Twenty years ago, my husband, daughter, and I rolled into Marseille on the high-speed train from Paris.  If I recall correctly, the Aix-en-Provence TGV station had not yet been built. We rented a car and drove to Aix-en-Provence, where we would spend several nights before moving to Lourmarin, the small …

Are you an intellectually curious traveler? Context Travel aims to be different, far removed from the average tourist tour, and certainly not with just any tour guides. Tour leaders at Context Travel are called docents, with good reason these are multi-degreed (MBA, Ph.D.) specialists in their fields of study who are keen …

I hadn’t heard of Raphaël Ponson before visiting the exhibition at Marseille’s Musee Regards de Provence, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing his work from the 19th century; it gives us an insight into the region in its pre-modern tranquility. The Vieux Port is shown as being a bustling centre this …

Occasionally, I get asked what do I enjoy the most about Perfectly Provence? Hands down it is the personal connections forged via this online community of contributors and readers. Some of my favourite moments (to date) include a lady’s lunch in Nice, exchanging recipes and wine pairing ideas with new …

The sprawling ‘Les Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles‘, this year in its 47th edition, will for the first time, overflow to Marseille, Avignon and Nimes. The venues will be, respectively the Villa Mediterranée, the Collection Lambert and the Carré d’Art. This year’s Rencontre d’Arles, which runs from July 4 to …

…as it used to be known, comes back into service for the season on Saturday 23rd April. Boats start at Marseille’s Vieux Port and take 100 passengers to either Pointe Rouge or L’Estaque. Each journey takes about half an hour and last year cost 5 euros. You get great views …

Last autumn, it was announced that two mansions in centre ville were for sale. The town authorities wished to divest themselves of buildings which weren’t functional and cost too much to maintain. Now there is some progress to report on one. The Hotel de Valbelle, currently the sous-prefecture, in rue Mignet, …

Author Mary Lou Longworth and her family have lived in Provence for nearly 20 years. They long ago fell under the spell of the natural Provencal beauty studded with olive trees, vineyards and cobalt sky. Life in France has included a few expat struggles and the birth of series of …

Artists and Art Teachers in Provence Provence is an endless canvas for artists, writers, photographers and frankly anyone with a fragment of a creative side. A place famous for its magical light, Provence has inspired master painters Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh and many of today’s creators (photos below). Tessa Baker …

Cook’n with Class is now offering five-day cooking courses at their gorgeous Uzès location. Class sizes are deliberately small with a total of six participants, to maximize the hands-on cooking experience. However, these culinary holidays are not just about long hours spent in the kitchen. You and your classmates will have …