As we plan trips to the South of France, I look for good fares from San Francisco to Geneva, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Nice. Recently, it seems Geneva and Lyon have offered the best fares on our favourite airline. The first couple of times we flew into Lyon, we went …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This is a huge celebration of the linkages between Pablo Picasso and the Mediterranean region with exhibitions already organised in Naples, Rabat, Malaga, Perpignan, Venice, and lots in the pipeline. Here in Provence, these are the forthcoming exhibitions in the programme: Picasso et Maitres Espagnol Carrieres …

Just below the famous hilltop fortress of Les Baux sits the boutique luxury hotel Benvengudo.  The name means “welcome” in the local language and it couldn’t be more appropriate. Walking into the manicured grounds of Benvengudo is like stepping back in time, to a more simple and gracious era.  The …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: I have to confess driving round/past/through Gardanne several times but never stopping to have a look round. We did, this week, and found it interesting. It wasn’t a good start as the tourist office was shut. We had checked the opening hours on the website …

What is it? The Foundation owns one of the largest collections of paintings, sculptures and graphic works of the 20th century in Europe and shows contemporary artists’ work…and it’s just a 2-hour drive from Aix. Who were the Maeghts? Aimé and Marguerite Maeght who were art dealers and collectors based …

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 …

Take a road trip to a world away from lavender-scented fields, perched villages, and candy-coloured shutters. Head to the Camargue! The marshland and brackish waters where the Rhone River finally meets the Mediterranean define Provence’s “wild west.” Created in 1986, the natural wetland preserve is 100,000 hectares in size (read …

It has been almost a century since this boutique hotel first opened its doors on the shores of the Mediterranean. Germain Passedat purchased the Villa Corinthe in 1917 and chose the name “le Petit Nice” as a tribute to the villa’s stunning location on the azure shoreline. Even today, 100-years …

The article previously published on Ginger and Nutmeg: Nutmeg agreed to accompany Ginger to the medical clinic in Arles so he could get a yellow fever vaccination for his Africa trip, but only if they could visit Alyscamps afterwards. Alyssii campi is Latin for Elysian fields – the road leading to the kingdom …

It’s hard to say when the Barefoot Blogger will ever get her fill of the Camargue. The preserved area south of Arles,  the Parc naturel régional de Camargue, is between the Mediterranean and the Rhone river delta. One-third of the Camargue is marshland, lagoons and lakes. Continue reading here for the original article …