Nestled just a short ferry ride from the glamorous shores of Cannes, the Lérins Islands offer a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the French Riviera. Of these islands, Île Sainte-Marguerite stands out as a haven of natural beauty and tranquillity. The Journey to Île Sainte-Marguerite The adventure …

My wife Val and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence, a little town at the base of the Alpilles Mountains. One of our favourite things is having a picnic lunch and exploring Provence’s beautiful little nooks and crannies. Over the years, we’ve discovered many lovely places to eat …

We have featured many villages and larger towns from St Remy to Nice in our “Where we live in Provence” series, including other places in the Luberon. Perhaps missed by the typical tourist itineraries, Rustrel is a small Luberon Valley village worth visiting. We asked Beth, who owns a home …

Many people think of Provence in the summer with its lavender fields, sunflowers, chilled rosé and swimming pools. I invite you to explore my winter travel ideas for those months in Provence. The text below appears in English first, followed by French for those trying to improve their language skills. …

Calling all nature and bird lovers! During your trip to Provence, you won’t want to miss the family-friendly Parc Ornithologique de Pont-de-Gau. This birding hot spot in the Camargue is near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where you will see pink flamingos and many other birds. See Flamingos and More This is far from …

My wife and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence, a town famous for its Roman ruins, Vincent van Gogh, and its fabulous weekly market. I’ve written two guidebooks about the area, plus hundreds of articles, so I get many questions from people planning a visit. While this isn’t …

Access to the Calanques National Park is controlled again this summer due to damage to the ecosystem caused by the burgeoning number of visitors and increasing fire risks.  The Calanque de Sugiton, which used to attract up to 2,500 people daily, is limited to 400 entries. Pre-booking one of the …

Throughout the Luberon region, the landscape is peppered with fields of small, round-shaped lavender bushes, which for almost nine months of the year lie dormant like sleeping hedgehogs. In the spring, they begin to sprout, and from about the middle of June, their fragrant flowers bloom, fanning their purple fronds …

Since I love trains and train travel, we took a day and rode the vintage steam train last summer. The Train de Pignes à Vapeur runs from Puget-Théniers in the Alpes Maritimes to the charming village of Annot in the Alpes de Haute Provence. Bygone Era As a young American …

As is the case in the rest of France, in Provence and along the Mediterranean coast, you don’t need to go far for the landscape to change dramatically. There are mountains, vineyards, orchards, gorges, lakes and sometimes crowds. So, if you feel like you need to get away without going …