 2027.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.