Since a number of cruises begin or end in Monte Carlo, and maybe a few stop in Marseilles, I wanted to pass along some information about touring in Provence. My husband and I are scheduled to board the Voyager on October 22 (when the 007 group disembarks). We decided to do a pre-cruise of a few days in Provence visiting the smaller towns, markets and historic sites.

We have booked a private tour guide who has put together a lovely three-day itinerary for us. Her name is Catherine, and her web site is www.provence-travel.com. She is located in Aix-en-Provence (recommended by several on this board when I first was researching Provence -- thanks!). Obviously we haven't done the touring yet so I can't give first-hand information, but Catherine has been very helpful and responsive in our planning, including with special requests, so I have high hopes of a pleasant time with her as our guide.

An airline tip for anyone who might decide to do touring with Catherine, or presumably any guide based in southern Provence: Because we were boarding the ship in Monte Carlo, we first assumed we would fly into Nice and meet Catherine at the airport there. After discussion with her, it became clear her drive to Nice and back to southern Provence was an expensive portion of the touring. Therefore, we arranged our flight into Marseilles, which is only about 20 km from Aix, rather than Nice, and Catherine will meet us at the Marseille airport. It improved the price considerably and allowed more touring time as opposed to "road" time. I assume the same would be true in reverse for anyone doing a post-cruise in Provence, i.e., flying home from Marseille rather than Nice. At the end of our touring with Catherine, she will transport us to the ship in Monte Carlo on embarkation day, after some time that morning at the Aix weekly market.

By the way, I'm sure a number of airlines fly to Marseille, although I'm not sure which ones. We wanted to use American Airlines frequent flyer miles overseas, which for us meant either Paris or London Gatwick (the London airport used for direct flights from Dallas). We ended up with London, and from Gatwick a British no-frills airline called Easyjet flies to Marseilles. The Easyjet fare from Gatwick to Marseilles was less than $100 for both of us.

Just wanted to pass this along in case it could be useful to any France-bound travelers. Hope so!