Secrets of the French Riviera: Marseille to Saint Raphael

Included in the itinerary - The day begins at the Old Port of Marseille, the thrilling heart of the city, where the history of Massalia began 2,600 years ago. Accompanied by your gourmet guide, you'll discover the traditional fish market where you'll choose from fish caught during the night: mullets, sea bream or wolffish, depending on the menu selected for your lunch. You'll continue your walk through the city, strolling through the Capuchin market, as you move up the Cannebiere. You'll have a chance to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables at this popular market, which is fragrant with the scents of spices, dates and Turkish delight. Now that the ingredients have been gathered, your host will invite you to his apartment in Marseille to begin a small group cooking class. For two hours, you'll benefit from his know-how and culinary knowledge. Lunch will be served on the terrace or inside the apartment depending on the temperature. For a gentle end of the day, you'll take to the sea and watch a blazing sky as the sun sets. Departing from the Old Port, your skipper will help you aboard for an evening out. Enjoy a local aperitif and taste some Provencal products at the Marseilles harbour from the area surrounding Chateau d'If and the Friuli archipelago. Magical

Head for nearby Cassis, on the other side of the Calanques National Park. Nestled at the bottom of Anse de la Grande Mer, between Pointe des Lombards and Cap Cable, Cassis is a charming little port village whose sun-drenched soil produces wine filled with bright nuances. The municipality owes its motto to the poet and Nobel Prize winner Frederic Mistral, who praised 'He who has seen Paris and who has not seen Cassis can say … I have seen nothing.' Stay for two nights in an 1877 mansion overlooking the sea from the rocky pine forest. Halfway between the village and the calanques, it offers stunning views of Cap Canaille, one of Europe's tallest cliffs. Its staircase gardens reveal a swimming pool with exquisite sea views. We love its Art Deco elements and its location, just above the sea.

Included in the itinerary - A day on board your hotel's 'pointu', the iconic fishing boat of the Mediterranean. Head for the calanques and Ile Verte and navigate the coast with stops for swimming and picnicking offshore.

Head east towards the Var, following a route that stays close to the coast. Towering over Saint-Tropez and Pampelonne Bay, Ramatuelle overlooks the sea. Amid the vineyards and hills, this medieval village has preserved its little slice of welcome authenticity. Its quiet setting has made it an alternative to Saint-Tropez, attracting the great and the good who prefer its cosiness to the excesses of Saint Tropez. Stay two nights on Pampelonne beach, in a recently renovated legendary hotel dating back to the 1960s. It's a place where time no longer matters, where elegance is simplicity's best friend, where a few laps in the pool follow a game of tennis. In short, it's a quintessentially chic Mediterranean way of life...

Included in the itinerary - A reservation at Club 55, a legendary restaurant on Pampelonne beach. A few hundred feet from your hotel, a table is reserved under the reed screens of this bohemian yet elegant family-owned hotel.
Optional - A day on the island of Porquerolles to discover the Fondation Carmignac, its contemporary works, its temporary exhibitions, and its garden dotted with sculptures, in a naturally preserved place.

Drive to Saint-Raphael, a fishing village near Frejus. A fashionable seaside resort in the 19th century, it is still lovely and boasts numerous beaches. Stay two nights at a beautiful hotel bordering the Bay of Ile d'Or, a bit outside the city. Here you can enjoy the last slopes of the Massif de l'Esterel, further north, and an adjoining private beach. Its typical modernist architecture of the late 1950's and its collection of decorative, bargain-hunted objects make it a very pleasant, gentle Provencal stopover...