France · Provence

Provence travel guide

Lavender, hilltop villages and long lunches in the shade

Sénanque Abbey and lavender. Photo: Chris Down, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

1h 45mflight from London

MRSnearest main airport

25° in Julwarmest month

4° in Jancoolest month

Provence is the France of daydreams: stone villages on hilltops, markets piled with melons and olives, and fields of lavender humming with bees. Base yourself in Avignon, Aix-en-Provence or a village in the Luberon.

A car makes all the difference here. Pick one up at Marseille or Avignon and spend your days drifting between villages, vineyards and Roman ruins.

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Top things to do in Provence

1
The Luberon villages
Gordes, Roussillon and its ochre cliffs, and Ménerbes, all within half an hour of each other.
2
Avignon
The vast Palais des Papes and the broken bridge from the nursery rhyme.
3
The lavender fields
Valensole plateau and Sénanque Abbey are at their purple best from late June to mid July.
4
Aix-en-Provence
Fountains, plane-tree avenues, café terraces and Cézanne's studio.
5
Arles
Roman arena, Van Gogh's haunts and the start of the Camargue wetlands.
6
Provençal markets
Every village has a market day. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue's Sunday market is the most famous.

Tours and tickets in Provence

Where to stay in Provence

Avignon
A walled city with trains and lots of restaurants. Good without a car.
The Luberon
Villa or farmhouse stays in the classic Provence countryside. You'll need a car.
Aix-en-Provence
Elegant and lively, close to Marseille airport.

Find a hotel in Provence

Best time to visit Provence

Best value: Apr–May, Sep–Oct. Late June to mid July for the lavender in bloom; May and September for warm weather without the crowds.

Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Provence, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Getting there and around

About 1h 45m from London to MRS, and flights from most UK airports.

Fly to Marseille and hire a car, or take the Eurostar and TGV to Avignon in about 6 hours from London with one change. Buses link the bigger towns, but rarely the villages.

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Day trips from Provence

Pont du Gard
A huge three-tiered Roman aqueduct over a river you can swim in.
Marseille
France's oldest city: the Old Port, the Calanques and real bouillabaisse.
Gorges du Verdon
Kayak through turquoise water in Europe's deepest canyon.

Good to know

Lavender is harvested from mid July, so check bloom reports before planning around it.
Many village restaurants stop serving lunch at 2pm sharp.
Summer can pass 35°C. Plan sightseeing for the morning.

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