Avignon to Arles, Les Baux and Saint-Rémy with Arnaud review: the picnic day
My verdict: the day trip that includes the most, run by a native guide named Arnaud whose name is all over the reviews. Six and a half to seven and a half hours from your Avignon hotel in a group of eight: a 75-minute guided walk in Arles, an olive mill with a tasting, a farm picnic under the trees, an hour inside the Carrières de Lumières with the entry included, the Les Baux viewpoint and an hour in Saint-Rémy. It rates 4.8 from only 16 reviews, with guide and transport both at 5.0 and value at 4.2. The mill and the picnic run April to October only. The amphitheatre is seen from outside and its ticket is not included.
What the day is like
Pickup at your Avignon hotel, then 45 minutes to Arles for the only guided walk on any of the three day trips: 75 minutes past the cathedral and cloister of Saint-Trophime, the town hall, Van Gogh’s café on place du Forum, Constantine’s baths, the old port on the Rhône, the amphitheatre, the Théâtre antique and the Espace Van Gogh, all from outside. That is the full UNESCO list in an hour and a quarter, which is a walk rather than a visit, and Arnaud does not sell it as more.
Then the Moulin Castelas, an olive mill, for a guided visit and an oil tasting of about half an hour; Sean from Canada sampled several AOP oils. Then the picnic, an hour of farm produce: eggs, black-olive and pepper tapenade, fresh goat cheese and seasonal fruit. The listing says fig trees, May from Canada remembers olive trees, and Sean says it was prepared by Arnaud’s parents. Then an hour inside the Carrières de Lumières, the light show in the old quarries below Les Baux, with the ticket included; Patricia from Brazil and a Canadian family both call it the highlight. Ten minutes at the Les Baux viewpoint, an hour of free time in Saint-Rémy, and back to Avignon.
What works
- Guide 5.0 and transport 5.0: Arnaud is the reason people book, and a new vehicle runs from March 2026
- The only day trip with a guided walk in Arles
- Carrières de Lumières entry included
- Olive mill tasting and a farm picnic, which Bill from the United States and May from Canada both single out
- Reserve now, pay later; hotel pickup in Avignon
Worth knowing
- Only 16 reviews; a 4.8 from 16 is promising, not proven
- Value sub-score 4.2, the lowest of the three day trips, because a lot is included and you pay for all of it
- Lou from the United States, four stars, found only two food choices at the picnic; the operator replied that it is a picnic, not a food tour, and both are right
- Mill and picnic only from April to October; the day can be cancelled for weather
- Adrian from Poland, four stars: the guide was great, the programme did not grab him
What reviewers say
Patricia from Brazil describes a relaxed pace with the Carrières as the high point. Bill from the United States writes about a picnic from local farms, Sean about the oils and the parents, and about Saint-Rémy as a trendy contrast to Arles, which is a fair description of both towns. The two four-star reviews are the useful ones. Lou’s complaint about food choice is honest and so is the operator’s reply: this is a picnic of what the farm has, and if you have a restricted diet, say so when you book rather than at the table. Adrian’s is the one to sit with. He liked Arnaud and did not warm to the programme, and the programme is the point: mill, picnic, light show. If those three things do not appeal, the Aix trip gives you the same villages with more time on your own.
Tell the operator about allergies or a vegetarian preference when you book, not on the day. The tapenade, the goat cheese and the fruit are the picnic; there is no menu. And wear something warm for the Carrières, which are cool underground even in August.
Who should book it, and who should not
Book it if you are staying in Avignon between April and October, want Arles explained rather than dropped on you, and like the idea of eating at a mill more than choosing a restaurant. It is the best day of the three for a first visit to Provence. Skip it if the amphitheatre interior is what you came for, because the walk passes it and does not go in; you would need to come back on another day with a ticket, or take the train and read how long to visit. Skip it in winter, when the mill and the picnic drop off the programme, and check what to eat in Arles if you want the food side without the day.
Other tours to consider
The Aix day covers the same villages with free time instead of a guided walk. The Van Gogh half-day is the other Avignon departure, for the painter. The express walk is an hour in town if you come by train.
Most bookedFrom Aix-en-Provence: Arles, Les Baux & Saint-Rémy Full-Day
Van GoghFrom Avignon: In the Footsteps of Van Gogh in Provence
Quick & localArles: Express Walk with a Local
Frequently asked questions
Is the Carrières de Lumières ticket included?
Does the Arles walk go inside the amphitheatre?
No. The 75-minute walk passes the amphitheatre, the Théâtre antique, Saint-Trophime, Constantine’s baths and the Espace Van Gogh from outside. No entry to any Arles monument is included; the tickets page explains how to go in on your own on another day.
What is the picnic like?
Farm produce under the trees at the olive mill: eggs, black-olive and pepper tapenade, fresh goat cheese and seasonal fruit, prepared according to Sean from Canada by Arnaud’s parents. It runs April to October only. It is a picnic rather than a menu, which is what Lou’s four-star review is about, so mention dietary needs when you book.