Join Us On Pilgrimage Through

The South of France

October 15 – 25, 2022 / $4590.00, air-inclusive from Atlanta

Join Father Bryan Jerabek of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama on a pilgrimage through the south of France. This trip features overnight visits to some of the most incredible places and the holiest shrines found in France, including Toulouse, Lourdes, Rocamadour, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Cotignac, Sainte-Baume, Carcassonne and Nice. 

On this trip you can expect beautiful four-star hotels, private transportation, an incredible program of Catholic and cultural tours led by master guides, most meals, and daily Mass, prayers and spiritual direction. The cost is $4590.00 per person, with airfare from Atlanta included in the price. Space is limited to forty pilgrims total. 

About

An Incredible Itinerary

We’ve combined years of touring experience and an insider’s knowledge of southern France to build the trip of a lifetime.

Four Star Hotels & Amenities

We’ve selected beautiful and extremely well-located hotels for our pilgrimage – all of which are four stars and incredibly comfortable.

Catholic Tour Guides

Your tour director, chaplain and local guides are one and all dedicated Catholics. Their leadership will make this trip unforgettable.

Saint,Sauveur,Gothic,Cathedral,In,Aix-en-provence,In,France
A True Pilgrimage

This trip is is a pilgrimage. You can expect daily Mass and prayers and visits to holy shrines and Catholic historical sites!

Planning Timeline

Register

In order to register simply fill out the form on this page! Your place on the trip is then secure!

Purchase Travel Insurance

When you register we will send you a quote for travel insurance. To cover preexisting conditions insurance must be made within two weeks of registration.

Get Your Passports Ready

Apply as soon as possible. NB - Passports that expire within six months of the travel dates are not valid to enter France.

Get Welcome Packet & Pack Your Bags

Two months before the trip we will send you Welcome Packets with lots of useful information. Pack your bags and get ready!

The Itinerary

Getting There

Day 1 – Saturday, October 15

Today we depart for Europe! We will meet at the gate of departure at Atlanta International Airport at TBD. Flight details will be announced in November of 2021. 

Toulouse & Rocamadour

Day 2 – Sunday, October 16

Upon arrival in Toulouse we will meet our guide and driver and board a private bus for Toulouse – it’s only a short bus ride to the historic center! First stop? Our four-star hotel Grand Hôtel de l’Opéra, located on the magnificent main square of Toulouse, the Place du Capitole. Upon arrival we will check in and enjoy a welcome lunch in a nearby restaurant. 

Read more →

Following lunch we will depart for the Couvent des Jacobins, a magnificent gothic church (formerly) which enshrines the remains of the great saint and doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas. We’ll then visit the Basilique Saint-Sernin, one of the greatest Romanesque churches found anywhere in the world, and the largest remaining Romanesque structure in Europe! Here we will learn the story of the great Saint Saturninus, a missionary from Rome who in the third century set out to evangelize the Gauls. He was martyred here in Toulouse by his pagan enemies – dragged through streets by a bull. After learning his inspiring story and experiencing his great legacy, Father will celebrate Mass for the group within the Basilica. We will then return to the hotel for dinner and a free evening. 

Day 3 – Monday, October 17

Following breakfast we will board the bus and depart for Rocamadour, a scenic two hour drive north. Rocamadour is a magnificent medieval mountain village, built into the cliffs of the surrounding mountains, and is today recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site. For more than a thousand years this has been a Christian pilgrimage destination. Rocamadour’s story is awe-inspiring.

Tradition holds that at some point following the Our Lord’s Ascension, the disciple of Christ, Zaccheus, set out – like the Apostles – on a missionary journey to the west. His travels brought him to Roman Gaul – to the south of France in particular – where he set up for himself a hermitage. This hermitage became a place of pilgrimage, and miracles soon began to abound. Fast forward a thousand years and this shrine, built against the side of a cliff and overlooking the valley below, became one of the greatest pilgrimage sites in all of Christendom! Great saints and sinners alike would make the arduous trek from every corner of the world to come here – Charlemagne, St. Bernard, St. Dominic, and King Louis XI are among those who visited!

Upon arrival we will climb the 216 stairs to the shrine of Rocamadour, which literally means “Amador’s Rock” (in reference to Zaccheus who had taken the Christian name “Amador”). We’ll all go on foot, as still to this day, cars are not able to access the village! Here we will visit the Chapelle Notre Dame which is home to the Black Madonna of Rocamadour, the Basilica Saint-Sauveur, the Saint-Michel chapel, and the Palace of the Bishops. Here we will learn the history and stories of this ancient and holy place and Father will celebrate Mass for the group. We will then enjoy some free time for lunch and shopping before returning to Toulouse for a group dinner at the hotel. 

Lourdes

Day 4 – Tuesday, October 18

Following breakfast and a free morning in Toulouse we will depart for Lourdes. Our bus will take us directly through the hills of southern France to our beautiful four-star hotel in the heart of Lourdes, Gallia & Londres. Upon arrival at the hotel we will check-on and freshen up, before departing for Mass and rosary procession at the shrine. We will then enjoy dinner together at the hotel. 

Day 5 – Wednesday, October 19

Today we will embark on a spiritual journey through the life and legacy of St. Bernadette. We will visit her childhood home, hear her incredible story, and celebrate Mass in the very grotto where Our Lady appeared to her! In the afternoon we will have time to go to the baths to wash ourselves or perhaps to spend some time in quiet prayer. After such a blessed day we will come together again for dinner at the hotel. 

Carcassonne & Avignon

Day 6 – Thursday, October 20

Following Mass and breakfast we will depart for Carcassonne, a magnificent fortified city that is exceptionally well preserved and of a rare beauty. Situated in the south of France, not far from the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees mountains, Carcassonne is known worldwide and is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Our walking tour concludes with free time for lunch and shopping. 

Following lunch we will depart for Avignon, a magnificent medieval city sitting on the banks of the Rhone river in southern France. When the popes fled the chaos of 14th century Rome they took refuge here, in Avignon, much to the delight of the powerful French monarchs who enjoyed considerable power with the Catholic Church at the time. Due to this exodus from Rome, Avignon would become a sort of “second Rome”, and the magnificent Papal Palace and surrounding historic city are testament to its grandeur. Upon arrival we will check in at the comfortable and centrally-located four star Mercure Hotel. We’ll then enjoy a group dinner. 

Read more →

Day 7 – Friday, October 21

Our day begins with a tour of the Papal Palace. It took nearly twenty years to construct this building and it is in fact the largest Gothic construction of the Middle Ages! We’ll explore this great Christian fortress’s many chambers, chapels and ramparts as we learn the incredible story of the Avignon papacy, and the even more incredible story of how the Popes would eventually return to Rome. Following our tour we will enjoy some free time followed by lunch. 

In the afternoon we’ll rendezvous for a walking tour of the historic center, which starts with Mass at the church of the Holy Cross, where a Eucharistic miracle occurred on November 30, 1433.  The entire church building was completely consumed by a flood, but the Eucharist, exposed for adoration, remained dry. Ever since that day pious Christians have come here to pray and to worship God in the Eucharist, the great mystery of our Faith. Following our time here we will enjoy a stroll through the historic center followed by some free time for shopping. We will then meet at the hotel for dinner. 

Travel,Destination,,Small,Ancient,Village,Cotignac,In,Var,,Provence,,Surrounded

Provence: From Aix to Nice

Day 8 – Saturday, October 22

Following Mass and breakfast we will depart for Aix-en-Provence, one of France’s most beautiful cities found in the heart of her most beautiful region – Provence. The seat of the Archdiocese of Aix, this incredible city has come to be known as the “Paris of the South” for its incredible beauty and thriving culture, despite its smaller population of only 150,000 inhabitants. Our drive is only about an hour, and the scenery is magnificent!

Upon arrival we will check in at our four-star hotel, the Aquabella Hotel and Spa. We will then enjoy a walking tour of the city center, which includes the 12th century Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur, the cobblestone-streets of the medieval city and so much more. There will be a few hours of free time before we meet back at the hotel for dinner. 

Following our tour we will depart for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland and one of Europe’s most fabled cities. It has even been called “the Athens of the North”! Upon arrival we will check-in at our hotel, the four-star Crowne Plaza Royal Terrace, and enjoy dinner. 

Read more →

Day 9 – Sunday, October 23

Today following breakfast we will depart for Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, a small town that holds some of the most sacred relics of early Christianity – the remains of St. Mary Magdalene. Tradition holds that in 47 AD St. Mary Magdalene came to Roman Gaul (now France) along with her brother Lazarus and a number of other early disciples of Jesus Christ. (The story of their voyage is an incredible one, but we will save it for France!) Upon making landfall this small group set out to convert the people dwelling here, and were so successful in fact that the people of this part of the world still trace their Chrsitianity back to them. In the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume we will attend Mass at the tomb of St. Mary Magdalene followed by free time for lunch. 

Following lunch we will depart for the shrine of St. Mary Magdalene, an ancient grotto found up in the mountains and now cared for by the Domincans. It is here that St. Mary Magdalene spent as much as thirty years, in prayer and spiritual direction, bringing countless souls to Christ. The hike to the shrine takes about forty-five minutes, but it is well worth it! The first-century Church will feel that much closer as you escape the world just as St. Mary Magdalene did, nearly two thousand years ago. Following our time here we will return to Aix for dinner and a free evening in the city. 

Day 10 – Monday, October 24

Following an early breakfast at the hotel we will board the bus for Cotignac. Found in the heart of the southern Alps, Cotignac is marked by two apparitions! In 1519 the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus appeared to a humble woodcutter and in 1660 St. Joseph spoke to a young shepherd. These apparitions make this small village the only one in the world where the entire Holy Family has appeared! Upon arrival in Cotignac we will visit the sanctuary Notre Dame de Grâces, the site of the Marian apparition. Here we will learn the awe-inspiring story of this incredible place and then attend holy Mass. 

Following Mass we’re off to Nice, the capital of the Cote d’Azur. This city is as much Italian as it is French, having been traded to the French as recently as the 19th century! Nice’s Old Town market, baroque churches and incredible color and charm make her truly one of a kind. Upon arrival we will check in at the beautiful four-star Hotel Westend, located on the famous Promenade des Anglais and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We will then enjoy a light welcome lunch followed by an afternoon tour of Nice. In the late afternoon there will be free time followed by our farewell dinner in the hotel. 

Coming Home

Day 11 – Tuesday, October 25.

Today we will return home to the United States! In the early morning our bus will bring us directly to Nice airport, where we will check in and board our flight to Atlanta!

 

TRIP DETAILS

Pricing & Registration

Payment Details

Only $200.00 is due to register - the remaining balance is due later.

$200 / due @ registration

$2195
due February 1, 2022
$2195
due June 1, 2022
Check Payment or CC (3% Surcharge)

Regular Price

See the brochure for a full list of inclusions and exclusions.

$4590 / air-inclusive

Airfare from Atlanta on Lufthansa
4 Star Hotels & Private Transportation
All Tours, Tour Fees and Most Meals
ProRome Tour Director & Private Guides

Upgrades & More

Looking for more legroom or perhaps a single room?

Please Inquire

Single Room - $800.00
Room Upgrade
Cost TBD - Please Inquire
Seat Upgrades on Flights
Cost TBD - Please Inquire

Meet the Team

Client Logo Image
Client Logo Image
Client Logo Image
Client Logo Image

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need the vaccine to enter France?

A Covid-19 vaccine is currently required to enter France. Please note that this restriction may be removed at any time.

Is there any other documentation that I need to provide?

Each traveler must fill out a Statement of Honor within 48 hours of entering France. Please know that ProRome will send out this form along with other useful information 45 days before the trip. You do not need to print and fill this out now.

What is the situation regarding the French Health Pass?

As of August 10, 2021, a number of public places will be limited to those who possess either a French Health Pass or a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of entering the location. Many places on our itinerary will be limited to these rules. The French Health Pass is limited to those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, whereas unvaccinated travelers can show a negative test taken within 72 hours in order enter any location.
  • For those of you who have been vaccinated, we will send out specific information on how to obtain the French Health Pass 45 days before the trip. If you would like to learn more you can do so by clicking here: https://fr.usembassy.gov/how-to-get-a-french-health-pass/.
  • For those of you who have not been vaccinated, we will organize a time to get tested every third day of the trip, so that you are able to participate on every activity. Please know that these tests cost anywhere from $20.00 to $50.00 and come at your expense.

What do I need to do to come back to the US?

Effective January 26, 2021 the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require all air passengers entering the United States (including U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents) to present a negative COVID-19 test, taken within three calendar days of departure or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days​. Please know that we will organize a time for the entire group to be tested two days before departure. This will be at your expense, and will range anywhere from $20.00 – $50.00.

Please see CDC’s FAQ for answers to questions about the new requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving in the United States.

What if I test positive and cannot board the flight home to the US?

In the event that you test positive for Covid-19 and are unable to board the flight home, ProRome will assist in arranging a hotel at your expense. ProRome will also assist in rebooking your flights at a later date at your expense.

Please know that any expenses resulting from a positive Covid-19 test are covered under our travel insurance plans. For this reason travel insurance is highly recommended. Please contact us for more information.

Do I need to wear a mask in France?

Although the laws governing masks are subject to change before the trip, wearing a face mask is currently mandatory in indoor public places throughout France.

Masks are not mandatory outdoors, but you must always carry one with you and wear it if you find yourself in crowded conditions that do not allow for 1 meter of safety distance between persons to be maintained.

Always keep a safe distance of one meter from other people and wash your hands frequently or, if this not possible, sanitize them with alcohol-based sanitizing gels. You will find sanitizing gel dispensers at the entrances to shops, restaurants and other businesses.

Do I need to wear a mask on the flights?

Face masks are required by law. Below you will find the masks which are permitted onboard Lufthansa. Although the laws governing face masks on international flights are subject to change before the trip, please be prepared to wear a mask.

 

Lufthansa Facemask Policy Change February 1, 2021 - LoyaltyLobby

Can I fly separately?

Absolutely. You will save $900.00 if you fly separately. Simply provide your arrival and departure information and we’ll have a private car waiting for you in Toulouse. Please note that this service incurs an additional $100.00 fee ($100.00 per transfer).

What is the cancellation policy?

Below you will find the cancellation policy pertaining to this trip. For the full terms and conditions, please click here.

  • Cancellation before August 15, 2021 – Full Refund
  • Cancellation from August 15 – October 15, 2021 – 50% Refund ($2145.00)
  • Cancellation from October 25, 2021 – November 13, 2021- No Refund

What if the trip cancels after the no-refund date?

This is a very important question. There are a few scenarios to consider.

In the first scenario ProRome the trip is forced to cancel the trip after the no-refund date due to complications resulting from the current pandemic or a similar situation.  Understandably this is outside of everyone’s control. ProRome will do everything possible to secure full refunds for the group. If full refunds are not possible, ProRome will re-schedule the trip to a future date, and your non-refundable funds will be converted into a credit to be applied towards the cost of the rescheduled trip.

In the second scenario the client is forced to cancel his or her participation on the trip after the no-refund date due to personal complications resulting from the current pandemic or a similar situation. In this scenario travel insurance would be the only way to secure a full refund. Please review your travel insurance policy in-depth to make sure your reason is covered. For more information click here.

Can I use my Points or Miles towards the airline tickets?

No. As this is a group booking we cannot apply Points or Miles towards each individual ticket.

Are you insured?

Yes. We are fully insured with Travel Agents and Tour Operators Professional Liability Insurance through Zurich American Insurance Company . And yes, travel insurance can be purchased through ProRome Tours.

Will I be safe with your group?

Safety is our #1 priority. We alway stay together as a group. We’ll never take you anywhere unsafe.

What do you do in the event of an emergency?

We remain in close contact with the American embassies in France, who issues safety and security messages on their website. In the case of an emergency, we will first ensure that all of our group members are safe and able to communicate immediately with their family at home. We will then follow the instructions of the local authorities and make an informed decision on how to proceed.

Our staff receives training before the trip, which involves reading, understanding and committing to memory a forty-page crisis management plan. If you would like to see a copy of this plan please inquire.

Can you accommodate people with food allergies or specific dietary restrictions?

Absolutely. Vegetarian or vegan, gluten-free or celiac, we work only with restaurants and caterers who have ample options for you.

Trip Patron

Our trip patron is St. Mary Magdalene, who tradition holds came to southern France helped to convert the people here to Christ. We will visit her hermitage and her final resting place!

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

Travel Insurance

Protecting You, and Your Loved Ones

Protect Your Travel Investment, and Plan Worry Free

Most of our clients who purchase travel insurance will never have to file a claim. This is a very good thing. If you do have to visit a hospital over in Europe, however, it is good to know that you have the world’s largest and best travel insurance provider at your back. They’ll get you in and taken care of quickly.

On another note, the majority of those who cancel their trip with ProRome do so because of an illness or death in their family prior to the trip. This is covered in most of our plans. If nothing else, this is a very good reason to purchase a plan today.