Provence

Lavender fields, hilltop villages and Roman towns in southeastern France, centered on the Luberon, Valensole and Avignon.

Provence is a historical and cultural region in southeastern France. In a travel context it usually means the inland and coastal area east of the Rhône and west of the French Riviera. It is smaller than the current administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and generally does not include Nice and the Riviera. Highlights: Avignon's Palace of the Popes and broken bridge; Arles' Roman amphitheatre and Van Gogh sites; the Pont du Gard; in the Luberon, Gordes, Roussillon (the ochre village) and Sénanque Abbey (lavender in summer); the Valensole Plateau's vast lavender fields and the Verdon Gorge; Marseille's Old Port, Calanques National Park, and Aix-en-Provence (Cézanne's hometown, the city of fountains); and Rhône Valley wine regions such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A classic plan: drive for 5–7 days using Avignon and Aix/Marseille as bases, adding Valensole and the Verdon Gorge in July; it can be linked with the French Riviera into a 10-day trip. On transport: the TGV from Paris to Avignon and Aix takes about 3 hours, but mountain villages can almost only be reached by car or on day tours. Weekend markets are worth planning around (such as the Sunday antiques market in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the Luberon). Lavender blooms briefly, and harvesting usually begins in mid-to-late July.

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Itineraries