Illustration: lavender rows below a stone hill village in evening light

Destination Guide

Provence

Stone hill villages, lavender fields and the welcome of a chambre d’hôtes.

Provence, France

Provence, as the regional tourist board defines it, covers four departments: Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Var. It is a destination name, not an administrative unit, and takes in the Luberon, Alpilles and Verdon regional nature parks.

At a Glance

  • Hill villages

    Gordes is a Plus Beau Village de France.

  • Roman heritage

    Eight UNESCO-listed monuments in Arles.

  • Chambres d’hôtes

    Rooms in a host’s home, defined in French law.

Illustration: a cobbled village lane with stone houses, a striped awning and baskets of produce
Illustrative image: a Provençal-style village lane.

Where to Base Yourself

Provence can be explored from a number of well-known towns and villages.

  • Avignon
  • Arles
  • Aix-en-Provence
  • Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
  • Gordes
  • L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
  • Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
  • Illustration: a stone hill village above lavender and olive trees

    Luberon

    A regional nature park of 77 communes

  • Illustration: a lavender field and farmhouse below a limestone ridge

    Alpilles

    Saint-Rémy-de-Provence lies at its foot

  • Illustration: a turquoise river in a limestone gorge

    Verdon

    The Gorges du Verdon and its trails

Three regional nature parks: an editorial selection, not a division of Provence.

When to Go

The tourist board recommends March to June or September to November.

  • Illustration: pink blossom over a stone house, vines and a limestone ridge

    Spring (Mar – May)

    Recommended months.

    Typical daily range in April: 9 – 19 °C

  • Illustration: rows of lavender in flower below a stone farmhouse

    Summer (Jun – Aug)

    Lavender at Valensole.

    Typical daily range in July: 20 – 31 °C

  • Illustration: vines in autumn colour below a hill village

    Autumn (Sep – Nov)

    Recommended; wetter.

    Typical daily range in October: 13 – 21 °C

  • Illustration: bare vines and a stone hamlet under a pale winter sky

    Winter (Dec – Feb)

    Inland can be cold.

    Typical daily range in January: 4 – 12 °C

Temperatures: typical daily low and high in April, July, October and January at Marignane (Météo-France, 1991–2020).

Things to Do

Walks, Roman monuments, markets and lavender across the region.

  • Walk the Gorges du Verdon

    The Blanc-Martel trail is 15 km one way and rated difficult.

  • See Roman Arles

    The arena and theatre are among eight UNESCO-listed monuments.

  • Browse a Provençal market

    L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue holds markets on Thursday and Sunday mornings.

  • See the lavender fields

    The Valensole plateau flowers between mid-June and mid-July.

Kinds of Stay

The kinds of stay French law and labels describe.

  • Illustration: a table set outside a stone house with blue shutters and wisteria

    Chambres d’hôtes

    Rooms in the host’s home: at most five rooms and fifteen guests.

  • Illustration: a living room with stone walls opening onto a terrace

    Meublés de tourisme

    Villas, apartments or studios for the renter’s exclusive use.

  • Illustration: a stone farmhouse with a terrace above lavender and vineyards

    Chambres chez l’habitant

    The name used above the five-room limit.

  • Illustration: a stone house with blue shutters, climbing roses and a garden table

    Clévacances stays

    A quality label formed in 1995.

Stay styles are inspiration, not listings.

Good to Know

A few helpful tips for planning your visit.

  • Getting there

    Paris Gare de Lyon to Avignon TGV takes about two and a half hours.

  • Getting around

    Zou! is the region’s bus and train network.

  • Local tips

    Lavender dates shift with the weather, and the harvest ends the display.

Explore Provence

Discover Provence

Be inspired by the region and explore B&B stay styles. Bookings are not yet available.

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Sources

Official sources used for this guide, for further information about Provence.

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Images on this page are AI-generated illustrations. They are not photographs of specific places or properties.